New Age

Hi Seanfrancis,
I have attended two of Johnette Benkovic's retreats, and at one time was considering getting The New Age Counterfeit. Thanks for reminding me!

As for the information at the Vatican link I provided, I have already found some terms that I honestly do not understand. Still, it gives me a strong sense of how pervasive the New Age movement really is. For those who might still be interested in the reading what I found at the http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/po...ew-age_en.html. link, I can say at this point that it is very apologetic in tone. There are a few sentences here and there that clearly state key differences between New Age doctrines and Christian ones. If for no other reason, I still recommend the link for those who want to better understand the human motivations, shared by Christians also, that attract so many to the New Age movement.

Hi ERLIS, You might be interested in a book by Johnnette Benkovic, called The New Age Counterfeit. This is the perfect book to start your 'new age' learning experience.

Hello - I'm new to this group (and to Catholic.com). As a young teenager, I was exposed to some New Age/Occult practices which I quickly abandoned (partly due to parental influence, and partly due to conscience). At other points in my life, I have encountered people heavily influenced by New Age thinking. But I have never taken upon myself to become highly educated in this subject.

Turns out the New Age movement is very strong. I'm beginning to catch up with the latest on this movement by reading a Vatican online publication on this subject at the following link: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/po...ew-age_en.html. Hope some of you will join me in this and have some comments to share.

Hi DavidMark,

I noticed in your profile you liked Lord of the Rings. Did you know that Tolkien the creator of that book was a faithful Catholic and his book was immersed in Catholic allegory/ symbolism/ theology?

Pax,
StellaMaris3

LemonAndLime.... I know what you are saying. I found (or find) things like that very interesting because I love to learn. I talked to my priest a few weeks and he said what I am really wanting is KNOWLEDGE........ and the important thing is to seek knowledge about GOOD things rather than EVIL things. That kind of made sense to me and since then I have been trying to make a strong effort to learn more about my faith...... 'Cause this is really interesting, too!! I am learning that being Catholic is MUCH more than just going to church on Sundays. Because I think that is the trap that a lot of cradle Catholics fall into. Anyway, I am just saying that I know exactly what you are talking about!!! Is there a lot of paganism in Britian now?

I managed to get rid of all of my pagan books... I gave them to my sister. I feel awful about it now, but I was still going through RCIA at the time and she was interested in the new age movement (teenager, just like I was at that age) so I let her have them instead of throwing them, while telling her that it is a load of nonsense based on nothing.

I do find the new age/pagan movement interesting, but not appealing if that makes sense. I love my Catholic faith too much to consider "converting" to paganism. I suppose I only find it interesting for its links with ancient history, particularly in my country - Britain.

I'm still fairly new to CAF. I am a cradle Catholic. Although I never stopped being Catholic, I did get into the New Age thing for a few years. It is scary when I think about how close that is to the occult. I have been in the process of getting rid of my New Age books and Tarot card decks. I am feeling better about it already.

Hi I am new to this group. I am from India and my husband's family ( almost entirely) are into New Age. We are all basically Catholic. They still go to Church every Sun and worship this guru. They refuse to discuss anything against New Age. I find it very difficult discussing Jesus with Christians! Let alone warning them about the dangers of New Age.

hi im new to the group...talking of new age...i have noticed the catholic goods store in my town has started selling new age stuff amongst the catholic stuff...at first glance these books look really innocent until you flick through them and realise...

Up until about a 2 or 3 weeks ago, I was involved in a New Thought "church" or cult called Unity. It drug me away from Catholicism with weird teachings. They don't believe in the Trinity, they believe in a lot of New Age type of stuff. They call their system of belief a "New Thought" system of belief. They also use a lot of things like meditation and self-affirmations in their cult. I have since left that cult and have gone to Confession. I will not be drug back into that mess again.