FAQ/ Frequently Asked Questions

OCCULT AND NEW AGE

Q. Are there differences between the occult and the New Age? If so, what are they?

First, a disclaimer: There is no authority or authoritative source to define the New Age or the occult, and even those involved will disagree with each other. My answer to this question is based on my experiences in the New Age and in some occult practices, on my reading, on discussion with others who have been involved in or studied these areas, and on the feedback I receive from my website. I have modified my statements on these two areas over time, and have tried to keep current with both categories.

The New Age and the occult are related and have much in common, yet also have some distinct differences. I like to say that the New Age can be seen as a spectrum of various beliefs that sometimes entails certain practices, whereas the occult is perhaps better described as a spectrum of practices attached to various beliefs. Both are related to some Gnostic ideas about seeking and gaining wisdom in order to empower one’s self or one’s spiritual journey. Both usually share a belief in an energy or force that binds everyone and everything together (this view is not common to all occult beliefs). In the New Age, this energy or force is often seen as being God.

The New Age is more oriented to transcendence and the evolvement of the soul/ spirit on a continual journey, usually through reincarnation. The New Age seems to emphasize the spiritual above the material, while the occult tends to divinize the material. Eastern beliefs from Buddhism and Hinduism play a major role in New Age thinking. In the occult, the focus is more on the present, and on harmony with nature and/or the environment. Forces or energies are seen as natural in the occult. The New Age and the occult both emphasize that one can access this energy for healing or for psychic powers, but the occult also tends to use specific rituals to access this force more than the New Age. Both the occult and the New Age may advocate the practice of spirit contact, visualization techniques, Eastern meditation, psychic powers, and various forms of divination (astrology, palmistry, numerology, etc.). However, some areas, such as ritual and ceremonial magick, are specialized areas of the occult.

Of course, both the New Age and the occult overlap into areas where the distinction between the two becomes blurred or irrelevant.

For more information, see CANA articles on the New Age and the Occult.

BASIC CHRISTIANITY

Q. What about all the people who were killed in the name of God?

Accusations of killing or other injustice done in the name of God, such as the Crusades, the Inquisition, witch-burnings, etc., are often based on misconceptions of Christianity and distorted facts. First of all, what people did in these cases in the name of God does not mean that God endorsed it. Secondly, many of the people who committed these acts may have claimed to be acting for Christ and without actually being Christian at all. There are many nominal Christians (Christians in name only) and cultural Christians (people who identify with Christianity as part of their culture or heritage) who have not trusted Christ as Lord of their lives. Thirdly, there is misinformation about some of these historical events, many of which were part of political power plays and which only used Christianity as an excuse for certain actions. If anyone looks into the Crusades, for example, one can see there were many complex political and historical factors at work, and that these played a part of the larger picture of tensions between the Eastern and the Western cultures at that time. What was done in the name of Christ does not mean Christ endorsed it. Fourth, one needs to consider the historical evidence for slaughter done in the name of non-Christian gods or by non-Christians. Three of the biggest mass murderers in the 20th century, Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot, were not Christians. As to whether Hitler was a Christian see:

http://www.kwdavids.net/hitler.html 

Also see this article for further information:

http://www.str.org/free/commentaries/apologetics/comparisons/realmurd.htm

For refutations of many myths about Christianity which, however, do not deny that there was some wrongdoing by those professing Christianity, see:

Christianity on Trial: Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry

by Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett

6 Modern Myths About Christianity and Western Christianity

by Philip J. Sampson

The bottom line is that murder and cruelty come from the evil that is in the hearts of men. Man is not naturally or inherently good, but instead is inherently selfish. Selfishness can be subverted and transformed into cruelty, then justified by a relative morality.

Q. What about where it says in the Bible, "Judge not?"

I often wonder if those who bring this up have ever actually looked at this passage (Matthew 7:1). The words, "judge not," are only the beginning of a sentence and are not a whole sentence. This sentence actually says, "Judge not, that you be not judged." In other words, it’s saying here that we should realize we will all be judged! The passage is also telling us not to judge hypocritically: "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you use, it will be measured back to you." Keep in mind that the Bible was not written in verses and chapters; verses and chapters were added centuries later for convenience of finding passages (and sometimes the division of chapters and verses was poorly done). Therefore, when one reads the Bible, it is best to ignore verses and chapters as much as possible. This passage (verse 1 through 5) is clearly to rebuke hypocrites, those who judge others while practicing the same thing themselves.

We are never told in God’s word to judge a person’s heart and motives, since that is only up to God, but we are to judge actions and teachings. We are told by Jesus to beware of false teachers, for example (Matthew 7:15), and that many false Christs (Matthew 24:5, 23-24;) will come. We judge the teachings by the principles of the Bible because God’s words are true and established forever (Psalm 119:105, 130, 140; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18, 24:35; Mark 13:31); God’s words are life-giving (Deuteronomy 8:3; Psalm 119:93; Matthew 4:4; John 6:63, 17:17); and God’s word judges us (Jeremiah 23:29-32; Hebrews 4:12).

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