The New Credulity on Religious Phenomena and Magic

(Prof. Jose Vidamor B. Yu, Manila)

Towards the end of the millennium, man heightened his yearnings for a new humanity breaking away from the various human problems and disorder in the world through a new philosophy, spirituality, and lifestyle. At the outset of a new millennium, a new religion and a new way of practicing faith had to develop putting emphasis on what is easy and pragmatic. Some begin to put faith occult, magic, and religious phenomena through the revival of religious rituals of pre-Christianity. The hunger for transcendence which become evident today among some people is shown in their desire for union with the forces of nature, rediscovering the mysteries that lie hidden in the world, and the powers of the believed-existent extraterrestrial beings. They have prompted the human person to seek genuine spirituality far different from traditional religions. The idea of a new spirituality is sometimes based on new interpretations and beliefs in religious occurrences and magic. The growing confusions brought about by religious doctrines and morals have provided people to defect from the Christian faith to the practices of magic. Magic and religious phenomena are usually linked with nature.

Neo-Gnostic Ideas: Reviving the Beliefs in the Power of the Mind

Neo-gnosticism is a new religious phenomenon today. Gnosticism was one of the earliest threats to the propagation of Christianity in the early Church. As the Church desired for the purity of its doctrines and faith, Gnosticism became a major hindrance to Christian spirituality. Gnosticism believes that there are hidden mysteries and powers in the Sacred Scriptures that may be decoded only to a few possessing enlightened mental powers and gifts. The thrust for superior knowledge and a revival of esotericism find their privilege place in the New Age beliefs.

The rebirth of these Gnostic teachings became a new religious phenomenon through various practices that would "empower the human will, making use of supposed secret, cosmic forces." (Norberto Rivera Cardinal Carrrera, A Call to Vigilance, 1996, no.17) John Paul II affirms that there is a "return of ancient gnostic ideas under the guise of the so-called New Age: We cannot delude ourselves that this will lead toward a renewal of religion. It is only a new way of practising gnosticism – that attitude of the spirit that, in the name of a profound knowledge of God, results in distorting His Word and replacing it with purely human words. Gnosticism never completely abandoned the realm of Christianity. Instead, it has always existed side by side with Christianity, sometimes taking the shape of a philosophical movement, but more often assuming the characteristics of a religion or a para-religion in distinct, if not declared, conflict with all that is essentially Christian". (Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 90).

New Age is oriented toward intuition which attempts to appropriate the mysteries, the unknown, and undeveloped powers of the brain. Transformational journeys are common which are manifested in a revival of clairvoyance, telepathy, psychic healing, psychometry, out-of-the-body experiences or OOBEs, extra sensory perceptions (ESP), hypnotism, and brain/mind technology, psychokinesis, meditation, subliminal programming, search for consciousness, astral projection, and other occult practices. Edgar Cayce mentioned that a person’s involvement and attuned with the unconscious and the deeper levels of the mind may make people possess the ability to communicate with spirits, the angels, the spirit guides, ascended masters, and the archangels. It is believed that man has to know the existence of divine energies the cosmos possesses. A cosmic knowledge and an esoteric experience of these laws will offer man the potential through the process of awakening a gradual transformation of his consciousness ending up with the realizing his true divine nature.

Neo-Pagan Beliefs: Revisiting Pagan Practices

Neo-paganism is a concept that entered into Christian writings on the New Age to provide emphasis on the particular path of orientation which the New Age spirituality as a reaction to traditional religions especially Judeo-Christian faith. This is achieved through the practice of ancient pre-Christian rituals. At the heart of a neo-pagan philosophy is the critique of Christianity. It is believed that whatever religious or spiritual practices that preceded Christianity are more genuine and true. The document on New Age by the Pontifical Council on Culture and the Ponticifical Council on Interreligious Dialogue reflected that "whatever preceded Christianity is reckoned to be more genuine to the spirit of the land or the nation, an uncontaminated form of natural religion, in touch with the powers of nature, often matriarchal, magical or Shamanic." Humanity would be able to return to its original and experience a much healthier form if it goes back to practice the natural cycles like the agricultural festivals.

The New Agers believe that a new world teacher or messiah will appear to usher the coming of a New Age. "The search which often leads people to the New Age is a genuine yearning: for a deeper spirituality, for something which will touch their hearts, and for a way of making sense of a confusing and often alienating world." (Pontifical Council on Culture and Pontifical Council Interreligious Dialogue) Neo-pagan practices include earth-bound spiritual traditions, festivities or seasonal cycles, feminist spirituality, magic, and witchcraft. The word pagan comes from the word "pagani" which means "tillers of the soil" in contrast with the institutional church in the city.

The practice of magic is widespread in the New Age as a means of obtaining power. Magic is employed as a technique to explain and control the world in the absence of available methods or doctrines to do so. Occultism, esotericism, and magic have been part of the new age religious phenomena possessing special powers to be gods and goddesses or to be divine.

Channeling: New Source of Spiritual Authority

The New Age as a vagabond spirituality has channeling as a new source of revelation. It became a means to provide information and communication, through a human being from paranormal sources. Usually paranormal sources are of two kinds: first, it consists of the spirits and souls which include the ascended masters, spirits of the dead, and angels. This requires a spiritual being and a human entity to speak. New revelations, informations, and communications are believed to have come from the spirit world which the normal or phenomenal world does not possess. Second, the deepest or inner self. It is the innermost and supernatural dimension of man which cannot be reached through ordinary human consciousness. This involves the method of intuition which provides a divine access within ourselves. This kind of channeling can be done and reached by the individual who has the ability to venture knowledge deeply within himself. Usually it is called the Higher Self, the God-Self or the Inner Teacher. One has to develop his own psychic skills and exercise his inherent powers to get through his inner self.

The journey into the inner self is characterized by self-discovery and transformation. One has to create his own reality. Self-help becomes an operative term since this personal metamorphosis is done through one’s own efforts. Mediums believe that certain manifestations like angels and ascended masters are indeed spiritual beings who are not from God but are sources of spiritual authority. "It is clear that, in theory at least, the New Age often recognizes no spiritual authority higher than personal inner experience." (PCC & PCID) It is a common belief in the New Age that salvation comes from knowledge rather than from faith.