New Age Traps

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=6667, http://www.newoxfordreview.org/article.jp?
did=!"!#$feater
%y &argaret 'nne (eater, "!!#
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE ANTEDATES THE FEBRUARY 2003 VATICAN DOCUMENT ON THE NEW AGE BY
TWO YEARS- MICHAEL
)n the pat thirty year, a fale and alien pirituality ha wept through thi country, infecting million of oul. )t ha
contaminated televiion how, high$groing movie, bet$elling boo*, popular peronnel$training program, and ome
non$traditional medical practice. )t ha detroyed the faith of many people. )t ha infiltrated +rotetant ,hurche, and in
,atholic circle it i ma*ing it way into retreat center, eminar, and parih program.
)t i baed on the old herey of pantheim, and borrow many of it idea from -induim. )t i called New Age sp!"#$%"&
and it would have u loo* inide ourelve to find a -igher .elf or /rue .elf, to dicover our divinity or 01od0$power. )t i the
belief that 01od0 i deep within each one of u.
/o connect with thi 01od within,0 2ew 'ger ue mantra 3repetitiou word or phrae4 or yoga to empty the mind in order
to reach altered tate of concioune or pure concioune, whereby to dicover their own divinity.
)n order to warn ,atholic of thi fale pirituality, the 5atican iued a document in "!!6 called 7eu ,hrit, the %earer of
the 8ater of 9ife: ' ,hritian :eflection on the 2ew 'ge. /hi document decribe 2ew 'ge pirituality a pantheitic 3the
belief that everything and everyone i 01od04. /he 5atican document contradict thi by tating, 0' ,hritian, we believe on
the contrary that ;man i eentially a creature and remain o for all eternity, o that an aborption of the human ) in the
divine ) will never be poible0 3<".64. 2ew 'ger and -indu believe that they eventually become 01od.0
/he document tate that 2ew 'ge pirituality i baed on the belief that 01od0 i an 0;imperonal energy; immanent in the
world, with which it form a ;comic unity;: ;'ll i one.; . . . =/hi> ;divine energy; i often decribed a ;,hritic energy0
3<".6.?."4. /he document goe on to ay that 2ew 'ger believe that 07eu of 2a@areth wa not the ,hrit, but imply one
among many hitorical figure in whom thi ;,hritic; nature i revealed, a i the cae with %uddha and other0 3<".6.?."4.
2ew 'ger addre 01od0 a the 0Aivine 9ove Bnergy0 or the 0.ource.0
'ccording to 2ew 'ge pirituality, the divine energy, which i alo called 0pirit,0 connect all of u $ 01od,0 nature, people,
animal, and the univere a a whole. 2ew 'ger believe we are all one. /hi pantheitic belief i the common thread or
hared belief of -induim, %uddhim, witchcraft, 2ew 'ge and 2ative 'merican pirituality, and occultim. /he 5atican
document tate, 0)n what might be termed a claical 2ew 'ge account, people are born with a divine par*, in a ene
which i reminicent of ancient 1noticimC thi lin* them into the unity of the whole. .o they are een a eentially divine,
although they participate in thi comic divinity at different level of concioune. 8e are co$creator, and we create our
own reality0 3<".6.?.D4. /he document add that 2ew 'ger believe that 0/he journey i pychotherapy, and the recognition
of univeral concioune i alvation. /here i no inC there i only imperfect *nowledge0 3<".6.?.D4. /he document tate
that they believe that 0/he purpoe and dynamic of all exitence i to bring love, widom, and enlightenment . . . into full
manifetation0 3<7.D4 and that 0'll religion are the expreion of thi ame inner reality0 3<7.D4. /hey believe that we are
moving toward a 0global religion and a new world order0 3<?4. /hi would be the 'ge of 'Euariu.
8here would a ,atholic run into 2ew 'ge idea? )n the buine world, he would come acro them in eminar that teach
0what the mind can conceive, it can achieve.0 /hi would be accomplihed by tapping into the 0power within.0
't chool, a teenager might ee a beautiful crytal hanging around a friend; nec*. )f the friend i into 2ew 'ge pirituality, he
would believe that thi crytal ha power from the univeral energy force. -e may be ubjected to mind$emptying meditation
in cla that reemble T!$'s(e')e'"$% Me)"$"*'. 8hen he goe to the movie, he i expoed to 2ew 'ge concept uch
a 0the force0 in the S"$! W$!s erie and other film. -e may have ome girl in hi cla practicing 8icca 32ew 'ge
witchcraft4 in imitation of .abrina the /eenage 8itch.
' houewife might run into 2ew 'ge idea in a &*g$ cla 3the type that include meditation4. Bven though yoga i
preented a exercie, it mean 0to yo*e with god,0 and i part of the -indu religion. .ome of the exercie are deigned to
induce altered tate of concioune. .he may alo be invited to learn T!$'s(e')e'"$% Me)"$"*', which i alo derived
from -induim.
/he 5atican document tate, 0&any people are convinced that there i no harm in ;borrowing; from the widom of the Bat,
but the example of trancendental meditation hould ma*e ,hritian cautiou about the propect of committing themelve
un*nowingly to another religion 3in thi cae -induim4, depite what trancendental meditation; promoter claim about it
religiou neutrality. /here i no problem with learning how to meditate, but the object or content of the exercie clearly
determine whether it relate to 1od revealed by 7eu ,hrit, to ome other revelation, or imply to the hidden depth of the
elf; 3<6."4. )t goe on to ay that, according to 2ew 'ger, 0Foga, @en, meditation and tantric exercie lead to an
experience of elf$fulfillment or enlightenment,0 adding that they believe that 0anything which can provo*e an altered tate of
concioune =i> believed to lead to unity and enlightenment0 3<".6.?.D4. %uddhit, -indu, and 2ew 'ger believe
enlightenment to be a tate of increaed awarene of their own peronal divinity.
'ny member of the family might be introduced to 2ew 'ge pirituality by watching the Op!$+ W',!e& S+*w. .he often
hot 2ew 'ge pea*er, uch a S+!%e& M$(L$'e. (or many wee*, he had a three$ to five$minute egment called
0:emembering Four .pirit.0 Gne egment featured the popular New Age! D!- W$&'e D&e!. ' prolific writer and author of "7
boo*, including Your Erroneous Zones, Ar. Ayer teache people how to tap into the #'.e!s$% e'e!g& ,*!(e, or their -igher
.elf. 'nother egment highlighted the L$/&!'"+ M*.e0e'" 3wal*ing a ma@e to find the 0godde within04. L')$ G!$& alo
appeared on thi egment, itting in a cro$legged poition trying to connect to the earth. )n addition, Gprah highly
recommend a boo* written by New Age! Mg#e% R#1 baed on ancient /oltec widom titled The Four Agreements. .aid
Gprah, 0/hi boo* by Aon &iguel :ui@, imple yet o powerful, ha made a tremendou difference in how ) thin* and act in
every encounter.0
' mother might ta*e her child to a doctor involved in holitic health and be ubjected to elf$healing techniEue or imagery for
minor ailment. -e might ugget uing an inner guide for the child; ub$concioune to addre the emotional apect of
the illne. -e might ue 0therapeutic touch0 where he 3the doctor or healer4, in a tranceli*e tate, move hi hand over or
jut above the patient; body, hovering where the healer ene 0accumulated energy.0 /hi i *nown a Re2 +e$%'g, and
it originate from tantric magic. /hi i a form of occult or pychic healing, and i out of bound for ,hritian. /he doctor
may offer coure in 0meditation.0 -e may alo ugget /*,ee)/$(23 !e,%e4*%*g&3 or p*%$!"& 0$ss$ge. /he 5atican
document identifie thee practice a connected to 2ew 'ge 3ee <".".64.
' devout ,atholic might join the ecology movement to protect the environmentC unaware of the radical ide of )eep e(*%*g&.
/he document ay, 0deep ecology i often baed on pantheitic and occaionally 1notic principle0 3<6."4. /he 5atican
document explain, 08hat ha been ucceful i the generali@ation of ecology a a facination with nature and
reacrali@ation of the earth, &other Barth or G$$, with the miionary @eal characteritic of 1reen politic0 3<".64. )t goe on
to ay that uch a trend lead to the belief that 0/he warmth of &other Barth, whoe divinity pervade the whole of creation,
i held to bridge the gap between creation and the trancendent (ather$1od of 7udaim and ,hritianity, and remove the
propect of being judged by uch a being0 3<".64.
/he worhip of &other Barth and nature i called 0W(($,0 a neo$pagan renewal of witchcraft. 8icca, the document tate, i
alo *nown a 0the ,raft,0 and 0grew rapidly in the DH6! in the Inited .tate, where it encountered ;women; pirituality0
3<7."4. )t i till popular among ome feminit, and it ha made it way into ome ,atholic retreat center.
' ,atholic viiting any major boo*tore would ee a large ection on Gccult/2ew 'ge right next to the :eligion ection. )n the
DHH! there were ",#!! 2ew 'ge boo*tore in the I... Gne popular 2ew 'ge author i Deep$2 C+*p!$, who teache
holitic healing. /he aforementioned W$&'e D&e! i the mot well$*nown 2ew 'ge author.
' parihioner may encounter the 2ew 'ge in everal way. -i parih might be teaching (e'"e!'g-p!$&e! "e(+'5#es that
would help him to reach the center of hi being, to find the /rue .elf, or 01od within0 by uing the acred word 3or mantra4 to
empty the mind of all thought. /hee techniEue may reemble trancendental meditation, where the peron trie to reach
the hidden depth of elf. /he major belief of the ,entering +rayer &ovement have been identified by the 5atican document
a lin*ed to 2ew 'ge.
/he parihioner might be directed toward a L$/&!'"+ to pray at the center of hi being to reach the 0godde within.0 -e
might be taught at a retreat center about the C*s0( C+!s", the 01od0$power in each of u. /he document tate that many
2ew 'ger believe that 07eu of 2a@areth i not 1od, but one of the hitorical manifetation of the comic and univeral
,hrit0 3<6.D4. )t alo explain that they believe that 0/he comic ,hrit might be living next door or even inide one; deepet
and truet elf; 3<6.64.
' parihioner might be invited to an e''e$g!$0 wor*hop. /he enneagram i very popular in ,atholic circle. /he 5atican
document identifie it a temming from 1noticim, which i in conflict with ,hritian belief. /he document tate
3pea*ing of 1noticim4 that 0'n example of thi can be een in the enneagram, the nine$type tool for character analyi
which when ued a a mean of piritual growth introduce an ambiguity in the doctrine and the life of the ,hritian faith0
3<D.?4.
/he document alo ay, 0)t mut unfortunately be admitted that there are too many cae where ,atholic center of
pirituality are actively involved in diffuing 2ew 'ge religioity in the church. /hi would of coure have to be corrected, not
only to top the pread of confuion and error, but alo o that they might be effective in promoting true ,hritian pirituality0
3<6."4. )n fact, the document lit ome writer who had the mot influence on 2ew 'ger, among whom are C$!% 6#'g,
Te%+$!) )e C+$!)', and T+*0$s Me!"*' 3ee <H."4.
.ome people thin* it i permiible to mix 2ew 'ge pirituality with ,atholicim. %ut the document warn that 0(rom the point
of view of ,hritian faith, it i not poible to iolate ome element of 2ew 'ge religioity a acceptable to ,hritian while
rejecting other. .ince the 2ew 'ge movement ma*e much of a communication with nature, of comic *nowledge of a
univeral good $ thereby negating the revealed content of ,hritian faith $ it cannot be viewed a poitive or innocuou. )n a
cultural environment mar*ed by religiou relativim it i neceary to ignal a warning againt the attempt to place 2ew 'ge
religioity on the ame level a ,hritian faith, ma*ing the difference between faith and belief eem relative, thu creating
greater confuion for the unwary. )n thi regard, it i ueful to remember the exhortation of .t. +aul, ;to intruct certain people
not to teach fale doctrine or to concern themelve with myth and endle genealogie which promote peculation rather
than the plan of 1od that i to be received by faith; 3D /imothy D:6$?40 3<?4.
)t i not neceary for ,atholic to loo* to revamped pagan religion for piritual enrichment, epecially ince thee religion
contain grave error which i contrary to our belief. Gur ,atholic faith i the greatet treaure on earth, and contain all that
we need for alvation and advanced piritual growth: the -oly &a, the Bucharit, the other .acrament, the :oary, the
-oly .cripture, and the widom and example of the aint. )n fact, given the richne and variety of the piritual banEuet laid
before u by two millennia of ,atholic hitory, why would we need or want to go anywhere ele?
.ource: 2ew Gxford :eview, (ebruary "!!#
A Closer Look at Centering Prayer
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=6667Jcfid=7KK!?!7Jcfto*en=##?"D#??
http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=6667,
http://www.ourladywarrior.org/dient/centerprayer.htm
%y &argaret 'nne (eater

/he ,entering +rayer &ovement ha become very popular in ,atholic circle today. +eople ign up for it in retreat center,
in wor*hop, and ometime in their own parih. /hee people believe it to be authentic ,hritian contemplative prayer
practiced by the aint.
Is " !e$%%& C+!s"$' (*'"e0p%$"*'7
I' 0& !ese$!(+ *' "+e New Age w+(+ I )) ,*! "+e p$s" "e' &e$!s3 I ,*#') "+$" " s '*" C+!s"$' (*'"e0p%$"*' $')
"+$" "+s "&pe *, p!$&e! s '*" !e(*00e')e) /& 8*pe 6*+' 8$#% II3 C$!)'$% R$"1'ge!3 T+e C$"e(+s0 *, "+e
C$"+*%( C+#!(+3 *! S"- Te!es$ *, A.%$-
T+e!e +$.e $%s* /ee' w$!''gs ,!*0 6*+''e""e Be'2*.( *' EWTN 9M*"+e! A'ge%($:s Ne"w*!2;- 6*+''e""e +$s $
p!*g!$0 ($%%e) <L.'g Hs L,e A/#')$'"%&<3 $') +$s +$) $ se!es *' "+e New Age- S+e +$s $%s* w!""e' $ /**2
($%%e)3 T+e New Age C*#'"e!,e"3 $') )e.*"es *'e (+$p"e! "* "+e p!*/%e0s *, Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e! 9C8;- S+e )e'",es "
$s /e'g "+e s$0e $s T!$'s(e')e'"$% Me)"$"*' 9TM; w+(+ s "e) "* H')#s0-
W+$" s Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e!7
,entering prayer, a taught by F!- B$s% 8e'''g"*' and F!- T+*0$s =e$"'g, i a method of prayer that i uppoed to
lead a peron into contemplation. )t i uppoed to be done for twenty minute in the morning and twenty minute in the
evening. /he peron chooe a acred word. -e trie to ignore all thought and feeling, letting them go by a boat going
down a tream. 8hen the thought *eep coming bac*, the peron return to the acred word. /he goal i to *eep practicing
until '99 /-GI1-/. '2A (BB9)21. A).'++B':. (r. Leating ay in Gpen &ind, Gpen -eart, 0'll thought pa if you
wait long enough.0> ' peron then reache a tate of pure concioune or a mental void. /he thin*ing proce i
upended. /hi techniEue i uppoed to put them into direct contact with 1od. /he idea i to go to the center of your being
to find the /rue .elf. /hi proce i uppoed to dimantle the (ale .elf, which i uppoedly the reult of the emotional
baggage we carry.
F!- T+*0$s =e$"'g s $ 0*'23 p!es"3 $') $//*" *, S"- Be'e)(":s M*'$s"e!& ' S'*w0$ss3 C*%- $') s "+e ,*#')e!
*, "+e Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e! 0*.e0e'"- He +$s w!""e' ,*#! /**2s- F!- B$s% 8e'''g"*' s $ T!$pps" 0*'2 $" S"-
6*sep+:s A//e& ' Spe'(e!3 M$ss- He +$s w!""e' *.e! "+!"& /**2s3 s*0e *, w+(+ $!e *' Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e!- S*0e
*, "+e (*'(ep"s ' "+e! /**2s $!e s0%$! "* New Age /e%e,s $') p!$("(es-
W+$" $!e New Age /e%e,s7
2ew 'ger borrow many of their belief from -induim. /hey believe that we are all connected to an imperonal energy
force, which i god, and we are part of thi god. /hi god$energy flow into each one of uC o we too are god. 3/hi i the
herey of pantheim, condemned by the ,hurch at the (irt 5atican ,ouncil4. /hey thin* becaue we are god, we can create
our own reality, experience our own god$power. /hi awarene of our godelve i called god$concioune, uper$
concioune, ,hrit$concioune, pure$concioune, unity concioune, or elf$reali@ation. /o reach thi
awarene, 2ew 'ger ue mantra or yoga to go into altered level of concioune to dicover their own divinity.
/hey loo* inide to find their /rue .elf or -igher .elf M to find widom and *nowledge ince the /rue .elf or -igher .elf i
god. /hey addre god a the .ource, the Aivine Bnergy, the Aivine 9ove Bnergy, or the 1reat Iniveral )ntelligence.
/he goal of 2ew 'ger i to uher in a new age of peace, harmony and unity. /hey hope that all man*ind will come to 0god
concioune,0 which i the awarene that they are god. /he complete definition on the 2ew 'ge by F!- M"(+ 8$(w$ i
a follow: 0/he 2ew 'ge &ovement i highly eclectic, borrowing idea and practice from many ource. &editation
techniEue from -induim, Nen, .ufim, and 2ative 'merican religion are mixed with humanitic pychology, occultim, and
modern phyic.02 /here i a cripture in ,oloian ":?$K that warn u againt thi pitfall. )t tate, 0) tell you thi o that no
one may delude you with peciou argument . . . .ee to it that no one deceive you through any empty philoophy that
follow mere human tradition, a philoophy baed on comic power rather than on ,hrit.0
H*w )* New Age /e%e,s (*0p$!e "* Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e!7
)n ,+, people are taught to ue a prayer word or acred word to empty the mind.
3(r. Leating ay it i not a 0$'"!$C but if it i ued to rid the mind of all thought and feeling, then it doe the ame thing a
a mantra4. /he goal i to reach a mental void or pure concioune in order to find 1od at the center.
+ure concioune i an altered level of concioune. /hi i exactly what the -indu and %uddhit do to reach god$
concioune or pure concioune.
/hi i alo imilar to what actre S+!%e& M$(L$'e doe to go into an altered level of concioune and dicover her
Aivine ,enter or -igher .elf, which i her divinity.
W+$" $!e "+e s0%$!"es /e"wee' Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e! $') T!$'s(e')e'"$% Me)"$"*'7
6*+''e""e Be'2*.( ha interviewed people on her how and in her boo* who have done both Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e! ?C8@ $')
T!$'s(e')e'"$% Me)"$"*' ?TM@. /hey claim it i baically the ame. /he only difference would be that in /& the mantra
are name of -indu god, and in ,+ the acred word i uually 7eu, 1od, peace, or love.
F!- F'/$!! F%$'$g$'3 w+* w$s '.*%.e) ' /*"+ C8 $') TM3 s$&s C8 s TM ' $ C+!s"$' )!ess-
-e ay (r. +ennington ha endored /& 0. . . without heitation.03
9et loo* at the imilaritie:
D4 %oth ,+ and /& ue a "!$minute meditation.
"4 %oth ,+ and /& ue a mantra to erae all thought and feeling.
64 %oth ,+ and /& teach that in thi meditation you pic* up vibration.
?4 %oth ,+ and /& claim that thi meditation will give you more peace and le tenion.
#4 %oth ,+ and /& teach you how to reach a mental void or altered level of concioune.
64 %oth ,+ and /& have the common goal of finding your god$center.
)n regard to vibration, (r. Leating ay, 0' you go to a deeper level of reality, you begin to pic* up vibration that were
there all the time but not perceived.0A (r. +ennington alo pea* of 0. . . phyical vibration that are helpful0B 35ibration are
common /&, 2ew 'ge language.4 Iing mantra and reaching a mental void are alo 2ew 'ge, not ,atholic. )n fact,
!e$(+'g $ 0e'"$% .*) s )es(!/e) ' "+e C$"e(+s0 $s $' e!!*'e*#s '*"*' *, p!$&e! 3<"7"64.
W+e' )*es "+e *'e w+* p!$&s (!*ss "+e %'e '"* H')#CB#))+s"CNew Age p!$&e!7
)n the beginning tage of ,+, the one who pray i till ignoring thought a they float by. )f they are till thin*ing of 7eu or
heavenly thing, they are till in ,hritian prayer. /hey cro the line when they get to the point where they bypa all
thought and feeling. )n other word, there are no thought at all. (r. /homa Leating ay in hi boo*, Gpen &ind, Gpen
-eart, 0' you go down deeper, you may reach a place where the acred word diappear altogether and there are no
thought. /hi i often experienced a a upenion of concioune, a pace.0D 8hen a peron i able to do thi, they
have croed the line into -indu/%uddhit/2ew 'ge prayer.
-B ). 2G 9G21B: +:',/),)21 ,-:)./)'2 +:'FB:. (r. Leating want hi follower to let go of even devout thought.
-e ay, 0/he method conit of letting go of every thought during the time of prayer, even the mot devout thought.0E 3)n
,hritian prayer, devout thought are important and deirable.4 -e alo tell hi follower to let all feeling go. /o do thi, one
would have to let go of any entiment of love toward 7eu, the -eavenly (ather, or the -oly .pirit.
W+$" )*es 8*pe 6*+' 8$#% II s$& $/*#" "+s "&pe *, p!$&e!7
)n ,ardinal :at@inger; boo*let, 9etter to the %ihop of the ,atholic ,hurch on .ome 'pect of ,hritian &editation, he
Euote the +ope. Gn p. 6?, footnote D", he write 0+ope 7ohn +aul )) ha pointed out to the whole ,hurch the example and
doctrine of .t. /erea of 'vila who in her life had to reject the temptation of certain method which propoed a leaving aide
of the humanity of ,hrit in favor of a vague elf$immerion in the aby of divinity. )n a homily given on
2ovember D, DHK", he aid that the call of .t. /erea of 7eu advocating a prayer completely centered on ,hrit 0i valid
even in our day, againt ome method of prayer which are not inpired by the gopel and which in practice tend to et
,hrit aide in preference for a mental void which ma*e no ene in ,hritianity. 'ny method of prayer i valid inofar a it
i inpired by ,hrit and lead to ,hrit who i the 8ay, the /ruth, and the 9ife0 =3cf. 7ohn
D?:64. .ee -omilia 'bulae habita in honorem .anctae /ereiae: ''. 7# 3DHK64 "#6$"#7>.
W+$" )*es S"- Te!es$ *, A.%$ s$& $/*#" (*'"e0p%$"*'7
/hroughout their boo*, (r. Leating and (r. +ennington mention .t. /erea of 'vila, implying that he i an advocate of their
prayer techniEue. -owever, after reading her boo*, I +$.e ,*#') "+$" +e! "e$(+'gs *' p!$&e! $!e "+e *pp*s"e *, w+$"
=e$"'g $') 8e'''g"*' $!e "e$(+'g-
(irt of all, he ay that contemplation i a gift from 1od, and no techniEue can ma*e it happen. .he ay it i uually given
to people who have a deep prayer life and are practicing many virtue, although 1od can give it to anyone he chooe. .he
repeatedly init that contemplation i divinely produced. .he aid that entering into the prayer of Euiet or that of union
whenever he wanted it 0wa out of the Euetion0F
.he alo aid in her boo*, Interior Mansion, 0(or it to be prayer at all, the mind mut ta*e a part in it.0G ,ardinal :at@inger, in
hi boo*let, alo Euote .t. /erea a aying 0the very care not to thin* about anything will aroue the mind to thin* a great
deal0, and that the eparation of the mytery of ,hrit from ,hritian meditation i alway a form of 0betrayal0>0 .t. /erea
advied her nun to meditate or thin* about the +aion of ,hrit a a preparation for contemplation. /he ,atechim
decribe contemplation a 0a ga@e of faith, fixed on 7eu0 3<"7D#4. /he focu i 7eu and the heart i involved.
W+$" $!e "+e w$!''gs *' 0')-e0p"&'g p!$&e! ,!*0 C$!)'$% R$"1'ge!7
,hritian dabbling in Batern religion in the 7! and K! had become uch a problem that the 5atican had to repond. )n
DHKH, ,ardinal :at@inger of the ,ongregation for the Aoctrine of the (aith, put out a document called 09etter to the %ihop
of the ,atholic ,hurch on .ome 'pect of ,hritian &editation.0
/he document tate, 08ith the preent diffuion of Batern method of meditation in the ,hritian world and in eccleial
communitie, we find ourelve faced with a pointed renewal of attempt, which i not free from danger and error, to fue
,hritian meditation with that which i non$,hritian.0 -e goe on to ay, 0.till other do not heitate to place that abolute
without image or concept, which i proper to %uddhit theory on the ame level a the majety of 1od revealed in ,hrit.0>>
-e ay they abandon the /riune 1od, 0in favor of an immerion in the indeterminate aby of the divinity.0 /hen he ay
mixing ,hritian meditation with Batern techniEue can lead to yncretim 3the mixing of religion4.
Is "+e V$"($' II s"$"e0e'" !eg$!)'g '*'-C+!s"$' !e%g*'s 0s#')e!s"**)7
Fe. /he document of 5atican )) tate 0the ,atholic ,hurch reject nothing of what i true and holy in non$,hritian
religion.0>2 /he ,ouncil (ather however, were not recommending the practice of eatern prayer techniEue. /he
-indu view of 1od i contrary to ,hritian belief. /hey do not worhip a 1od who i uperior to them. /hey believe that they
become god, li*e a raindrop into an ocean.
W+$" )*es F!- =e$"'g "e$(+ $/*#" !e$(+'g <p#!e (*'s(*#s'ess<7
)n hi boo*, Open Mind, Open Heart, (r. Leating ay, 0' the .pirit gradually ta*e more and more charge of your prayer,
you may move into pure concioune, which i an intuition into your /rue .elf.0>3 /hen, again, pea*ing of pure
concioune, he ay 0)n that tate, there i no concioune of elf. 8hen your ordinary facultie come bac* again,
there may be a ene of peaceful delight.0>A
W+$" $!e A%"e!e) Le.e%s *, C*'s(*#s'ess 9ALCs; $') w+$" $!e "+e D$'ge!s7
9et u a* &aharihi Fogi, the guru who introduced /& to 'merica. F!- F'/$!! F%$'$g$' write in hi article 0/&; founder,
the &aharihi Fogi, claim that the regular practice of /& lead beyond the ordinary experience of wa*ing, leeping, and
dreaming to a fourth tate of concioune called 0imple awarene.0 ,ontant practice lead to comic concioune,
then god$concioune, and finally 0unity concioune.0>B /he fourth tate in other boo* i alo referred to a pure$
concioune. +eople who have reached thee altered level of concioune 3'9,4 decribe them a a pleaant trance$
li*e tate. ,ardinal :at@inger ay, in regard to '9,, that thee can be pleaant experience only. -e tate, 0.ome
phyical exercie automatically produce a feeling of Euiet and relaxation, pleaing enation, perhap even phenomena of
light and warmth, which reemble piritual well$being. /o ta*e uch feeling for the authentic conolation of the -oly .pirit
would be a totally erroneou way of conceiving the piritual life. 1iving them a ymbolic
ignificance typical of the mytical experience, when the moral condition of the peron doe not correpond to uch
experience, would repreent a *ind of mental chi@ophrenia which could alo lead to pychic diturbance and, at time, to
moral deviation.0>D
C%$!e Me!2%e3 $ ,*!0e! New Age +e$%e! $') &*g$ p!$(""*'e!, ha been appearing on B8/2 networ* 3&other 'ngelica;
networ*4 on the program, 09iving -i 9ife 'bundantly0 2ow converted, it too* her five year to be freed from the effect of her
involvement in 2ew 'ge. .he give thi warning: <W+e' we *pe' *#!se%.es #p "* ,*!eg' !e%g*#s p!$("(es "+$" +$.e
"es "* "+e *((#%"3 we *pe' *#!se%.es #p "* "+e )e0*'(-< 9H')#s0 $') B#))+s0 +$.e "es "* "+e *((#%" /e($#se
"+e& "$p '"* sp!"#$% p*we! "+$" s '*" ,!*0 "+e H*%& Sp!"-; Gn her webite, /he ,ro and the 5eil, he expoe ,+
a 2ew 'ge. 3.ee croveil.org4 .he aid that going into '9, can be dangerou becaue they can lead to out$of$body
experience or hallucination. .he aid ome people cannot come out of them. )n (r. Leating; boo*, Open Mind, Open
Heart, p. D"!, one of hi follower commented that he had a hard time coming out of an '9, during &a and could not
concentrate. (r. Leating told him, 0/hat i a nice problem to have.0 F!- A0*!"+3 w+* s "+e V$"($' e4*!(s"3 s$&s <Y*g$3
He'3 $') TM $!e #'$((ep"$/%e "* C+!s"$'s- O,"e' "+ese $pp$!e'"%& ''*(e'" p!$("(es ($' /!'g $/*#"
+$%%#('$"*'s $') s(+1*p+!e'( (*')"*'s-<>E
C$' Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e! Le$) "* $ H')# Vew *, G*)7
Fe, it can. (or example, (r. Leating tudied the eatern religion, and wanted to 0devie an approach to ,hritian pirituality
that would be comparable to the method of the Bat.0>F
-owever, omewhere in hi tudie, he appear to have uccumbed to the -indu view of 1od. /hroughout hi boo*, Gpen
&ind, Gpen -eart, he refer to 1od a the Iltimate &ytery, the Iltimate +reence, and the .ource. 3/hi i the way 1od i
addreed by 2ew 'ger4 S+!%e& M$(L$'e call 1od the .ource and the Aivine Bnergy in her boo*, 1oing 8ithin. )n
Leating; new boo*, )nvitation to 9ove, he ay 0the divine energy in itelf i infinite potentiality and actuality.0>G (r.
+ennington ma*e imilar tatement in hi boo*, /rue .elf, (ale .elf pea*ing of 1od a the Aivine 9ove Bnergy in many
place. ' ,atholic, we believe in a peronal 1od whom we call our -eavenly (ather. Leating alo ay, 08hen you it
down for prayer, your whole pyche gather itelf and melt into 1od.020 3&elting into god i -indu /%uddhit/2ew 'ge
belief.4 ,atholic dogma refute thi pantheitic concept. 0)n the &a, it i aid that we are parta*er of -i divinity. Fet thi
mut not be conceived in the pantheitic ene of the tranition of the oul into the Aivinity. /he infinite ditance between
,reator and the created remain.0 3(undamental of ,atholic Aogma, 9udwig Gtt, p. "#64
W+$" O"+e! S"$"e0e'"s )* =e$"'g $') 8e'''g"*' M$2e "+$" Re,%e(" New Age Be%e,s7
)n hi boo*, Open Mind, Open Heart, p. 67, F!- =e$"'g !e(*00e')s &*g$ and jogging for relaxation. /he truth i that &*g$
9"+e "&pe "+$" '(%#)es 0e)"$"*'s; s $ ,*!0 *, H')#s0, and i the mot common way that 2ew 'ger enter into
'9,. )n fact, 8ebter; Aictionary 9ibrary give thi definition:
0Y*g$ s $ s&s"e0 *, H')# p+%*s*p+&3 s"!(" sp!"#$% )s(p%'e3 p!$("(e) "* g$' (*'"!*% *.e! "+e ,*!(es *, *'e:s
*w' /e'g "* g$' OCCULT 8OWERS3 /#" (+e,%& "* $""$' #'*' w"+ "+e De"& *! "+e U'.e!s$% Sp!"-0
)n Leating; boo*, Invitation to Love, p D"# he pea* of 0E'e!g& Ce'"e!s,0 common 2ew 'ge language. 2ew 'ger believe
that the body ha even energy center called ,ha*ra. F!- 8e'''g"*' !e,e!s "* e'e!ges ,%*w'g up and down the pinal
ytem in hi boo*, Awake in the Spirit, p.H7. 'ctre S+!%e& M$(L$'e ma*e a imilar tatement in her boo*, 1oing
8ithin, p.6?. .he alo decribe the energy in the pinal column when he it with her bac* traight.
%en*ovic ay, 0-induim teache at the bae of the pine i a triangle which lie in the <=#')$%' S+$2"< 9Se!pe'"
8*we!;. )t i uually dormant, but when it i awa*ened, it travel up the pine to the top of the head, paing through ix
pychic center called ;cha*ra;. ' it pae through a cha*ra, one receive pychic experience and power. 8hen it
reache the top cha*ra, uppoedly, the power to perform miracle and liberation i reali@ed.02>
R$%p+ R$"+ ay in hi boo*, &antra, 0)n a forward to the boo*, unda!ini Energ" and #hristian Spiritua!it" by +hilip .t.
:omain, =e$"'g ($%%s 2#')$%' <$' e'*!0*#s e'e!g& ,*! g**)< and doe not point out that #'(*'"!*%%e) 2#')$%'
($' 2%% *! )!.e $ pe!s*' 0$) *! "+$" s*0e (#%"s #se 2#')$%' ' $ e4"!e0e%& )e/$se) w$&-022 -e doe not how
dicernment here, ince all piritual power come from =either> the -oly .pirit or the Bvil Gne.
=e$"'g $') 8e'''g"*' +$.e $%s* e'"+#s$s"($%%& e')*!se) "+e /**2, Meditations on the Tarot, a Journey into
Christian Hermeticism, on the jac*et cover. 3/he tarot i a form of divination, which i forbidden in Aeuteronomy DK.4
'ccording to (r. (inbarr (lanagan, 0&editation on the /arot i a mix of occult, theoophical, alchemical, eoteric,
atrological and reincarnational idea tirred together with 7udaim, ,hritianity, )lam, and .ufim in a manner reminicent
of the wor* of ,.1. 7ung.023

Is "+e G*$% *, C8 "* F') "+e T!#e Se%,7
Fe. 'll through their boo*, Leating and +ennington tal* about finding the /rue .elf, finding out who we really are.
8hat exactly i the /rue .elf? (r. Leating tate, 01od and our true .elf are not eparate. /hough we are not 1od, 1od and
our true .elf are the ame thing.02A .ince the /rue .elf i decribed by them a the human oul, how can it be the ame a
1od 'lmighty? /he oul i created by 1od. (r. +ennington preent the ame idea in hi boo*, 'wa*e in the .pirit, where he
pea* of our 0proce of deification0 on p. KD. /he concept of the /rue .elf originate in -induim. 'ccording to %en*ovic,
the -indu believe the following: 0/he elf i none other than %raham or god . . . /he true elf i 1od. /he 0)0 which )
conider myelf to be i in reality the not$elf. /hi 0not$elf0 i caught in a world of illuion, ignorance and bondage. Fou
mut loe your peronal ego$concioune into god. Fou mut ay ) am %raham.;2B
&ac9aine preent the ame idea in her boo* 1oing 8ithin, p.K6, calling it the -igher .elf. .he alo claim that the oul i
1od. T+e!e,*!e3 "+e H')#s3 M$(L$'e $') =e$"'g $%% (%$0 "+$" "+e T!#e Se%, 9+#0$' s*#%; s g*)-
' ,atholic and ,hritian, we *now that there i no truth in thi tatement. 8e *now that the oul i created by 1od, i
inferior to 1od and i tainted with in. 8e *now it will come before 1od on 7udgment Aay.
D) "+e V$"($' Re%e$se $ D*(#0e'" *' "+e New Age7
Fe. /he 5atican recently releaed the document called 07eu ,hrit, the %earer of the 8ater of 9ife: ' ,hritian :eflection
on the 2ew 'ge.0 I" spe(,($%%& )e'",es "+e ,*%%*w'g $s New Age: He' B#))+s03 H')#s03 Y*g$3 E''e$g!$03
W(($3 "+e Hg+e! Se%,3 "+e T!#e Se%,3 ALCs3 "+e <g*) w"+'3< $') T!$'s(e')e'"$% Me)"$"*'-
&any of thee belief or practice have made their way into retreat center, wor*hop, or parih program. 1ood ,atholic
attend thee event truting them to be good ,atholic program. -owever, the 5atican document tate that thee new age
belief and practice cannot be accepted by thoe who are faithful to ,hrit and hi ,hurch. /he document alo named
ome of the writer who had the mot influence on 2ew 'ger. /hey were ,arl 7ung, /eilhard de ,hardin, and /homa
&erton.
D*es F!- =e$"'g Ms5#*"e s*0e I0p*!"$'" S(!p"#!es7
Yes- =e$"'g 5#*"es 6es#s $s s$&'g ' M$!2 F:3A3 <U'%ess &*# )e'& &*#! '0*s" se%, $') "$2e #p "+e (!*ss3 &*#
($''*" /e 0& )s(p%e-< He $))s $ w*!) 9'0*s"; "+$" s '*" "+e!e-
T+e' +e s$&s3 *' p->B *, Ope' M')3 Ope' He$!"3 <De'$% *, *#! '0*s" se%, '(%#)es )e"$(+0e'" ,!*0 "+e +$/"#$%
,#'("*''g *, *#! '"e%%e(" $') w%%3 w+(+ $!e *#! '0*s" ,$(#%"es-< T+e 0e$''g *, "+s s(!p"#!e s "* ($!!& *#!
(!*sses $') )e'& *#!se%.es- I" +$s '*"+'g "* )* w"+ 0')-e0p"&'g-
=e$"'g $%s* $))s "w* 'ew se'"e'(es "* L#2e >0:20 ' Invitation to Love3 p- >2G- He 5#*"es 6es#s $s s$&'g3 <D* '*"
ge" e4("e) $/*#" "+$" 2') *, s#((ess- A'&/*)& ($' w*!2 0!$(%es w"+ $ %""%e ps&(+( e'e!g& $') "+e ).'e
$sss"$'(e- W+$" &*# s+*#%) !eI*(e *.e! s "+$" &*#! '$0es $!e w!""e' ' +e$.e'-< T+ese ,!s" "w* se'"e'(es )*
'*" e4s"J $') 6es#s w*#%) 'e.e! s#gges" "+e #se *, ps&(+( e'e!g&-
D*es F!- =e$"'g G.e $ S"!$'ge De,'"*' *, "+e E#(+$!s"7
Fe. )n Open Mind, Open Heart, he ay, on p.D"K, 0/he Bucharit i the celebration of life: the coming together of all the
material element of the como, their emergence to concioune in human peron and the tranformation of human
concioune into Aivine concioune. )t i the manifetation of the Aivine in and through the ,hritian community. 8e
receive the Bucharit in order to become the Bucharit.0
' we *now, the Bucharit in not compoed of all of the element of the univere. /he 2ew 'ger believe that all i one and
all i god. )n our ,atholic faith, the Bucharit i the body, blood, oul and divinity of our 9ord, 7eu ,hrit, and the greatet
of the acrament. 8e need to reflect on -ebrew D6: H: 0Ao not be carried away by all *ind of trange teaching.0
S#00$!&
D4 ,hritian prayer alway involve the mind and the heart. Bven in preparation for contemplation, .t. /erea of 'vila advie
people to meditate or 0thin* about0 the .orrowful myterie.
"4 &ind$emptying techniEue are not ,hritian prayer, but rather practice of -indu, Nen %uddhit, and 2ew 'ger. /he
+ope ay thi type of prayer 0ma*e no ene in ,hritianity.0
64 /here are danger involved in going into altered level of concioune.
?4 /he /rue .elf i not 1od. /he human oul i inferior to 1od. )t i eparate from 1od becaue it i tained with in, and it i
created by 1od himelf.
#4 )nvolvement in the occult practice lited in Aeuteronomy DK i grave in.
64 -induim, Nen %uddhim and 2ew 'ge do not mix with ,atholicim. /hee ancient religion contain grave error, and their
belief are contrary to the ,atholic faith.
)n cloing, ) would li*e to ay that ) would not recommend boo* written by (r. /homa Leating or (r. %ail +ennington. /hey
have demontrated a lac* of dicernment, and therefore are not reliable ource of information for piritual growth. 'lo,
ome reader are unaware that they are being expoed to -induim through thee boo*. ) agree with the +ope when he
aid thi type of prayer 0ma*e no ene in ,hritianity.0 ' ,hritian, we are not to practice non$,hritian religion or mix
them in with our 3yncretim4. 8hen we practice yncretim, the line between truth and error become blurred. /he
pleaant experience that reult from thee techniEue can gradually tart to replace the acrament, and a peron can loe
ight of 1od a ,reator and .avior.
/he 9ord love the -indu, %uddhit, 7ew, &ulim, and all people. -owever, he want u, a ,hritian, to loo* for
opportunitie to bring them to the /rue (aith. )f we want to 0center,0 we can center our live on 7eu ,hrit. )f we want to
pray, we can thin* about him during our prayer time. 8e can meditate on the +aion, practice virtue, and a* him to ta*e
u up into authentic contemplation one day if he o deire. 8e can remind other that 7eu i the
8ay, the /ruth, and the 9ife.
E') N*"es
D /homa Leating, Gpen &ind, Gpen -eart, 3'mity, 2.F.: 'mity -oue, DHK64, p.H7.
" &itch +acwa, ,atholic and the 2ew 'ge, 3'nn 'rbor, &): .ervant +ublication, DHH"4 p. D?.
6 (inbarr (lanagan, 0,entering +rayer: /rancendental &editation for the ,hritian &ar*et: 3(aith and :enewal, &ay/7une,
DHHD4 p. ", Euoting from %ail +ennington, Aaily 8e /ouch -im, 31arden ,ity, 2.F.: Aoubleday, DH77, p.6K.
? )bid., p. ", Euoting from /homa Leating, (inding 1race at the ,enter, 3&a: .t. %ede; +ublication, DH7K, p."!.
# )bid., p. " Euoting from %ail +ennington, ,entering +rayer, 31arden ,ity, 2.F.: Aoubleday )mage %oo*4 p."6?.
6 /homa Leating, Gpen &ind, Gpen -eart, p.DD?.
7 )bid., p. 6#.
K 7ohnnette %en*ovic, /he 2ew 'ge ,ounterfeit, p. "6$"?, Euoting from /he 9ife from the ,ollected 8or* of .t. /erea,
5ol. D, 8ahington +rovince of Aicalced ,armelite, p.DH76.
H +eter /homa :ohrbach, ,onveration with ,hrit, by .t. /erea of 'vila 3:oc*ford, )9: /an +ublihing ,o.4 p.7K, Euoting
.t. /erea of 'vila, )nterior &anion, +. ). i.
D! ,ardinal 7oeph :at@inger, 9etter to the %ihop of the ,atholic ,hurch on .ome 'pect of ,hritian &editation, Gct.
D#, DHKH 3/ext from Bnglih verion publihed by .t. +aul %oo* and &edia, #! .t. +aul; 've., %oton, &' !"D6!4 p.6?.
DD )bid, p. D6.
D" 'utin +. (lannery, Bditor, Aocument of 5atican )), 0Aeclaration on the :elation of the ,hurch to 2on$,hritian
:eligion0 31rand :apid, &ichigan: 8illiam %. Berdman +ublihing ,o., DHK!4 p.767.
D6 /homa Leating, Gpen &ind, Gpen -eart, p. #D.
D? )bid., p. 76$7?.
D# (inbarr (lanagan, 0,entering +rayer: /rancendental &editation for the ,hritian &ar*et0, p. ".
D6 ,ardinal 7oeph :at@inger, 9etter to the %ihop of the ,atholic ,hurch on .ome 'pect of &editation, p. "K$"H.
D7 1abriele 'morth, 'n Bxorcit /ell -i .tory, 3.an (rancico, ,'.: )gnatiu +re4, DHHH.
DK ,hri 2oble, 0,hritian ,ontemplation and ,entering +rayer0, -omiletic and +atoral :eview, &arch DHH?, p. "#, Euoting,
0,ontemplative +rayer0, I. .. ,atholic, &arch, DHKH, p.D!.
DH /homa Leating, )nvitation to 9ove, 32ew For*, 2F: /he ,ontinuum +ublihing ,o., "!!"4 p.D!".
"! /homa Leating, Gpen &ind, Gpen -eart, p.?H.
"D 7ohnnette %en*ovic, /he 2ew 'ge ,ounterfeit, p.DD.
"" :alph :ath, &antra, 3.outh %end, )2: +eter +ublication, DHH64 p. "#.
"6 (inbarr (lanagan, 0,entering +rayer: /rancendental &editation for the ,hritian &ar*et0, p. #.
"? /homa Leating, Gpen &ind, Gpen -eart, p. D"7.
"# 7ohnnette %en*ovic, /he 2ew 'ge ,ounterfeit, p. D!$DD.
Centering Prayer and the Vatican
http://annefeater.accountupport.com/itebuildercontent/itebuilderfile/centeringprayerandthevatican.pdf
%y &argaret 'nne (eater
/he Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e! M*.e0e'" i very popular in retreat center and parih program. -owever, after a cloer loo*, many
people have dicovered it to be a -indu type of prayer rather than ,hritian. 3.ee my article 0' ,loer 9oo* at ,entering
+rayer04
W+$" )*es "+e V$"($' )*(#0e'" s$& $/*#" Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e!7
/he 5atican recently releaed a document expoing the 2ew 'ge and it danger. )t i called $%esus #hrist, the &earer o'
the (ater o' Li'e) A #hristian *e'!e+tion on the ,ew Age-. /hi 6"$page document decribe 2ew 'ge pirituality and how it
differ from the ,hritian faith. )t lit mot 2ew 'ge practice and belief.
)t doe not mention the term ,entering +rayer anywhere in the document. )t doe, however, e4p*se "+e ,*#! 0$I*! /e%e,s
*! p!$("(es *, Ce'"e!'g 8!$&e! $s /e'g New Age- /hee are: 0$'"!$s 3acred word4, $%"e!e) %e.e%s *,
(*'s(*#s'ess, T!$'s(e')e'"$% Me)"$"*' 3which i almot identical to ,entering +rayer4 $') "+e /e%e, ' "+e T!#e Se%,
3-igher .elf4.
F!- T+*0$s =e$"'g, the founder of the ,entering +rayer &ovement, ha written a number of boo* on ,entering +rayer.
F!- B$s% 8e'''g"*' ha alo written many boo* on the ubject. 'ccording to (r. 7ohn A. AreherO article, 0/he Aanger of
,entering +rayer0, =e$"'g %e$!'e) p!$&e! "e(+'5#es ,!*0 B#))+s"s $') H')#s ' $' e,,*!" "* C+!s"$'1e TM-
'ccording to the article, Leating had a*ed the mon*, 0,ould we put the ,hritian tradition into a form that would be
acceible to peoplePwho have been intructed in an Batern techniEue and might be inpired to return to their ,hritian
root if they *new there wa omething imilar in the ,hritian tradition0 3Intima+" with /od, p- 012- (r. W%%$0 Me''ge!
=ic> and &. %ail +ennington too* up the challenge, and ,entering +rayer i the reult.
,entering prayer originated in .t. 7oephO 'bbey, a /rappit monatery in .pencer, &aachuett. Auring the twenty year
3DH6D Q DHKD4 when Leating wa abbot, .t. 7oephO held dialogue with %uddhit and -indu repreentative, and a Nen
mater gave a wee*$long retreat to the mon*. ' former /rappit mon* who had become a /rancendental &editation
teacher alo gave a eion to the mon*.
,+ i almot identical to /&. /he only difference i that in ,+ the acred word i uually love, peace, or 7eu. )n /&, the
mantra or acred word call on a -indu god. %oth ,+ and /& ue a "! minute meditation. %oth ,+ and /& ue a mantra to
erae all thought and feeling. %oth ,+ and /& teach that in thi meditation you pic* up vibration. %oth ,+ and /& claim
that thi meditation will give you more peace and le tenion. %oth ,+ and /& teach you how to reach a mental void or
altered level of concioune. %oth ,+ and /& have the common goal of finding your god$center. )n the boo* written by
Leating and +ennington, they both teach the reader to ue a acred word, or mantra to achieve mind emptying in order to go
into pure concioune 3which i an altered tate4 to find the /rue .elf. 32ew 'ger believe the /rue .elf, the human oul, i
the ame a 1od4 Leating ma*e a imilar tatement in hi boo*, Open Mind, Open Heart, p- 034, where he tate, 01od
and our true .elf are not eparate. /hough we are not 1od, 1od and our true .elf are the ame thing.0 /hi tatement
repreent the baic belief of all 2ew 'ger and i clearly contrary to the ,hritian faithR Gur oul wa created by 1od. )t i
not 1od -imelfR
/he techniEue ued in both ,entering +rayer and in /rancendental &editation, are ued to empty the mind of all thought
and feeling. Leating ay in hi boo*, Open Mind, Open Heart, p-54, $'ll thought pa if you wait long enough-. Gn p. 6#,
Leating ay, 0/he method conit of letting go of every thought during the time of prayer, even the mot devout thought.0
.ince 2ew 'ge belief are contrary to the ,hritian faith, the document tate, 0)t i therefore neceary to accurately identify
thoe element which belong to the 2ew 'ge &ovement, and which ,'22G/ %B ',,B+/BA by thoe who are faithful to
,hrit and -i ,hurch.0 3<?4
W+$" )) 8*pe 6*+' 8$#% II +$.e "* s$& $/*#" "+s "&pe *, p!$&e!7
8hen +ope %enedict S5) wa ,ardinal :at@inger, he wrote the Letter to the &ishops o' the #atho!i+ #hur+h on Some
Aspe+ts o' #hristian Meditation-
Gn p. 6?, footnote D", he write 0+ope 7ohn +aul )) ha pointed out to the whole ,hurch the example and doctrine of .t.
/erea of 'vila who in her life had to reject the temptation of certain method which propoed a leaving aide of the
humanity of ,hrit in favor of a vague elf$immerion in the aby of divinity.0 )n a homily given on 2ovember D, DHK", he
aid that the call of .t. /erea of 7eu advocating a prayer completely centered on ,hrit 0i valid even in our day, againt
ome method of prayer which are not inpired by the gopel and which in practice tend to et aide ,hrit in preference for
a mental void which ma*e no ene in ,hritianity. 'ny method of prayer i valid inofar a it i inpired by ,hrit and lead
to ,hrit who i the 8ay, the /ruth, and the 9ife0 =3cf. 7ohn D?: 64. .ee Homi!ia A6u!ae ha6ita in honorem San+tae Teresiae)
''. 7# 3DHK64 "#6$"#7>
W+$" e%se )) C$!)'$% R$"1'ge! s$& $/*#" 0')-e0p"&'g p!$&e!7
)n the ame document, ,ardinal :at@inger tate, 08ith the preent diffuion of Batern method of meditation in the
,hritian world and in eccleial communitie, we find ourelve faced with a pointed renewal of attempt, which i not free
from danger and error, to fue ,hritian meditation with that which i non$,hritian.0 -e goe on to ay, 0.till other do not
heitate to place that abolute without image or concept, which i proper to %uddhit theory on the ame level a the
majety of 1od revealed in ,hrit.0 -e ay they abandon the /riune 1od, 0in favor of an immerion in the indeterminate
aby of the divinity.0 /hen he ay mixing ,hritian meditation with Batern techniEue can lead to yncretim 3the mixing
of religion4.
W+$" w$!''gs )*es F!- ?G$/!e%e@ A0*!"+3 "+e V$"($' e4*!(s" g.e #s *' C87
(r. 'morth, tate that 0Y*g$3 He'3 $') TM $!e #'$((ep"$/%e "* C+!s"$'s. Gften thee apparently innocent practice can
bring about hallucination and chi@ophrenic condition.0 3,entering prayer and /rancendental &editation are almot
identical, o thi warning would apply to both ,+ and /&4
W+$" )*es "+e C$"e(+s0 +$.e "* s$& $/*#" "+s "&pe *, p!$&e!7
/he #ate+hism o' the #atho!i+ #hur+h refer to mind$emptying prayer a 0erroneou0. )n ection <"7"6, it decribe
0erroneou notion of prayer.0 )t then lit different type of prayer that fall into that category. )t tate, 0.ome people view
prayer a a imply pychological activity, other a an effort of concentration to reach a mental void.0
W+$" )*es S"- Te!es$ *, A.%$ s$& $/*#" (*'"e0p%$"*'7
.he aid that contemplation i a gift from 1od, and no techniEue can ma*e it happen. .he ay it i uually given to people
who have a deep prayer life and are practicing many virtue, although 1od can give it to anyone he chooe. .he repeatedly
init that contemplation i divinely produced. .he aid that entering into the prayer of Euiet or that of union whenever he
wanted it 0wa out of the Euetion.0 .he alo aid in her boo*, Interior Mansion, 0(or it to be prayer at all, the mind mut ta*e
a part in it.0 Gur +ope, when he wa ,ardinal, Euote .t. /erea in hi boo*let, Letter to &ishops o' the #atho!i+ #hur+h on
Some Aspe+ts o' #hristian Meditation on p. 6?. .he aid 0the very care not to thin* about anything will aroue the mind a
great deal0, and that the eparation of the mytery of ,hrit from ,hritian meditation i alway a form of ;betrayal;. .t.
/erea advied her nun to meditate or thin* about the +aion of ,hrit a a preparation for contemplation.
/he ,atechim decribe contemplation a 0a ga@e of faith, fixed on 7eu0 3<"7D#4. /he focu i 7eu and the heart i
involved.
)n ummary, the 5atican document on 2ew 'ge, +ope %enedict S5) a ,ardinal :at@inger, +ope 7ohn +aul )), .t. /erea of
'vila, the ,atechim, and (r. 'morth give warning about mind$emptying prayer. 8e mut remember that prayer i a
dialogue with 1od. ' peron wanting to reach contemplation begin with normal prayer, or they may remain ilent with a
loving ga@e toward 1od. /hen if 1od o chooe, he may ta*e that peron up into ectay or ome upernatural tate. /hen
and only then would their normal facultie 3ability to thin*4 be upendedR )t would be a gift from 1odR
Oprah and the New Age
http://annefeater.accountupport.com/itebuildercontent/itebuilderfile/Gprah'nd/he2ew'ge.pdf
%y &argaret 'nne (eater
Op!$+ W',!e&, the Tueen of /al* .how, i conidered by many to be the worldO mot influential womanC and her how
reache million. O.e! "+e &e$!s3 s+e +$s +*s"e) !ep!ese'"$".es *, "+e New Age "+'2'g s#(+ $s W$&'e D&e!3
M$!$''e W%%$0s*'3 B$!/$!$ DeA'ge%s3 L$V$! B#!"*'3 R(+$!) C$!%s*'3 Be""& E$)e3 $') *"+e!s- S+e +$s '*w
/e(*0e "+e K> p!*0*"e! *, "+e New Age M*.e0e'"- /hoe educed into 2ew 'ge thin*ing believe that we are all god,
that we are all ,hrit, and that we have power within u to change our reality.
Op!$+ 8!*0*"es A C*#!se ' M!$(%es )n 7anuary, "!!K, he began offering a year long coure on the 2ew 'ge teaching
of A Course in Miracles on her S& .atellite radio program. 9eon from the #ourse are alo on her webite. /he #ourse
i uppoed to be a new revelation from 7eu, and it i dangerouly deceptive. )n lH6#, thi 0new 7eu0 began delivering
thee 0new teaching0 to a profeor of medical pychology by the name of He%e' S(+#(0$'.
'n 0inner voice0 decribed a 07eu0 began dictating to her and did o for even year. /hee writing were publihed in
DH7# by the (oundation for )nner +eace. 't the beginning, the #ourse wa read and tudied by motly 2ew 'ger. )t then
pread to other group, including ,atholic circle. 9ater the 2ew 'ge leader &arianne 8illiamon, enamored by the
#ourse, wrote A *eturn to Love) *e'!e+tions o' the 7rin+ip!es o' A #ourse in Mira+!e, which became one of GprahO favorite
boo*.
/here are many problem with the meage in the #ourse- (irt of all, thi new 7eu bear no doctrinal reemblance to the
7eu in the %ible. /he meage contradict the .cripture and the baic tenet of ,hritianity. &oria =ic> 2oonan, former
2ew 'ge teacher and pychic, tate 0/he #ourse aim at radically tranforming the fundamental mind$et of ,hritian
value ytem. )t call for a ;re$education; and to learn thi #ourse reEuire willingne to Euetion every value that you hold.0
)n fact, /he #ourse 8or*boo* actually tate, 0/hi i a coure in mind training and i dedicated to thought reveral.0
-ere are ome Euote from thi 0new0 7eu in the #ourse)
/here i no inP
U' 0lain ,hrit ha no meaning0.
/he journey to the cro hould be the lat uele journey.
Ao not ma*e the pathetic error of clinging to the old rugged cro.
/he 2ame of 7eu ,hrit a uch i but a ymbolP)t i a ymbol that i afely ued a a replacement for the many
name of all the god to which you pray.
1od i in everything that ) ee.
/he recognition of 1od i the recognition of yourelf.
/he onene of the ,reator and the creation i your wholene, your anity and your limitle power.
/he 'tonement i the final leon he 3man4 need learn, for it teache him that, never having inned, he ha no need of
alvation.
3.ee ,ombined 5olume 38or*boo*4 p.DK6. /ext, p.?"# and p. #". /eacher &anual, p. #K. 38or*boo*4 p. ?#. /ext p. D?7,
D"#, "67.4
/here are many pator and miniter giving warning about thee writing. 'mong them are (r. &itch +acwa and (r.
%enedict 1roechel from B8/2 ,atholic 2etwor*, who are Euoted in /racey &oranO article, 0/he /ruth 'bout A #ourse in
Mira+!es-.
(r. &itch +acwa, author of #atho!i+s and the ,ew Age aid 0the ,oure repeatedly miEuote the %ible and preent a fale
7eu.0 'nd he aid that thi 7eu 0doe not li*e the ,rucifixion. Gne of the thing aid repeatedly and forcefully in the
,oure i that acrifice ha nothing to do with love Q they are incompatible.0 +acwa aid, 0/he ;7eu; of A #ourse in
Mira+!es i not really the .on of 1od, never really had a phyical body, and hence never really uffered on the cro.0
(r. 1roechel tate 0the #ourse i centered on a .on of 1od who at time eem to be the ,hrit of orthodox ,hritianity
and ometime an avatar of an Batern religion.0 -e alo aid there wa a lot of upicion about the #ourse among the
clergy and :eligiou. /he author of the article, &oran, goe on to ay 0'nd upicion eem warranted, conidering that the
coure denie the exitence of uffering and in, claim the -oly .piritO main purpoe i to heal peopleO unconciou
thought, and reinterpret the word ;miracle; into pychological term.0 3(rom 0/he /ruth 'bout ' ,oure in &iracle0 by
/racy &oran of Our Sunda" 8isitor, 7une ", DHH64 (or more info on the #ourse, you can order a ,A titled 0Aicernment$
&ore on the Gccult and 2ew 'ge0 <!7D" or a ,A titled 0/he Gccult and 2ew 'ge0 <!7!# by &oira 2oonan. Grder from
'ardvar* +roduction 7?!$"K?$!HD?.
Op!$+ 8!*0*"es "+e B**23 A New Earth
Gprah alo want her follower to 01et ready to be awa*enedR0 /hi i the *ey meage of the boo*, A ,ew Earth, written by
GprahO 2ew 'ge friend, Bc*ert =ic> T*%%e. /hi boo* preent the idea that the world i at a crii point and we mut
0piritually evolve0 a a pecie to avoid diater. .piritually evolving mean 0hifting0 or converting to the heretical belief that
we are all 01od0 and that we are all 0,hrit.0 /hi boo* uppoedly help u reach thi goal. )n fact, E(2+$!" claim on p. 6$
7, that a you read hi boo* 0a hift ta*e place within you.0 -e pea* of a 0hift in concioune.0
)n hi other boo*, The 7ower o' You, he tate on p. D!?, 0,hrit i your 1od$eence or the .elf.0 T+ese $!e "&p($% New
Age "e$(+'gs $') $!e (%e$!%& '(*0p$"/%e w"+ "+e C+!s"$' ,$"+-
' we all *now, we are created by 1odC we are inful and will be judged by -im. /he .elf and 1od are certainly not the
ameR 8e are not ,hrit and we never will beR
)n &atthew "?, 7eu tate, 0(or many will come in my name and ay ;) am the ,hrit; and deceive many.0
.adly, it eem that Gprah ha truly been deceived. .he tate, 07eu came to how u ,hritconciouneP
.he alo aid 0) donOt believe that 7eu came to tart ,hritianity.0 .he alo indicated that there are many name that one
might give to that which he call 01od0 including 0energy0 0concioune0 and 0life0. .he contrated what he called the
0old0 pirituality v. the 0new0 pirituality, a epoued by Bc*hart. 0/he old way i the hierarchy that ha authority. ,hurch
authoritie tell you how to worhip in church and how to behave outide of church. /he new pirituality i that you are your
own bet authority a you wor* to *now and love yourelf, you dicover how to live a more piritual life.0 3.ee the article 0/he
8orldO ;&ot Aangerou; .piritual 1uru: Gprah %egin D!$8ee* Gnline 2ew 'ge ,la0 by 7ohn 7alevac on
9ife.ite2ew.com4
&any pator have challenged thi type of thin*ing, reminding people that we are not in control of our own live. 7alevac
goe on to Euote +ator 7ame ' .mith .r. when he ay 08hat thi fail to ac*nowledge i that man doe not define realityC
man doe not determine what truth iP
/he ource of truth for our deciion and power i the one true 1od of all reality and -e ha communicated plenary
propoitional truth to u in the %ible and remar*ably, uniEuely in -i incarnation in 7eu ,hrit.0
7alevac then Euote ,huc* 2orri:
08orld2etAaily columnit ,huc* 2orri wrote about Gprah and The ,ew Earth. /he reaon /olleO pychology and
pirituality i mar*eted o eay i that it i an eclectic mix of conventional and unconventional widom, and 8etern and
Batern belief, preented in a tolerant, non$threatening, and nonectarian way. )n other word, itO :eligion 9ight, in which
one can be piritual with little down and no credit.0 2orri recommended that hi reader imply it down and read a %ible.
8ith thi type of pirituality, people feel free to *eep inning and ma*e no change in their live. )t i a 0feel good0 pirituality
with no rule whatoever. +erhap thi i the reaon why 2ew 'ge appeal to o many people. Gther who fall into thee
trap may imply lac* dicernment, becaue thee boo* and program often promote love and forgivene. +eople forget
that the %ible, the 8ord of 1od, alo emphai@e love and forgivene but preent truth a well a guideline on how to live
and how to attain eternal lifeR
W+$" ($' we )*7
)t i important to be *nowledgeable on the ,hritian (aith, to read 1odO 8ord every day, to have a conitent prayer life,
and invite the 9ord 7eu into your heart to dicover that peronal relationhip with -im. 8e mut alo remember that .atan
wa once the angel 9ucifer and i a highly intelligent being. -e *now how to deceive u and to turn u away from the truth.
/o help other, we can pray for thoe who have litened to the Bvil Gne and fallen into 2ew 'ge trap. 8e can all pray very
hard for Gprah to be able to recogni@e the lie of the 2ew 'ge and turn bac* to her ,hritian (aith. 8e can alo hare
information on 2ew 'ge to our friend and relative to help them become more informed.
8e mut *eep in mind the following cripture from " /imothy ?:6 0(or the time will come when people will not tolerate ound
doctrine but, following their own deire and inatiable curioity, will accumulate teacher and will top litening to the truth
and will be diverted to myth.0
Mrs- Margaret A- Feaster is a housewi'e and mother o' three +hi!dren- She and her hus6and !ive in Li!6urn, /a- She is on the
!eadership +ommittee 'or the #atho!i+ #harismati+ *enewa! in At!anta, and is in 'ormation 'or the 9is+a!+ed #arme!ite
Se+u!ar Order- She 6e!ongs to a *osar" #ena+!e, and heads up the parish te!ephone pra"er !ine- She is a!so a writer 'or her
parish news!etter- This is her 'irst arti+!e 'or H7*-
&argaret 'nne (eater, wordoflightandtruth.org, .word of 9ight J /ruth &initrie, )nc. 6KKH 5alley +ar* Ar. 9ilburn, 1a.
6!!?7, call 77!$H"D$D66?
MAY 20>2