Religions

Answer: The New Age movement is very broad and therefore not easily defined. It is a humanistic movement (that initially spread through occult communities in the 1970s and 80s) rather than a philosophy with a specific set of beliefs. Still, there are some general issues that seem to be consistent throughout.

The "New Age" referred to is the Aquarian Age where man is supposed to evolve spiritually. In this, the focus is very much on man rather than on God. Man is considered divine, inherently good and in need of reaching his potential internally.

Man is also to be in harmony with nature. This plays out as more than just being careful and responsible. It can actually be a form of spiritism. Nature is considered to be spiritual as well. Overall, this movement is characterized by moral relativism and universal tolerance. Each person is to find his or her own reality and, through tolerance, produce peace and love. Regrettably, about the only thing that is not tolerated is the true God.

New Age philosophy incorporates elements of pagan worship including Eastern mysticism, astrology, palm reading, crystal healing, pyramidology, Western European paganism (Wicca), Native American spiritism, pantheism and nature worship. It sometimes includes linking up with aliens in an intergalactic consciousness. Some forms do acknowledge a cosmic Christ—that Jesus was a yogi and that he was trying to show us all how to be "Christs" like him. Some New Age practices also include psychic powers like levitation and efforts to contact the spirits of the dead. There is an emphasis on the acquisition of mystical knowledge.

There are many dangers here. For one, the New Age worldview is unbiblical and false, leading people away from the truth of God. For another, the occult practices mentioned above are really dabbling with evil spirits. Demons pose as the spirits of the dead, and they are also the ones supplying the power behind occult supernatural acts, often at first unbeknownst to the occult practitioner.

Moreover, the New Age movement runs directly counter to God's instruction. Notice what God told the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land. He had given them His laws and made it clear how they were to live. The people of the land they were entering had their own religious practices. God's warning to Israel was: "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them [the native people], after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise'" (Deuteronomy 12:30).

He then told them: "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (verse 32). The same instruction applies to us today. We are not to engage in or adapt any of the religious practices of the peoples around us into our worship of God.

Answer: To answer your question, lets look at how Islam came to be. Quoting from the World Book Encyclopedia:

"Islam is the name given to the religion preached by the Prophet, Mohammed [also spelled Muhammad] in the A.D. 600s. Mohammed was an Arab who was born in Mecca about A.D. 570. He believed he had been sent to warn and guide his people and to call them to worship God (Allah). Mohammed preached that there is only one God and that he, Mohammed, was Gods messenger. Mohammed began preaching in Mecca about A.D. 610. He made slow progress at first. Most of the rich and powerful citizens scorned him and his preaching. His preaching angered and frightened the Meccans, and some of them even plotted to kill him.

"In 622, Mohammed fled to the city of Medina, where a group of people received and helped him. In 630, Mohammed and his followers returned to Mecca and occupied the city. They destroyed all the idols in the heathen temple, the Kaaba, and turned the area surrounding the Kaaba into a mosque (Moslem [Muslim] house of worship). The Meccans then accepted Islam and acknowledged Mohammed as a prophet. Mecca and Medina became the sacred cities of Islam.

"The companions of Mohammed preserved his revelations by memorizing them or writing them down during his lifetime. Moslem scholars believe Mohammed approved these teachings. Later, the materials were combined to form the holy book of the Moslems. It is called the Koran. Moslems consider the Koran the words of God Himself, spoken to Mohammed by an angel. Parts of the Koran resemble the Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Talmud. The Koran also has stories from the New Testament about Jesus Christ, whom it calls the Word of God.

"The Koran teaches the absolute unity and power of God, the creator of the whole universe. It also teaches that God is just and merciful, and wishes man to repent and purify himself while on earth so that he can attain Paradise after death. Therefore God sends prophets with sacred books to teach man his duty to God and his fellow man. The Moslems believe Mohammed was the last of the prophets. Jesus and the Old Testament prophets were his predecessors."
This just scratches the surface of the information that is available about Islam, but through reading the information above, you can see both similarities to and differences from what the Bible teaches.

Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet, but that He was only a human being and not the Son of God who has existed with God since the beginning (John 1:1-3, 14). They do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind, whose shed blood cleanses us before God and permits us to enter into a relationship with our Father in heaven. Islam also teaches that, since the Bible and the Koran disagree on many points, the Bible became corrupted and was superceded by the Koran.

Various religions possess bits and pieces of truth, as do both Islam and Judaism. But neither understands the role of Jesus Christ in our lives. The book of 1 John discusses the absolute necessity of Jesus Christs involvement in our worship of God.

Notice 1 John 2:21-23: "I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

If we accept the authority of the Bible as the Word of God, then by reading this passage we come to the conclusion that Islam, because it denies the divinity of Jesus Christ, cannot be of God. There are many other beliefs of Islam that contradict the Bible that you can find in your own studies. We encourage you to read the entire book of 1 John as well as our booklet titled Is the Bible True? Just go to www.ucg.org/booklets to request or download your free copy.