New Age Deceptions

Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and demonic instructions…” (1Tim 4:1)

Have you heard of the New Age movement? If not, you might be familiar with some of its many different faces. Perhaps you have even had some personal involvement.

Have you heard of these things: spirit guides, a “personal angel,” channeling, Cosmic Christ, Reiki healing, universal energy, the occult, Course in Miracles, yoga, Wicca, spiritualism, or even that “you are god”? These are just a few terms that you may have come across, and none of them is compatible with Christianity.

New Age terminology is usually used in a very non threatening way; however, its practice has crept into every phase of our society, including medicine, religion, education, counseling and more. Many people involved in these beliefs and practices are not even aware of what they are really experiencing. If we do not know the origin of these things or their actual meaning, we might find ourselves involved in something that keeps us from growing in our Catholic faith or—even worse—we could lose our faith altogether!

The arena of “New Age” or “New Thought” is not new at all. Many of these techniques and beliefs have been around for centuries. They may have new titles or implications in our modern age, but pantheism (belief that God and the material world are one and the same) and divination (attempting to foretell the future through omens or supernatural powers) have always been at odds with Church teaching. If the Church teaches that these activities should be avoided because they are deceptive and dangerous to our faith, then why do so many Christians get drawn in? There are only two kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan.

We must know the teachings of the Church well in order to recognize the errors in New Age practices. If these techniques and beliefs were just “teachings” it would be bad enough, but when they are made available to people in vulnerable situations, such as medical events, the need for counseling, times of depression, or important decision-making, we really need to be prepared to recognize the New Age influence and reject it. “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour” (1Peter 5:8).

The Evil One often cunningly suggests alternatives to Christianity to meet our many needs. Being armed with the truth is our greatest defense. The Church has everything we need and is more effective and more fulfilling than anything offered by the New Age movement or any other activities of the Kingdom of Satan.

On Oct. 1 and 2, Father Mitch Pacwa and Johnnette Benkovic of EWTN will share their expertise and the Church’s wisdom to help us recognize the falsehood of the New Age movement. Please save the date! The conference, “Angels and the New Age,” will be held at North American Martyrs Church in Lincoln on Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For registration information, please watch this publication and your parish bulletins.

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All Questions are answered by a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln and published on the Southern Nebraska Register.