Materialism, Greed, and "New-agers"

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There are many, and some immense, spiritual principles-- such as karma and its associated linkages with lifedesign-- that people do not realize.

If they did educate themselves in these matters, their interior universe would expand breath-takingly!

There are many items in the traditional (and now, paradoxically "old") "New Thought" Movement that are questionable from the mystical perspective. For the main "objection," much of it is virtually obsessed with the ego-- the opposite of truest and deepest spirituality. Many new-agers are very much like their business or "worldly" counterparts, for they are both obsessed with the impressive home, career, new car, best computer, etc.

And so many, directly contrary to Jesus, in his famous "Sermon on the Mount," are also obsessed with egofame! These are not only nonspiritual, but, much worse, antispiritual concepts.

They always talk about "abundance," but this can be a secret code-word for greed. Jesus commanded the opposite, again, by saying, "Do not store up treasures upon the earth." He called us, not to a pressure-filled life in which we tried to control everything mentally, but to a pressure-free life in which we did not try to control anything! For "faith" is trusting Goddess (Tao) to control Her universe! Some of the material written by Ernest Holmes does fall, or has slipped, into these sad categories. The ego is sneaky and subtle; and if all else fails, it will disguise itself and its message as "spirituality."

Yes, many followers of his Science of Mind Church are wonderful, openminded, tolerant, giving, compassionate people! Some do not even realize that the ego sits at the very heart of the philosophy. But the ego thrives on fear, and this is the subtle, often hidden, fear that they will not be able to control the world mentally. So, people who put all their eggs in the basket of "positive thinking" live in perpetual fear of having "bad" thoughts. Happily, however, our conscious thoughts are not that powerful!:)

This kind of pseudospiritual material soon becomes an endless rerun all about "prosperity," "abundance," and "right thinking." Soon, Love gets pushed aside, and ultimately, ignored. Jesus spoke much and often about Love; but it is significant that he never gave a sermon on "right thinking," and never implied that the conscious mind could control the world. In fact, he said quite the opposite: We cannot change the color of a single hair on our own heads.
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