The worldview of Eastern Mysticism, also known as Pantheism, Monism or more popularly as New Age. It is a collection of spiritual beliefs and practices aimed at experiencing personal enlightenment. Although spiritual in nature, New Age thinking has no clear theology or set of core doctrines, with the emphasis instead on spiritual experiences and being “spiritual but not religious.”
New Age thinking encompasses a wide swath of spiritual practices, but common elements include belief in reincarnation, karma, meditation, reincarnation, and the idea that “all is one, one is all, and all is god.” Eastern Mysticism grew in popularity in the 1970s in the form of the New Age Movement. Today it is again gaining influence and is being championed by powerful culture leaders such as Oprah Winfrey, a leading advocate of New Age thinking who regularly features on her TV show bestselling New Age authors Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle.
Eastern Mysticism (and its various forms) differs from the Biblical Worldview in profound ways. Here are some of the key elements of New Age beliefs and practices:
GOD: Instead of believing in the personal, triune, sovereign God of the Bible who created the universe, Eastern Mysticism believes in a universal “one,” an impersonal spiritual force that permeates the natural world (“existing” in trees, rocks, mountains, etc.), as indicated in the term pantheism—pan meaning “all” or “everything”; “theism” meaning “god”;and “monism” meaning “one-ism”.
HUMAN NATURE: Eastern Mysticism’s understanding of god leads to a very different view of human nature. In Biblical Theism, human beings are created in the image of God, but also live in a fallen state because of original sin. Human beings achieve salvation only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on their behalf. In contrast, the Eastern Mysticism view posits that there is a divine force that exists within every human being. There is no need to seek God—because each of us is God. We only need to reawaken or “raise our consciousness” to realize our inner deity. Through evolution and faith practices, individuals are able to transcend human limitations to become closer to fully realizing the divinity within and their connection to the universal One.
EVIL, SIN, MORALITY: Those embracing Eastern Mysticism do not believe in the fundamental teachings of Biblical Theism, including the existence of evil, sin, or universal moral truth. Eastern Mysticism does not accept man’s problem as separation from God by sin. Rather, each human being has forgotten his or her own divinity. Eastern Mysticism also rejects the idea of absolute or universal truth, and instead leaves it to the individual to decide moral questions.
HUMAN PURPOSE: The goal of human existence, according to Biblical Theism, is to know, love and serve God, and live according to His plan and trusting His sovereignty. For someone holding the Eastern Mysticism worldview, the goal of human existence is to be fully connected with the cosmos, or the “One,” through a variety of spiritual experiences that enable the individual to fully realize their divinity within. This is a highly individualistic spiritual journey, with no set spiritual practices to achieve goals of “higher consciousness,” self-actualization, and spiritual enlightenment. They often define themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”
AFTER DEATH: A Biblical Theist believes that the human soul goes to either a literal heaven or literal hell destinations after death, depending on whether an individual has accepted salvation through Jesus Christ. By contrast, Eastern Mysticism or New Age thinking embraces the idea of reincarnation, in which an individual’s soul is reborn through reincarnation into another physical form or body after death to continue progressing toward “oneness” with god. When a person dies, their “essence” lives on in another form and can never be destroyed.
FAITH PRACTICES: A Biblical Theist exists to live out the Great Commandment to love others. Typical faith practices include attending church, prayer and Bible study, and serving others. Eastern Mysticism, however, seeks “higher consciousness,” self-actualization and spiritual enlightenment through meditation, breathing exercises, “stillness,” “mindfulness,” yoga, crystals, channeling, spirit guides, and more. Adherents choose from among these varied practices with the purpose of awakening the “god within.”