Why I believe New Age and New Age belief are false.
1. What is New Age.
2. What is
Pantheism.
3. What is Hinduism.
4. What is karma and
reincarnation.
5. Theory explains phenomena.
6. Reincarnation is a theory
7. Reincarnation contradicts the
phenomenon of mediums invoking the spirit of the dead.
8. Spirit possession theory explains all these phenomena.
9. Demon possession.
10. Deception.
11. Works versus grace.
12. Conclusion.
1. What is New Age.
‘New
age’ is
a broad
movement characterized by alternative
approaches to
traditional Western
culture, with
an interest
in spirituality, mysticism, holism,
and environmentalism.
These
include martial
arts, Tai
Chi exercise,
Yoga exercise
and meditation,
transcendental meditation,
Eckankar movement, new
thought, automatic
writing as
in ‘ A Course
In Miracles’
and ‘Conversations
With God’,
and other
New Age
books like
‘Celestine Prophecy’ ,
‘A Return
To Love’,
'The Wheel of Life', 'Lessons from the Light (near death experience)'
, The Aquarian Gospel, wicca, druidism, shamanism, neo-paganism, voodoo and some
environmental movements.
Some
offer
peace of
mind, even healing
and miracles.
They are
sometimes effective
in providing
solutions to
apparently insurmountable problems.
Pantheism is a belief shared
by many of the New Age approaches. Pantheism also happens to be a
core belief of Hinduism.
2. What is
Pantheism.
Pantheism
is a belief which identifies God
with the universe, or regards the
universe as a manifestation of God.
This concept holds that
the creator and the creation are one and the same, and that the creator is not
separate from the creation, and that the creator did not precede the creation.
The concept of pantheism is
consistent with the core beliefs of Hinduism and most New Age practices.
3. What is Hinduism.
Hinduism
is a
major religious
and cultural
tradition of
the Indian
subcontinent, including
belief in
reincarnation and
the worship
of a
large pantheon
of deities.
An Indian Yogi, Sai Baba, explains Hinduism as follows:
Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. The three cardinal principles of
Hinduism are: 1) Belief in a series of births (reincarnation). 2) Belief in Avatars of
the Lord for the reestablishment of Dharma and the transformation of
those who have strayed from it. 3)Belief in
Karma,
the fact of every activity having its inevitable consequences and of human
destiny being shaped by cumulative effect of all these consequences. Karma
is the cause of births, the Jivi being compelled to undergo another
ordeal for clearing its accounts and becoming free of both debit and credit.
The life aim of Hindus is
to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the
fulfillment that
comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the attainment of fullness. The Vedas
are the soul that sustains the spiritual life of Hindus. They are the breath
that that keeps the people alive. The Vedas emanated from God Himself.
The great sages received the Vedas
as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from
preceptor to the pupil. One can know from the Vedas the code of right
activity and the body of right knowledge. The Vedas teach man his duties
from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and
responsibilities in all stages of life. In order to explain the Vedas in
simpler terms, the Puranas (scriptures) and epic texts appeared in
course of time. Two such great epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Another
great spiritual text of Hinduism is the Bhagavat Geetha, which helps people to
control the agitation of the mind, destroy the delusion, develop true knowledge
and make one catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord.
The word
Hindu
means
those who keep away from the path of violence, away from inflicting injury on
others. The essence of all the scriptural texts of Hinduism can be described in
one sentence as "Help Ever, Hurt Never".
Aum,
which is a primary symbol of Hinduism, is the symbol of unchanging eternal,
universal supreme God. Aum, is the primordial word, which gives life to
all the other words. Aum is the origin of creation. It contains the
essence of all the Vedas and is the source of all the scriptures.”
Another Indian Yogi, Paramahansa
Yogananda explains Self Realization as the knowing
that we are one with
the omnipresence of God
in body, mind and soul.
4. What is karma and
reincarnation.
Karma is
the sum
of a
person’s actions
in this
and previous
states of
existence, viewed
as affecting
their future
fates. (ie the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in
his next incarnation)
The
origin of
this word
is from
the Sanskrit
karman which
means ‘action _
effect _ fate’.
Reincarnation
is
the rebirth
of a
soul in a
new body.
Incarnation
is a
spirit embodied
in a living human
from.
To
incarnate is
to be invested
in a bodily
form.
The
origin of this
word is
from the Latin
in- carn-
which means
‘into’ ‘flesh’.
Reincarnation is a necessary adjunct to Karma. This is
because incomplete punishment for a person’s evil deeds in this life will be
completed in future lives.
How else would punishment for the evil deeds of Pol Pot and
Idi Amin be justly meted out as these two persons died peacefully in ripe old
age.
It
is believed that
reincarnation takes
place at
conception or
when the
baby is
in the womb
or at
birth.
5. Theory explains phenomena.
A phenomenon is a
fact that is observed to exist or happen.
A theory
is a system of ideas intended to explain phenomena.
Consistency
is a harmonious
agreement amongst things or parts without contradictions.
If a phenomenon contradicts a theory, then the theory is
inconsistent and is probably false.
If this phenomenon is consistent with another theory, then
the second theory should replace the first theory.
6. Reincarnation is a theory to explain the phenomena of
persons
being able to recall events experienced
by individuals who have died.
The
strongest evidence
supporting the
theory of
reincarnation is from
the work
of Ian
Stevenson who
documented numerous
cases of
children ‘recalling’
historical events
and relatives
of deceased
individuals. Some of
these amazing
claims have
been corroborated.
(Ref: Old
Souls, the
scientific evidence
for past
lives by
Tom Shroder, published
by Simon &
Schuster, Rockefeller
Center, 1230,
Ave of the Americas, New
York, NY
10020. ISBN
0-684-85192-X © 1999)
7. Reincarnation contradicts the
phenomenon of mediums invoking the spirit of the dead.
Reincarnation cannot explain how temple mediums are able to invoke the
spirits of the departed.
If the spirit of the departed has already reincarnated into another body, how
can it also appear in the temple medium?
8. Spirit possession theory explains all these phenomena.
To possess
is to
have complete
power over.
The origin
of this
word is
from the
Latin possidere
which means
‘occupy, hold’.
Spirit
possession is
the state of
being under
complete control
of a spirit.
Spirit
possession is
real ( Mark 1:23-25, 5:1-20, 7:24-30,
9:17-27).
Spirit
possession can
explain explain
how temple mediums are able to invoke the
spirits of the departed. It can also explain how some persons are able to accurately
recall events experienced by
individuals who have long since died.
A
definite case
of spirit
possession is
described by
Roy Stemman about
a Thai
Buddhist monk
who was
born one
day before his previous
body died.
This
case cannot
be explained
by reincarnation
because it
would mean
that the
baby was
born without
a spirit
and remained
without a
spirit for one
day.
The
logical explanation
is that
the baby
was already
born with
an original
spirit. One
day after birth, his body became
inhabited or possessed
by another
spirit.
(Reincarnation,
Amazing True
Cases From
Around The
World by
Roy Stemman (Editor
of Reincarnation
International), published
by Judy
Piatkus Ltd. Windmill
Street, London W1P 1HF. ISBN 0-7499-1708-3 hbk, ISBN
0-7499-1787-3 pbk ©1997. (Ref: in page
38))
I
believe the
spirit that
possesses the
body of
a person suppresses
the expression
of the
original spirit
of that
person. I believe
all possessing
spirits are
evil, otherwise
they would
not possess.
I
believe the
Holy Spirit
does not
possess. On
the contrary, the
Holy Spirit
renders a
person free
to choose.
A demon
is an evil spirit
or devil.
A person
is demon
possessed if
he is completely
controlled by
an evil spirit.
I believe
demons are
fallen angels,
Satan being
chief among
them.
A
medium is
a person
who claims
to be able to
communicate between
the dead
and the
living.
Temple mediums
appear to
be able
to summon
the spirit
of the
departed. They
go into
a trance,
as if
possessed,
before
they appear
to talk
like the
deceased person.
I believe
that the
demonic spirit
which has
possessed the
departed individual
was invited
by the medium to
speak through
the medium.
I
believe yoga
meditation, which
involves a
process of
emptying oneself
of logic
and reason,
is a
ploy by
Satan to
deceive the
devotee into
preparing himself
as fertile
ground for
demon possession.
Demon possession is
evil because
it enslaves
and suppresses
the free
will of
the individual.
When the
Hindu or
Buddhist parents
bring their
children to
their temples,
they are
actually offering
their children
as human
sacrifice to
demons for
possession.
I
believe when
an unsaved
person’s body
dies, his
original spirit
is released
into the
spirit realm
to dwell
there until
the final
judgment because
it is
unable to
enter the Kingdom
of Heaven.
Through
Hinduism and
Buddhism, Satan
and his
fellow demonic
spirits have
deceived many
generations of
people in
large parts of
the world
into unwittingly
allowing their
bodies and
souls to
be possessed.
This permits
the demonic spirits
to 'reincarnate'
in them
serially.
I
believe the
spirit realm
is the ‘valley of
the shadow
of death’ (Psalm 23:4).
I believe
the original
spirit of
an individual is
from Adonai
and is
eternal. When
an individual’s
body dies,
his original
spirit leaves
the body
and enters
the spirit
realm.
When
a person
accepts Jesus
as Savior,
his or her
spirit becomes
a sibling
of Yeshua who is
the first
born of
Adonai (Abba). As
this spirit
is a
relative of
Abba, it
is permitted
to enter
and ‘dwell
in the
house of
the Lord
forever’ (Psalm 23:6).
If
a person,
during his
lifetime, has
not accepted
Yeshua
as
his Savior,
his spirit
is not
sanctified (separated as holy). Even
if he
has performed
many miracles
in the
name of
Adonai, his
spirit would
not be permitted to
enter the
kingdom of
heaven (Matthew 7: 21-23).
When
his body
dies, his
spirit would
remain in
the spirit realm
until the
day of
final judgment, when
he will
be cast
into the
lake of
fire to
be tormented
forever (Revelation
20:11-15).
10. Deception.
Deception
means to
deliberately mislead
or misrepresent
the truth;
to swindle,
hoax, cheat,
dupe, fool,
or entrap.
I believe the theory of
spirit
possession is able to explain all the phenomena attributed to the theory
of reincarnation as well as explain the phenomenon of invoking the
spirits of the departed.
Because of this, I consider the theory of reincarnation as
redundant, unnecessary and even false.
As the theory of reincarnation is open to question, it then
follows that the theory of karma is also open to question.
As the theories of reincarnation and karma form the
foundations of Hinduism, Buddhism
and New Age, then these systems of belief are also open to question.
Then what is the purpose of the theory of
reincarnation?
I believe the purpose is deception.
I believe
this concept
of Nirvana
is a
deception hatched
by Satan
and his
fellow demonic
spirits
I believe
the demonic
spirit seeks
to escape
from the
valley of
the shadow of
death and
the eventual
great white
throne judgment
and inevitable
punishment in
the lake of
fire.
I believe
the demonic
spirit believes
that by
doing good
works it
can seek favor
with Adonai
in order to enter the
kingdom of
heaven.
I believe
on entry
into the
kingdom of
heaven, these demons,
under the
leadership of
Satan, will,
once again,
attempt to
overthrow Adonai.
Since the
demonic spirit
is unable
to do
good deeds
in the
spirit form,
it needs
to incarnate ( to
become invested
in a bodily form)
by possessing
the body
of some
unsuspecting person in
order to
do good deeds.
Hence it
needs to
‘re-incarnate’.
‘Reincarnation’
does
not occur
with the
original spirit
of an individual. ‘Reincarnation’
occurs with
demonic spirits.
They hop
from body
to body,
possessing and
suppressing the
original spirit
within each
new body.
Deception
is the
signature of
Satan.
I believe
Adonai
created
man to
fellowship with. Adonai
gave
man dominion
over the
earth.
The
first action
of Satan
to Adam
and Eve was
deception. Satan
possessed the
serpent and
duped Eve
and Adam
into eating
the fruit
of the tree of knowledge
of good
and evil,
the one
which Adonai
specifically forbade
them to
eat. (Genesis
3:1-7)
By
this hoax,
Satan cheated
mankind of
his right
standing with
Adonai
and
dominion over
the earth.
Instead, mankind,
including myself
came under
dominion of
Satan and
was headed
for certain
death.
In
the ‘fallen’
state, I
am unable
to fellowship
with Adonai. However,
Adonai
still
wanted to
fellowship with
me.
The
triune Godhead
sent a
part of
Himself, Yeshua
to earth
as a man to
die and
bear the
total punishment
for the
disobedience (sin) of
all of mankind so
that in
believing in
this sacrifice,
my fallen
spiritual self
will die
and become
reborn as
a sibling of Christ
Yeshua.
As
a new
creation (2Corinthians 5:17), I can directly
fellowship with Adonai
by casting
all my
cares to
Him, secure
in the
belief that
I have
absolute right-standing with Him
( Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7)
When
I believe
in Yeshua
as my savior, I
am freed
from bondage to
Satan. Satan
is powerless to
prevent me
from believing
the good
news of
the divine exchange.
What
he can
do is to attempt
to deceive me
with alternative
routes to
Adonai
like
Hinduism, Buddhism,
New Age
and Islam.
Satan
inspired Hinduism
and Buddhism
with the
core beliefs
of Karma
and reincarnation.
The
concept of
reincarnation has
been debunked
by the
concept of
demonic spirit
possession explaining
all the
‘evidence’ proffered
for reincarnation.
Hence reincarnation
is a
lie and
Hinduism, Buddhism,
and New
Age beliefs
are deceptions.
They bear
the signature
of Satan.
Demonic principalities and powers
have invaded
the civilized
world through
the guise
of ‘New Age’
beliefs and
practices.
These
include martial
arts, Tai
Chi exercise,
Yoga exercise
and meditation,
transcendental meditation,
Eckankar
movement, automatic
writing as
in ‘ A Course
In Miracles’
and ‘Conversations
With God’,
and other
New Age
books like
‘Celestine Prophecy’ ,
‘A Return
To Love’,
'The tunnel And The Light' and some
environmental movements.
Some
offer
peace of
mind, even healing
and miracles without
recourse to Yeshua.
They are
sometimes effective
in providing
solutions to
apparently insurmountable problems.
However
these solutions
are offered
though ‘false
Christs and
false prophets
who appear
and perform
signs and
miracles to
deceive’ (Mark 13:22).
I
believe these are
deceptions of
Satan because
Yeshua
said
‘No one
comes to
the Father
except through
me’ ( John 14:6).
With
the death
burial and
resurrection of
Yeshua, Satan
has had
been stripped
of his
power over
me and over anyone
else who
believe in
the risen
Yeshua
Christ.
The
demonic possessing
spirit prevents
the person
from hearing
and understanding the good
news of
Grace.
In
order to
set free
any person
under bondage
of demonic
spirits, one
can drive
out demons
by calling
on the name of
Yeshua
because
‘at the
name of
Yeshua, every
knee will
bow’ (Philippians
2:10).
Once liberated,
that person, if chosen by
Adonai, would
be able
to see
and believe
the Gospel (good news)
which is
‘Adonai
so
loved the
world that
he gave
his one
and only
Son so that whoever
believes in
him shall not
perish but
have eternal
life (John 3:16).
11. Works versus grace.
Most religions
include in
their system
of beliefs
the belief
that doing
good deeds
and avoiding
bad deeds
make a
person more
spiritually ‘pure’
and therefore
more acceptable
by the
creator.
I
believe one
of the main
deceptions of
Satan is
the belief
that ‘do
good gets
good and
do bad
gets bad
and that
if a
person’s good
deeds outnumber
the bad,
he gets
to enter
heaven. This
is contrary
to my belief that
a person
can never
by his good deeds
qualify for
entry into
heaven. It
is only
by the
grace of
Abba that
those who
have been
chosen will
be invited
into heaven.
Grace
Christianity is the
only belief
system which
holds that
nothing man
does will
qualify him
to be
acceptable by
Adonai, and
that it
is only by
the grace
of Adonai
is man accepted by
Adonai. The grace
of Adonai
is His son,
Yeshua. Only
by accepting
Yeshua
as
my personal
savior can
I be accepted by
Adonai. All
other ways,
including doing
good deeds
count for
nothing. Yeshua's
voluntary death
at the
cross permitted
an exchange
to take
place, his
life for
mankind’s death,
his perfection
for man’s
imperfection, his
goodness for
man’s evil
etc. Also,
Yeshua
came
to life
again and
returned to
his father
the creator.
Because
I choose
to accept
Yeshua
as
my personal
savior, I
become a
sibling
of Yeshua. At
the moment
of my
bodily death,
as a relative of
Adonai, my spirit
can then
enter and ‘dwell in the
house of
the Lord forever’
(Psalm 23:6). Because
I believe
in Yeshua,
my spirit
welcomes the
Holy Spirit.
With the
Holy Spirit
dwelling within
me, all
possessing spirits
would be
driven out.
The Holy
Spirit will never
leave me
nor forsake
me forever (Deuteronomy
31:8).
When
an individual
does not
have the
Holy Spirit
dwelling within,
he is open to
demonic spirit
possession and
is especially
vulnerable when
depressed or
despondent.
12. Conclusion.
I believe
Grace Christianity
is the
only way
of reaching
my creator, Adonai.
All other
ways, though
appealing, are
not genuine
and may
lead to
possession by
demons.
Because
I believe
in free choice
after making
my choice,
I choose
freedom from
demon possession
by calling
upon the name of
Yeshua.
Back to Which religion should I choose to believe in
The following is a collection of relevant
definitions and comments.
My own comments and
beliefs are in the Times New Roman font.
Aquarian Gospel.
The Aquarian
Gospel was published in 1920. It was written by Levi H Dowling.
Levi Dowling, 1844-1911,
was a preacher, and then a doctor and eventually a writer.
The Aquarian Gospel is an extensive
reworking of the Jesus story with strong theosophical and Spiritualist
influences. Of interest is the attempt to fill in the two decade gap in the
Jesus’s traditional biography. According to Dowling, Jesus spent a lot of time
in the mystical East where he learned esoteric methods from the masters, while
rebelling against the caste system.
The narrative, unfortunately, has
numerous historical inconsistencies, including Jesus meeting historical figures
who lived hundreds of years before or after the first century, e.g. Mencius. The
book has Jesus studying in India in the Orissa area; while this is an
historically important ceremonial area, it didn’t come into prominence until
nearly a millennium later.
None of this lessens the charm or the
esoteric insight of this book. The Aquarian Gospel was rediscovered during the
spiritual ferment of the 1960s; a beat-up paperback copy of this book was de
rigeur in every hippie pad, and it no doubt played and unsung role in naming
the 'Age of Aquarius'. The Aquarian Gospel was probably one of the catalysts for
the ‘Jesus freak’ movement.
You may like to see here
to find out more about Jesus and India.
Atman.
In
Hinduism, atman is
the spiritual
life principle
of the universe, especially
when regarded
as existing
within the
real self
of the
individual. The origin
of this
word is
from the
Sanskrit ătman
which means
‘essence’.
Avatar.
In Hindu
belief, an
avatar is
a manifestation of
a deity
or released
soul in
bodily form
on earth.
It is also defined as
an incarnation
of god
on earth. The plural
form is
avatara.
An example
is Krishna. One
living guru,
Sai Baba
claims to
be an
avatar. He
has been
reputed to
have performed
many miracles.
Bodhisattva.
A person
who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so through compassion for
suffering beings.
Buddhism.
Buddhism
is a
widespread Asian
religion or
philosophy founded
by Siddartha
Gautama (Buddha;c.563-c.460
BC) in
north east
India in
the 5th
century BC,
which teaches
that elimination
of the
self and
earthly desires
is the
route to
enlightenment.
Deity.
God or
goddess, especially
in polytheistic
religion.
Dharma.
The eternal
law of
the cosmos, inherent
in the
very nature
of things.
Eckankar.
A purportedly ancient religion
introduced as a modern-day religion in 1965 by Paul Twitchell. A seeker from an
early age, Paul was introduced to a group of ancient spiritual masters who would
change the course of his life.
These were the ECK Masters. They include Rebazar Tarzes,
Fubbi Quantz, Towart Managi, Rami Nuri, Lai Tsi, Kata Daki and Gopal Das.
Thus the ECK teachings have ancient roots.
While they trained Paul to become the Living ECK Master, he
explored a wide range of spiritual traditions under different teachers. Paul’s
ECK name was Peddar Zasq. The high teachings of ECK had been scattered to the
four corners of the world. Paul gathered these golden teachings of Light and
Sound and made them readily available.
By 1965, Paul was offering Soul Travel workshops to the
public. He wrote many books on Eckankar and the Light and Sound of God.
Since 1981, the spiritual leader of Eckankar has been Sri
Harold Klemp, whose spiritual title is the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master. The
Living ECK Master of any era wants only to lead the individual to look within to
the source of all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding: the place where one can
move toward Self- and God-Realization.
Today, Eckankar is a nonprofit religious organization and
church which has members in over one hundred countries. The spiritual home of
Eckankar is the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Eckankar claims to teach simple spiritual exercises which
would enable the devotee to experience the Light and Sound of God. These
exercises also help the devotee to Soul Travel, to move into greater states of
consciousness. A spiritual exercise can be as simple as relaxing and singing the
word HU, an ancient name for God. As devotees practice these spiritual
exercises, they learn to recognize the presence of the ‘Holy
Spirit' in their
lives. They learn that each of them is Soul, a spark of God sent to this world
to gain spiritual experience. And as they unfold spiritually, they learn to
express the love of God through service to others.
Eckankar commentary.
Guru.
Guru
is a Hindu
spiritual teacher.
Origin from
Hindi and
Punjabi. The
origin of
this word
is from
the Sanskrit
'guru'
which
means ‘weighty,
grave’, hence,
‘elder, teacher’.
Hinduism.
Hinduism
is a
major religious
and cultural
tradition of
the Indian
subcontinent, including
belief in
reincarnation and
the worship
of a
large pantheon
of deities.
An Indian Yogi,
Sai Baba, explains Hinduism as follows:
Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. The three cardinal principles of
Hinduism are: 1) Belief in a series of births (reincarnation). 2) Belief in Avatars of
the Lord for the reestablishment of Dharma and the transformation of
those who have strayed from it. 3)Belief in
Karma, the fact of every
activity having its inevitable consequences and of human destiny being shaped by
cumulative effect of all these consequences. Karma is the cause of
births, the Jivi being compelled to undergo another ordeal for clearing
its accounts and becoming free of both debit and credit.
The life aim of Hindus is
to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the
fulfillment that
comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the
attainment of fullness. The Vedas are the soul that sustains the
spiritual life of Hindus. They are the breath that that keeps the people alive.
The Vedas emanated from God Himself. The great sages received the Vedas
as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from
preceptor to the pupil. One can know from the Vedas the code of right
activity and the body of right knowledge. The Vedas teach man his duties
from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and
responsibilities in all stages of life. In order to explain the Vedas in
simpler terms, the Puranas (scriptures) and epic texts appeared in course
of time. Two such great epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Another great
spiritual text of Hinduism is the Bhagavat Geetha, which helps people to control
the agitation of the mind, destroy the delusion, develop true knowledge and make
one catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord.
The word
Hindu
means those who keep away from the path of violence, away from
inflicting injury on others. The essence of all the scriptural texts of Hinduism
can be described in one sentence as "Help Ever, Hurt Never".
Aum,
which is a primary symbol of Hinduism, is the symbol of unchanging eternal,
universal supreme God. Aum, is the primordial word, which gives life to
all the other words. Aum is the origin of creation. It contains the
essence of all the Vedas and is the source of all the
scriptures.”
Another Indian Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda explains Self Realization as the knowing that we are one with the omnipresence of God in body, mind and soul.
Jainism
Jainism
is one of the oldest religions in the world originating in ancient India. The
Jains follow the teachings of the 24 Jinas (conquerors) who are known as
Tirthankars. The 24th is the 6th century BC Mahavira.
Jains believe that every human has an
eternal soul and is responsible for his actions. The Jain religion places great
emphasis on Karma. Essentially, it means that all people reap what they sow. A
happy or miserable existence is influenced by the actions in previous lives.
Jains believe all souls are
equal because they all possess the potential of being liberated and attaining
Moksha. Tirthankaras are role models because they have attained Moksha.
Jains believe that we should live,
think and act respectfully and honor the spiritual nature of all life. Adherents
to the faith are required to be vegetarians.
God is viewed as the traits of the
pure soul of each living being, chiefly described as infinite knowledge,
perception, consciousness and happiness. They do not believe in an omnipotent,
supreme, creator being.
Jains hold that this temporal world
is full of misery and sorrow. In order to attain lasting bliss, they believe one
must transcend the eternal cycle of soul transmigration. They believe the way to
break out of this cycle is to practice detachment through rational perception,
knowledge and conduct.
Hence Jainism holds
re-incarnation and karma as foundational in its religion. Because the theory of
re-incarnation has been refuted, I believe Jainism and Jainist beliefs are
false.
Karma.
Hindus
and Buddhists
believe in
the concept of
karma. Karma is
the sum
of a
person’s actions
in this
and previous
states of
existence, viewed
as affecting
their future
fates. The
origin of
this word
is from
the Sanskrit
karman which
means ‘action _
effect _ fate’.
Hindus
and Buddhists
believe that
by doing
good deeds,
they accumulate
positive karma
credits. This
would enable
their spirit
to reincarnate
in a
higher spiritual
plane in
the next lifetime.
Over many
lifetimes, they
would become
more enlightened. Some eventually
become enlightened
enough to
be like
Gautama Siddhartha
Buddha and
attain the
level of
nirvana.
Mantra.
A word
or sound
repeated to
aid concentration
in meditation.
A Vedic hymn.
The origin
of this
word is
from the
Sanskrit 'man'
which means
‘thought’, hence
mantra is
‘instrument of
thought’.
Maya.
Maya is
the power by which the universe becomes manifest; the illusion of the phenomenal
world. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit 'mãyã' , from mã
'create'.
Meditate.
To meditate
is to focus one’s
mind for
a period of
time for
spiritual purposes
or as a method
of relaxation.
Moksha
Moksha (Sanskrit: liberation) or
Mukti (Sanskrit: release) refer in Indian religions to liberation from the cycle
of death and rebirth (re-incarnation) and all the suffering and limitation of
worldly existence. Liberation is experienced in this life as a dissolution of
the sense of self as an egoistic personality, reaching a state of Nirvana.
Near Death Experience NDE.
The experience a person recalls after
having been near death.
Kenneth Ring and Elizabeth Kübler-Ross have
documented numerous cases of near death experience.
NDE’s
have been experienced by people of various cultures and religions and are
similar in content.
The recalled near death experience usually
starts in an out of body perspective. There is an awareness of being in a dark
place with a small point of light . Then there is a sensation of rapidly moving
in a tunnel towards that light. The light becomes larger and larger until it
envelops the subject. Although the light is very bright, the subject can
‘look’ directly at it without being blinded by it. There is a feeling of
peacefulness and well being and a sense of total acceptance associated with the
light. Then a person or persons appear. They are usually personages held in high
regard during the lifetime of that subject. It may be Buddha, a former Guru, a
committee of senior persons, Holy Mary, and Jesus. There is a life review in
which numerous details are brought to awareness over fleeting moments. The
subject is then given the choice whether to return to the physical body. After
surviving the life-threatening episode of his life, the subject reports a great
change in attitude in his life. He becomes more accepting of other people, has a
passion to live life more fully, and loses his fear of death.
Allow me to distinguish between observation
and theory.
One observation
is that people who have been near death and who have survived, give
accounts which are uncannily similar.
Another observation
is that near death is entirely different from complete cellular death by
decomposition or incineration.
How do I explain the commonality
of various NDE accounts?
One theory
is that these personages are the spirits of Buddha, a former Guru, Holy Mary and
Jesus.
Another theory is
that all these personages are demons masquerading as the various personages.(2
Cor 11:14KJV And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light.)
A more likely theory is
that lack of oxygen supply to the nerve cells in the occipital cortex of
the brain may cause neuronal discharges which are later stored as memory of
total darkness followed by a small focus of intensely bright light getting
larger and larger as though the subject is going towards it until finally
the subject becomes enveloped by the light. The pre-frontal cortex of the brain
contains nerve cells which have stored memory. Lack of oxygen causes massive
neuronal discharges which may give the impression of a life review and impression of
meeting with a familiar deity like Buddha, a former Guru or Jesus.
The observation to support this theory is that
somewhat similar accounts are given by persons who voluntarily undergo
deprivation of oxygen to the brain and in accounts of people in altered states of consciousness when
under the influence of LSD or Ketamine. Interestingly, in his autobiography,
Paramanhansa
Yogananda gives an account of who he thought was Jesus appearing before
him when in a deep state of yogic meditation.
New Age.
‘New
age’ is
a broad
movement characterized by alternative
approaches to
traditional Western
culture, with
an interest
in spirituality, mysticism, holism,
and environmentalism.
Nirvana.
Hindus and
Buddhists believe
in a
state of
Nirvana or
Nibbana.
Nirvana
is defined
as a
transcendent state
in which
there is
no suffering
or desire
and no
sense of
self. The
origin of
this word
is from
the Sanskrit
nirvăna where
nirvă means
‘be extinguished’. On attaining
nirvana, a
person is
released from
the repeated
cycles of
reincarnation and suffering.
Pantheism.
A
belief which identifies God with the
universe, or regards the universe as a
manifestation of God.
This concept holds that
the creator and the creation are one and the same, and that the creator is not
separate from the creation, and that the creator did not precede the creation.
Hence the concept of pantheism is
consistent with the core beliefs of Hinduism and most New Age practices.
Reincarnation.
Reincarnation
is
the rebirth
of a
soul in a
new body.
Incarnation
is a
spirit embodied
in a living human
from.
To
incarnate is
to be invested
in a bodily
form.
The
origin of this
word is
from the Latin
in- carn-
which means
‘into’ ‘flesh’.
Rig Veda contains
reference to Jesus.
In
the oldest ‘Hindu’ scripture, Rig Veda, for example, there is evidence of
the promised "Prajapathi", the God who will once come in bodily form,
be born to a virgin, be called the Lamb of God, die with unbroken bones for the
sins of man on a wood, be resurrected from the dead and will be giving his own
flesh to be eaten by people. If any Hindu compares this promised Saviour in the
ancient vedic scriptures and early poems of the famous Indian saints and
philosophers with the Jesus Christ of the Bible, he will be amazed without
having any doubts about the compelling evidence. "Jesus is the Prajapathi",
the Sanskrit name for the promised God in human body who died for the sins of
mankind to redeem sinners.
Samadhi.
Samadhi
is a
state of
intense concentration
achieved through
meditation. The
origin of
this word
is from
Sanskrit samădhi
which means
‘contemplation’.
Samadhi
has also
been described
as a
state in
which one’s
consciousness becomes
in unity
with the
atman.
Yogis
describe samadhi
as a
state of
supreme happiness.
Hindus believe
that they
can attain
samadhi by
meditating and
looking within
themselves in
order to
‘self-realize’. The devotee is
required to
disciple himself
to a guru or
yogi and
move closer
to Nibbana
after many
years of
meditation, chanting
of mantras
and ascetic
living.
By
the process
of Yoga
meditation, the
devotee attempts
to empty
himself of
all his
ego driven
desires, reason
and logic.
The devotee
believes that
through practice
and obedient
following of
a Yogi,
he can
achieve self
realization.
Self
realization is
defined as
the fulfillment
of one’s
own potential.
Samsara.
Samsara
is the
cycle of
death and
rebirth in
which life in
the material
world is
bound. The
origin of
this word
is from
the Sanskrit
samsăra.
Sikhism
Sikhism is a religious belief
founded by Guru Nanak Dev 1469 to 1539 in Punjab, India. His writings are
compiled in the Siri Guru Granth
Sahib
Central in his teaching is the belief
that there is one creator God called Satnam Vahiguru or Truth as revealed by
Guru Nanak. He saw the universe as a
creation of one supreme power, and since the creator was in the world he
created, it could not be treated as unreal as proposed in Hinduism and Buddhism.
His teachings did not include the policy of renunciation of the world or
detachment from worldly responsibilities. He denounced the leading of one's life
as an ascetic and put great emphasis on hard work and earning a livelihood. For
him taking care of one's family and providing food and shelter for them was one
of the prime duties of man before God.
However, similar to Hinduism and
Buddhism, he believed in reincarnation
and karma. Because
the theory of re-incarnation has been refuted, I believe Sikhism and Sikh
beliefs are false.
Soul.
Soul
is
the spiritual
or non-material
part of
a human
regarded as
immortal. The
origin of
this word
is from
the Old
English, Germanic sāwol.
Spirit.
Spirit
is the
non-physical part
of a
person which
is the seat of
emotions and
character; this
is regarded
as surviving
after death
of the body, often
manifested as
a ghost. The origin
of this
word is
from Latin
spiritos which
means ‘breath’.
Wicca.
Wicca is
the religious cult of modern witchcraft.
origin: representing the Old English word wicca ‘witch’
Witch. is a woman thought to have
evil magic powers.
A follower or practitioner of modern witchcraft.
Witchcraft is the practice of magic,
especially the use of spells and the invocation of evil spirits.
Rede is advice or counsel.
Pagan is a person holding
religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions.
origin: from
Latin. paganus ‘villager, rustic’
Wicca is
a recently created neo-pagan
religion traced back to the writings of Gerald
Gardner (1884 - 1964), a British civil servant. He wrote that Wicca began
in pre-history as ritual associated with fire, the hunt, animal fertility, plant
propagation, tribal fertility and the curing of disease. This developed into a
religion which recognized a Supreme Deity, but realized that at their state of
evolution, they ‘were incapable of understanding it’. Instead, they
worshipped what might be termed ‘under-gods’: the goddess of fertility and
her horned consort, the god of the hunt. Wiccans continued their moon based
worship, even as the mainly sun based faith of priests, the druids, developed
and evolved into the dominant religion of the Celts in Europe at about 800BC.
Wiccan beliefs in England survived the Roman, Saxon and Norman invasions by
going underground. It suffered major losses during the Christian genocide into
the 18th century. Wicca was revived in UK by Gerald Gardner and
Doreen Valiente who took surviving beliefs and practices, including the symbols,
seasonal days of celebration, beliefs and deities of ancient Celtic society and
fleshed them out with material from other religious, spiritual, Masonic and
ceremonial magick sources.
Most Wiccans
believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called
"The One" or " The
All".
Little can be known of this force Most regard the Goddess and the God as
representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities are not
‘out there somewhere;’ they are immanent in the world
Many regard various pagan Gods and
Goddesses (Pan, Athena, Diana, Brigit, Zeus, Odin, etc.) as representing various
aspects of the God and Goddess. The term "Wicca" normally implies that
the person's religion is based upon Celtic spiritual concepts, deities, and
seasonal days of celebration. Some Wicca include beliefs, practices and symbols
from ancient Pagan religions (e.g. Egyptian, Greek, various mystery religions,
Roman, Sumerian) or upon Aboriginal religions (Native American Spirituality,
Shamanism).
Wiccans tend to share a great concern
for the environment.
Some Wiccans celebrate "the
Great Rite" which involves ritual sexual intercourse. However, it is
consensually performed by a committed couple in private.
Regarding the afterlife, some believe in ancient legends of a
Summerland where souls go after death. Here, they meet with others who have gone
before, review and integrate their previous lives on earth, and are eventually reincarnated into the body of a new born
The Wiccan Rede: This is the main rule of behavior: "An
(if) it harm none, do what thou (you) wilt
(want)."
In 1960,
Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary described her personal Pagan spiritual path,
including the channeling of spiritual energy to help others, of
tolerance, avoidance of harm to others, Karma, the Three-fold Law of return (karmic
feedback), the Goddess and God within and
that this divinity is reflected through her own Inner Self, her Pagan Spirit.
With beliefs of pantheism, reincarnation and
karma, Wicca falls into the realm of New Age.
Yoga.
Yoga
is a
Hindu spiritual
and ascetic
discipline, a
part of which,
including breath
control, simple
meditation, and
the adoption
of specific
bodily positions,
is widely
practiced for
health and
relaxation. The origin of
this word
is from the
Sanskrit yoga
which means ‘union’.
Yogi.
A yogi
is a
person proficient
in yoga.
An
example of
a yogi is
Paramahansa Yogananda.
Born Mukunda Lal
Ghosh on
Jan 5, 1893
in the
northern Indian
city of
Gorakhpur. Died
Mar 7,
1952 in
Los Angeles,
USA. From
the age
of seventeen,
he was
trained in
the yoga
discipline by
Swami Sri
Yukteswar for
ten years. Paramahansa considered his
gurus as
avatara. He
was conferred
with the
Swami order
in 1915,
after graduating
from the
University of
Calcutta. He
founded a
‘how to
live’ school
for boys
where yoga
spiritual training
was combined
with modern
educational methods.
He went
to the United States,
founded a
society called
Self-Realization Fellowship
in 1920
and five
years later
he settled
in Los
Angeles. He
popularized a
form of yoga
called Kriya
Yoga. He is
well known
for his
‘Autobiography of
a Yogi’
and an
English translation
of ‘The
Bhagavad Gita’.
In his
autobiography, he
refers to
the part of
the brain
above and
between the
eyes as
the ‘Christ consciousness
center’. His disciples
have deified
him as
an avatar.
Resource material:
Definitions in
italics are based on The Concise Oxford Dictionary,
10th edition, revised. 2001.
Quotations
from other
sources are in the Arial
narrow font.
Old
Souls, the
scientific evidence
for past
lives by
Tom Shroder, published
by Simon &
Schuster, Rockefeller
Center, 1230,
Ave of the Americas, New
York, NY
10020. ISBN
0-684-85192-X. © 1999
Reincarnation,
Amazing True
Cases From
Around The
World by
Roy Stemman (Editor
of Reincarnation
International), published
by Judy
Piatkus Ltd. Windmill
Street, London W1P 1HF. ISBN 0-7499-1708-3 hbk, ISBN
0-7499-1787-3 pbk ©1997 (Ref: in page
38)
A Course In Miracles by Helen Schucman. Published by Viking Penguin, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, U.S.A. ISBN 0-670-86975-9. Second edition © 1996.
A Return To Love by Marianne Williamson, published by HarperCollins, 19 East 53rd Street, New York, N Y 10022. © 1993
Conversations With God, Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch, Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. ISBN 0-399-14278-9. © 1996. Also Books 2,3 and Friendship with God.
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, published by Warner Books Inc, 1271, Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. ISBN 0-446-51862-X. © 1993. Also, The Tenth Insight (1996) and The Secret of Shambhala (1999).
The Wheel of Life by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, published by Touchstone, Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. © 1998
Lessons from the Light. by Kenneth Ring, published by Moment Point Press Inc. P.O Box 4549, Portsmouth, NH 03802-4549. ISBN 0-9661327-8-5 © 1998
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda published by Self-Realization Fellowship, 3880 San Raphael Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90065-3298 U.S.A. ISBN 0-87612-082-6. 12th Ed. © 1981
Eckankar commentary.
Confession of a former New Ager: Christian answers for the new age.
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