Why I believe New Age and New Age belief are false.

1. What is New Age.
2. What is Pantheism.
3. What is Hinduism.
4. What is karma and reincarnation.
5. Theory explains phenomena.
6. Reincarnation is a theory
7. Reincarnation contradicts the phenomenon of mediums invoking the spirit of the dead.
8. Spirit possession theory explains all these phenomena.
9. Demon possession.
10. Deception.
11. Works versus grace.
12. Conclusion.

1. What is New Age.
        ‘New age’ is a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism.
        These include   martial arts, Tai Chi exercise,   Yoga exercise and meditation, transcendental meditation,   Eckankar movement,  new thought, automatic writing as in ‘ A Course In Miracles’ and ‘Conversations With God’, and other New Age books like ‘Celestine Prophecy’ , ‘A Return To Love’, 'The Wheel of Life', 'Lessons from the Light (near death experience)' , The Aquarian Gospel, wicca, druidism, shamanism, neo-paganism, voodoo and some environmental movements.
        Some offer peace of mind, even healing and miracles. They are sometimes effective in providing solutions to apparently insurmountable problems.
        Pantheism is a belief shared by many of the New Age approaches. Pantheism also happens to be a core belief of Hinduism.

2. What is Pantheism.
         Pantheism is a   belief which identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God.
        This concept holds that the creator and the creation are one and the same, and that the creator is not separate from the creation, and that the creator did not precede the creation.
        The concept of pantheism is consistent with the core beliefs of Hinduism and most New Age practices.

3. What is Hinduism.
Hinduism is a major religious and cultural tradition of the Indian subcontinent, including belief in reincarnation and the worship of a large pantheon of deities.

An Indian Yogi, Sai Baba, explains Hinduism as follows:

        Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. The three cardinal principles of Hinduism are: 1) Belief in a series of births (reincarnation). 2) Belief in Avatars of the Lord for the reestablishment of Dharma and the transformation of those who have strayed from it. 3)Belief in Karma, the fact of every activity having its inevitable consequences and of human destiny being shaped by cumulative effect of all these consequences. Karma is the cause of births, the Jivi being compelled to undergo another ordeal for clearing its accounts and becoming free of both debit and credit.
        The life aim of Hindus is to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the fulfillment that comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the attainment of fullness. The Vedas are the soul that sustains the spiritual life of Hindus. They are the breath that that keeps the people alive. The Vedas emanated from God Himself. The great sages received the Vedas as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from preceptor to the pupil. One can know from the Vedas the code of right activity and the body of right knowledge. The Vedas teach man his duties from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities in all stages of life. In order to explain the Vedas in simpler terms, the Puranas (scriptures) and epic texts appeared in course of time. Two such great epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Another great spiritual text of Hinduism is the Bhagavat Geetha, which helps people to control the agitation of the mind, destroy the delusion, develop true knowledge and make one catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord.
        The word Hindu means those who keep away from the path of violence, away from inflicting injury on others. The essence of all the scriptural texts of Hinduism can be described in one sentence as "Help Ever, Hurt Never".
        Aum, which is a primary symbol of Hinduism, is the symbol of unchanging eternal, universal supreme God. Aum, is the primordial word, which gives life to all the other words. Aum is the origin of creation. It contains the essence of all the Vedas and is the source of all the scriptures.”

Another Indian Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda explains Self Realization as the knowing that we are one with the omnipresence of God in body, mind and soul.

4. What is karma and reincarnation.
Karma is the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as affecting their future fates. (ie the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation)
The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit karman which means ‘action _ effect _ fate’.

        Reincarnation is the rebirth of a soul in a new body.
Incarnation is   a spirit embodied in a living human from.
To incarnate is to be invested in a bodily form.
The origin of this word is from the Latin in- carn- which means ‘into’ ‘flesh’.

        Reincarnation is a necessary adjunct to Karma. This is because incomplete punishment for a person’s evil deeds in this life will be completed in future lives.
        How else would punishment for the evil deeds of Pol Pot and Idi Amin be justly meted out as these two persons died peacefully in ripe old age.
        It is believed that reincarnation   takes place at conception or   when the baby is in the womb or at birth.

5. Theory explains phenomena.
         A phenomenon is a fact that is observed to exist or happen.
        A theory is a system of ideas intended to explain phenomena.
        Consistency is a harmonious agreement amongst things or parts without contradictions.
        If a phenomenon contradicts a theory, then the theory is inconsistent and is probably false.
        If this phenomenon is consistent with another theory, then the second theory should replace the first theory.

6. Reincarnation is a theory to explain the phenomena of persons being able to recall events experienced by individuals who have died.
        The strongest evidence supporting the theory of reincarnation is from the work of Ian Stevenson who documented numerous cases of children ‘recalling’ historical   events and relatives of deceased individuals. Some of these amazing claims have been corroborated.
(Ref: Old Souls, the scientific evidence for past lives by Tom Shroder, published by Simon & Schuster, Rockefeller Center, 1230, Ave of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. ISBN 0-684-85192-X © 1999)

7. Reincarnation contradicts the phenomenon of mediums invoking the spirit of the dead.
Reincarnation cannot explain how temple mediums are able to invoke the spirits of the departed.
If the spirit of the departed has already reincarnated into another body, how can it also appear in the temple medium?

8. Spirit possession theory explains all these phenomena.
        To possess is to have complete power over.
The origin of this word is from the Latin possidere   which means   ‘occupy, hold’.
        Spirit possession   is the state of being under complete control of a spirit.
        Spirit possession is real ( Mark 1:23-25, 5:1-20, 7:24-30, 9:17-27).
        Spirit possession can explain explain how temple mediums are able to invoke the spirits of the departed. It can also explain how some persons are able to accurately recall events experienced by individuals who have long since died.
        A definite case of spirit possession is described by Roy Stemman about a Thai Buddhist monk who was born one day before his previous body died.
        This case cannot be explained by reincarnation because it would mean that the baby was born without a spirit and remained without a spirit for one day.
        The logical explanation is that the baby was already born with an original spirit. One day after birth, his body became inhabited or possessed by another spirit.
(Reincarnation, Amazing True Cases From Around The World by Roy Stemman (Editor of Reincarnation International), published by Judy Piatkus Ltd. Windmill Street, London W1P 1HF. ISBN 0-7499-1708-3 hbk, ISBN 0-7499-1787-3 pbk ©1997. (Ref: in page 38))

        I believe the spirit that possesses the body of a person suppresses the expression of the original spirit of that person. I believe all possessing spirits are evil, otherwise they would not possess.
        I believe the Holy Spirit does not possess. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit renders a person free to choose.

9. Demon possession.
        A demon is an evil spirit or devil. A person is demon possessed if he is completely   controlled by an evil spirit.
        I believe demons are fallen angels, Satan being chief among them.
        A medium is a person who claims to be able to communicate between the dead and the living.
Temple mediums appear to be able to summon the spirit of the departed. They go into a trance, as if possessed, before they appear to talk like the deceased person. I believe that the demonic spirit which has possessed the departed individual was invited by the medium to speak through the medium.
        I believe yoga meditation, which involves a process of emptying oneself of logic and reason, is a ploy by Satan to deceive the devotee into preparing himself as fertile ground for demon possession.
        Demon possession is evil because it enslaves and suppresses the free will of the individual.
        When the Hindu or Buddhist parents bring their children to their temples, they are actually offering their children as human sacrifice to demons for   possession.
        I believe when an unsaved person’s   body dies, his original spirit is released into the spirit realm to dwell there until the final judgment   because it is unable to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
        Through Hinduism and Buddhism, Satan and his fellow demonic spirits have deceived many generations of people in large parts of the world into unwittingly allowing   their bodies and souls to be possessed.   This permits the demonic spirits to 'reincarnate' in them serially.
        I believe the spirit realm is the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ (Psalm 23:4).
        I believe the original spirit of an individual is from Adonai and is eternal. When an individual’s body dies, his original spirit leaves the body and enters the spirit realm.
        When a person accepts Jesus as Savior, his or her spirit becomes a sibling of   Yeshua who is the first born of Adonai (Abba).   As this spirit is a relative of Abba, it is permitted to enter and ‘dwell in the house of the Lord forever’ (Psalm 23:6).
        If a person, during his lifetime, has not accepted Yeshua as his Savior, his spirit is not sanctified (separated as holy). Even if he has performed many miracles in the name of Adonai, his spirit would not be permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7: 21-23).
        When his body dies, his spirit would remain in the spirit realm until the day of final judgment, when he will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever (Revelation 20:11-15).

10. Deception.
         Deception means to deliberately   mislead or misrepresent the truth; to swindle, hoax, cheat, dupe, fool, or entrap.
        I believe the theory of spirit possession is able to explain all the phenomena attributed to the theory of reincarnation as well as explain the phenomenon of invoking the spirits of the departed.
        Because of this, I consider the theory of reincarnation as redundant, unnecessary and even false.
        As the theory of reincarnation is open to question, it then follows that the theory of karma is also open to question.
        As the theories of reincarnation and karma form the foundations of Hinduism, Buddhism and New Age, then these systems of belief are also open to question.
        Then what is the purpose of the theory of reincarnation?
        I believe the purpose is deception.
        I believe this concept of Nirvana is a deception hatched by Satan and his fellow demonic spirits
        I believe the demonic spirit seeks to escape from the valley of the shadow of death and the eventual great white throne judgment and inevitable punishment in the lake of fire.
        I believe the demonic spirit believes that by doing good works it can seek favor with Adonai in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.
        I believe on entry into the kingdom of heaven, these demons, under the leadership of Satan, will, once again, attempt to overthrow Adonai.
        Since the demonic spirit is unable to do good deeds in the spirit form, it needs to incarnate ( to become invested in a bodily form) by possessing the body of some unsuspecting person in order to do good deeds.
        Hence it needs to ‘re-incarnate’.
        ‘Reincarnation’ does not occur with the original spirit of an individual. ‘Reincarnation’ occurs with demonic spirits. They hop from body to body, possessing and suppressing the original spirit within each new body.
        Through Hinduism and Buddhism, and their core belief of karma and reincarnation, Satan has deceived many people into accepting and believing that by doing good works, a person would qualify to have his spirit   elevated from one lifetime to the next in order to eventually reach a state of spiritual ‘enlightenment’.
        I believe even rational and logical thinking persons can choose to believe in ‘reincarnation’. This is because they have been deceived   by demonic spirits. They are rendered blind to reason and logic regarding spiritual matters.
        Deception is the signature of Satan.
        I believe Adonai created man to fellowship with. Adonai gave man dominion over the earth.
        The first action of Satan to Adam and Eve was deception. Satan possessed the serpent and duped Eve and Adam into eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the one which Adonai specifically forbade them to eat. (Genesis 3:1-7)
        By this hoax, Satan cheated   mankind   of his right standing with Adonai and dominion over the earth. Instead, mankind, including myself came under dominion of Satan and was headed for certain death.
        In the ‘fallen’ state, I am unable to fellowship with Adonai. However, Adonai still wanted to fellowship with me.
        The triune Godhead sent a part of Himself,   Yeshua to earth as a man to die and bear the total punishment for the disobedience (sin) of all of mankind so that in believing in this sacrifice, my   fallen spiritual self will die and become reborn as a sibling of Christ Yeshua.
        As a new creation (2Corinthians 5:17), I can directly fellowship with Adonai by casting all my cares to Him, secure in the belief that I have absolute right-standing with Him ( Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7)
        When I believe in Yeshua as my savior, I am freed from bondage to Satan. Satan is powerless to prevent me from believing the good news of the divine exchange.
        What he can do is to attempt to deceive me with alternative routes to Adonai like Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age and Islam.
        Satan inspired Hinduism and Buddhism with the core beliefs of Karma and reincarnation.
        The concept of   reincarnation    has been debunked by the concept of demonic spirit possession explaining all the ‘evidence’ proffered for reincarnation.
        Hence reincarnation is a lie and Hinduism, Buddhism, and New Age beliefs are deceptions. They bear the signature of Satan.
        Demonic principalities and powers have invaded the civilized world through the guise of ‘New Age’ beliefs   and practices.
        These include   martial arts, Tai Chi exercise,   Yoga exercise and meditation, transcendental meditation,   Eckankar movement,  automatic writing as in ‘ A Course In Miracles’ and ‘Conversations With God’, and other New Age books like ‘Celestine Prophecy’ , ‘A Return To Love’, 'The tunnel And The Light' and some environmental movements.
        Some offer peace of mind, even healing and miracles without recourse to Yeshua. They are sometimes effective in providing solutions to apparently insurmountable problems.
        However these solutions are offered though ‘false Christs and false prophets who appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive’ (Mark 13:22).
        I believe these are deceptions of Satan because Yeshua said ‘No one comes to the Father except through me’ ( John 14:6).
        With the death burial and resurrection of Yeshua, Satan has had been stripped of his power over me and over anyone else who believe in the risen Yeshua Christ.
        The demonic possessing spirit prevents the person from hearing and understanding the good news of Grace.
        In order to set free any person under bondage of demonic spirits, one can drive out demons by calling on the name of Yeshua because ‘at the name of Yeshua, every knee will bow’ (Philippians 2:10).
        Once liberated, that person, if chosen by Adonai, would be able to see and believe the Gospel (good news) which is ‘Adonai so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

11. Works versus grace.
        Most religions include in their system of beliefs the belief that doing good deeds and avoiding bad deeds make a person more spiritually ‘pure’ and therefore more acceptable by the creator.
         I believe one of the main deceptions of Satan is the belief that ‘do good gets good and do bad gets bad and   that if a person’s good deeds outnumber the bad, he gets to enter heaven. This is contrary to my belief that a person can never by his good deeds qualify for entry into heaven. It is only by the grace of Abba that those who have been chosen will be invited into heaven.
        Grace Christianity is the only belief system which holds that nothing   man does   will qualify him to be acceptable by Adonai, and that it is only by the grace of Adonai is man accepted by Adonai.    The grace of Adonai is His son, Yeshua. Only by   accepting Yeshua as my personal savior can I be accepted by Adonai. All other ways, including doing good deeds count for nothing. Yeshua's voluntary death at the cross permitted an exchange to take place, his life for mankind’s death, his perfection for man’s imperfection, his goodness for man’s evil etc.   Also, Yeshua came to life again and returned to his father the creator.
        Because I choose to accept Yeshua as my personal savior, I become a sibling of Yeshua. At the moment of my bodily death, as a relative of Adonai, my spirit can then enter and ‘dwell in the   house of the Lord forever’ (Psalm 23:6). Because I believe in Yeshua, my spirit welcomes the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit dwelling within me, all possessing spirits would be driven out. The Holy Spirit will never leave me nor forsake me forever (Deuteronomy 31:8).
        When an individual does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within, he is open to demonic spirit possession and is especially vulnerable when depressed or despondent.

12. Conclusion.
         I believe Grace Christianity is the only way of reaching my creator, Adonai. All other ways, though appealing, are not genuine and may lead to possession by demons.
        Because I believe in free choice after making my choice, I choose freedom from demon possession by   calling upon the name of Yeshua.

Back to

Which religion should I choose to believe in

The following is a collection of relevant definitions and comments.
My own comments and beliefs are in the Times New Roman font.
Quotations from other sources are in the Arial narrow font.

Aquarian Gospel.
        The Aquarian Gospel was published in 1920. It was written by Levi H Dowling.
        Levi Dowling, 1844-1911, was a preacher, and then a doctor and eventually a writer.
        The Aquarian Gospel is an extensive reworking of the Jesus story with strong theosophical and Spiritualist influences. Of interest is the attempt to fill in the two decade gap in the Jesus’s traditional biography. According to Dowling, Jesus spent a lot of time in the mystical East where he learned esoteric methods from the masters, while rebelling against the caste system.
        The narrative, unfortunately, has numerous historical inconsistencies, including Jesus meeting historical figures who lived hundreds of years before or after the first century, e.g. Mencius. The book has Jesus studying in India in the Orissa area; while this is an historically important ceremonial area, it didn’t come into prominence until nearly a millennium later.
        None of this lessens the charm or the esoteric insight of this book. The Aquarian Gospel was rediscovered during the spiritual ferment of the 1960s; a beat-up paperback copy of this book was de rigeur in every hippie pad, and it no doubt played and unsung role in naming the 'Age of Aquarius'. The Aquarian Gospel was probably one of the catalysts for the ‘Jesus freak’ movement.
You may like to see

here

to find out more about Jesus and India.

Atman.
In Hinduism, atman is the spiritual life principle of the universe, especially when regarded as existing within the real self of the individual. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit ătman which means ‘essence’.

Avatar.
In Hindu belief, an avatar is a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth. It is also defined as an incarnation of god on earth. The plural form is avatara.
An example is Krishna. One living guru, Sai Baba claims to be an avatar. He has been reputed to have performed many miracles.

Bodhisattva.
A person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so through compassion for suffering beings.

Buddhism.
Buddhism is a widespread Asian religion or philosophy founded by Siddartha Gautama (Buddha;c.563-c.460 BC) in north east India in the 5^th century BC, which teaches that elimination of the self and earthly desires is the route to enlightenment.

Deity.
God or goddess, especially in polytheistic religion.

Dharma.
The eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things. Dharma is a Sanskrit term that denotes the underlying order of the cosmos and of life. It is symbolized by the wheel. In the sphere of morality and ethics, it means ‘the right way of living’. Dharma is a concept originating from India. There are various versions of dharma, the Hindu version, the Buddhist version, the Jain version and the Sikh version. The proponents of each believe theirs to be the ‘right’ or in truest accord with the deepest realities of nature.

Eckankar.
        A purportedly ancient religion introduced as a modern-day religion in 1965 by Paul Twitchell. A seeker from an early age, Paul was introduced to a group of ancient spiritual masters who would change the course of his life.
    These were the ECK Masters. They include Rebazar Tarzes, Fubbi Quantz, Towart Managi, Rami Nuri, Lai Tsi, Kata Daki and Gopal Das. Thus the ECK teachings have ancient roots.
    While they trained Paul to become the Living ECK Master, he explored a wide range of spiritual traditions under different teachers. Paul’s ECK name was Peddar Zasq. The high teachings of ECK had been scattered to the four corners of the world. Paul gathered these golden teachings of Light and Sound and made them readily available.
    By 1965, Paul was offering Soul Travel workshops to the public. He wrote many books on Eckankar and the Light and Sound of God.
    Since 1981, the spiritual leader of Eckankar has been Sri Harold Klemp, whose spiritual title is the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master. The Living ECK Master of any era wants only to lead the individual to look within to the source of all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding: the place where one can move toward Self- and God-Realization.
    Today, Eckankar is a nonprofit religious organization and church which has members in over one hundred countries. The spiritual home of Eckankar is the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
    Eckankar claims to teach simple spiritual exercises which would enable the devotee to experience the Light and Sound of God. These exercises also help the devotee to Soul Travel, to move into greater states of consciousness. A spiritual exercise can be as simple as relaxing and singing the word HU, an ancient name for God. As devotees practice these spiritual exercises, they learn to recognize the presence of the ‘Holy Spirit' in their lives. They learn that each of them is Soul, a spark of God sent to this world to gain spiritual experience. And as they unfold spiritually, they learn to express the love of God through service to others.
Eckankar

commentary

Guru.
Guru is a Hindu spiritual teacher. Origin from Hindi and Punjabi. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit 'guru' which means ‘weighty, grave’, hence, ‘elder, teacher’.

Hinduism.
Hinduism is a major religious and cultural tradition of the Indian subcontinent, including belief in reincarnation and the worship of a large pantheon of deities.

        An Indian Yogi, Sai Baba, explains Hinduism as follows:
        Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. The three cardinal principles of Hinduism are: 1) Belief in a series of births (reincarnation). 2) Belief in Avatars of the Lord for the reestablishment of Dharma and the transformation of those who have strayed from it. 3)Belief in Karma, the fact of every activity having its inevitable consequences and of human destiny being shaped by cumulative effect of all these consequences. Karma is the cause of births, the Jivi being compelled to undergo another ordeal for clearing its accounts and becoming free of both debit and credit.
        The life aim of Hindus is to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the fulfillment that comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the attainment of fullness. The Vedas are the soul that sustains the spiritual life of Hindus. They are the breath that that keeps the people alive. The Vedas emanated from God Himself. The great sages received the Vedas as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from preceptor to the pupil. One can know from the Vedas the code of right activity and the body of right knowledge. The Vedas teach man his duties from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities in all stages of life. In order to explain the Vedas in simpler terms, the Puranas (scriptures) and epic texts appeared in course of time. Two such great epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Another great spiritual text of Hinduism is the Bhagavat Geetha, which helps people to control the agitation of the mind, destroy the delusion, develop true knowledge and make one catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord.
        The word Hindu means those who keep away from the path of violence, away from inflicting injury on others. The essence of all the scriptural texts of Hinduism can be described in one sentence as "Help Ever, Hurt Never".
        Aum, which is a primary symbol of Hinduism, is the symbol of unchanging eternal, universal supreme God. Aum, is the primordial word, which gives life to all the other words. Aum is the origin of creation. It contains the essence of all the Vedas and is the source of all the scriptures.”

Another Indian Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda explains Self Realization as the knowing that we are one with the omnipresence of God in body, mind and soul.

Jainism
        Jainism is one of the oldest religions in the world originating in ancient India. The Jains follow the teachings of the 24 Jinas (conquerors) who are known as Tirthankars. The 24th is the 6th century BC Mahavira.
        Jains believe that every human has an eternal soul and is responsible for his actions. The Jain religion places great emphasis on Karma. Essentially, it means that all people reap what they sow. A happy or miserable existence is influenced by the actions in previous lives.
        Jains believe all souls are equal because they all possess the potential of being liberated and attaining Moksha. Tirthankaras are role models because they have attained Moksha.
        Jains believe that we should live, think and act respectfully and honor the spiritual nature of all life. Adherents to the faith are required to be vegetarians.
        God is viewed as the traits of the pure soul of each living being, chiefly described as infinite knowledge, perception, consciousness and happiness. They do not believe in an omnipotent, supreme, creator being.
        Jains hold that this temporal world is full of misery and sorrow. In order to attain lasting bliss, they believe one must transcend the eternal cycle of soul transmigration. They believe the way to break out of this cycle is to practice detachment through rational perception, knowledge and conduct.
        Hence Jainism holds re-incarnation and karma as foundational in its religion. Because the theory of re-incarnation has been refuted, I believe Jainism and Jainist beliefs are false.

Karma.
        Hindus and Buddhists believe in the concept of karma. Karma is the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as affecting their future fates. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit karman which means ‘action _ effect _ fate’.
        Hindus and Buddhists believe that by doing good deeds, they accumulate positive karma credits. This would enable their spirit to reincarnate in a higher spiritual plane in the next lifetime.
Over many lifetimes, they would become more   enlightened. Some eventually become enlightened enough to be like Gautama Siddhartha Buddha and attain the level of nirvana.

Mantra.
A word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation. A Vedic hymn. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit 'man' which means ‘thought’, hence mantra is ‘instrument of thought’.

Maya.
Maya is the power by which the universe becomes manifest; the illusion of the phenomenal world. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit 'mãyã' , from mã 'create'.

Meditate.
To meditate is to focus one’s mind for a period of time for spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

Moksha
Moksha (Sanskrit: liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: release) refer in Indian religions to liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth (re-incarnation) and all the suffering and limitation of worldly existence. Liberation is experienced in this life as a dissolution of the sense of self as an egoistic personality, reaching a state of Nirvana.

Near Death Experience NDE.
       The experience a person recalls after having been near death.
        Kenneth Ring and Elizabeth Kübler-Ross have documented numerous cases of near death experience.
       NDE’s have been experienced by people of various cultures and religions and are similar in content.
       The recalled near death experience usually starts in an out of body perspective. There is an awareness of being in a dark place with a small point of light . Then there is a sensation of rapidly moving in a tunnel towards that light. The light becomes larger and larger until it envelops the subject. Although the light is very bright, the subject can ‘look’ directly at it without being blinded by it. There is a feeling of peacefulness and well being and a sense of total acceptance associated with the light. Then a person or persons appear. They are usually personages held in high regard during the lifetime of that subject. It may be Buddha, a former Guru, a committee of senior persons, Holy Mary, and Jesus. There is a life review in which numerous details are brought to awareness over fleeting moments. The subject is then given the choice whether to return to the physical body. After surviving the life-threatening episode of his life, the subject reports a great change in attitude in his life. He becomes more accepting of other people, has a passion to live life more fully, and loses his fear of death.
        Allow me to distinguish between observation and theory.
        One observation is that people who have been near death and who have survived, give accounts which are uncannily similar.
        Another observation is that near death is entirely different from complete cellular death by decomposition or incineration.

How do I explain the commonality of various NDE accounts?
        One theory is that these personages are the spirits of Buddha, a former Guru, Holy Mary and Jesus.
        Another theory is that all these personages are demons masquerading as the various personages.(2 Cor 11:14KJV And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.)
        A more likely theory is that lack of oxygen supply to the nerve cells in the occipital cortex of the brain may cause neuronal discharges which are later stored as memory of total darkness followed by a small focus of intensely bright light getting larger and larger as though the subject is going towards it until finally the subject becomes enveloped by the light. The pre-frontal cortex of the brain contains nerve cells which have stored memory. Lack of oxygen causes massive neuronal discharges which may give the impression of a life review and impression of meeting with a familiar deity like Buddha, a former Guru or Jesus.
        The observation to support this theory is that somewhat similar accounts are given by persons who voluntarily undergo deprivation of oxygen to the brain and in accounts of people in altered states of consciousness when under the influence of LSD or Ketamine. Interestingly, in his autobiography, Paramanhansa Yogananda gives an account of who he thought was Jesus appearing before him when in a deep state of yogic meditation.

New Age.
‘New age’ is a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism.

Nirvana.
Hindus and Buddhists believe in a state of Nirvana or Nibbana.
Nirvana is defined as a transcendent state in which there is no suffering or desire and no sense of self. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit nirvăna where nirvă means ‘be extinguished’. On attaining nirvana, a person is released from the repeated cycles of reincarnation and suffering.

Pantheism.
        A belief which identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God.
        This concept holds that the creator and the creation are one and the same, and that the creator is not separate from the creation, and that the creator did not precede the creation.
        Hence the concept of pantheism is consistent with the core beliefs of Hinduism and most New Age practices.

Reincarnation.
        Reincarnation is the rebirth of a soul in a new body.
        Incarnation is   a spirit embodied in a living human from.
        To incarnate is to be invested in a bodily form.
        The origin of this word is from the Latin in- carn- which means ‘into’ ‘flesh’.

Rig Veda contains reference to Jesus.
In the oldest ‘Hindu’ scripture, Rig Veda, for example, there is evidence of the promised "Prajapathi", the God who will once come in bodily form, be born to a virgin, be called the Lamb of God, die with unbroken bones for the sins of man on a wood, be resurrected from the dead and will be giving his own flesh to be eaten by people. If any Hindu compares this promised Saviour in the ancient vedic scriptures and early poems of the famous Indian saints and philosophers with the Jesus Christ of the Bible, he will be amazed without having any doubts about the compelling evidence. "Jesus is the Prajapathi", the Sanskrit name for the promised God in human body who died for the sins of mankind to redeem sinners.

Samadhi.
        Samadhi   is a state of intense concentration achieved through   meditation. The origin of this word is from Sanskrit samădhi which means ‘contemplation’.
        Samadhi has also been described as a state in which one’s consciousness becomes in unity with the atman.
        Yogis describe samadhi as a state of supreme happiness. Hindus believe that they can attain samadhi by meditating and looking within themselves in order to ‘self-realize’. The devotee is required to disciple himself to a guru or yogi and move closer to Nibbana after many years of meditation, chanting of mantras and ascetic living.
        By the process of Yoga meditation, the devotee attempts to empty himself of   all his ego driven desires, reason and logic. The devotee believes that through practice and obedient following of a Yogi, he can achieve self realization.
        Self realization is defined as the fulfillment of one’s own potential. An Indian Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda explains Self Realization as the knowing that we are one with the omnipresence of God in body, mind and soul. Another Indian Yogi, Sai Baba, states that the life aim of Hindus is to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the fulfillment that comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the attainment of fullness.

Samsara.
Samsara is the cycle of death and rebirth in which life in the material world is bound. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit samsăra.

Sikhism
        Sikhism is a religious belief founded by Guru Nanak Dev 1469 to 1539 in Punjab, India. His writings are compiled in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib
        Central in his teaching is the belief that there is one creator God called Satnam Vahiguru or Truth as revealed by Guru Nanak. He saw the universe as a creation of one supreme power, and since the creator was in the world he created, it could not be treated as unreal as proposed in Hinduism and Buddhism.
        His teachings did not include the policy of renunciation of the world or detachment from worldly responsibilities. He denounced the leading of one's life as an ascetic and put great emphasis on hard work and earning a livelihood. For him taking care of one's family and providing food and shelter for them was one of the prime duties of man before God.
        However, similar to Hinduism and Buddhism, he believed in reincarnation and karma. Because the theory of re-incarnation has been refuted, I believe Sikhism and Sikh beliefs are false.

Soul.
Soul is the spiritual or non-material part of a human regarded as immortal. The origin of this word is from the Old English, Germanic sāwol.

Spirit.
Spirit is the non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; this is regarded as surviving after death of the body, often manifested as a ghost. The origin of this word is from Latin spiritos which means ‘breath’.

Wicca.
        Wicca is the religious cult of modern witchcraft.
                origin: representing the Old English word wicca ‘witch’
        Witch. is a woman thought to have evil magic powers.
                A follower or practitioner of modern witchcraft.
        Witchcraft is the practice of magic, especially the use of spells and the invocation of evil spirits.
        Rede is advice or counsel.
        Pagan is a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions.
            origin: from Latin. paganus ‘villager, rustic’

        Wicca is a recently created neo-pagan religion traced back to the writings of Gerald Gardner (1884 - 1964), a British civil servant. He wrote that Wicca began in pre-history as ritual associated with fire, the hunt, animal fertility, plant propagation, tribal fertility and the curing of disease. This developed into a religion which recognized a Supreme Deity, but realized that at their state of evolution, they ‘were incapable of understanding it’. Instead, they worshipped what might be termed ‘under-gods’: the goddess of fertility and her horned consort, the god of the hunt. Wiccans continued their moon based worship, even as the mainly sun based faith of priests, the druids, developed and evolved into the dominant religion of the Celts in Europe at about 800BC. Wiccan beliefs in England survived the Roman, Saxon and Norman invasions by going underground. It suffered major losses during the Christian genocide into the 18^th century. Wicca was revived in UK by Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente who took surviving beliefs and practices, including the symbols, seasonal days of celebration, beliefs and deities of ancient Celtic society and fleshed them out with material from other religious, spiritual, Masonic and ceremonial magick sources.
        Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called "The One" or " The All". Little can be known of this force Most regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities are not ‘out there somewhere;’ they are immanent in the world
        Many regard various pagan Gods and Goddesses (Pan, Athena, Diana, Brigit, Zeus, Odin, etc.) as representing various aspects of the God and Goddess. The term "Wicca" normally implies that the person's religion is based upon Celtic spiritual concepts, deities, and seasonal days of celebration. Some Wicca include beliefs, practices and symbols from ancient Pagan religions (e.g. Egyptian, Greek, various mystery religions, Roman, Sumerian) or upon Aboriginal religions (Native American Spirituality, Shamanism).
        Wiccans tend to share a great concern for the environment.
        Some Wiccans celebrate "the Great Rite" which involves ritual sexual intercourse. However, it is consensually performed by a committed couple in private.
        Regarding the afterlife, some believe in ancient legends of a Summerland where souls go after death. Here, they meet with others who have gone before, review and integrate their previous lives on earth, and are eventually reincarnated into the body of a new born
        The Wiccan Rede: This is the main rule of behavior: "An (if) it harm none, do what thou (you) wilt (want)."
        In 1960, Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary described her personal Pagan spiritual path, including the channeling of spiritual energy to help others, of tolerance, avoidance of harm to others, Karma, the Three-fold Law of return (karmic feedback), the Goddess and God within and that this divinity is reflected through her own Inner Self, her Pagan Spirit.

With beliefs of pantheism, reincarnation and karma, Wicca falls into the realm of New Age.
For comments about Wicca, see

here

Yoga.
Yoga is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily positions, is widely practiced for health and relaxation. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit yoga which means ‘union’.

Yogi.
        A yogi is a person proficient in yoga.
        An example of a yogi is Paramahansa Yogananda.
        Born   Mukunda Lal Ghosh on Jan 5, 1893   in the northern Indian city of Gorakhpur. Died Mar 7, 1952 in Los Angeles, USA. From the age of seventeen, he was trained in the yoga discipline   by Swami Sri Yukteswar for ten years. Paramahansa considered his gurus as avatara.   He was conferred with the Swami order in 1915, after graduating from the University of Calcutta. He founded a ‘how to live’ school for boys where yoga spiritual training was combined with modern educational methods. He went to the United States, founded a society called Self-Realization Fellowship in 1920 and five years later he settled in Los Angeles.   He popularized a form of yoga called Kriya Yoga. He is well known for his ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ and an English translation of ‘The Bhagavad Gita’. In his autobiography, he refers to the part of the brain above and between the eyes as the ‘Christ consciousness center’. His disciples have deified him as an avatar.

Resource material:

Definitions in italics are based on The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 10^th edition, revised. 2001.

Quotations from other sources are in the Arial narrow font.

Old Souls, the scientific evidence for past lives by Tom Shroder, published by Simon & Schuster, Rockefeller Center, 1230, Ave of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. ISBN 0-684-85192-X. © 1999

Reincarnation, Amazing True Cases From Around The World by Roy Stemman (Editor of Reincarnation International), published by Judy Piatkus Ltd. Windmill Street, London W1P 1HF. ISBN 0-7499-1708-3 hbk, ISBN 0-7499-1787-3 pbk ©1997 (Ref: in page 38)

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, published by Warner Books Inc, 1271, Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. ISBN 0-446-51862-X. © 1993. Also, The Tenth Insight (1996) and The Secret of Shambhala (1999).

Eckankar

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