NewAge Pantheism, what Dan Brown was really talking about...

[cyberjosh]

I found a site that is rife with New Age spiritualist junk and it is nothing but demonic relgious belief. You'd think you'd only hear these words in some Christian text book that tries to build a supposed "straw man" against the pagans, saying that's not what they really believe, yet lo and behold this stuff is real as can be. Well here you go: Your inner goddess. This part is very telling: "Take a moment to breathe deeply and slowly. The Goddess is within each of us. Listen to your inner wisdom and walk a path that nourishes your spirit. Heh, yeah right! The last time I heard someone say that I was talking to a Neo-Gnostic who was a spiritualist and an admitted medium/diviner for spirits. This "Discovering yourself" page is most telling.

And if you look at the bottom of those pages they have the most sickening part of all, links for kids to color and pretend magic while brainwashing them with this garbage! They also deify Mary mother of Jesus as representing the supreme Goddess, who they identify with all the female dieties of every culture including Isis the Egyptian godess. On that page it mentions the "Divine Feminine" which is essentially the same as Dan Brown's "Sacred Feminine", and it even mentions Mary Magdalene possibly being Jesus wife, and diefies her too. And people said Christians protests against the DaVinci Code were unfounded. What on earth is being unleashed in this New Age crap? Satanism is a New Age religion, and the saddest part is they don't even believe in Satan, they say Satan represents the ego which must be satisfied. That explains how Satan can decieve them if they don't even think he's real.

How do we combat this spiritualist garbage? I tried putting some sense into that Neo-Gnostic woman that I talked to, but almost all her words were lofty and her head was in the clouds because she was "enraptured with revelations" and would have spiritual "whims" all the time and dreams giving her insight into the divine path. Another thing that irks me about all this New Age junk is that it is so general. Find your inner being. Seek the spiritual path. What the heck does that mean?! You'd think some people wouldn't be that gullible and it sickens me to see people like that woman in their condition of constant aloofness and "floating in the spiritual winds of mysticism."

Is there any practical way to combat this other than pray? Can any reasoning make such people reconsider? I would welcome any input.

 

[Quath]

I have a friend that is into New Age stuff. I told her I would need proof. So she said "what about Chinese baby gender predicters?" So I asked what they needed.

She said they needed the father's birthdate, mother's birthdate and the conception date. So I said that it must fail sometime. She said she never heard of a failure. So I asked about fraternal twins of different genders.

She went off and thought about it. Then she made some comment about it being mostly right. She said she had several friends and it worked for all of them. So I said that it is easy to move around the conception date. Maybe friends it didn't work for didn't say anything. I told her that such a test is very easy. Just get people to take the test before the know the gender and see if it is right.

She then asked about horoscopes. She said that they pretty much line up with your day more than random chance would allow. (And that is why you want a horoscope based on your exact birthday, not just your rough time of year.) I said a better test would be to cut the 12 horoscopes out of the paper without their name and pick the one that mactches your day. I bet that 1 out of 12 will be your birth sign.

But she never tried to double check this. She still believes in this and all storts of other psychic stuff. She just knows it is true.

So my experience is that it is very hard to use logic or evidence to overcome a belief that someone holds dearly.

 

[cyberjosh]

That was a good one about the twins. "Whoops, didn't think of that one." I once asked someone who was a professed atheist why they read the horoscopes, and I prattled on about how unlikely and often general (so that anybody could fit the happenings of their day into it) it is. They merely replied that they just found it facinating and something fun to do. They said some of them just hit their day right on the spot. Though they remained sceptical they still read the horoscopes all the time. Whatever floats your boat I suppose....

But when it comes to real playing with demonic spirits (which I know you may not believe in - but nonetheless) I get quite concerned because of the deception that they open themselves up to, with dire consequences.

 

[destiny]

Is there any practical way to combat this other than pray? Can any reasoning make such people reconsider? I would welcome any input.

I think prayer and being sensative to the Holy Spirit is the most effective way, Cyber.
A lot of these people want nothing to do with the truth. 2 Thess tells us this is why they are given over to strong delusion.
We can't break this delusion off of them because they embrace it, but if we are close to the Lord He might lead us to one heart He has prepared to recieve His truth....otherwise you come against a brick wall.
Contemplative prayer is another subtle newage method that is seeping into the mainstream. (do a search on it)
They are starting to mix this stuff in with biblical teaching as an inocculation process. People can swallow little doses at the time without really realizing they are being fed this junk.
It's the same old analogy of putting a frog in water and then turning the heat up slow enough so the frog won't ever realize he's being boiled to death.
I believe we are to speak the truth when presented with the opportunity, and then come out from among them.