WHAT IS THE NEW AGE RELIGION?

 Numerous unorthodox spiritual and therapeutic methods gained popularity in the 1980s, and sociologists like Paul Heelas have called this movement the "New Age Movement" (1996).

Also referred to as the ''new age movement'' 

This new age movement comprises of a mixed scope of convictions and practices in view of Buddhism and Taoism, brain research, and psycho-treatment; agnosticism, perceptiveness, tarot and enchantment or magic.The New Age Development is most likely best portrayed as a 'profound general store' from which people are allowed to pick and blend those other worldly convictions and practices which they feel best assist them with accomplishing true serenity or understand their full human potential.

Here are some examples of the new age practices and believes

• 1.A belief in the idea that individuals have a ‘deeper’ inner potential to be realized – with the help of various psycho-therapeutic interventions.
• 2.A belief in mysticism, clairvoyance and the psychic power of certain individuals.
• 3.A belief in fate which might be uncovered through practices such as the tarot or astrology.
• 4.A belief in extra-terrestrials, and ‘cosmos’ religions.
• A belief in the power of natural healing and ‘spiritual energy’ as found within Judo and Reiki.
• The belief that nature is sacred, as found in beliefs in Gaia and Paganism.

Normal Subjects of the New Age Development

• A Pick and Mix approach to religion – New Age practitioners generally accept that there are diverse paths to ‘spiritual fulfillment’. Not only this, but ‘shopping around’ and trying out different New Age practices is common, so that people can find ‘the mix of beliefs and practices that suit them’. It follows that New Agers reject the idea that one religion has a monopoly on the truth. The New Age movement is in fact more like a cafeteria of relative truths.
• A belief in holism, or the interconnections of all things – New Agers tend to believe that there is a ‘deeper reality’ behind what we can perceive with our senses that binds us all to one greater whole. This underpins their acceptance of diversity – there are diverse paths to the same ‘universal beyond’.
• A focus on ‘self-improvement’ – many New Age practices are about ‘perfecting oneself’ – going on a journey of self-improvement, or even self-transcendence. Often this means going beyond one’s ‘socialised self’ and getting in touch with one’s ‘true self’ or ones ‘inner self’ through practices such as meditation.
• The self is seen as the final authority in the New Age Movement – rather than accepting the truth of an external god, one needs to find the god or goddess within and find one’s own path to perfection. This fits in with Anthony Giddens’ concept of detraditionalization – New Agers do not accept the authority of traditional religions, they look to themselves.

Now how do we know when we come across the new agers and what they preach directly or indirectly?

The diagram below shows some of the characteristics.

see carefully

how about the kundalini, yoga about the 7 chakra's?