The New Age Movement: The Self as god. 1997 by Jefferis Kent Peterson,I The New Age movement is an eclectic religious movement that can be characterized by its lack of absolutes. Because anyone can believe just about anything and fit within the New Age community, it is an extremely hard movement to characterize by example. Many of the beliefs of the New Age derive from Hindu beliefs, but because eclecticism is the character of the movement, elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and other eastern religions also weave throughout it. Many leaders of the movement are self identified New Agers, but others are leaders of “traditional” eastern religions such as Hinduism. David Smith has pointed out common beliefs that seem to predominate the movement as a whole. They are Pantheism, Reincarnationism, Esotericisim, and Relativism.1 To understand the rise of the New Age in Western culture, it is necessary to look at the sociological influences that have resulted in our shifting worldview. The New Age represents a radical transition from a Judeo-Christian worldview, which was the basis of Western society until recently, to a worldview spawned by ancient Oriental religions. The acceptance of an Eastern worldview by a large percentage of our ... Read more