Explaining the Unexplainable

The apostle Paul was forthright in declaring that even those who claim to preach the gospel embrace the philosophies of the enemy; he said in 2nd Corinthians 11:
12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Satan is the great deceiver, and when you consider the very small percentage of Americans who hold to a Biblical worldview, according to George Barna's research, you can see that he is having success.  And, Barna shows that just over a third of pastors have such a worldview!  There is teaching that is out there that sounds full of light, yet is deceiving people and leading them into darkness.  We need the illumination of God's Word, not the false light of New Age ideologies that are counterfeits of the reality of His truth. 

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We are instructed to walk in the light of God's truth, basing our lives on the teachings of the Scriptures, as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. 1st John chapter 1 contains these words:
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

But, we have to discern light - God's light - from darkness.  I heard a sermon recently referring to a survey that was conducted by YouGov, which concluded that Americans by and large embrace at least some of the teaching of the New Age Movement.  An article at the YouGov website said that the poll...

...finds that nearly all Americans hold at least one belief associated with the new-age movement, or have engaged in practices associated with it. Beliefs that emphasize the interconnectedness of humanity — like karma or the view that everything happens for a reason — are among the most widely held. Goals that emphasize the interdependent relationship between mind, body, and spirit — such as living in harmony with nature and seeking spiritual growth — are also seen as at least somewhat important to most Americans.

Out of total of 20 beliefs that were listed for the respondents, "Nearly nine in 10 Americans — 87% — say they believe in at least one of the 20 polled, and almost half (45%) say they believe in at least five."

The most popular is the idea of "karma," which, according to the article, "is generally perceived as the notion that a person's actions in life influence what happens to them in the future (or, in some versions, in future lives)."  55% believe in this idea.

41% of those surveyed believe in hypnosis, with 39% embracing the concept of extraterrestrials or UFO's.  Other popular ideas, polling at around a-third of respondents, include spirit possession and what is termed, manifesting, or the law of attraction. 

The survey asked about various beliefs or mottos of New Age spirituality.  The article relates:

The assertions with which the largest share of people strongly or somewhat agreed with are that "everything is interconnected" and the related principle that "everything happens for a reason" (69% and 68%, respectively).

While a majority also believe that "we create our own reality" (65%) and 52% say "nothing is as it seems", these statements don't evoke as strong of an agreement as do the ones about connectedness and everything happening for a reason.

Some of the ideas almost sound Biblical, such as the cliche, "everything happens for a reason."  That's a cheap imitation of Romans 8:28, which says that everything works together for the good, but it specifies that this is intended for those who love God and are called by Him.  The karma, or interconnectivity of the universe that people believe in, is not the same thing as the providential working of God in our lives.  One might attribute positive events in his or her life as "good karma" or "bad karma," but you certainly can't trust in the concept and it is a belief system that denies God and upholds some type of mystic spiritualism.  

What is termed "New Age" could be described as a man-made attempt to explain the unexplainable - why not go to the source, to the Creator, to give us understanding regarding how creation works? But, since people do not want to submit to a God who they mistakenly think will try to run or ruin their lives, they have invented human explanations and by so doing, opened themselves up to spiritual forces that are not aligned with Jesus. 

Yes, there are spiritual forces at work, and believers in Christ should make every effort to resist their influence. New Age spiritualism replaces God with "other gods," essentially, such as worship of nature or reliance on spirits that are not of the One True God. It's a dangerous mix, and it is concerning when you see that an overwhelming majority of Americans - almost 9-in-10, hold to one of these beliefs.  We have to go the Word of God and build our beliefs on His truth.