Nowy paradygmat czy streszczenie wszelkich starych błędów? (Uwagi o próbach określenia zjawiska New Age)

Abstract

A phenomenon called “New Age” embodies a great deal of vagueness as far as terminology is concerned. It is then necessary to bring in some order, which is by no means an easy task, since the world of New Age is still developing and even expanding. Nevertheless, at the present stage of research conducted on the basis of social sciences, a considerable number of successfill attempts at describing the New Age phenomenon have been made. It is easy to notice that the New Age phenomenon appears in the context of issues as remote as rock music and astrology, fortune telling and ecology, occultism and dowsing, satanism and pacifist movement, secret associations and herbal healing. They all have, however, one common feature. The binding agent, the leitmotif of New Age is esoteric knowledge, gnosis, occultism and secrets revealed to the initiated. It can be generally observed that New Age is a world movement considering itself a certain form of religion, though, in the strict sense of the word, it is not a religion. Yet, it combines the elements of the religion and philosophy of the East, theosophy, occultism, and, above all, pagan gnosis. It must be added that occultism itself appears in its many versions. They include clairvoyance, astrology, the practices of yoga, the belief in reincarnation. Occultism conceived and accepted in this way is acknowledged to be equal to science by the New Age conspirators. They annihilate the opposition between good and evil, reject ethical values adducing the principle of tolerance for the alleged reconciliation of all religions. Basing themselves on such a variety, they try to convince the world of the legitimacy of a new idea of happiness for mankind in the coming millennium. What is New Age then? How to define an essential message of this movement? How to characterize its presence in the world of culture? Is it a religious phenomenon in the strict sense of the word? How big a threat does it pose for Christianity? Unequivocal answers to these basic questions have not been given so far. It is obvious, however, that Christianity cannot agree about many notions which for the adherents of New Era constitute a specific credo. An idea of flirtation with secret powers is totally unreconcilable with the spirit of the Gospel. Occultism is an attempt to enter the demoniac world. Equally, the idea of self redemption promoted by New Age is totally opposed to the teaching of the Catholic Church. In this way it negates God's notion of redemption, which – according to the Christian revelation – is folfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. There is also no room in the Catholic teaching for any reincarnation theories, which in principle oppose the fact of the Resurrection of the Master of Nazareth.