Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world…We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1 John 4:1,6

John, writing one of the last of the apostolic messages for the Church was particularly keen that God’s people would recognise the distinction between truth and error.  Inspired by the Spirit of God he anticipated the false teaching that would be a recurrent theme as the New Testament age developed.  

In every period of Church history falsehood has been a constant challenge for the people of God and our generation is no different. It is our responsibility to recognise error and know how to refute it while jealously holding onto the truth.

EASTERN MYSTICISM; The False Spirituality

This study is a little different from the previous four in that it considers a challenge to Christianity which is not remotely Christian. Romanism, Ecumenism, Modernism, the Charismatics and Progressives masquerade under the label of Christian. Their ideas are found among those who have the label Christian and who claim to belong to the Church.

Eastern Mysticism, however, is not Christian, does not claim to be Christian and as such is a threat to the Faith from without the Church. From this perspective Eastern Mysticism is very like some of the other philosophical and religious movements that are non-Christian; Islam, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormonism and Secular Humanism. What makes it particularly important, however, that we deal with Eastern Mysticism is the degree to which it has permeated the thoughts and the thinking of millions across the western world. I suspect it is higly unlikely that established Christians will become waylaid by the teachings of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, Charles Taz Russell and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Mohammed and the Koran and the Atheism which is so rampant today. It is considerably more likely, however, that we could become influenced and shaped by the ideas within Eastern Mysticism, without being aware that we have been influenced.

This represents a most subtle attack by the evil one. The Scriptures record that the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field. Satan is laiar, he is the father of lies and the master of deception. It is absolutely certain that some readers will have come into contact with Eastern Mysticism in the secular workplace because some aspects of this philosophy are particularly fashioanable. I know this because I have been asked on more than one occasion for my views on certain practices that were filtering into places of employment. It is also true that everyone one of us are bombarded with this philosophy every day on the news, to the extent where its ideas conerning and humanity are regarded as factual. Eastern Mysticism is most definitely a spirit, a false spirit, that we must be aware of. This concept embraces a certain spirituality and from that perspective it becomes relgious. It could be defined as the religion of a secular society. This is most definitely a false spirituality that is deserving of some attention. We must always be alerted as to the stretegy and tactics of the evil one.

A Religion for a New Age

The influence of Eastern Mysticism within modern culture has generally been called the New Age Movement. This new age thinking is derived largely from the eastern religions; Hinduism and Buddhism. It is called the new age because this movement claims that we are moving out of the age of Pisces, which is the age of Christianity, and we have moved into the age of Acquarius, from the year 2000. This according to the New Agers, is a time of hope and peace which will eclipse the failures of the old age. New Agers see humanity developing into a One World Federation, when national bounderies will be made less profound. They look for a new world order. We can instantly see the influence of the New Age Movement upon the economics and politics of the world in this 21st Century with the term Globalism being encased within the agenda of national Governments and political parties.

This is a thoroughly anti-christian vision of the world. There is no Gospel and no Christ. But there is a god…but who is the god of the new age?

Hinduism and the New Age

The New Age Movement is a mixture of many ideas and religions from across the cultures of the world. It has for example encouraged a revival of paganism and of witchcraft. We see this every year with the manner in which Halloween is celebrated in our society. Some may think it is just innocent fun but I would argue that we should not trfile with the forces of darkness. They are not to be taken lightly. Halloween, however, is a modern link with our pagan ancestors, who believed that the line between the spirit world and the natural world was very thin on 31st October. It was a night of fear and foreboding when you had to treat the spirits well or face their wrath. If a treat was not given then the trick was played out.

Paganism, however, was about much more than ghosts and ghouls. It was about the worship of nature. God was everywhere and in everything. In fact God was everything – the sun, the stars, the trees, the wind, the storm, the sea, the river , the mountains. All the ancient religions were pagan. Baal worship which destroyed Israel was pagan. The Roman gods were pagan, as were the Greek gods, the Norse gods. These old cultures saw the world in all its various parts as gods and they had names for these gods – Thor, Apollos, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter ect.. Hinduism with its eight hundred million followers is essentially an ancient pagan religion with many gods, as many as there are people in India we are told. Hinduism sees god as being the world all around them.

There is name for the theology of these pagan religions – Pantheism. Pantheism believes that the world and universe is god. God is not a personality with mighty power. Nature becomes god. If nature bcomes god then it follows that if we are part of nature we ourselves are god. Man is god. Suddenly we can see the attraction that Eastern Mysticism has with Secular Humanism. This is a religion that doesn’t see man as a being in need of redemption but a god. Man is his own god.

To enjoy a state of peace, according to these new age thinkers we must meditate. We need to empty our thoughts, examine our thinking, find our true self. We are not to think in terms of what is right and what is wrong. There are no absolutes. We examine our thoughts and our minds and embark on a journey of self discovery. That we might be at one with nature and with ourselves.

This practice is very similar to trancedental meditation practiced by the Eastern Religions. One finds peace with god by making peace with oneself and become tuned into the spirit of the universe around us.

Yoga and Mindfulness

There are several ways by which eastern mystic thinking has filtered into the mainstream.

Yoga has been around for quite some time as an exercise and for relaxation. Yoga stems directly from Hinduism and aims to bring the mind and the body into union, to achieve peace in one’s inner self.

Mindfulness is a practice that has come into modern life in recent years. It is promoted on apps, by tech giants such as Apple, with employers bringing it into the workplace, for the health of their workers. The individuals focuses on who they are in that moment. Through silence, breathing techniques, imagination, examining their thoughts they are encouraged to find their inner self, their own reality. This practice orginates with Zen Buddhism, it is focused on self rather than God and it is not Christian.

One can see the attraction. We live in such a frantic world. There is an epidemic of poor mental health. Anything which encourages peace and reflection is deemed to be good. But this is an unchristian approach to finding peace. It mistakingly teaches that we can find peace within ourselves. The scriptures have a diffeent view of the heart of man; deceitful and desperately wicked.

One can also see the attraction for a humanistic secular society. Man believes that he is as god, that humanity is in charge of his own destiny. Therefore a philosophy which enocurages us to look inward to find the secrets of life and happiness is very attractive. It does not condemn, it does not judge. It rather affirms and confirms without disturbing but truthful ideas like sin and repentance.

Enviromentalism

One of the telling marks of this new age spirituality is the obsession that 21st Century humanity has with environmental issues. We can understand this in the light of the pantheistic roots of Eastern Mysticism. If we believe that nature is god, that man himself is god, then suddenly we accept that we as a species have a sovereignty, a power over all aspects of nature. We ought to be able to control the weather and the climate. There is also the tendency to be obsessed with such issues as animal welfare and the environment to the extent where nature is virtually worshipped.

As Christians we want to care for animals. Cruelty is wrong. We also want to care for the world around us. Yes, man has mismanaged the environment because we are a sinful people who get things wrong. But we are not gods with absolute control. Nature, though, is neither a random force nor a sovereign power. There is a greater power who controls the winds and waves, the sunshine and the reign. Pantheism discounts him.

The growing rise of the dogmatic vegan is a sign of the influence of the new age. Nothing wrong with preferring to be vegan or vegetarian and some may have such a diet for health grounds. But when the vegan diet is chosen for environmental or animal welfare reasons , there is a real danger that the choice of diet bows before the altar of the pantheistic god. God has given us animals to look after in order that they might serve us. But now the tables are turned. Our function is to serve the creature according to the new age thinker. Hinduism is the most extreme version of this with the quite ridiculous elevation of the cow. One of the more stupendous outcomes of this thought process has been the criticism of cattle because of the amount of CO2 they produce. Farmers are acutely aware that these efforts to make agriculture CO2 neutral will destroy livelihoods and will also have catastrophic upon our capacity to produce food for the nation. But is there not a deeper agenda at work? To transform our diet, make meat more and more expensive – to turn us all up into a bunch of new age hippies; because that is where the movement began in the 1960s.

Looking at the statistics it is difficult not to argue that the world is currently on a warming cycle. The question is why? Is it really CO2? There is alternative science which demonstrates that Earth warms and cools for reasons that are largely unknown. We know for example that several millennia ago Britain was considerably hotter than she is today. Yet this idea that C02, which we all produce naturally, is responsible is pushed as fact. Even the weather broadcasters during a few hot summer days are driving this climate change agenda home with gusto.

For any who want to research alternative views on climate change Judith Curry is a good place to stop. She is a climatologist with impressive credentials. Her view is that while C02 needs to reduce it isn’t the whole story. We just don’t know how much of the warming climate is down to man and how much is natural. The world she claims has warmed and cooled periodically in the past. She claims the measures which are being taken which are harsh and costly are not justified. Her blog can be read here https://judithcurry.com/ . Another agenda at work; judge for yourself?

A New World Order

At the heart of the New Age is a longing for the new world, a new humanity, without nations – a new era of peace and love without orthodox Christianity and all the traditional moral boundaries.

Environmentalism is one method employed to produce this new age. The tying of the world’s nations together as one with agreements to reduce carbon emissions to net zero is the agenda. This impacts upon every area of life from the home to the workplace, from family budgets to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is an agenda driven by fear. Every forest fire with the tragedy that ensues to highlighted that we have to power to end the world or save the climate. Every flood is cited as proof that we can take control over the climate and the weather. Man is as god, nature is as god – we must be at one with the planet and our environment. Man must be at one in tackling this so called crisis.

Healthcare is another aspect of this one world agenda. In the wake of the COVID crisis the United Nations through its health care arm, the World Health Organisation, now wants the nation states to surrender their sovereignty if another pandemic is declared. The United Nations could impose lockdowns in every country and shut down economies.

We can see the agenda of the new agers in the globalist strategy to create a one world economy, to dispense with cash, moving us eventually to a one world currency controlled by elite bankers.

This is a new age of love; love has been redefined to include all kinds of immorality. One million on London’s streets and sixty thousand in Belfast celebrating Gay Pride, more properly called Gay Shame, are all symbols of this new order that is arising.

It is also a new age of morality. Man is god determining his own reality, his own destiny. But this is an age of twisted logic. Cruelty to an animal is bad, so bad the person is vilified and rightly so. But killing an unborn child is a right that must be protected. The oceans and rivers are more important than the future generation. But if seven billion people producing too much C02 is a problem for the new age, is abortion a method in culling the human population? If that’s the case euthanasia will be the next target. One day it will be dangerous to be old!

A New Age of Intolerance

It has become socially unacceptable to object to the mantras of this new age. Scientists who object to the current climate change hypothesis are vilified and sidelined. Those who oppose the LGTB agenda are figures of hate. This new world order wants to control what we say, what we write and how we think.

The Failure of Secular Humanism

What I find fascinating about this subject is the manner in which this false spirituality contradicts the secular humanist agenda while at the same time it is conveniently embraced by this same agenda. The secular humanist believes that we are a bunch cells. Eastern Mysticism sees spirituality in this cluster of flesh, blood and DNA. This society will advocate mindfulness, a form of eastern meditation, but it scoffs at the idea of prayer. It will have a form of religion but will not have Christ.

The real question is this – Why is society turning to spirituality such as mindfulness when atheism for decades has tried to argue there is no soul, there is no spirit. Is it not because secularism has failed to supply man’s innermost needs, the longings of the soul? But to remedy this, cisterns are being dug out which hold no water.

The New Age is Already Failing

Less than twenty-five years after this new age dawned the globalist dream is already on the rocks. Brexit in Europe and the Trump era in American politics was catastrophic for their ambitions and continues to be so. The war in Ukraine and continued tensions over Taiwan are a major threat to world peace. The sheer fact that nation states feel so insecure that enormous nuclear arsenals are deemed necessary is evidence enough that a man-made utopia is nothing more than a pipe dream.

A Biblical Response

Our first and primary response to to eastern mysticism in all its forms is to preach the Gospel clearly, without compromise. The exclusive Gospel of salvation through Christ alone remains the only hope for the world. The Gospel alone will usher in a new age, a new Christian age when swords will become ploughshares,

We also respond by attributing every problem in the world to our sin, to the curse which was inflicted by God because of our sin. This is not a world of heavy rainfall, of obscene heat, of freezing climates, of forest fires, of severe hurricanes because we have it within our gift to change it. The world is the way it is because it is cursed. We live in a fallen world and we are fallen creatures.

As Christians we ought to disengage from every activity that is pagan in its origin. The scriptures are clear on this; astrology, fortune telling, yoga, these mindfulness therapies commit us to a worldview that is not biblical. The children of Israel were solemnly taught not to be like other nations:

When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

Deuteronomy 18:9-14

In the final place we respond through prayer. We pray for our politicians and Government, that they would not succumb to the prevailing new age worldview. That individual rights and freedoms would be protected and treasured. Above all, that God’s law would be at the heart of policy.

We must learn to pray more. Meditation is a vital part of Christian experience. Not eastern mystic meditation that looks inward, but Christian meditation that looks outward and upward to Christ. The blessed man (Psalm 1) was one with an open bible, who turned the scriptures over in his mind, who then permitted the Bible to influence his lifestyle. We respond by engaging in true spirituality, bearing witness to a dying hopeless, showing the world a great God of love with the entire Universe in His hands.

Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so:
but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1