by Texe Marrs
The emergence on the world scene of what could well be the prophesied, end-time Satanic religious system can in one sense be viewed as positive, for it signals the imminent return of Jesus Christ and heralds the Kingdom of God that is soon to come. But our hearts grow heavy when as Christians we realize the harvest is drawing near and there is so little time to warn the lost and bring to them the blessed message of salvation. The New Age World Religion should provide incentive for Christians to boldly preach the gospel and to earnestly spread the good news that the time of man’s deliverance is truly at hand.
Chapter 61
A Sure Formula For Success
I have prayerfully asked God to reveal to me what I should say to concerned Christians who ask, “What can I do about The Plan of the New Age to destroy Christianity and put man under bondage?” The Lord has answered my prayers, and I would now like to share with you the four positive steps that you and every Christian can take in this time of crisis and turmoil.
Step 1: Read and study your Holy Bible so you will be knowledgeable of God’s Word and invulnerable to New Age distortions and unholy claims.
While all around us, muddled intellectuals and mixed-up men and women are, figuratively speaking, “losing their heads,” we should keep ours clear by strengthening our minds with the wisdom of the Book of Books. The warfare for man’s soul involves a series of battles over doctrine, and if Christians are to save as many of the lost as possible, we must be girded with God’s truth. Our footing must be sure as we engage the enemies of the Scripture.
Step 2: Put Jesus first in your life and make soul-winning for Christ your top priority.
When we put Jesus first in our own lives and make soul-winning our top priority, all the forces of hell cannot withstand us. Christians who affirm and commit themselves and their churches to what has been called the “irreducible minimums” will serve as shining beacons of light to lost souls. These include the primacy of the Bible as the inspired, inerrant Word of God, an unshakable belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.
Step 3: Confront and fight New Age apostasy wherever you find it, understanding that Jesus is Lord and that He will prevail. Use prayer as both a resource and a powerful vehicle to ward off God’s enemies.
In the Epistle of Jude we find the admonition that we should “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude told us to look for “certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:3, 4).
What a powerful message for today! Earnestly contend for the faith! Listen also to what James told us: “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). How do we go about this?
The Bible provides the answer. James told us to be soul-winners, to convert the lost: “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
Be assured that in witnessing for Christ, you will be going up against the strongholds of Satan. You will also, on many occasions, be locked in battle with the evil “wisdom” of those promoting New Age doctrines and falsehoods. The Bible tells us that we must not wish men of evil Godspeed (2 John 10, 11). Theirs is a mean-spirited goal, and we must not be tolerant toward a belief system which has as its principal aim the poisoning of souls. Our right attitude should be one of “tough love”: we love the individual, but we deeply regret and reject his awful message.
Confrontation with evil cannot be won without prayer. The Christian who prays constantly and meditates on God’s Word will find that his actions and words are imbued with great power from the Holy Spirit. Always remember that Jesus has already proven victorious. We’re not on the winning side. We’re on the side that won!
Step 4: Reach out in Christian love to individuals in the New Age Movement, many of whom are confused, hungry for spiritual things, and searching for truth. Show them that Jesus Christ is the answer and that He loves them.
Though Satan is the very foundation-stone for the New Age World Religion, we must be very careful about our attitude toward New Age believers. By no means is every person involved in the New Age Movement calculatingly evil. Most people entangled in this movement are themselves victims. Some are earnestly searching for the truth and are spiritually hungry. Also, many are motivated by sincere humanitarianism; but being mentally confused, these individuals are deluded by New Age gurus and teachers. A great number may not even be fully aware of The Plan which Satan and New Age human leaders have conceived for man’s future. While we abhor the un-Christian tenets of New Age believers, we must always keep uppermost in our minds the fact that Jesus died for their sins as well as our own.
This is why I encourage Christians to reach out to New Agers in love and to counteract this apostasy with all the spiritual weapons that Jesus so richly provides us, including prayer, reading God’s Holy Word, Christian example, and—most important of all—faith.
PART VI
How to Defeat the New Age: Guidelines for Overcomers
The evidence is undeniable that Christian families, and especially our kids, have been targeted by the leaders of the New Age. We, after all, are the only opposition to the triumph of evil in this world. We are the ones who worship, represent, and bring His light to the lost and to those deceived by the adversary. Thus, we are his most feared enemy. Yet, even though we are the devil’s chief enemy, there is victory for us in that God has made us overcomers. We are the unconquerable, the eternal, the ones who cannot be defeated.
If we but place our trust in God, our families will be protected from the New Age scourge. Yes, the devil may at times gain temporary advantage. But we must stand fast, pray, have faith... and, on occasion, practice patience and endurance. Victory is assured for God’s own.
Keep in mind, nevertheless, that in overcoming the New Age, in protecting our families, we will suffer attacks and sometimes even vicious opposition. But if we persevere, we will be victorious.
Chapter 62
Six Obstacles In Your Way
Now, there are six things that you and I should expect when we determine to oppose the evils of this age. I list these six obstacles below because I want you to be ever vigilant and ever ready when the foe mounts an offensive against you. That being said, here are the six things to expect as you do God’s will:
1. The world will oppose you. Don’t think it strange, the Apostle Peter advised the Church, when fiery trials come your way. The world mocked and ridiculed Jesus. They’ll mock and ridicule you. The world especially enjoys ridiculing those who believe in Bible prophecy and hold on to the promise of Jesus’ second coming. Expect to receive scorn, laughter, scoffing, sneers. Count them a blessing, for Jesus taught that “Blessed are you when men persecute you for righteousness’ sake.”
2. Lukewarm Christians will oppose you. Uncommitted Christians who have joined hands with the world will join in the campaign to ridicule you and discredit your testimony. Their complacency and opposition perhaps hurt the most, but, still, don’t give up the fight! Pray for them, that their eyes will be opened.
3. Greedy people will oppose you. Crooks, frauds, cheats, and deceivers abound in the New Age. Many pawn off New Age ideas and techniques as “holistic,” healthy, and psychologically sound. Through their seminars and counseling they profit from the New Age. Expect their determined opposition when you unmask their work.
4. Compromisers will oppose you. Just like the lukewarm Christians, these people will accuse you of “injuring the cause of unity.” They will brand you as intolerant, narrow-minded, and bigoted. Jesus was likewise labeled, so... what’s new?
5. People will talk about you. When you defend yourself and your family against New Age encroachment, enemies will misrepresent what you say. They’ll exaggerate, lie, and bear false witness. You’l
l most probably be called a trouble-maker, and you’ll be identified as a person who’s against what’s best for society. You may even be characterized as a child abuser (because you insist on teaching your children Biblical principles) or as a “homophobe” (because you remind others of what the Bible says about homosexuality and lesbianism).
6. False doctrine will raise its ugly head as so-called Christian pastors and teachers oppose your efforts. They’ll suggest you are unloving, unkind, unspiritual, ignorant, uncouth, uneducated and (yikes!) a “fundamentalist.”
False teachers can build huge congregations and draw financial support by compromising on the Word of God. Jesus was bitterly opposed by the established Church of His day. You, too, will discover that the established “Church” will prefer to support the New Age because today’s compromising leaders find it profitable to do so. Meanwhile, they’ll give comfort and aid to the adversary by either excommunicating you or publicly degrading and criticizing your courageous stance for the Truth.
Chapter 63
God’s Strength is Our Armor
Again, this opposition comes with the territory for a Christian. Expect it, anticipate it, prepare for it. It will come. But it should not deter you. Why? Because God’s strength will be your armor, His Word your companion.
God has appointed you and I as watchmen on the wall, set to defend the faith. Let us, therefore, stay constant. Let us watch and pray. And let us never forget that the struggle is worth it. God is faithful. He knows how to reward His own!
APPENDIX 1
EEOC Ruling on New Age Training Programs
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
EEOC NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 1, 1988
CONTACT: Deborah J. Graham
Margaret Fernandez
(202) 634-6036
(202) 634-7057 (TDD)
EEOC SAYS ‘NEW AGE’ TRAINING PROGRAMS MAY CONFLICT WITH EMPLOYEES’ RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
* * * * *
Issues Guidance to Field Offices on Handling Cases
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Feb. 22 issued a Policy statement on employer-conducted “new age” training programs to provide guidance to EEOC investigators in handling cases where an employee objects to the program or aspects of the program on grounds that they conflict with the employee’s religious beliefs.
“New age” training programs are designed to improve employee motivation, cooperation or productivity through techniques such as meditation, yoga and biofeedback.
The issue of “new age” programs, EEOC says, can be resolved under the traditional Title VII theory of religious accommodation which states that an employer must provide reasonable accommodation for an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious needs unless to do so would create undue hardship on the conduct of the employer’s business. If an employee notifies an employer that his or her religious beliefs conflict with some aspect of a “new age” training program, an employer may accommodate the employee’s beliefs by substituting an alternative technique or method not offensive to the employee’s beliefs or by excusing the employee from that particular part of the training program.
Whether or not the employer believes there is a religious basis for or content to the training or techniques used is irrelevant to determining the need for accommodation, EEOC states. The employer may only consider the sincerity with which the employee holds the expressed beliefs.
An employee has complained, for example, that a training exercise involving self-hypnosis conflicted with his religion which teaches that a person should always be in control of his or her thoughts in order to make correct moral choices.
EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Pay Act and prohibitions against federal sector discrimination affecting individuals with handicaps.
# # #
EEOC NOTICE
Number N-915.022
Date 2/88
1. SUBJECT: Policy statement on “new age” training programs which conflict with employees religious beliefs.
2. PURPOSE: This policy statement is intended to provide guidance in the handling of cases where an employee objects to participating in a training program because it utilizes techniques or exercises which conflict with the employee’s religious beliefs.
3. EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon receipt.
4. EXPIRATION DATE:
5. ORIGINATOR; TITLE VII/EPA Division, Office of Legal Counsel.
6. INSTRUCTIONS: This notice supplements the instructions in § 628 of Volume II of the Compliance Manual, Religious accommodation, and should be inserted after p. 628-20.
I. Introduction
Employers are increasingly making use of training programs designed to improve employee motivation, cooperation, or productivity through the use of various so-called “new age” techniques. 1/ For example, a large utility company requires its employees to attend seminars based on the teachings of a mystic, George Gurdjieff, which the company claims has helped improve communications among employees. 2/ Another corporation provides its employees with workshops in stress management using so called “faith healers” who read the “auras” of employees and contact the body’s “fields of energy” to improve the health of its employees. 3/ Specialists in employee training say that “most of the nation’s major corporations and numerous government agencies have hired some consultants and purveyors of similar ‘personal growth’ training programs in recent years.” 4/ The programs utilize a wide variety of techniques: meditation, guided visualization, self-hypnosis, therapeutic touch, biofeedback, yoga, walking on fire, and inducing altered states of consciousness. 5/ These programs focus on changing individual employees’ attitudes and self concepts by promoting increased self-esteem, assertiveness, independence, and creativity in order to improve overall productivity. 6/ Some employees have objected to participating in these programs because they view them as promoting values different from their own and as conflicting with their religious beliefs. 7/ One employee objected that a training program he was ordered to attend using meditation and guided visualization could change a person’s view of reality and religious beliefs. 8/ Another employee argued that a training program that “focused everything on the self” as the center and source of energy conflicted with his belief that human fate is dependent on the “will of God.” 9/
Although the courts and the Commission have not addressed the particular conflicts raised by the “new age” training programs, this issue can be resolved under the traditional Title VII theory of religious accommodation. The disagreement over whether the training programs are religious raises the question of whether an employee must prove that some aspect of the training program is actually based on religion or has religious content in order to establish a need for religious accommodation. It is necessary, therefore, to examine the nature of an employee’s religious belief requiring accommodation under Title VII, as well as the nature of an employers duty to accommodate a religious belief.
II. The Nature of Religious Belief Under Title VII
The Commission defines religious practices to include moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right or wrong which are sincerely he1d with the strength of traditional religious views. 10/ This is adopted from the Supreme Courts Determination in Seeger that religion need only be “(a) sincere and meaningful belief which occupies in the life of its possessor a place parallel to that filled by...God [in other religions].” 11/ Even those religious beliefs that others may find “incomprehensible or incorrect” are protected under Title VII. 12/ Therefore, an employer may not judge the veracity or reasonableness of the religious beliefs of an employee. 13/ A religious belief or practice need not be based upon a traditional religion 14/ and does not have to be a belief held as a tenet by others of the same-religion. 15/ Moreover, the Commission has held that p
rotected religious belief also includes the freedom not to believe. 16/ The only limitations on a belief protected under Title VII are that it must be religious as opposed to social, political, or economic in nature 17/ and it must be sincerely held.18/
That the employer or the sponsor of a “new age” program believes there is no religious basis for, or content to, the training or techniques used is irrelevant to determining the need for accommodation. If an employee believes that some aspect of the training program conflicts with his/her own beliefs, an employer may only inquire as to what the employee’s beliefs are and consider the sincerity with which the employee holds those beliefs. The employer may not base its decision to accommodate the employee’s religious beliefs on its (the employer’s) own evaluation of whether the training or the techniques used actually conflict with the employee’s religious beliefs. The employer may not reject an employee’s request for accommodation on the basis that the employee’s beliefs about the “new age” training seem unreasonable.
III. Employer’s duty to accommodate
Under § 701(j) of Title VII an employer must provide reasonable accommodation for an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious needs unless to do so could create an undue hardship on the conduct of the employer’s business. 19/ The need for accommodation most frequently arises where an individual’s religious belief, observances, or practices conflict with a specific task or requirement of the employee’s job. For example, an employee may object to participating in a training exercise involving se1f-hypnosis because his religion teaches that a person should always be in control of his/her thoughts in order to make correct moral choices. The employer’s duty to accommodate will usually entail making a special exception from or adjustment to the particular training requirement so that the employee is able to comply with the dictates of his/her religious beliefs.