When one asks, ‘is New Age a religion?’ it is more than likely they are asking because of discontent from their present church setting and they are searching. If that is your situation or if you are generally searching for religious research, in either case, this may help. New Age Religion is not a uniformly agreed upon theological posture, as neither is Christianity. Look at all the denominations of Christianity for example and you can see generally defining them would be just as difficult as defining New Age as a term. Christianity defines us as an uncoordinated collection of beliefs based on spiritualism, astral projection, and other subjects, when in fact they are just as varied, uncoordinated, confusing, and contradictory as well. Read their false accusations for yourself.
What I share here is my personal view on New Age, as I, a nurturing person interested in spiritual matters, perceives it. My age has something to do with it, as I grew up in the sixties when there was a pronounced discontent over government’s ridiculous mishandling of the Viet Nam War, racism, and other things which carried over into mainstream religion’s support of the same. Youth in America then had acquired an interest in far eastern religion, and a spiritual hunger outside of Christian Religion’s explanations, and a non-religious search for God, with nature as the possible doorway to such knowledge. This interest allowed us to look at such things as Astrology, Numerology, Spiritualism, and religions centering on nature worship as possible sources of inspiration. Instead of assuming full responsibility for their inability to feed us spiritually, mainstream religion tactically tried to blame us for our spiritual hunger claiming our interest in answers was wrong.
This open mindedness naturally was taken as disrespect against the status quo both against government and Christianity and the divide grew into a cultural rebellion resulting in rock concert gatherings like Woodstock and the Hippie Movement. The Age of Aquarius Era in America was its pinnacle. Sadly, in their search for truth, young people also placed much emphasis on drugs and immoral living as possible answers for that which they sought. Physical experiences failed to answer the spiritual questions young people rightly had. Young people had no faith in the answers provided by both government and mainstream religion, and they widened their search for finding personal meaning. The participants from that era moved into separate parts of America, such as Boulder, Aspen, Vail, and Telluride in Colorado and into California and in the mountain areas and had children. Their children formed the politically diverse cultures that still strongly exist in these areas today.
The political anti-establishment movement is gone, but the need for the same spiritual answers remains. Moreover, the name of New Age, or New Age Christianity is the best term to describe what I see are my explanation of answers for those questions. New Age, or New Age Christianity as I see it, are God’s answer for a heart seeking to find itself as God created it to be. Participating in mainstream religion requires you lower yourself to their definition of you and see all things as they see all things. That means seeing yourself as a mistake and a spiritual failure. Moreover, it also means letting them tell you how God will fix you by you conforming yourself to their behavioral model. Then you must spend all your time worshiping God and not spending any time on finding and growing yourself. That is what religions do.
What was looked for, and what is still needed today is a source for spiritual insight beyond the scope of what a religion traditionally gave. Religion is only concerned about you being sin. It is not concerned about your personal expansion of your individuality and overcoming all obstacles in life’s path to get to your completeness afterwards. Obstacles we face are far broader in scope than just immoral living and memorizing the Bible as remedy. The spiritual need for many is for insight beyond what traditional religion provides. Life in America in the fifties was pretty much satisfied by living in our parent’s world, following in their vocational footsteps, and living in an unchanging small town rural setting. A generation of new Americans was emerging in a changing setting of communication, expanding awareness of other races, what I call world awareness. This awareness included a question of, ‘the awareness of the self and our individuality’, and ‘what is my unique role in it all’. Ultimately, ‘where do I begin to matter’.
In that role New Age, or New Age Christianity is more than a religion, it is a philosophy that not only recognizes and worships God, but it also recognizes the importance of Self and your Individuality as the highest creation of God. Traditional religion teaches we are to hate and deny ourselves and follow God. New Age teaches we are to become the highest form of ourselves as we can because God made us as a gift to Humankind. Therefore, worshiping our gifts and talents and sharing them are God’s will and we are His gift to Humankind. Those are two opposite views. The first message is brought by Religion, and the second is brought by loving mothers everywhere on earth in the loving nurturing of their children as they grow up. The first message is brought to you by academically certified highly credentialed church leaders. The second message is brought to you by uneducated loving nurturing mothers, most of whom have never had formal education of any kind, or even been in a church. The first source has academics and certifications, and very qualified, offering intellectual understanding. The second source has only love and nurturing in their hearts to offer, and the supreme message to you that you matter and are a valuable part of Humankind.
So, which message means the most to you and which message do you need? Spiritual growth is not only possible in a church sanctuary setting, it is possible in human interaction anywhere. Growth spiritually happens by emotional needs being met, self esteem issues being resolved, understanding boundaries, finding our gifts and talents, and many other areas as well. New Age recognizes the importance of the One Searching, not just the search for God. God’s will for us is found in us being ourselves as God created us, all different, all gifted, all beautiful, and most of all, we are all needed. We each are a gift from God to Himself, to ourselves, and to Humankind. That is what New Age, or New Age Christianity are all about.
Worship of God in traditional Christianity is performed as a monologue, where the church management tells you how to see God and Life on Sunday. New Age worship is a daily life dialogue all the time. In New Age you are more than just a sinful observer, you are part of the answer, you are part of the message of what God has to say to the world. Your presence has much spiritual weight. That is why He created you, and He wants you to bring His message of beauty in the form of yourself as a version of it, to all of Humankind. Our living our daily lives is the highest worship of God. No religion is needed, not even New Age, once you understand this.
Just for the record, this is an emotional and spiritual encouragement ministry. We are selling nothing here and are not at the present time even set up to take donations, and probably never will. Your healed life is our reward enough, and we are very pleased with that. If you want to, please share your strength with others in your future so our nurturing can live on.