New Age Cults and Religions

by Texe Marrs

  What the Rosicrucians Believe

  Rosicrucianism is basically a religious sect which claims it is not religious. Members believe that Jesus was “one of earth’s greatest teachers” along with Mohammed, Buddha, Plato, the Hindu gods, and many others. To the Rosicrucians, Christ was not a person but a spirit who took possession of the physical body of Jesus. They say that every man actually possesses the Christ spirit but it must be awakened by good deeds and behavior. In other words, we ourselves accomplish our own salvation through works. The blood atonement of Jesus is said to be an invention of Christianity.

  Spirit beings are viewed by the Rosicrucians as good and they are heartily welcomed, especially those who claim to be members of the Great White Brotherhood and the Ascended Masters. Like other New Agers, the Rosicrucians profess a belief in reincarnation, emphasize the “perennial philosophy” and the “ancient wisdom,” especially of the Egyptian era, and predict that mankind is moving into the New Age.

  The AMORC order of Rosicrucianism, in San Jose, California, operates a unique museum which contains many artifacts and art items from Egypt and the Middle East. It also operates a vast publishing empire and attracts thousands of new recruits through polished ads placed in a number of secular and occult magazines. Answer the ad of AMORC and the group will send you a sophisticated, slick publication called Mastery of Life which assures you that by joining AMORC and by paying its fees and annual dues, you will be initiated into the greatest mysteries of the universe.

  Chapter 71: ST. JAMES’S CHURCH, LONDON

  One of the most famous churches in the world is St. James’s Church, Piccadilly, in London. Once upon a time, the gospel truth of Jesus Christ and His Word were preached from the pulpit of this grand church structure. But no more. Today, the church has become thoroughly New Age and is permeated with witchcraft. Satan reigns at St. James’s, Piccadilly. Behind the main altar of St. James’s, to the left is a huge, sculpted black bird, to the right a rainbow is the focal point. Incense fills the air.

  A recent Spring Programme of concerts, workshops, and seminars offered at St. James’s Church stated: “St. James’s is dedicated to New Age thinking: ideas which provide creative and spiritual alternatives to currently accepted Western thought.”

  Among the courses offered were: “Druidism: Its Relevance Today;” “What on Earth is the New Age?;” “What is the New Age Christ?;” “Ley Lines, Art, and Healing the Earth;” “Extra Sensory Perception;” “Models of God for an Ecological and Nuclear Age;” “Dancing the Aramaic Jesus and Creation Spirituality;” “Sacred Dance;” “Wesak-The Buddha’s Birthday;” “Sacred Dance and Meditation During New Moons;” “Yoga Meditation;” “Rainbow Economics;” and “Mysticism and Social Action.”

  Music concerts at St. James’s also reflect the new occultic orientation. For example, on April 27, 1989 there was held an “Inti-Raymi Festival of the Sun” at which the participants celebrated Mother Earth’s cycle of fertility and rebirth. The ancient Incan religion—worship of the sun god—was also celebrated.

  The Bible clearly prophesies that many churches will, in the last days, preach another gospel. As Paul told the Galatians: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). Paul also warned that: “In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Tim. 4:1).

  In a book and on Britain’s BBC-TV, Donald Reeves, pastor of St. James’s, made no secret of his contempt for those who preach that Jesus alone saves. “My conversion to Christianity,” said Reeves, “had nothing to do with the Bible, nor the person of Jesus Christ... I do not believe that it matters. It is impossible to say, as some evangelists do, with St. Paul, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!”

  Regardless, Reeves insists that he is a “Christian” and that his New Age offerings at St. James’s are “Christian.” His followers likewise claim Jesus as Master and Christianity as their chosen “faith.”

  In contrast to Reeve’s assertion that he was converted without Jesus’ saving grace, we read in Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

  Chapter 72: ST. JOHN THE DIVINE CATHEDRAL

  St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City is America’s largest. It is also a New Age church, although officially it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Headed by pastor James P. Morton, this New Age cathedral achieved notoriety in recent years by temporarily displaying a life-sized crucifix with a shapely, female Christ with breasts bared. St. John’s called the statue “Christa.” The cathedral also has reportedly housed a Buddha statue.

  David Spangler, a dedicated Luciferian who teaches that Lucifer is the same force as Christ, was invited to perform a Eucharist at St. John the Divine. Episcopal priest Morton has also endorsed the Earth Religion, contending that Mother Earth is sacred, and he has conducted Native American Indian religious ceremonies.

  St. John the Divine Cathedral is closely connected with another New Age group called Lindisfarne, and the Temple of Understanding, yet another New Age-oriented organization, is headquartered at St. John the Divine Cathedral.

  Chapter 73: SANAT KUMARA

  Sanat Kumara is simply another name for Satan. Indeed, notice that the name “Sanat” is simply the same as “Satan” with the letters slightly scrambled. New Age leaders such as Benjamin Creme, David Spangler, Alice Bailey, and Helena Blavatsky have all recognized the spirit being known as Sanat Kumara as their supreme deity. For example, according to Alice Bailey of the Lucis Trust, Sanat Kumara is the New Age “God,” the “Ancient of Days,” and the “One Initiator Whose Star Shown Forth.” New Age teachers say that Sanat Kumara came to our planet from Venus and took up residence in the mystical land of Shamballa in the mountains somewhere in Tibet. Benjamin Creme has written:

  In this coming age, many people will see God as Sanat Kumara. They will come before Sanat Kumara and take the Third Initiation... When you take the Third Initiation you see God as Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World, who is a real physical being in etheric matter on Shamballa.

  There are several New Age “Sanat” groups. In addition to the organizations of Creme and Bailey, another New Age group that embraces Sanat Kumara is an organization which calls itself the University of the Twelve Rays of the Grand Central Sun, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. This group has proclaimed that Sanat Kumara is the one known in The Bible as “the Ancient One of Days, Yahweh, Jehovah, the I AM THAT I AM.” The group also maintains that Sanat is “the Light of the Great Central Sun, the Buddha of the Far East, the Lord Maitreya, and the Christ.” The phrase “Great Central Sun” is common among New Agers. In occultism, the ultimate deity is actually Lucifer, who is known to the ancient pagans and to modern occultists alike as the Sun God.

  Chapter 74: SCHOOL OF SACRED ARTS

  The School of Sacred Arts, founded by Elaine Moore Hirsh, has dedicated itself to teaching, preserving, and perpetuating sacred art traditions from around the world. The school, located in New York City, mails out brochures with pictures of both Jesus and Buddha. Its faculty includes experts on art from about every religion imaginable, including Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, Eastern Orthodox, Hebrew, Hindu, and Ancient Egyptian. Elaine Hirsh believes that “Sacred art is a means of expressing the holy.” She says that the artists and scholars of the School of Sacred Art “have come together under one roof to share our secret traditions and spiritual strengths... We share a common goal.” This organization is helping to promote a unified world religious system in which every man worships his own choice of god or goddess, though its statement of purpose does not specifically express this.

  Chapter 75: SCIENTOLOGY (DIANETICS)

  “Scientology is a religion by its basic tenets, practice, historical background, and by the definition of the word religion itself. It is recognized as such
by courts and country after country around the world...” This is a statement taken directly from a Church of Scientology advertising supplement in the Los Angeles Times newspaper in 1990. Scientology is one of the best known of all New Age groups. Millions of people have read L. Ron Hubbard’s #1 New York Times bestseller Dianetics, subtitled The Modem Science of Mental Health. A long string of celebrities have testified that they have been favorably influenced by Scientology. Their numbers include Grammy award winner musician Chick Corea, Elvis Presley’s former wife, actress Priscilla Presley, and actors John Travolta and Sonny Bono.

  Since its inception over 35 years ago, the Church of Scientology has grown from one church in the United States to over 700 churches, missions, and groups in more than 65 countries around the world. It bills itself as “The fastest growing religion in the world” and boasts that it has millions of members on six continents. Scientology is aggressively seeking new members, spending millions of dollars annually in advertising through TV and print media.

  What is “Dianetics?”

  In addition to Dianetics, the late L. Ron Hubbard authored 22 other national bestsellers, many of them science fiction novels related to the teachings of the Church of Scientology. Scientology defines “Dianetics” as “dia,” the Greek word for “through,” and nous, the Greek word for “soul” They say that Dianetics is “what the soul is doing to the body” and characterize it as “the analysis, control, and development of human thought”

  There is evidence that L. Ron Hubbard was at one time closely linked with British satanist Aleister Crowley, who worshipped Horus the war god and Nuit, the Egyptian mother goddess, the same goddess known to the Hindus as Kali and to the Greeks at Ephesus as Diana. There are also strong indications that the word “dianetics” in reality has its origins in the worship of the goddess Diana. When the Apostle Paul was at Ephesus he confronted merchants who were making money from the sale of souvenirs and paraphernalia to worshippers of the goddess. They were enraged because Paul was persuading so many of the followers of Diana to convert to Christianity. Moreover, today in witchcraft, Diana is commonly worshipped. The suggestion, then, is that L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics is simply some type of sophisticated, scientific-sounding jargon that reflects the hidden worship of the goddess Diana.

  In an exposé book co-authored by his own son, L. Ron Hubbard, Jr., and entitled L. Ron Hubbard: Madman or Messiah?, an eye-witness account is given of a young woman scientology recruit who was disciplined by the cult after she supposedly violated one of the cult’s rules. According to the book, the young woman was taken to the bowels of the ship Apollo owned by Hubbard’s Scientology and forced to undergo the following ritual to atone for her “indiscretion:”

  The ceremonies were done below deck... There a large idol of (Mother Goddess) Kali had been erected... It looked very solid and real and was painted gold. The only light... down in the bowels of the ship was the flickering of a few candles...

  She was brought forward and led to Kali... Then, following the orders relayed from L. Ron Hubbard, she bowed down and chanted to the idol, admitting her “evil intentions” ... and dipped her hands in blood (or a solution which was a very good imitation), and smeared it onto the idol, after which chicken bones were strung around her neck.

  She came out of there in shock and was overcome with grief for some 48 hours.

  Beliefs of Scientology

  Whether or not Dianetics is based on the worship of the goddess Diana, it is certainly true that the practice of Scientology and its methods puts a person in grave spiritual danger. L. Ron Hubbard once bragged that Scientology was the “herald of a New Age.” He called it the “road to freedom.” But, in fact, this is yet another variation of the overall New Age World Religion which will put its followers in complete bondage to demonic forces. Scientology teaches that man is basically good, that the cause of all his problems lies in past experiences during previous incarnations. Through the techniques of Scientology, especially the auditing of one’s past lives and the process of reaching “clear” by use of the E-meter, or electropsychometer (a kind of lie detector which monitors stress), the individual can supposedly achieve a form of salvation. Scientology also teaches the same spiritual race theories as do other New Agers, although different names are used for the various race strata. Quoted below, from Scientology’s own literature, are other beliefs of this New Age religion:

  There are gods above all other gods, and gods beyond the gods of the universes.

  Hell is a total myth—a vicious lie.

  The Christ legend was implanted a million years ago.

  Personal salvation is freedom from the cycle of birth and death (reincarnation).

  The above quotes indicate the unchristian nature of Scientology. Scientology is extremely critical of Christianity and Christ. According to Scientology doctrine, the highest spiritual race of mankind today is the “Thetan.” An Operating Thetan (OT) is a person who is “above clear” and is god-like. But Scientology teaches that “Neither Lord Buddha or Jesus Christ were OT’s. ” Of course, this is in great variance to the Holy Bible which tells us that Christ is “...the image of the invisible God... For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible... All things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Col. 1:15-17, and see Heb. 1:13).

  Scientology also teaches that life is simply “a game,” a game in which everyone can win. The Church encourages a number of occult practices including astral travel, or out-of-body experiences, as well as the belief that a person can discover past-life experiences. Through its techniques, Scientology says that it can help the person to deal with the problems of the past and the present so that the god-like Thetan spirit of the person can express itself. Like many other New Age cult groups, Scientology rarely talks about the nature of God Himself. The Church’s focus is on individual self-improvement and the creation of a planet which Scientology proposes could become free from environmental problems, war, drugs and crimes if only people were to avail themselves of Scientology’s benefits.

  To discover more about Scientology, I recommend you consult one or more of the many books which have come out over the years exposing this group. These books include The Hidden Side of Scientology, by Omar V. Garrison; The Bare-Face Messiah, by Russell Miller; A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics, and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed, by John Atack; and L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?, by L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. and Bent Coryden.

  Chapter 76: SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP

  Those who are naive enough to believe that yoga is simply a series of physical exercises much like calisthenics have obviously not studied the Hindu religion. The late Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, specializes in imparting to his followers “the ancient philosophy of yoga.” Yogananda makes it very clear that in his Hindu religion yoga is a spiritual philosophy and a part of the religious process. Yogananda teaches a form of yoga called Kriya Yoga. In Kriya Yoga a person uses their own mental processes to supposedly experience God directly through occult meditation.

  Yogananda is the bestselling author of the book Autobiography of a Yogi. His group operates Self-Realization Fellowship meditation centers around the United States and abroad where students meet for worship services and to practice the meditation techniques learned in lessons available by mail. The Mother Center, as Self-Realization calls it, the international headquarters, is in Los Angeles. An American woman re-named Sri Daya Mata, whose title is “The Reverend Mother,” is president. In India, a related group is known as the Yogoda Satsanga Society. The logo for the group is a lotus flower with a star inside a circle.

  Paramahansa Yogananda emphasized that each person is God and that the way to godhood is to realize or awaken to this truth. Thus, the name “self-realization.” He wrote that, “Only spiritual consciousness—realization of God’s presence in oneself and in every living being—can save the world.” Yogananda a
lso tried to explain away Jesus Christ’s words in John 14:6 when Christ testified, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” According to Yogananda, Jesus never meant that he was the only Son of God, but that no man can realize his own godhood until he has first manifested the “Christ Consciousness.” Jesus was not any more special than you or I, says Yogananda. He was simply a man who achieved oneness with the Christ Consciousness, so much that his own ego was dissolved.

  The answer to self-realization lies in the principal of reincarnation, writes Yogananda: “The truth is that man reincarnates on earth until he has consciously regained his status as a son of God.”

  According to the literature published by the Self-Realization Fellowship, Sri Daya Mata, its president, is the spiritual successor of Yogananda. She spent more than 20 years of day-to-day association with her guru master Yogananda. Like her mentor, she believes that the words in Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God” apply to the individual. These are not words from God, but are words we must incorporate into our own consciousness so that each person can say “I am God.”

  During his lifetime, Paramahansa Yogananda was one of the most well-known gurus. He came to America as early as 1920 and in the mid-20s filled halls in Los Angeles, Boston, and elsewhere almost to capacity as he addressed such groups as the International Congress of Religious Liberals. Yogananda died in 1952.