Evolution and the New Age
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
Back in the 1960s, the "Age of Aquarius" was supposedly dawning, and everything would be peace, love, and grooviness, man. People were investigating Eastern spiritualism, using recreational drugs, having casual sex, rebelling against "the establishment", and more. In later years, these attitudes, beliefs, and actions were somewhat unified under what became called the New Age. (Ironically, those who rebelled against the establishment have become the establishment themselves, but never mind about that now.) There is still an undercurrent in many New Age philosophies that include Eastern mysticism.
You may get a blank stare if you use the term New Age. It is less popular now, and some people prefer to call it new spirituality, but it is still the same. What practitioners do not realize is that there is not much "new" happening, it is actually a conglomeration of repackaged very old religious views. Some of the trimmings seem new. I don't rightly recollect an emphasis on meditation on crystals and minerals years ago, and I think that's fading away, as are some of the other fads.
The whole shootin' match is very loosely knit, and beliefs are buffet-style. Have a bit of meditation, smoke marijuana (which is far more THC now than in the flower child days) and use LSD for altered consciousness, Theosophy, reincarnation, quantum physics, UFOs, and maybe a dash of non-biblical Jesus on top for color, and more. People can add or remove beliefs like they do with browser extensions, and have no feelings of guilt. Some folks bypass the Westernized forms, and ride directly into the Eastern religions. If you study on it and look at the state of many Eastern countries, you can see that those religions do not give much benefit to those countries, so it's mighty foolish to import their "spirituality", wouldn't you think?
Some things may be considered or even labeled as New Age, but that is often through merchandising or misnaming. As I write this, I am listening to some quiet background music that is classified as New Age. (Some artists object to that classification, they just want to make their music.) I'm not into ocean sounds and whale songs, though. I'll allow that this music is often conducive to Yoga and meditation (but not always by any means), so New Agers snap it up for their purposes.
A dominant theme in New Age beliefs is relativism, which is the idea that there is no ultimate truth. (Presuppositional apologists can trip these people up when they say that all truths are equal, your truth and my truth. We tell them that Jesus is the only way to salvation, and they get all het up because their worldview is self-refuting.) This relativism is an extension of postmodernism.
Unfortunately, I have to saddle you with another specialized word: monism. That gets into some deep philosophy (the link will explain it for you), but basically, New Age things are pantheistic, or variations on it. Evolutionism fits in well with New Age philosophies, because it is actually an ancient pagan religion that goes back to the ancient Greeks and Hindus. Indeed, some owlhoots riding for the Darwin brand are incorporating animism into evolution and giving it the power to make decisions.
UFOs became a part of the New Age movement decades ago, but it became far more religious in intervening years. There are some downright nutty religions that mix UFOs and other New Age beliefs. Ever meet a space alien? (Don't laugh, many people sincerely believe they have done so, not realizing that they are demonic entities.) They tell people that they came from far away, maybe even "Ascended Masters", and are more highly evolved. Those nice fellas want us to leave behind the God of the Bible, and maybe replace the real Jesus with their version. Not this child! For more about UFOs, you may want to read "Alien Intrusion: Unmasking a Deception Video Review".
Atheists, leftists, New Agers, evolutionists shun logical thinking, although some claim to utilize it. Yes, the do: they corrupt reason for their own deceptive purposes. Catching logical fallacies is not difficult (see these links), nor is simply asking someone to give evidence for their assertions — this frequently causes rage. Keeping people on topic often puts a burr under respective saddles as well.
Evolution is a cornerstone of many false religions, including atheism, liberal Christianity, UFOs, New Age, and others. Just keep an eye out and you'll see what I mean. Do not be deceived! All of these seek to deny the God of the Bible and denigrate Jesus Christ, our Creator and Redeemer. I'd like to recommend a book chapter that is available online, "The New Age Movement (Pantheism and Monism)". It will take some time, but I think you'll find it helpful. For additional reading, although I linked to it earlier, another chapter in the series is about postmodernism.