Newsgroup: it.cultura.newage
Titolo: Considerazioni.

Nel gran sconquasso che vede in questi giorni una marea di estremisti
infiltrati all'interno di it.cultura.newage, credo sia opportuno riportare
alcune considerazioni indipendenti dalla New Age in se per se, ma
semplicemente suggerite dal buon senso.
Innanzitutto, su questa terra si è teorizzato a lungo circa un diritto,
chiamato libertà di culto, ma mai applicato realmente.
Tuttavia negli ultimi anni, non "altri" abbiamo assistito ad un inaspettato
ampliamento di vedute, che in un modo o nell'altro è stato anche frutto
delle nostre azioni.
Cosicchè al giorno d'oggi i cultori di cosidette religioni o dottrine "non
ufficiali" godono di una certa libertà.
Grazie a questi principi credo che sia potuto nascere un mezzo di
comunicazione come it.cultura.newage.
Tuttavia, "i rivoluzionari", non amano essere messi sotto i piedi da altre
dottrine, probabilmente proprio perchè gli è stata concessa troppa libertà
(scusate l'ironia) e ora si vogliono prendere quello che gli è stato
rifiutato per tanto tempo.
Allo stato attuale della società moderna, non sarebbero certo ben viste
repressioni più o meno dirette di questi "rivoluzionari". Però in molti si
rendono conto del pericolo stesso che questi rappresentano. Ed ecco allora
che si può notare come buona parte delle maggiori religioni abbia previsto
un allontanamento di fedeli. Ed ecco che si giunge alla conversione coatta
psicologica. Purtroppo però sembra che questo metodo non abbia più
influenza, essendo venuto a mancare l'elemento di fondamento: L'IGNORANZA.
Così ovviamente, una persona non può più essere convinta a ritornare sui
propri passi semplicemente ponendole di fronte un diavoletto con le corna e
la coda a punta che ti minaccia in caso di abbandono della tua corrente
dottrina. Funziona a malapena con i bambini piccoli. Ricordo che alle scuole
elementari la maestra un giorno provò a convincermi che gli ebrei erano
stati puniti attraverso i secoli da Dio stesso (nazismo, e altre
persecuzioni di vario genere) semplicemente perchè non avevano riconosciuto
la figura di Dio.
Appunto le maggiori religioni si stanno convincendo che uno che cambia
strada allontanandosi dalla propria dottrina, sempre che non lo faccia per
moda (tipo:tutti i miei amici sono New Ager,(e sa che significa?), lo
divento anche io), difficilmente ritornerà sui propri passi, ed ecco che ci
si rende conto che l'unico modo per garantire un proseguio della dottrina in
questione è quello di inculcarlo alle persone sin dall'infanzia con
un'azione chiamata "lavaggio del cervello", che vaccina l'individuo contro
ogni possibile influenza esterna.
Queste tecniche ovviamente sono state perfezionate solo in tempi
relativamente moderni, e per la loro affermazione, bisognerà aspettare
qualche anno.
Ma proprio in virtù della discreta libertà intellettuale che caratterizza i
new ager, e tutti quelli che sono giunti ad una forma di spiritualità spinti
solo dalla propria coscienza, credo che ogni forma di attacco perpetuataci
(a parte ovviamente l'inquisizione con rogo incluso) sarà totalmente
inutile, e per questo motivo non capisco come diamine venga in mente ad
alcune persone di mandare messaggi quasi intimidatori(finiremo all'inferno,
verremo giudicati per la nostra infedeltà - non matrimoniale s'intende) per
sollecitare la conversione di noialtri infedeli.
A tale proposito riporto di seguito un manifesto anti-newage, promulgato da
alcuni estremisti cristiani, purtroppo in inglese, che invito tutti gli
interessati a leggere.
A parte le risate che vi farete, comunque potrà essere una fonte di
interessanti considerazioni (scusate se ho ripreso l'espressione da un mio
precedente post).
Buona lettura.
P.S. forse l'assenza di formattazione non faciliterà molto la lettura. Se
qualcuno desidera la versione HTML originale della pagina è sufficiente che
mi mandi una e-mail a 
n_pac...@hotmail.com
Thinking Biblically About...
The New Age Movement
Matthew 24:23-24
September 26, 1993
by J. David Hoke
Then if any one says to you, "Behold, here is the Christ," or "There He is,"
do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will
show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the
elect. - Matthew 24:23-24
On April 25, 1982 people in over twenty major cities around the globe awoke
to find an interesting and bold full page ad in their newspaper. It began by
saying,
The world has had enough . . . of hunger, injustice, war. In answer to our
call for help, as world teacher for all humanity, THE CHRIST IS NOW HERE.
The ad continued to answer in vague terms the following questions: How Will
We Recognize Him?, Who Is The Christ?, What Is He Saying?, and When Will We
See Him? Under the question, Who Is The Christ?, appeared the following
explanation:
Throughout history, humanity's evolution has been guided by a group of
enlightened men, the Master's of Wisdom. They have remained largely in the
remote desert and mountain places of earth, working mainly through their
disciples who live openly in the world. This message of the Christ's
reappearance has been given primarily by such a disciple trained for his
task for over 20 years. At the center of this "Spiritual Hierarchy" stands
the World Teacher, Lord Maitreya known by Christians as the Christ. And as
Christians await the Second Coming, so the Jews await the Messiah, the
Buddhists the fifth Buddha, the Moslems the Iman Mahdi, and the Hindus await
Krishna. These are all names for one individual.
What kind of ad could this be? And who would run such a thing? Didn't Jesus
Himself warn us of the coming of false Christs and those who would promote
them?
Well, this ad was sponsored by the Tara Foundation under the leadership of a
man named Benjamin Creme. Creme and the Tara Foundation are part of what is
known as the New Age movement, networks of individuals and organizations
dedicated to ushering in the New Age, or Age of Aquarius.
This movement is now very well developed and has expressions in the arts,
literature and music. Indeed, if you take a look in your local bookstore,
you will find a large section devoted to New Age topics. It's goal is to
infiltrate every sector of society and to bring enlightenment to all
humanity. Unfortunately, the kind of enlightenment it brings is typified by
the statement above, and other statements like it.
As Christians, we should become aware of the insidious threat of the New Age
movement and how to combat its false teachings. Let's turn our attention to
several important questions: What is the New Age movement? Why should we be
concerned? And finally C What can we do about it? It is important that we
learn to think Biblically about the New Age movement.
What Is The New Age Movement?
The New Age movement is a loose confederation of networks which share a
common philosophical foundation. The New Age movement is a strange mixture
of science and Eastern mysticism with a liberal splash of the occult. An
emphasis on the idea that "all is one" or that everything that exists
composes one essential reality can be found as a common belief. God is seen
as an impersonal consciousness and power.
Within its ranks you will find a host of cultic organizations such as the
Rajneesh cult, Transcendental Meditation, Eckankar, the Church Universal and
Triumphant, the Divine Light Mission, the "Human Potential Movement"
exemplified in Est (or The Forum), Silva Mind Control, Lifespring, Summit
Workshops, and many others.
Many follow Eastern mystical leaders like Mahareeshi Mahesh Yoga, Baba Ram
Dass, Sai Baba, and Guru Maharijih. Other names you find associated with New
Age thinking are Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the founder of Theosophy; Alice
Bailey, follower of Theosophy and New Age prophetess; Fritjof Capra, quantum
physicist and author of The Tao of Physics, Benjamin Creme, founder of the
Tara Center and author of The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of
Wisdom; Marilyn Ferguson, author of The Aquarian Conspiracy, a pro-New Age
work; Matthew Fox, a controversial Catholic theologian who blends Catholic
mysticism, pantheism, environmentalism and feminism; David Spangler, who
gained fame when he took over the education program at the Findhorn
community in Scotland and author of Revelation: The Birth of the New Age;
George Trevelyan, a British leader of the New Age movement. More
recognizable names include celebrities such as Shirley MacLaine, Merv
Griffin, Linda Evans, John Denver, Philicia Rashad, and Sharon Gless.
Terms which are used and in most cases redefined are Age of Aquarius,
Ascended Masters, Astral Body, Attunement, Aura, Avitar, Centering,
Channeling, Consciousness Revolution, Cosmic Christ, Crystals, Confluent
Education, Esoteric Christianity, Guided Imagery, Goddess, Globalism, Guru,
Harmonic Convergence, Holism, Initiation, Inner/Higher Self,
Interconnectedness, Karma, Mantra, Medium, Network, Paradigm Shift, The
Plan, Planetary Citizens, Psychic Birth, Reincarnation, Self-realization,
Spirit Guide, Synergy, Third Eye, and Visualization.
The New Age movement has at its heart a belief characterized as "monistic
pantheism," meaning all is one and all is God. It believes in the divinity
of all mankind, that we are separated from God only in our own
consciousness, which needs to be altered though a variety of ways, including
meditation, Yoga, chanting, drugs, visualization, and the like. Man will
thus experience union with God. Belief in the law of karma is common, which
means that whatever a person does, good or bad, will return in exact
proportion in another existence. They must continue to return in new
incarnations until the bad karma has been balanced by the good karma they
accomplish. You can see the problem. There is no such thing as absolute
truth. We all have values which must be clarified, and my truth may not be
your truth. They promote a one-world government led by the enlightened. They
see all religions as essentially saying the same thing, thus Hinduism is as
true as Christianity. Jesus was just an avitar who attained a high level of
attunement to the Cosmic Christ, thus enabling him to be a bodily vehicle
for this Cosmic Christ for a period of three years. There is no such thing
as sin and we are our own saviors.
Listen to David Spangler, in a book called Explorations: Emerging Aspects of
the New Culture:
What is seeking to emerge is a body of people who are nourishers and who are
quite literally what Jesus called "the salt of the earth," but consciously
so,, spiritually so, accepting their divinity without becoming inflated by
it, and acting within the sphere of their influence to draw that same
divinity out of others. . . . These are givers of life, and they are forming
the basis for the government of the future.
Along the lines of the unity of all religions, Matthew Fox writes in the
book The Coming of the Cosmic Christ:
Deep ecumenism is the movement that will unleash the wisdom of all world
religions: Hinduism and Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, Taoism and Shintoism,
Christianity in all its forms, and native religions and goddess religions
throughout the world. This unleashing of wisdom holds the last hope for the
survival of the planet we call home.
The New Age movement is a wedding of a wide variety of mystical,
quasi-scientific, human potential, religious and occult elements into one
conglomeration of sensitivity, spirituality, and philosophical unity. And we
have barely scratched the surface.
Why Should We Be Concerned?
For those of us who hold a Biblical world view it should be obvious that we
should be concerned, and for very good reason. What we are dealing with here
is not a rigid cult of mindless robots who are totally dependant on their
despotic leader to map out every move.
We are dealing with a philosophy which is in vogue in our culture, and which
is being propagated in our public and private schools, colleges,
universities, arts, cinema, television, music and government. Rather than
being the salvation of our society, it is a subtle, but insidious cancer for
Christianity and culture. It will not center us, but rather move us away
from the center of our faith, Jesus Christ our Lord and God, and cause us to
doubt the moral center of revealed truth, the Bible.
When on the one hand we have Nancy Reagan consulting an astrologer for
scheduling advice for her husband, and on the other hand we have Hillary
Clinton having imaginary talks with Eleanor Roosevelt in order to acclimate
herself to the job of first lady, we are in serious trouble as a nation. We
are building our hopes on sinking sand. That this would be accepted so
casually is evidence that we see little wrong with this kind of behavior.
In the Bible such practices were condemned. They are viewed as dabbling with
the devil, and indeed they do open us up to spiritual influences, most of
which is demonic. These demonic hosts are called by the New Agers, "Spirit
Guides," and are looked on as a positive force in our lives. They are in
reality "seducing spirits" who are dedicated to our destruction.
The New Age distortion of the teachings essential to Christianity ought to
concern us as well. God becomes an impersonal force. Jesus is simply an
advanced avitar. Sin no longer exists. Salvation is by our cyclic rebirth
through reincarnation whereby we work off the bad karma we accumulated in
previous lives. The Scripture is not true where is says that "it is
appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment," because we die many
times and just keep trying. We die and try, die and try. All humans are
divine. The Bible is not the revealed truth, but only one truth. All
religions are equal, and none is the true way. Christ's Second Coming is not
the literal coming of the Jesus who lived on Earth 2000 years ago, but the
coming of the Cosmic Christ in whatever form he takes. These teaching attack
Christianity at its heart.
We should be concerned because our kids are being subjected to this kind of
teaching. We should be concerned because we are being infiltrated by it in
our churches. We should be concerned because too many people are biblically
illiterate and have not had their minds trained through a systematic study
of the Word to discern truth from error. We should be concerned because it
all sounds so good and harmless. But when the devil comes he comes as an
angel of light.
What Can We Do About It?
Is there anything we can do? Well, we certainly can't eliminate the New Age
movement overnight, and neither can we be content to pretend like it either
doesn't exist or doesn't matter. What we can do is to prepare ourselves and
our children for its subtle deception.
We must have a clear definition of Jesus Christ. When Jesus gathered His
disciples around Him and inquired what people were saying about Him, He made
it a point to find our what or who the disciples thought He was. He asked,
"Who do you say that I am?" He could just as well be emphasizing that
question today to us. It is important who we believe Jesus is. Our
definition of Jesus Christ needs to be one that is biblical, not some
subjective fantasy based on sentimentality or popular thinking. If Jesus is
not God the Son, the perfect sacrifice for our sins; the Savior of the
world, who died on the Cross in our place bearing the punishment for our
sins; if He did not rise from the dead and thereby prove He was who He said
He was, then we are believing a fantasy, are still lost in our sins, and are
without hope. But Jesus is all these things and more. He is "the way the
truth and the life." He is the only way to God. He is the "only name given
among men whereby we may be saved." No man comes to the Father but by Him.
We must have a thorough understanding of the Bible, God's revealed Word. It
is important that we come to an understanding of the great doctrines of the
Bible. Doctrines like the deity of Christ, the inspiration of Scripture, the
sinfulness of humanity, the vicarious atonement of Christ, the efficacy of
saving grace, and the certainty of judgement are topics which must be
studied until you gain an understanding of what the Lord says about them.
Only armed with what the true looks like can you tell the counterfeit.
We must understand that many people are simply deceived. They are not our
enemy. They are not necessarily seeking to destroy Christianity (although
there are some who have that agenda). We should therefore approach those
following New Age teaching with compassion, sensitivity, and love, armed
with the truth of God's Word, which, if accepted, can set them free. As we
reach out to them in love and boldness, we may very well win them to Christ.
Who knows how the Spirit has prepared their hearts during their search for
truth. They are not without hope. After all, the god of this world (Satan)
has always blinded the eyes of those who do not believe. Just as we had our
eyes opened, so they may have theirs opened as well.
We must train our children to discern the truth. As parents, we must discuss
the content of what our children see on the TV, hear on the radio, read in
magazines, see at the movies, read in books, hear at school, and receive
from their friends. God can enable them to develop a discerning mind and an
obedient heart. Timothy was told by Paul not to let anyone despise his
youth. Youth does not mean that a person cannot be used mightily of God.
Josiah was used to turn God's people from idolatry back to the living God,
and he was only a boy. David was a young man and didn't look like a king,
yet God had His hand on him. We must not sell our kids short. They are
certainly kids, and do immature things (like we don't). But they can
surprise us if they allow God to take control. It doesn't surprise Him. He
knew they could do anything with Him in charge. So we must give them all the
support we can to become biblically secure.
We must stay alert and keep on our guard. The Bible exhorts us to stay
alert, to gird our minds for action, and to reject false teaching. Unless we
stay alert we will tend to ignore the impact the teaching of the New Age
movement has on us. Slowly, we will be sucked into its spell, and the result
will be confusion, doubt, and ultimately, despair. None of us can afford to
let our guard down in light of the extent of the heresy of the New Age teach
ing.
We must become more educated on the New Age movement. There are a host of
good books and tapes on the dangers of the New Age movement. Get them. Read
them. Listen to them. One excellent book is Walter Martin's The New Age
Cult. In it he not only provides an overview of the teaching of the
movement, but he also provides a glossary of New Age terminology, a
biographical list of New Age spokespeople, a list of New Age organizations
and publications, and a recommended reading list of books on the New Age
movement. As you explore the breadth of the movement, you will become more
aware and prepared to deal with it in everyday life.
Jesus said that knowing the truth would set us free. The ultimate truth is
Jesus. If we know Him, the Jesus revealed in the Bible, then He will lead us
into all the truth.
Questions to Consider:
1. What have you seen and heard concerning the teachings of the New Age
movement?
2. Why do you think the teaching of the New Age movement are dangerous?
3. How has the New Age movement infiltrated our culture and even our
churches?
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Copyright © 1997 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the
copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation
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copyright notice.
This data file may not be copied in part (except for small quotations used
with citation of source), edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated
in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances,
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of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be made in writing
and addressed to J. David Hoke, Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church, 2303
Evesham Rd. Voorhees, NJ. 08043.
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Saluti
BlueEagle

 [...]
Vedi, caro BlueEagle, il problema è che noi, utilizzando, come dicono gli
illuministi ed i positivisti, il 10% del nostro cervello, vogliamo dare
spiegazioni più o meno logiche a tutto quello che potrebbe esservi nel
restante 90%. Un'assurdità!
Quindi quello che non conosciamo è addirittura 9 volte ciò che sappiamo.
Mica poco!
Ammettiamo che finora abbiamo raggiunto comodità terrene, ma abbiamo
imparato ben poco di quelli che  Galilei chiamava i "massimi sistemi".
Riconosciamo che siamo all'abbecedario di quasi tutto ed abbiamo l'onestà
intellettuale di ammetterlo. New Age ci obbliga ad essere modesti e
ricettivi, senza spocchia ma aperti e disposti ad accettare anche, e
soprattutto, quello che ci sembra strano ed impossibile
Le religioni costituite sentono che qualcosa si muove anche sotto i loro
piedi e si aggrappano agli strumenti che hanno e che sono gli unici che
conoscono, come le disquisizioni sulla retta interpretazione della Bibbia.
Insomma vogliono dare spiegazioni del nuovo e sconosciuto, servendosi dei
vecchi strumenti che usano da secoli o millenni. Un atteggiamento che, se è
logico di per sé per chi appartiene ad esse, è tuttavia pietoso a chi in
buona
fede osserva le cosa da fuori e non ha preclusione alcuna per qualsiasi
novità che ci apra al futuro ed alla vera conoscenza.
Altrimenti che "nuova era" sarebbe quella a cui aspiriamo?
Ciao a te ed a tutti.
Julian

soprattutto, quello che ci sembra strano ed impossibile
Certamente aperti a tutte le nuove ipotesi, teorie (non mi azzardo a dire
verità: sul termine ci hanno scritto libri e libri senza ancora riuscire a
capire quale fosse il suo vero(?) significato), ma ovviamente, non
potendocisi basare su dogmi e testi sacri, gli stessi New Ager hanno il
compito di testare tutte le nuove strade, facendo uso della propria ragione,
della filosofia e, chissà forse di altre discipline non ancora inventate, e
che magari, guarda caso, potrebbero nascere proprio da quel 90% di cervello
inutilizzato.
Noi New Ager non rifiutiamo ne lo strano ne l'impossibile, per un semplice
motivo. Una persona che si avvicina alla New Age, lo fa perchè capisce che
non potendo più affidarsi ai metri della cultura tradizionale, se ne deve
creare dei propri, e perciò, fuoriuscito dai soliti schemi, lo strano e
l'impossibile, beh... non esistono più. In fondo, non sono state proprio le
religioni dichiarate, a insegnarci(purtroppo) questi concetti?
Saluti
BlueEagle