Why is new age spirituality thought of as bad?

[Altair]

Originally Posted by iamthat

Yes, some popular teachers charge ridiculous amounts for workshops, but if people are willing to pay then that is their choice. They can always choose not to attend and these teachers would then have to reduce their prices.
Let us not be too idealistic about money and the New Age. The bills still need to be paid.

Well said.

[ArcticWolf]

Originally Posted by iamthat

Of course the Christian Church condemns the New Age. One reason is that New Age spirituality focuses on making our own connection with the Divine, thus removing the need for priests, dogmas, and going to church.

I don't disagree with that, but there are other reasons too. One is the general dark, fear-based and exclusive nature of Christian dogma. A religion that is deeply rooted in sense of fear, will end up being fearful and fearmongering against lots of things, it just is it's nature.

Originally Posted by iamthat

Is the Christian Church any less money-greedy and commercialised?

I don't find this to be relevant, as I was just saying that I personally am very uncomfortable with mixing money-making and spirituality, regardless of whether it's Christian or New Age. It does exist in both and whether it exists more in New Age or Christianity, isn't important to me. A lesser evil is still an evil.

Originally Posted by iamthat

Let's be practical. Should a healer work at a regular job to earn a living and offer healing for free? Or why not charge people for healing and be able to work full-time as a healer? Would you expect your dentist to work for free because they are healing peoples' problems?

I personally think it would be virtuous, if they did. Some doctors and lawyers work occasionally for free. It's not an alien concept for secular professions either.

What bothers me is the assumption that, by adding money-making to the practice of healing, nothing is lost. I think the very act of adding the money-making part risks corrupting the practice itself.

Originally Posted by iamthat

Yes, some popular teachers charge ridiculous amounts for workshops, but if people are willing to pay then that is their choice. They can always choose not to attend and these teachers would then have to reduce their prices.
Let us not be too idealistic about money and the New Age. The bills still need to be paid.

That's what the logic of secular capitalism says. Another question is, should we inject the Kingdom of God with the logic of capitalism?

I have personally been touched by the story of Jesus and the money-makers in God's temple, where Jesus made a scene and drove the business-people out of the temple. It would be very easy to excuse, these were just working people, making an honest living, offering goods and services, no big deal, right? And yet, this was the only group of people with whom Jesus ever got physical. Not the pharisees, not sinners etc. but the people who turned God's temple into a marketplace.

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by ArcticWolf

I have personally been touched by the story of Jesus and the money-makers in God's temple, where Jesus made a scene and drove the business-people out of the temple. It would be very easy to excuse, these were just working people, making an honest living, offering goods and services, no big deal, right? And yet, this was the only group of people with whom Jesus ever got physical. Not the pharisees, not sinners etc. but the people who turned God's temple into a marketplace.

We can take this story literally as something which actually happened.

Or it may be an allegory. God's temple is actually the human body. All the people doing business in the temple represent the material tendencies of the individual. Jesus represents Higher Consciousness driving out the tendency to materialism. It is all about the purification of the lower human vehicles so they can better express the Divine.

But there is nothing wrong with money itself. Money represents an energy which can be used for better or for worse. The problem lies in the love of money. I seldom quote from the Bible but this seems apposite:

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (Timothy 6, 6-10)

I have no problem with New Age teachers and practitioners charging for their services. But if they do so in order to become rich, then that is their problem.

Peace

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by iamthat

I have no problem with New Age teachers and practitioners charging for their services.

An afterthought.

Although I do sometimes wonder about all the Neo-Advaitist teachers who say that everything is an illusion and there is nothing to do, but still seem happy to charge illusory money in order to tell people to do nothing.

Peace

[Sir Neil]

People fear what they don’t understand (and the MSM plays on these fears for clicks or increased circulation). Spirituality has become debased in westernised culture, and even ridiculed and downright dismissed. I believe this comes from deep-seated established religions, who portray anything ‘new’ on the scene as negative.

Then there are the cults which have become associated with New Age spirituality, although they are fringe and those can be found in any religion or demographic. This portrays New Age spirituality as something weird and threatening, and something to be feared.

In milder forms, new ageism is portrayed as kooky, oddball, alternative and so on (basically, not what you may find in cul-de-sacs of semi detached houses full of ‘normal’ people) and this causes it to be a subject of ridicule as well. New Agers are portrayed as spongers of benefits and such, when in truth, they could be just normal people too, only with different beliefs to the mainstream.

The New Age, and other ideas like the Law of Attraction and metaphysics, aren’t religions or philosophies, they are practices. You don’t need to be part of a religion, or be a member of a cult to use them; you just have to have a mind and direct your thoughts in a certain way. You can do this whatever creed, colour, religion, salary, nationality or ethnicity you are.

[FallingLeaves]

Originally Posted by iamthat

Although I do sometimes wonder about all the Neo-Advaitist teachers who say that everything is an illusion and there is nothing to do, but still seem happy to charge illusory money in order to tell people to do nothing.

if you look closely, you can see hypocrisy in everything the teachers teach. Basically, the act of teaching voids what is being taught...

the taoist 'sages' knew that of course...

Originally Posted by traceyacey12

Why do some people consider new age spirituality as bad?

The Sanskrit word 'karma' originally meant 'action, now it's fear-based mentality posing as an Absolute Truth.

That's an unbalanced ego and by the way, 'ego' is a word New Age Spirituality stole from psychology. All beliefs feed the an individual ego - and this is one of the reasons New Age Spirituality is a bad idea. Beliefs are only useful to an individual ego that seeks status because it perceives itself as lacking.

[Native spirit]

I would have to agree to that


Namaste

Originally Posted by Native spirit

I would have to agree to that

Spirituality reflects the culture it came from.

It could be due to certain rituals popular in Hollywood (blood for example)