The risk to Biblical Christianity posed by Multiculturalism and the Ecumenical Movement is increasing pressure to integrate incompatible and untrue beliefs into a single universal religion. This is happening. Today, many ostensibly Christian teachers and church leaders have accepted and actually promote as good and true non-Christian beliefs alongside or instead of Biblical Christianity. Many who consider themselves Christian use meditation, yoga, mysticism, positive thinking, holistic medicine, and other forms of non-Christian religious practices. Many other Christians won’t deny the truth claims of Hindus, Buddhists, Moslems, Naturalists and others. The purpose of this article is to outline for Christians the spiritual dangers of incorporating pagan religious practices into their lives.New Age spirituality isn’t any one particular religion, but is characterized by an amalgam of pagan beliefs, mostly Eastern but throwing in some occultism; the universe is a living being, nature is a living being, nature is god, man can be one with nature, man can evolve spiritually to oneness with the universe, man is (or can become) god, we each create the universe as we live, and so on. So, that which separates man from his natural state, or claims to elevate man above any natural thing, is bad. That which places man in complete harmony with his natural state in oneness with nature (and the universe) is good. By definition, this rejects the Old Testament that gives man stewardship over nature, and the New Testament that promises him an eternity beyond nature. In New Age belief systems, there is nothing outside of or better than nature. Salvation in New Age spirituality is to become the universe (god) and share its’ consciousness.Yoga, Transcendental Meditation and other methods to become one with nature are not prayers to the God of the Bible, and, neither are mind-control techniques like self-hypnosis and positive thinking. All these techniques are based on pagan worldviews. Is there risk to the Christian who uses these pagan practices? Yes. Scripture warns believers not to worship the world (Col. 2:8), not to practice the arts of pagans (Deut. 18:9-14, Jer. 27:9-11), and not to be tricked by Satan to try to be like God (Gen. 3:1-5). All New Age techniques lead the practitioner to listen to himself instead of the Holy Spirit, temp separation from the Holy Spirit, and eventually lead the practitioner to question or even deny the Word of God.

A Christian who is uninformed of the spiritual dangers of New Age practices is at great risk of being led astray. Wrongly thinking New Age techniques are at most harmless fun, or worse, actually helpful, such practices are essential elements of pagan spiritual rituals. Can a Christian safely practice any New Age techniques? No. The practice cannot be separated from the belief that incorporates it. When a Christian uses New Age techniques, he is basically performing pagan rituals. We pray not to be led into temptation, and that is good advice to follow.

Next in the series is The Bible is True #26: Contemporary Spiritualism, Part 3 - Occultism.

May God bless and thanks for reading, Noel Squitieri

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