new-age: Page 2

New Age

This term, New Age describes a movement in western culture to explore spiritual matters without the constrains of any set religious doctrine. Known as the "New Age Movement", it contains many of the same elements found throughout different religions. New Age itself is not an actual religion, it is more of a conglomeration of many peoples "private" beliefs.

Those who consider themselves part of the New Age movement have numerous and varied beliefs; nevertheless, certain recognizable themes start to emerge at close examination. An individual who identifies themselves with the New Age Movement may also subscribe to some or all of these themes, depending on their own sense of what is good or bad, right and wrong.

The core beliefs in most people who claim to be in the New Age Movement are as follows:

1. All life, not just limited to humanity, and everything in the universe is believed to be spiritually interconnected, emanating from the same energy widely known as “God”.

2. Spiritual beings (souls. angels, ghosts, ascended masters, elementals, and/or ufo aliens) exist, and can maybe guide us, if we open ourselves up to, and accept their guidance.

3. The human mind is complex and has deep levels of spirit and thought and possibly vast powers, which could be capable even of altering physical reality. “You can effect and create your own reality.” Nevertheless, it is believed that this is subject to certain spiritual laws, such as physics and the principle of cause and effect.

4. They believe you as an individual has a purpose here on earth, in this life, in the present surroundings, because there are lessons to learn. The most important lesson to learn is, of course, "love".

5. Death is not the end of life; there is only life, no death at all, just in different forms. What some might refer to as an afterlife, or beyond the veil, does not punish us but instead teaches us, pretty much disputing the existence of "hell" or the "devil". Perhaps through the mechanisms of reincarnation or near-death experiences we come round again for yet another lesson (or lessons).

6. Intuition or "spiritual guidance" is a more common guide to growth than, say, rationalism, skepticism, or a scientific method. IT is held that science as a whole neglects such things as parapsychology, meditation, and holistic medicine.

7. There exists a mystical binding of all major religions, Eastern or Western. Dogma and religious tradition are not considered important.

Major critics and skeptics of New Age have surfaced from both philosophical and scientific viewpoints that seek to understand the nature of New Age beliefs. These often highlight the discrepancies between New Age's apparently irreconcilable mix of occultism and lack of acceptance of the laws of physics. More extreme criticisms have emerged, quite vigorously from evangelical Christian Churches who reject all forms of occultism.

Below is a listing of categories in the SKR pertaining to new-age: Page 2