Kate Orson draws on her own experience of the New Age movement, as she unpacks how language can mask beliefs that differ significantly from the biblical understanding of Jesus.
Have you heard the term ‘Christ consciousness?’ Like other spiritual phrases such as the divine feminine (previously discussed in Woman Alive) it sounds spiritual, it sounds like it could have something to do with becoming more Christlike. But what is its origin, and what exactly does it mean?
I first heard the term Christ consciousness being used by an online new age influencer, a year or so before I became a Christian. It is a term for describing the higher state of consciousness that many people who follow new age philosophy believe we can reach. New agers see Jesus as just a man, not the son of God, but an ‘ascended master,’ an enlightened being who achieved enlightenment during his lifetime. There are theories that in Jesus’ ‘lost years’ he went to India to learn yoga, and meditation, or Egypt or the UK to study the occult.
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To any born again Christian such stories sound ridiculous, but as a former new ager, I can understand the powerful forces at work that lead us to believe such lies. Hypnotic meditation techniques, persuasive spiritual ‘gurus’ and the twisting of scripture, all lead many astray to believe in a different Jesus.
This isn’t the son of God, but a ‘god’ that we can all become if we just cultivate our own spiritual advancement
This isn’t the son of God, but a ‘god’ that we can all become if we just cultivate our own spiritual advancement through different spiritual practises such as meditation and yoga then we too can achieve ‘Christ consciousness.’ What this amounts to ultimately, is Satan’s lie from the garden of Eden, ‘you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ Genesis 3.5
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The confusing thing is that many ‘spiritual not religious’ people will talk about Jesus, they might even read the Bible, go to church, or talk about a personal relationship with him. But dig a little deeper and you will start to realise that their Jesus does not match up with the scriptures. The term ‘Christ-consciousness’ is one of the signs.
I was excited when I noticed a psychic I followed in 2020 talk about Jesus in her videos.
I was excited when I noticed a psychic I followed in 2020 talk about Jesus in her videos. But then as time went on I realised she was talking about a different ‘Jesus;’ one she channelled in meditation sessions to give new revelation to her audience. There are thousands of people in the new age like her. They might believe they know Jesus, they might have visions of ‘Jesus’ in meditation sessions, but if they meet this ‘Jesus’ through opening up demonic doorways, then it isn’t actually him.
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Johanna Michaelsen is the author of The Beautiful Side of Evil; a book about the new age. She shares her story of how she was a Christian but then became involved with a woman who taught her ‘psychic surgery.’ She thought that Jesus was helping her do these surgeries, and didn’t know they were incompatible with her faith. It was only after a Christian friend began questioning what she was doing that she prayed, and asked the spiritual being she was in contact with to reveal who he was in the name of Jesus. Her vision of ‘Jesus’ shapeshifted into a werewolf.
Her story is a powerful testimony that shows that even Christians can be led astray by this false Christ that we have been warned about in the Bible. If you meet someone who talks about ‘Christ-consciousness,’ or talks about their relationship with Jesus in a way that feels a little off, then you may have found someone who has a relationship with another Jesus, and who is in desperate need of hearing the genuine good news.
It’s not always easy trying to share the Gospel with those who have fallen for the counterfeit. But there is a growing movement of ‘new age to Jesus’ converts who are realising that the genuine Jesus is so much better. I pray that many more will join us.
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