In a word, New Age philosophy is Hinduism modernised, westernised and popularised. The New Age Movement does not really refer to a particular group of people or organisational structure; rather it refers loosely to the multitude of individuals and organisations that subscribe to the New Age Philosophy either explicitly or subtly. Explicitly, the New Age philosophy is essentially Hinduism in doctrine and outlook. Its most fundamental teaching is pantheism or monism: there is no personal, transcendent God who created all things; rather ‘God’ is all and all is ‘God’ (or in Hindu terms, “Atman is Brahman and Brahman is Atman”). And since all is ‘God,’ there should be no real distinctions at all in the universe. Thus there is no difference between men and animals, nor even between men and rocks, nor is there any difference between good and evil. These apparent distinctions are only illusions of the mind (Maya in Hinduism); or to put it in another way, reality is the creation of the human mind. 

However this is not the case. Explicit traces of New Age philosophy, for example, can be found in the teachings of such Charismatic heretics, such as Kenneth Hagin (“believers are in the same class of being as God”); Kenneth Copeland (“believers can create health and wealth through visualisation”); and Benny Hinn (“believers are little gods”). The teachings of these men have been promoted in some ways by the “Toronto ‘Blessing‘” phenomenon and men like Howard Brown.

Even non-Charismatic Christians, who are generally discerning, are sometimes unwittingly involved in or found promoting New Age philosophies. Many corporate human potential training seminars, for example, promote yoga meditation techniques, which are suppose to help reduce stress and increase creativity. Such techniques are based on the New Age assumption that the mind is supreme and that everything else can be managed if the mind is managed. Some public schools, especially in the States, have introduced guided visualisation techniques, which frequently descend into occultism, and tends to blur the distinction between reality and imagination. In fact, New Age ideas are actively being promoted through many films targeted at children and teenagers. For example, the popular “Star Wars” series was clearly created to promote New Age ideals with the introduction of “Force” and mind control techniques. Another popular children’s cartoon movie, “The Lion King,” promotes reincarnation, yoga meditation, and pacifism, all of which stem from New Age philosophies.

So much can be said about the New Age Movement and New Age philosophies that it is difficult to write a short article, however introductory it is intended to be. Let us nevertheless by warned of this subtle deception that is plaguing the world and Christendom. Let us be careful of what we promote and support. Let us be careful of what we allow our children to imbibe, for “Satan himself is transformed into [or, disguises as] an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14).