THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
                           An Overview
                 [ From Computers For Christ BBS ]

STRUCTURE ...

.    If you have heard of the song, "Aquarius" by, "The 5th 
Dimension" from the musical Hair, then you have heard the basic 
statement and outward goals of the New Age Movement.  The New Age 
refers to the coming "Age of Aquarius".  The lyrics of the song 
are: 

 When the moon is in the 7th house
 And Jupiter aligns with Mars,
 Then peace will guide the planets
 And love will fill your heart;
 This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius.

.    If you are not involved with the New Age Movement, this song 
may have sounded to you like so much wishful thinking.  If 
however, you know about or are involved in the New Age Movement, 
you are aware that this song is more prophetic than imaginary.  
There exists in the world today an incredibly huge and well 
organized network consisting of thousands of groups, trusts, 
foundations, clubs, lodges, and religious groups whose goal and 
purpose is to prepare the world to enter the coming Age Of 
Aquarius.  A small sampling of only a few of the organizations 
involved would include: Amnesty International, Zero Population 
Growth, California New Age Caucus, New World Alliance, World 
Goodwill, The Church Universal and Triumphant, The Theosophical 
Society, Planetary Initiative for the World We Choose, and the 
Club of Rome.  This list demonstrates the diversity of 
organizations operating in economic, political, and religious 
spheres of influence.

GOALS ...

.    The major goal of the New Age Movement, as stated, is to 
bring peace to the world upon entering the Age of Aquarius.  This 
will be accomplished primarily through the leadership of "the 
Christ", (also known to those familiar with the spiritual side of 
the movement as Lord Maitreya), who will supposedly come to teach 
us to live at peace with each other.  Some of the other stated 
goals of the New Age Movement are to establish a World Food 
Authority, World Water Authority, World Economic Order, and an 
entirely New World Order.  It should be noted here that one of 
the requirements for a person to enter the New Age is that he or 
she will have to take what is known as a "Luciferic Initiation;" 
a kind of pledge of allegiance to the Christ of the New Age and 
to the New World Order.  (More will be said about this later.)
.    The primary goals of the movement then, are to prepare the 
world to receive the Christ and to enter the Age of Aquarius, 
thus establishing the New World Order.

THE CHRIST: The World Teacher of the New Age.

.    A major idea in New Age thinking is that of the "Christ 
Consciousness".  In other words, Christ is an office rather than 
an individual such as Jesus, whom Christians Know to be THE 
CHRIST.  This idea of "Christ Consciousness" asserts that Jesus 
was not the only Christ, but that He equipped Himself to receive 
the "Christ Consciousness"; as did Buddha, Krishna, and 
Mohammed.(This is an old occult gnostic teaching which stems from 
the ancient Babylonian mystery religions.) According to the New 
Age Movement the answer as to who is the Christ is reflected in 
the full page newspaper announcement which appeared in Major 
newspapers throughout the world on April 25, 1982.  (At a cost of 
millions of dollars.)

The following is a condensation of that ad.

                       WHO IS THE CHRIST?

.    Throughout history, humanity's evolution has been guided by 
a group of enlightened men, the Masters of Wisdom.  They have 
remained largely in the remote desert and mountain places of 
earth, working mainly through their disciples who live openly in 
the world.  This message of the Christ's reappearance has been 
given primarily by such a disciple trained for his task for over 
20 years.
.    At the center of this "Spiritual Hierarchy" stands the World 
Teacher, Lord Maitreya, known by Christians as the Christ.  As 
Christians await the Second Coming, so the Jews await the 
Messiah, the Buddhists the fifth Buddha, the Moslims the Iman 
Mahdi, and the Hindus await Krishna.  These are all names of one 
individual.
.    His presence in the world guarantees there will be no third 
World War.  (1)

.    As you can see by this excerpt the New Age movement claims 
that "Lord Maitreya", is the fulfillment of the second coming of 
Christ.  He is by their own admission the Christ of the New Age.

               THE ROLE OF LUCIFER IN THE NEW AGE
                 (According to New Age writers)

.    The traditional view of Lucifer as the devil or Satan, is 
clearly absent in New Age literature.  Rather, he is described as 
a mighty being of light and the "Ruler of Humanity", as Alice 
Bailey, foundational apostle and leading writer of the New Age 
Movement, puts it.  An even clearer description is given by 
perhaps the most influential man in the movement, David Spangler.  
He writes in his book, "Reflections on the Christ":

.    "The true light of Lucifer cannot be seen through sorrow, 
through darkness, through rejection.  The true light of this 
great being can only be recognized when one's own eyes can see 
with the light of the Christ, the light of the inner sun.  
Lucifer works within each of us to bring us to wholeness, and as 
we move into a new age, which is the age of man's wholeness, each 
of us,in some way is brought to that point which I term the 
Luciferic Initiation, the particular doorway through which the 
individual must pass if he is to come fully into the presence of 
his light and his wholeness.
.    Lucifer comes to give us the final gift of wholeness.  If we 
accept it, then he is free and we are free.  That is the 
Luciferic Initiation.  it is one that many people now, and in the 
days ahead, will be facing, for it is an initiation into the New 
Age.  It is an initiation of leaving the past and moving into the 
new, shedding our guilts and fears, our anxieties, our needs, our 
temptations, and becoming whole and at peace because we have 
recognized our inner light and the light that enfolds us, the 
light of God." (2)

.    As to the history and achievements of Lucifer, Benjamin 
Creme, a leading lecturer and proponent of the New Age, gives us 
some fascinating information from a recent radio interview.  The 
interviewer asked Mr.  Creme, "Who is Lucifer?", to which Mr. 
Creme replied:

.    "Lucifer came from the planet Venus 18.5 million years ago; 
he's the director of our planetary evolution, he is the 
sacrificial lamb, and the prodigal son.  Lucifer made an 
incredible sacrifice, a supreme sacrifice for our planet."

.    Benjamin Creme uses this same exact description to describe 
a being named Sanat Kumara.  The only difference in the 
description is that in place of the name Lucifer, Sanat Kumara is 
used.  Mr. Creme further adds that "Sanat Kumara is our God." 
Thus we have a clear picture of who Lucifer is according to some 
of those at the forefront of the New Age Movement.  He is a 
mighty benevolent being of light, the Ruler of Humanity, our 
inner guiding light... the light of God, the sacrificial lamb, 
the prodigal son, and is also known as Sanat Kumara our God. (A 
scrambling of Satan Marduk?)

                      THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
         (The spirit of truth, or the Spirit of error?)

.    "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, 
whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone 
out into the world.  By this you know the spirit of God; every 
spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of 
God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has 
come in the flesh is not of God.  And this is the spirit of the 
Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already 
in the world. ... we are of God.  He who knows God hears us; he 
who is not of God does not hear us.  By this we know the spirit 
of truth and the spirit of error. ... whoever believes that Jesus 
is the Christ is born of God."  1 John 4:1-3,6; 5:1a (NKJ)

.    In this attempt to present a brief but clear description of 
the New Age Movement, much emphasis has been given to the 
spiritual teachings of the movement.  This is because esoteric 
philosophies and occult beliefs govern the actions and objectives 
of the political, economic, and educational factions of the 
movement.  The apostle Paul writing in the New Testament said, 
"We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against 
principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high 
places." Such is the case in the New Age Movement.  The 
principalities and powers of the movement are the keys to all the 
other facets.  So, it is in the spiritual realm that we will 
discover the origin and true motivation behind the movement.
.    As stated earlier, the belief in the "Christ Consciousness", 
is a denial that Jesus is, "THE Christ".  New Agers make no bones 
about this.  They believe that Jesus received the Christ 
Consciousness at His baptism, and that it left Him at His 
crucifixion.  This is what was previously identified by the 
apostle John as the spirit of the Antichrist.  The New Agers not 
only say that Jesus was not the Christ, but that He was a Master 
of Wisdom; an ordinary man who equipped Himself to receive the 
Christ Consciousness.  If this was the case, the real Jesus who 
lived on this earth knew nothing of it.  Listen to the words of 
Jesus Christ as He spoke to His disciples:

.    "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still 
with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in 
the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.  
Thus it was written, and thus it was necessary for, "THE CHRIST" 
, to suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and that the 
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name 
to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

.    Before Jesus was crucified, He asked His disciples this 
question: "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and 
said, "You are THE CHRIST, the Son of the Living God." Jesus 
answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for 
flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who 
is in heaven."
.    Thus Jesus openly accepted this acknowledgment and 
personally testified that He was THE Christ, not A Christ, but 
THE Christ.