One

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

It is interesting to me this idea or thought or belief of/in 'one' ..

Looking back when Christianity moved in, a person back then could have called it 'new age' idea.. to some extent.
For them, it was a new age of religious/spiritual thought.  And we can see how well that went over when they
killed anyone who didn't agree with them.  However, putting that aside for a moment, to me it appears that the
early Christians also incorporated other traditions to make up their own. Just as the 'new age' of today is doing.
Apparently the past repeats itself, and, from my own point of view, it wasn't a good thing back then to
incorporate other religious items into their own, nor is it a good thing now.

But it is interesting.

Try to tell a Christian that Christmas was taken from a pagan ceremony, they will defend their holiday as theirs.
So, with this, I can see how in 100 years, the 'new age' will not believe that something like the sweat lodge is
not 'theirs'.  

Well, but the idea remains of 'one'.. which the Christians were propagating with their 'one god' and 'one way'.
The new agers of today propagate the idea again, of 'one god' but seem to be also propagating that all ways
are the 'same one way' with no differential within them.  So they take from this or that way, believing it is
all the same 'one way', and it only depends on what 'suits' them.  What 'feels right'.  

It is interesting.  I too believe in 'one source' of creation.  But I believe there is reason for differing ways, and
those 'ways' should remain intact to those who follow, practice, were given that way to live/believe in/within.

I think the idea/understanding/knowledge of one is meant to help people live together in peace, and not fight
and have wars due to differences of spiritual practices. But the idea of one is not meant to be a melting pot
of trade offs or trade ins of one or another spiritual/religious faction of one or another spiritual belief. I believe
it is meant so to allow people to live harmoniously within a multi-spiritual-belief world.  For example, I believe
in reincarnation, but I will not say everyone reincarnates.  At one time I did, but I don't perceive in that way
this many years later. I begin to think, perhaps for some, they do not as per their spiritual way. There is one
creation, one creator, but many differing ways of that same creation, so what is for one, is not for all. It's
easy to say based on my belief that all souls incarnate again and again, but, is it true? Based on the fact that
there are many varying sacred ways of life-belief, I cannot say that it is true for all. One Creator, one creation,
does not mean, it is all one and the same.

One.  It is a concept to enable humanity to live side by side with respect and tolerance and even belief of
another person's way as being true and valid, of God, of Creator.  Instead, people think in terms that if
there is one creator, then creator created all the same, and all should follow the same way. Why should
that be?  It clearly isn't true.  You have the bluebird and the blujay, the hawk and the eagle, they are all
birds, but are they all the same? Do they all follow the same way? The idea that Creator created all the
same, and that all can live the same 'way' is not apparent in any life on Earth. It just isn't so.

To me, the many people who are flocking to the new age belief, are doing so in the same way the early
Christians did, and are destroying many traditions just as the early Christians did. Based on the belief
of one. The Christians took it to mean 'one god' and all others were false. Today's new agers take it
to mean 'one god and all paths lead to the same god'..  which is probably more true to my way of
thinking, but they then expand it to mean 'all ways are up for grabs because they're all the 'same' so
we can take what works here and there, partial out the beliefs/tradition, keep what we like, discard
what we don't or what we don't understand or believe because all ways are to the same god'..
and this is not so. There are different ways, created for reasons we apparently do not know, I don't
know why, I don't think anyone does. It's just how it is. It is how it was created.

To take and mish mash the different sacred ways of life-belief is a desecration of creation, of Creator.
It is not respect. It is not acting within a guideline of Spirit or spiritual thought. It is stomping all over
creation to get what you think you want or need. The call many may feel to find/reach a deeper
spiritual meaning within their lives must be met first with respect. If it isn't, then it can only lead to
destruction of the very spiritual essence they are seeking.

The Christian belief mish mashed, they don't believe it, but it is. And because of this, they have a
false religion with some truths within. So will it be for the new agers of today. Even if in a century they
have become the dominant 'religious belief system' in the world.. it will be false, just as Christianity
is today. A mish mash of truth and false becomes false. If you have ever taken a true or false test in
school, if any part of the question is false, then the answer must be marked as false.

I think in terms of the 'one' concept people must realize that 'one' is a singular word. One way, One Creator.  
Yes, but not in how the Christians perceive of it, as all others must then be false.  And not how the current
new age process of thought is behaving, that any way will do, or that any item from any way is ok with all
other items because it's all 'one' and the 'same'.  No.  It's One Creator, yes, One Creation, yes, many ways
to the same One Creator,  yes. But it's many different ways for many different peoples to the same One
Creator, not many ways for One person.  It is One way for each person/tradition/culture.
Follow only One. Follow One. It's singular.

Well, just my thoughts for today.

[Ahriman]

Just my personal view: It does not really matter what religion or belief system one adhers to. THat what people do matter, how they live and how they treat others.

Discussing the pros and cons of Christianity or New Age could take days. I don't think either are a homogenous group.

Christianity: I personally don't think the admittedly horrible history of the West necessarily means that Christianity is bad throughout. Also, I don't care about the contradictions in the bible, or the elements Christianity has absorbed from other religions. However, the violent history has left it's trace in the religion itself. How many waves were there historically of "cleansing" through the stake? This is why it ended up a religion where one has to subordinate and dogma is central. Still, I find some Christians convincing. And this is what counts. Personally, however, I have not been brought up as a Christian, and do not feel particularly attracted to this religion.

However, I tend to have a quite negative view on "New Age", for different reasons. Firstly, there seems to be a overly stresss on the individual and the potential of self-development. The few people I met that were into N.A. came across like, we're all such wonderful spiritual beings, pure channels of light, if we only could unlock our ego completely, to release all the fantastic potential we have. Well, not quite my style, and I would say, there is a bit of wishful thinking going on. Really changing anything tends to be hard work, be it one's own personality, or society or whatever.

Secondly, most N.A. people seemed to be into a plethora of exotic mind techniques from the workshop market. Again, I don't believe in fast cures, I believe in  steady work with a focus. While I truely cannot judge the things they were talking about, I think that if you want to really get a deeper understanding, you need to concentrate on one or a few things and go into depth, rather than hopping from thing to thing.

Finally, I think that quite a lot wrongs in the world require struggle, not violent struggle, but there are conflicts of interest in the real world, between those in power and those oppressed. And one needs to find ways to deal with that, which involves chosing which side one is on, however difficult that may be in a particular case. But the wrongs in this world will not go away just through wishy-washy flower power astrology crystal talk. In my experience the N.A. crowd loathes the slightest conflict. As soon as you say, sorry, I disagree with that point, it's usually end of the conversation.

Also, I had the impression from the inside the N.A. movement is great only as long as people do well, economically and otherwise. Somebody  really in trouble will not have the money to pursue the N.A. stuff further.

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

Hmm, well, wasn't so much comparing the pros and cons, but looking at the concept of 'one' in spiritual belief, how the Christians brought it forward, and now the new agers. 

I've never been inside new age circles so I can't really comment on how they behave with confrontation or whatnot.  I only know that the new age peoples' I've met, believe that items of spirituality can be intermixed because it all serves to the same effort.  Which yes, is that of self consciousness. Anything goes if it helps their own self.

I have however, met some new age peoples who were quite greedy and selfish to the point of using whatever 'dark witchcraft' or other means to conjure up whatever they could so as to keep their 'position'.  I made the mistake of being a threat to them.   ;)