Program / Course 18: World Religions / Lesson 5.3
What you will learn
- Describe the Baha’i Faith, Wicca and modern Paganism, Scientology and the broad current called New Age or spiritual but not religious, in terms their members would accept.
- Identify what each movement claims about ultimate reality, revelation and salvation.
- Note the main Christian responses and the main points of public controversy.
- Apply the two questions of teaching and conduct to each, without prejudging.
The big idea
Beyond the movements with Christian roots lie many other modern groups. The Baha’i Faith teaches the unity of God, of religions and of humanity. Wicca and modern Paganism revive or reimagine nature centered worship. Scientology offers a path of spiritual self-knowledge through a system of counseling. A loose current of spirituality draws on many sources without joining any church. Each has its own claims, and some have drawn public controversy. A fair student describes them first, then tests their teaching and conduct.
Key terms
- Baha’i Faith
- A religion founded in the nineteenth century in Persia by Baha’u’llah, teaching one God, the unity of the world’s religions and the unity of humankind.
- Progressive revelation
- The Baha’i teaching that God reveals himself through a series of divine messengers, such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and Baha’u’llah, each suited to their age.
- Wicca
- A modern nature religion that developed in England in the mid twentieth century, honoring a goddess and a god and practicing ritual and magic. Members are called Wiccans.
- Neopaganism
- A name for modern religions that revive or reconstruct pre-Christian European and other traditions, such as Wicca, Druidry and Heathenry.
- Scientology
- A movement founded by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, teaching that each person is an immortal spiritual being (a thetan) who can be freed through a practice called auditing.
- New Age
- A broad, loose set of practices and beliefs, including meditation, crystals, astrology and the idea of a coming era of spiritual awakening, without a central organization.
- Syncretism
- The blending of elements from different religious traditions into a new combination.
Background
The twentieth century saw rapid growth in spiritual options. Migration, travel and the printing press brought Asian religions to the West. A decline in church attendance in Europe and North America left many people open to other sources. Surveys now show a growing number who say they are spiritual but not religious, and a smaller number who join a specific new movement.
This lesson covers four examples, chosen for variety. It is not a complete survey and it does not rank the groups. Information about some of them is disputed, and a careful student should use the group’s own publications alongside independent scholarship and the reports of former members.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: The Baha’i Faith
Baha’is trace their faith to Baha’u’llah (1817 to 1892), who in 1863 declared himself the messenger of God promised by earlier prophets, building on the Bab, who in 1844 had announced a coming figure. Baha’is were persecuted in Persia and Iran and continue to be persecuted there. Today there are several million members worldwide, with a world center in Haifa, Israel.
Baha’is teach that God is one and unknowable, that God’s messengers have taught a single religion adapted to their time, that all human beings form one family, and that social goals such as the equality of women and men, universal education and world peace are religious duties. They do not have clergy. Baha’is understand Jesus as a true messenger of God, and not as God incarnate. Christians reply that this makes Christ one messenger among several and denies the incarnation, the atonement and the resurrection as Christians confess them. Baha’is reply that this honors all faiths. Muslims also respond that Baha’u’llah’s claim contradicts Muhammad as the last prophet.
Step 2: Wicca and modern Paganism
Wicca was introduced to the public by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s, who said that it came from an ancient witch cult, a claim that most historians reject. Wiccans honor a goddess and a god, observe the cycle of seasons in eight festivals, work in small groups called covens or alone, and practice ritual and magic. A common ethical principle is to harm none. Wicca is one of several modern Pagan paths, which also include Druidry, Heathenry (Norse tradition) and others. Many draw on folklore and historical sources, and most admit that their forms are modern.
Members would say that they find the sacred in nature and in the cycles of life, and that they are not Satanists, a mistake often made by outsiders. Wiccans do not typically believe in the Devil. Christian churches teach that the practice of magic and the worship of other gods conflict with Scripture (Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Exodus 20:3), and Christians have often misunderstood Pagans. Fair conversation begins with learning what Pagans say they do. A Christian can also acknowledge the real hunger for reverence toward creation that many Pagans express.
Step 3: Scientology
L. Ron Hubbard published Dianetics in 1950 and founded the Church of Scientology in 1954. Scientologists teach that each person is a thetan, an immortal spiritual being who has lived many lives and whose abilities are blocked by past painful experiences. Through auditing, a counseling process using a device called an E-meter, and through courses of study, a person progresses through levels called the Bridge to Total Freedom. God is acknowledged as the eighth dynamic, a highest level of existence, but there is no creator God with doctrine in the manner of the Christian faith.
Scientology is a source of public controversy. It has been recognized as a religion by some governments, such as the United States for tax purposes since 1993, and treated as a commercial enterprise or otherwise limited in others, including in some European countries. Former members and some journalists have reported high costs of courses, harsh treatment of critics and restrictions on contact with those who leave. The church disputes many of these accounts. A student should use primary sources of the church and independent reports, and note which claims are contested.
Step 4: New Age and spiritual but not religious
New Age is a loose label for practices such as meditation, yoga, astrology, crystals, channeling, and healing therapies, combined with the hope for a new age of spiritual awareness. It has no creed, though many hold that the divine is within all things, that all religions point to the same truth and that each person may choose their path. The phrase spiritual but not religious describes many people who believe in some higher reality or in the value of inner experience but avoid organized religion.
Christians respond in different ways. Some see in these trends a sincere search that the church has not met, and ask what the church might offer in prayer, silence and mystery. Others warn that a spirituality without truth claims or commitments to a community leaves people alone and that the idea of the divine within can replace the transcendent God. Both points have merit.
Step 5: A shared method
For each group, the same questions apply as in the previous lessons. On teaching: what is said of God, of Christ, of revelation and of salvation, and how does it compare with historic Christianity and with the group’s own sources? On conduct: are members free, is leadership accountable, and are claims honest? A group may be doctrinally distant from Christianity and still treat members and neighbors decently.
The Christian is also asked to be honest about the church. Where members of these movements describe real hurt from churches, such as judgment, spiritual abuse or neglect, the right response is to listen. Truth should be held together with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
- What does the Baha’i claim about the unity of religions offer, and what does it ask a Christian to give up?
- Why do Wiccans object to being called Satanists, and why does the misunderstanding persist?
- How should a student weigh claims about a controversial group when the sources conflict?
- What do spiritual but not religious people often want that a church can offer?
- What would a respectful Christian witness to a Baha’i neighbor sound like?
- How might the church answer the hunger for experience and mystery that draws people to these groups?
Examples
A Baha’i devotional meeting
Neighbors of different religions gather in a home. Readings are given from Baha’i scriptures and also from the Bible and the Qur’an, and prayers are sung. There is no sermon and no clergy. A Christian guest notes the warmth of the welcome and the absence of any claim that Christ is God, and says so politely when asked.
A Pagan circle
A group of ten gathers outdoors at the autumn equinox, marks the circle, gives thanks to the earth and shares food and stories. They say that their religion teaches reverence for nature and mutual care. A neighbor from the church has heard it called devil worship and, after meeting them, sees that this is false, though she still disagrees on the worship of other gods. (A constructed example.)
A seeker
A young man raised without religion reads about Buddhism, tries meditation, visits a yoga studio and says that he believes in energy and in being kind. He does not call himself religious. When asked what he is looking for, he says peace. A Christian friend invites him to a silent retreat at a monastery and does not argue.
Different perspectives
Members of these movements
Baha’is describe their religion as the fulfillment of earlier faiths, Pagans as a return to the sacredness of nature, and Scientologists as a practical path of spiritual freedom. Spiritual but not religious people emphasize personal experience and freedom. All say that they are misunderstood by those who speak about them without listening.
Catholic
Nostra Aetate speaks of the Church rejecting nothing that is true and holy in other religions. A 2003 Vatican document on the New Age cautions that it can obscure the difference between creature and Creator, and offers the Christian vision of the person as a better answer to the hunger for meaning. The Church treats the persons with respect.
Orthodox
Orthodox theologians warn that spiritual practices cut off from the Church’s tradition and from the Trinity can open a person to deception. At the same time they stress that Orthodox liturgy, with its silence, beauty and prayer, offers what many seekers look for. Orthodox writers urge hospitality and patience.
Protestant
Protestants range from those who study new movements critically, using Scripture as the test, to those who engage in interfaith friendships. Many evangelicals hold that practices such as divination are forbidden and that Christ alone saves, and also that Christians must treat Baha’is, Pagans and others as neighbors.
Scholarly
Scholars debate whether spiritual but not religious people constitute a new form of religion. Some research finds that many of them hold beliefs and practices that resemble religion, while others stress that the label signals a rejection of institutions. Historians of Wicca question its claims of ancient origin and also note its real influence.
Why it matters
These movements show how many ways people seek the sacred in the modern world, and the neighbors who follow them are likely to be known to any Christian. A fair account protects against false stories, and an honest account of what churches teach gives Christians something to say that is truthful and kind.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: Wiccans worship the Devil.
Correction: Wiccans generally do not believe in the Devil, who is a Christian figure. They honor a goddess and god and nature. Christian churches still teach that Pagan worship and magic conflict with Scripture.
Misunderstanding: The Baha’i Faith is just a mix of other religions.
Correction: Baha’is regard their faith as a distinct revealed religion with its own scripture and law, which teaches that earlier religions are true in their origin. Syncretism is a description used by outsiders.
Misunderstanding: Everything about Scientology is settled.
Correction: Public claims about its practices and treatment of members are disputed between the church and its critics. A student should read both and avoid repeating rumor.
Misunderstanding: Spiritual but not religious people have no beliefs.
Correction: Many hold definite beliefs, for example in a higher power or in life after death. They commonly decline organized religion as a framework.
Knowledge check
What is progressive revelation in the Baha’i Faith?
It is the teaching that God has revealed himself through a series of messengers, such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and Baha’u’llah, each giving the teaching suited to their age. Baha’is hold that the religions are one in origin. Christians reply that this makes Christ one messenger among several.
Why are Wiccans often misunderstood?
Outsiders often link witchcraft with devil worship. Wiccans generally do not believe in the Devil and instead honor a goddess and a god and the cycles of nature. They also commonly follow an ethic of harming none. Christian churches still teach that magic and worship of other gods conflict with Scripture.
What is a thetan in Scientology?
A thetan is the immortal spiritual being that Scientology holds each person to be, who has lived many lives and whose abilities are said to be hindered by painful past experiences. Through auditing and courses, Scientologists believe a person gains freedom. Public accounts of the church are disputed, and a student should note which claims are contested.
What two questions can be asked of any movement?
The first concerns teaching, such as what the group says about God, Christ, revelation and salvation and how this compares with the creeds. The second concerns conduct, such as whether members are free to question and leave and whether the leaders are accountable. The questions are separate and should not be mixed.
Think it through
- What do you think draws people to these groups and what might the church learn?
- How would you speak with a Baha’i or Pagan neighbor without caricature?
- How should a person decide which sources to trust about a disputed group?
- What does your own practice of prayer or silence offer to a seeker?
Independent assignment
A fair profile
In your notebook, choose one movement from this lesson and write a profile of about 400 words that a member would recognize. Use the group’s own publications and one independent scholarly or journalistic source. Mark any disputed claim as disputed. End with 100 words applying the two questions of teaching and conduct, and one question you would ask a member.
Further study
- Huston Smith, The World’s Religions Read the general approach to describing a faith through its own terms.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Religious Diversity (Pluralism) Read for the claim that all religions are one, which the Baha’i and New Age currents make.
- Justin Martyr, The First Apology Read for an early Christian engagement with pagan religion.
- Acts 17:23 Paul speaks of an altar to the unknown God.
- Deuteronomy 18:10 Not to practice divination.
- 1 Peter 3:15 Give an answer with meekness and fear.
- Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace.