JULY – AUGUST 2003



JULY – AUGUST 2003

“NEW AGE”

What Every Christian Should Know

he New Age announced its impending arrival some time in the 1960s, when the

song “Age of Aquarius” from the musical “Hair” hit the charts. At much the same time, the Beatles came to India to learn the sitar, but went back also promoting Yoga and the use of mind-altering drugs. It was when a hippie generation in the West was rejecting rules, parental authority (“Never trust anyone over 30”) and discipline; when

tripping on marijuana, LSD and

The Vatican document on the New Age is titled, “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life.

A Christian reflection on

the ‘New Age’”. It is Jesus, and not some mythical sign of the zodiac, who offers

the world the water of life.

to Christianity in the third millen- nium.

For the Christian, the true New Age is the era that commenced with the birth, revelation, ministry, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, and the preaching of the Gospel by His Church under the power of the Holy Spirit: “in these last days he [God] has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he cre -

other psycho-tropic substances was the ultimate high, and folk and rock singers alike were encouraging youngsters to “make love, not war” and “make love, not babies.”

The term “New Age” is rooted in astrology and the signs of the zodiac. According to this perspective, the age of Pisces (Fish) is coming to a close, giving way to Aquarius (Water Bearer). New Agers identify the age of Pisces with the Christian era, because the fish was a secret code sign by which early Christians identified themselves (the Greek word “ICThYS” is the acronym for “Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter” – Jesus Christ God’s Son Saviour”).

Most significant for us Catholics, and for all Christians, is that at the heart of the New Age movement is a phi- losophy looking forward to the end of Christianity and the dawning of a “new age”. The Holy Father has called the New Age movement (NAM) one of the greatest threats

ated the world” (Hebrews 1:2). That is why the Vatican

document on the New Age is titled, “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life. A Christian reflection on the ‘New Age’”. It is Jesus, and not some mythical sign of the zodiac, who offers the world the water of life: “who- ever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

The purpose of the document is 1. “to explain how the NAM differs from the Christian faith, illustrating the points where New Age spirituality contrasts with the Catholic faith” (Foreword to the document); 2. To “re- fute the positions espoused by New Age thinkers in op- position to Christian faith” (Foreword); and present the incompatibility of New Age with Christianity to“the rap- idly growing number of people who claim that it is pos- sible to blend Christianity and New Age by taking what

strikes them as the best of both” (1.1)

Many of us tend to identify New Age with one or more of the beliefs/ practices/ techniques/ therapies associated with it — Enneagrams, Reiki, Feng-shui, Zen, Pranic healing, Yoga, TM and so on. We want to know whether it is acceptable to practise these. We want to know why some priests and nuns are promoting them. But to under- stand what New Age is all about, we must look at what all these have in common, and identify the underlying philosophy behind all these practices.

At heart, New Age is a renewal of Gnosticism, the an- cient heresy that plagued the early Church. Gnosticism is a doctrine of “salvation by

knowledge”. While Christianity teaches that salvation comes by obedience of the mind (faith in Jesus) and will (expressed in works of love), the Gnostics — from the Greek “gnosis” (“knowledge”) and “gnostikos” (“able to handle knowledge well”) — maintained that achiev- ing one’s eternal destiny (as dis- tinct from the Christian concept of salvation) was the result of possessing “knowledge”. Chris- tianity teaches that knowledge is knowing God’s revealed truth; the Gnostic concept of “knowl- edge” was an intuitive “knowing”

of the mysteries of the universe, with its myriad spirits,

magic formulae and occult prescriptions for well-being.

Gnostics were, in a way unknown to supposedly lesser mortals, “people who knew”. This made them a superior class of beings to those who did not “know”.

In a wider context, Gnosticism would include various pantheistic religions and sects dating back to before the Judeo-Christian era. They held that all matter is “spirit” and “divinity” that has deteriorated. True destiny was a return to one’s divine origin by shunning or overcoming the fallen state of matter. “New Age has a marked pref- erence for Eastern or pre-Christian religions which are reckoned to be uncontaminated by Judeo-Christian dis- tortions” (2.3.4.2) They especially reject the idea that Creator and creature are distinct identities that cannot be merged — a belief central to Christianity.

New Age is a “syncretism of esoteric and secular ele-

ments” (2.1), a “modern revival of pagan religions with a mixture of influences from Eastern religions and from modern psychology, philosophy, science and the counter- culture that developed in the 1950s and 1960s” (2.1).

New Age ideology and goals. New Age is not a single organised movement, but a loose system of beliefs, prac- tices and goals that fit within its neo-Gnostic ideology. In the name of “spirituality” rather than any specific reli- gion, New Age aims at achieving a new human spiritual paradigm. The term “spiritual” refers to man’s position with reference to the spirit world. “New Age shares with a number of internationally influential groups the goal of superseding particular religions in order to create space for a universal religion

which could unite humanity” (2.5). An example of this is the speech of S.N. Goenka, leading guru of Vipassana meditation, to the Millennium World Peace Summit at the UN, on 29 August

2000: “Under the aegis of the United Nations, let us try to for- mulate a definition of religion and spirituality highlighting non- violence, and refusing to coun- tenance violence or killing. There would be no greater misfortune for humanity than a failure to de- fine religion as synonymous with peace. This Summit could pro- pose a concept of ‘universal re-

ligion’ or ‘non-sectarian spirituality’,for endorsement by the UN.” Accordingly, New Age requires that” Chris- tianity has to be eliminated and give way to a global religion and a new world order” (4).

New Age is incompatible with Christianity. The docu- ment cautions those who propose the incorporation of elements from New Age into Christian practice: “Many people are convinced that there is no harm in ‘borrow- ing’ from the wisdom of the East, but the example of Transcendental Meditation should make Christians cautious about the prospect of committing themselves unknowingly to another religion, in this case Hindu- ism” (6.2).

A Godless Spirituality. As the Vatican document states it, “What is offered is often described as simply ‘spiri- tual’, rather than belonging to any religion, but there are much closer links to particular Eastern religions than many ‘consumers’ realise” (2.5).

There are no clear ideas, doctrines or rules, because “New Age thrives on confusion” (6.1). Absolutes are taboo, relativism and “tolerance” of contradictions is seen as a virtue. In contrast, the Christian is a disciple of Jesus the “Logos” (Word). “Logos” is the root from which we de- rive the word “logic” which means “reasoning and disci- plined thinking.” In his encyclical “Fides and Ratio” Pope John Paul II teaches us the relationship between faith and reason, which are not mutually exclusive. New Age thrives on beliefs and theories that do not stand up to reason, and in fact New Agers usually attack sound intellectual thinking and knowledge as incompatible with true spiri- tuality. Their emphasis on “intuitive knowledge” finds expression in the mania for “right

brain versus left brain”

hind each of the New Age therapies floating around will reveal their false gods.

The Trojan horse in the Church. But the harsh reality is that these practices – and subtly the beliefs that under- lie the practices – have infiltrated and made deep inroads into the Church, with parishes and approved groups pro- moting what are essentially eastern spirituality and New Age practices in the name of “holistic” spirituality and “alternative” therapy. The Bombay post-Synodal docu- ment of 2001 actually recommended the practice of “yoga, vipassna* and transcendental meditation, etc.” (al- though with a mild caution). Catholic bookshops are awash with New Age literature. *Vipassana

What is the concerned Catholic to

programmes that are so present in creative and management circles today.

In contrast, the Bible teaches us that knowledge is a gift of the Holy Spirit (see Isaiah 11:2 ), and those who despise knowledge shall be cut off by God - “My people are de- stroyed for lack of knowledge; be- cause you have rejected knowl- edge, I reject you from being a priest to me.” (Hosea 4:6) New Age also rejects sound thinking, while the true Christian uses the “re- newed mind” (see Romans 12:2) for God’s glory.

Beyond techniques and thera- pies . New Age is more than tech- niques that claim to enable healing, peace, well-being and suitable

At the heart of the New Age

movement is a philosophy looking forward to the end of Christianity and the dawning of a “new age”. The Holy Father has called the New Age Movement one of the greatest threats to Christianity in the third millennium. So “this seems to be the right moment to offer a Christian assessment of New Age thinking and

the New Age movement

as a whole.” (1.1)

do?

Our response. All involved in pastoral work must understand and respond to the challenge of New Age spirituality, by 1. illustrating the points where this “spirituality” is opposed to the Catholic faith; and

2. refuting the positions espoused by New Age thinkers in opposition to Christian faith.

What is indeed required of Chris- tians is, first and foremost, a solid grounding in their own faith, which will enable them to see how New Age beliefs and practices contra- dict Christian truth.

Editor

preparation for prayer and meditation. New Age is a subtle

but very real move towards the first and most basic sin of self-deification, a new humanism that sets the individual person as the only value and norm by which to live. Rei- ki (like Pranic healing), claims to heal and set right by tapping into the cosmic energy that doesn’t just pervade the universe, but is the universe. This is an outright rejec- tion of God as Creator. Yoga’s stated intention of enabling the self-realisation of one’s own identity (“True Self” or “Higher Self”) with the Absolute is self-deification. To believe in the proper arrangement and alignment of vari- ous objects and elements to enable “good vibrations” and “positive energy flow” is to exchange the truth about God for a lie, and worship the creature rather than the Creator (see Romans 1:25). A simple analysis of the belief be-

The missing words above: brain versus left brain”

“It must unfortunately be admitted that there are too many cases where Catholic centres of spirituality are actively involved in diffusing New Age religiosity in the Church. This would of course have to be corrected, not only to stop the spread of confusion and error, but also so that they might be effective in promoting true Christian spirituality”.

(Jesus Christ, Bearer of the Water of Life.

A Christian Reflection on the New Age." 6.2)

KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

NEW AGE AND CHRISTIANITY

Jesus not just a “Wise Man”; God not just a “Force”

he essence of New Age is the loose association of the various activities, ideas and people who might validly attract the term. There is no single

articulation of anything like the doctrines of mainstream religions. But there are some common points:

• The cosmos is seen as an organic whole. It is animated by an Energy, which is also identified as the divine Soul or Spirit.

• Much credence is given to the meditation of various spiritual entities — humans are capable of ascending to invisible higher spheres, and of controlling their own lives beyond death.

• There is held to be a ‘perennial knowledge’ which predates and is superior to all religions and cultures.

• People follow enlightened masters.

There are fundamental differences between Christianity and New Age that every Christian should know:

• For the Christian, God is a person with whom man is in relation, and not “something to be used or a force to be harnessed, as is the case with New Age.

• Christianity affirms that Jesus is the only Saviour of mankind. New Age often presents Christ as “one among many wise men, or initiates, or avatars,” or as an “impersonal universal Christ.”

• In general, for the New Age, the death of Jesus on the cross is either denied or reinterpreted to exclude the idea that he, as Christ, could have suffered.

• For New Agers, salvation is a personal achievement – “self-fulfillment, self-realisation, self-redemption” are typical terms. “For Christians, salvation depends on a participation in the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, and on a direct, personal relationship with God rather than on any technique” (5).

For New Age, truth depends on personal well-being. The evaluation of religion or ethical questions “is obviously

relative to one’s own feelings and experiences.” But for Christians, “Jesus Christ is presented in Christian teach- ing as ‘the way, the truth and the life.’ “

New Age tends to confuse psychology and spirituality, which “makes it hard not to insist that many of the medita- tion techniques now used are not prayer. Far from being a merely human effort, Christian mysticism is essentially a dialogue that ‘implies an attitude of conversion, a flight from ‘self’ to the ‘you’ of God. Other New Age character- istics that are opposed to Christianity are its denial of sin, of social commitment, its rejection of suffering and death, the desire to discover the future in the stars or other tech- niques, instead of helping to construct it.

In conclusion, the document appeals to pastors in par- ticular to improve Christian formation as a way to counter the attraction of New Age.

Courtesy - Zenit News

A Christian’s pilgrimage is to God, guided by God. In contrast New Age, as exemplified by Zen,

is a search for the “Self”.

Christian discipleship:

Once I met the Lord on the way, Deep was his gaze, kind was his smile, True were his words, gentle his touch, He brought me peace and freedom.

He is my shepherd, he is my guide, Dark be the night, Christ is my light, Nothing I fear, Jesus is near,

He leads me to the kingdom.

Zen discipleship:

“If on the way you meet the Buddha, kill him.”

CHRISTIANITY REFUTES NEW AGE

Interview with Teresa Osorio Goncalves of the

Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue

ATICAN CITY, FEB. 7, 2003 A new Vatican document on the New Age movement, entitled “Jesus Christ, Bearer of the Water of Life: A

Christian Reflection on the ‘New Age,’” was presented Feb. 3 by a team of members of different Vatican organisations, including the Pontifical Council for Cul- ture and the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dia- logue. The signatories acted with the assistance of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

One of the document’s authors, Dr. Teresa Osorio Goncalves of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, was co-ordinator of the

Osorio: We are in need of Christ’s redemption, because we are sinners. The Christian sees man as fundamentally good, but wounded by original sin. No technique of lib- eration, no personal effort of concentration, no harmony of millions of consciences, can save man. Christ, the Son of God made man, who “entered” history to save us, is our only way of salvation.

Q: What is the meaning of death and suffering?

Osorio: Followers of the New Age movement do not accept suffering or death. Redemption comes to them through techniques of expansion of conscience, rebirth, journeys to death’s doors; redemp-

working group on Sects and New

Religious Movements.

Q: In facing an umbrella movement such as the New Age, where spirit- ism, occultism, theosophy, black and white magic, pantheism, and neo-paganism converge, and where many groups and associations use “New Age” techniques to some ex- tent, could you point out the prin- cipal differences between New Age and Christianity?

Osorio: Above all, we Catholics believe in a Creator God, a God who freely creates out of love and

We are in need of Christ’s

redemption, because we are sinners. The Christian sees man as fundamentally good, but wounded by original sin.

No technique of liberation, no personal effort of concentration, no harmony of millions of consciences, can save man. Christ, the Son of God made man, who “entered”

history to save us, is our only way of salvation.

tion is also obtained with any

method that helps one to relax, to increase one’s vital energies.

Instead, for Christians, suffering, lived in union with Jesus crucified, who revealed his love for men on the cross, is the source of salva- tion. Death is also a unique event: it is not access to a new reincarna- tion that will be followed by oth- ers, but the obligatory step to en- ter eternal life.

Q: Does New Age speak about changing the world?

Osorio: A pamphlet of the Indian

who creates man free. God is not

identified with the universe (pantheism), nor has the uni- verse issued from him by emanation. From the Christian perspective, it is equally false to say that God is identi- fied with man. Certainly, he dwells in man, but he is at the same time his creator, Lord, and saviour. Through a plan of love, God has made man his interlocutor. Other- ness preserves personal dignity and man’s freedom. We engage in dialogue with this God through prayer. Prayer is not the simple rediscovery of one’s most profound self, but presupposes the meeting of two persons: it is to place oneself freely in adoration, in thanksgiving, in supplica- tion. It is to be in harmony with the will of the Father.

Q: Followers of New Age seek liberating techniques...

Brahma Kumaris movement says: “Something is going to happen ... You can make it happen by associating at the same time with millions of others, gathered in a type of new communion of saints, who by their strength and intrinsic creativity have the force capable of tipping the world over to the side of righteousness.” But will thought be enough to change the world?

The way proposed to us by Jesus Christ is far more ex- acting and fascinating: it is the one of reciprocal love, that is translated into concrete works and creates living communities that build a new world.



REIKI: FAD OR FIDELITY?

eiki is a subject most readily identified with New Age. Reiki (pronounced ray-kee), a technique claimed to heal various ailments and conditions.

How should a Catholic look upon Reiki? Are its stated principles compatible with the Catholic faith? Does re- pentance and forgiveness have a role in healing? Is the Reiki view of “universal energy” a rejection of God as the source of healing and salvation?

It is claimed that Reiki is an ancient healing technique that was rediscovered by Mikao Usui early in the 20th century. Some stories claim that Mikao Usui was a professor in a Christian seminary and was trying to find out the power by which Jesus healed, and so discovered Reiki (hence the ridicu-

lous claim by some that Jesus healed by using Reiki!).

Reiki practitioners who have written articles and books on the subject dif- fer in their recounting of the origins of Reiki. Gen- erally, it is held up as a rediscovery of the an- cient and universal prac- tice of some “healers”. Using the far eastern paradigm of the “chakra system” taught inYoga, the Reiki “healer” is said to receive an initiation

that allows him or her to “heal”.

Similar to acupuncture and Yoga, Reiki teaches that unseen “energy” paths exist throughout the body that need only be charged with positive energy to restore each network of pathways and to restore health to the body. According to a web site dedicated to its promo- tion, “Reiki heals by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings are attached. This causes the negative energy to break apart and fall away. In so doing, Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, thus allowing the life force to flow in a

healthy and natural way.”

Neither “healing” nor “energy”, Reiki is actually a mani- festation of Tantric magic studied by Usui during a prolonged Buddhist retreat and fast during which time he reportedly studied a Buddhist Tantric text. Tantra is a form of Yoga in which sexual “energy” is manipulated for a variety of purposes — from seeking a magical union of lovers to attaining “union” with God or with the “Supreme Self”.

In essence Reiki, and the New Age paradigm in general, seeks to change our bodies and minds, which are meant to be temples of the Holy Spirit, into dens which spirit guides may inhabit, con-

trol and guide.

What can be done to remove Reiki, the most pervasive of popular occult techniques, from Catholic institutions where it is an estab- lished presence?

1. We can “tear off the veils” of deception through dissemination of this kind of litera- ture. (“I will tear off your veils and rescue my people from your power, so that they shall no longer be prey to

your hands. Thus you shall know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 13:21)

2. We can sponsor true “centres of healing” in hospitals, colleges & retreat houses that include programs in:

the sacrament of reconciliation; Eucharistic adoration;

anointing of the sick and prayer for healing; orthodox spiritual direction for those in crisis; restoration of those affected by New Age involve-

ment.

Errol C Fernandes

HUMBUG!

Fr Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.

ecently I visited a seminary building of a reli gious order that had been turned into a retreat centre because of a lack of vocations. Often in

the name of spirituality odd and even silly elements of the popular movements centred on feeling “more in touch” are to be found. Brochures often invite the spiritual seeker to something harmless like an “autumn-leaf retreat” or to something way out like a “massage retreat”. My imagi- nation fails me here. I was not surprised, then, to find a Zen garden featured. This is an artistic arrangement of stones and rocks, which apparently helps people to be- come more recollected. I had seen an ancient impressive Zen garden in Kyoto, Japan, which without a doubt could

create a soothing feeling but not

But these were not all the surprises at the retreat center. The latest addition is the art of reiki. This word, pro- posed by a Buddhist, Dr. Mikao Usui, means universal life force. In a book I don’t recommend, “An Introduc- tion to the Art of Reiki”, the author, Ronni Johnson, tells us that Dr Usui discovered “a way to re-create the heal- ing miracles performed by Christ and Buddha.” He re- ceived “an epiphany” that led him to understand the deeper meaning of ancient texts, including the Bible and the books of other world religions.

Like anyone operating without the Christian faith, Usui denied that salvation comes from the grace of Christ, the divine Son of God. Despite the evi-

really a meditation. This American variation was seen more like a gim- mick.

Just past the less-than-impressive Zen garden at the former seminary/ now retreat centre, I ran into the labyrinth. A sign explained that this was a medieval device through which people slowly walked in or- der to meditate. In fact, they really sought to become recollected or calm. Meditation, at least Christian meditation, has always been de- fined as a consideration of life from the perspective of the Gospels or the Christian tradition. Walking around while meditating is a time-

Catholics should be less vulnerable to

being humbugged.

We have a splendid spiritual tradition, which has grown up over the centuries,

as innumerable devout souls

— some of them recognized as world-class geniuses

— prayed and meditated on Scripture and the tradition of the Catholic faith.

dence, he seems to have missed the

reality of original sin and the need for salvation. In his defence it must be said that most modern theories of psychotherapy from Freud to Rogers do pretty much the same thing.

It is not my business if people want to get involved with reiki or exam- ine the entrails of a dead chicken by the light of a full moon, but these things should not be done under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Zen gardens, which are harmless, and labyrinths, which are silly, can lead to Gnosticism, an an- cient heresy during the early Chris-

honoured Catholic tradition, ranging from pilgrimages to the Stations of the Cross.

There were no brochures in sight on the subject of pil- grimages, and I could not find the stations. I hear also that some retreat centres — perhaps regression centres might be a better term — are inviting people to use worry beads, a string of beads that one may use to count some- what non-decrepit invocations of the primal energy of the universe, or what have you. Hey, what happened to the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary? It doesn’t just recollect you but it also gets you to meditate on the mys- teries of our redemption.

tian centuries, which held that we

are saved by some secret knowledge we have gained one way or another. This heresy seems to go back to New Testament times. It has become a kind of anti-tradition to the Catholic faith.

Perhaps the opening wedge of esoteric ersatz spirituality was a harmless thing called the Enneagrams. This was a variation on standard psychological instruments for self- evaluation. The difference was that the Enneagrams lacked any credible psychological validation. It followed on the Meyers-Briggs evaluation, which had a serious psychological background, although it never quite be-

came an accepted scientific instrument. People had fun and games with the Enneagrams, which apparently was motivated by a not very well disguised narcissism. Un- fortunately, because the Enneagrams had some vague relationship with Muslim Sufi texts, it became a kind of Gnostic cult in the English speaking world. Not only were there “Enneagrams retreats” and “Enneagrams spiritual direction” but in one novitiate the Enneagrams chart was in the chapel, with each section having its own vigil light. If it wasn’t so absurd, it might be seen as touching on a violation of the First Commandment.

The word we’re looking for is humbug. According to the

Morris Dictionary of Words and Phrase Origins (Harper

& Row, 1971), the word humbug, which probably goes back to the British underworld, became popular with P.T. Barnum, the nineteenth century circus man, who once said, “The American people like to be humbugged.”

Catholics should be less vulnerable to being humbugged. We have a splendid spiritual tradition, which has grown up over the centuries, as innumerable devout souls — some of them recognized as world-class geniuses — prayed and meditated on Scripture and the tradition of the Catholic faith. For example, we have the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, adoration of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, meditation on the Bible, and the incom- prehensible mystery that puts us in touch with the real life force of reality, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Some clergy ought to realise that if you can’t find a tab- ernacle in the chapel but instead you get directed to the reiki room, somebody has been humbugged. With an ap- propriate nod to P.T. Barnum, are we running a church or a circus?

Courtesy: The Priest

We welcome you to attend the

Emmanuel Prayer Group meetings

every 1st, 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 7.30 to 9 p.m.

at St. Joseph's Convent,

MMT Hall, Bandra.

We would appreciate your response, suggestions and questions.

Write to us at "EMMANUEL"

304, Asit Apartments, Kane Road, Mount Mary, Bandra - 400 050.

OR

e-mail us at riterrol@

The cost of printing EMMANUEL is met by the freewill love offerings of the members and well-wishers of the Emmanuel Prayer Group

Published by the Emmanuel Prayer Group of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal

Editor: Errol C. Fernandes. For Private Circulation Only.

ERROL FERNANDES and I started corresponding with each other only in 2003, a few months before I went online with a personal computer and an email address. We jointly gave a seminar on the New Age in Bandra, Bombay in February 2004. The Lord called him on June 25, 2004.

This ministry carries on Errol’s crusade against New Age error in the Catholic Church in India- Michael Prabhu michaelprabhu@ ephesians-

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