Welcome back to Basil Evans with another informative article explaining a number of natural “religions” indulged in today. Aware readers will see manifestations of these in our current mainstream news clips, which seem to be less and less Christian. I urge my readers to heed the warnings at the end of this article and to be on guard for these dangerous deceptions……

Gibber! Gibber!

Chugley

Number 4 Natural Religions & New Age.

Animism, Pantheism, Gaiaism , Wicca. Judo.

The term “natural religion” is sometimes taken to refer to a pantheistic doctrine according to which nature itself is divine. “Natural religion,” is sometimes called “religion of nature,” and refers to a belief system where God, the soul, spirit, and the supernatural are considered part of nature, not separate from it.

Natural religions, or earth-centred religions, share a core belief in the veneration of nature and natural phenomena, often viewing the Earth, nature, and fertility practices as sacred and integral to their belief system. All things have a spirit/soul .and all are of equal value. As an example we hear that development projects get banned because there may be a rare frog in the area and that over rides any benefit to humans who are of no greater value than a rare frog.

Animism. Animism is a major religion however it is not one religion; rather, it is a cultural-specific worldview that changes with the cultures it is practiced in. However, most animist cultures commonly believe in the spirit world. Specifically, animists believe that all beings in the universe, including animals, plants, rocks, lands, and waters, have a spirit. The Greens movement is an example of this practice – it is a religion even if its followers may deny it.

Animism is the religion of Australian Aboriginals except they add a great snake god or the Rainbow Serpent. (see above). In Australian Aboriginal mythology, the “great snake god” is commonly known as the Rainbow Serpent (or Rainbow Snake), a creator deity and a powerful figure associated with life, water, and the shaping of the land. There does not appear to be any organised religion.

Gaia At the other end of this belief system is that nature is a goddess – Gaians believe that the Earth and its biological systems function as a single, self-regulating entity, with organisms interacting to maintain conditions for life. They personify this by with the name Gaia and worship her.
In Greek, the word for Earth is ‘Gi’ (pronounced ‘gee’). The name ‘Gaia’ comes from this word and was the name of the Earth goddess. Considered the mother goddess, she was the personification of the Earth’s spirit. From her the world was born, and her creation brought calm to an otherwise chaotic universe.
A few years ago my daughter was on a business trip to New Zealand and arrived Saturday night. There was a large church next to her motel so she went to the service on Sunday morning. At the end the female pastor invited her to their church ladies’ organisation meeting that evening. She went but did not stay because they spoke of Gaia as the female revelation of God revealed in nature and as such should be part of Christian devotion.

Shamanism. This is a spiritual practice, often associated with Indigenous and tribal societies, where a shaman, or witch doctor, through altered states of consciousness like trance, interacts with the spirit world to heal, communicate with spirits, and guide souls to the afterlife. 
These believe in spirit beings outside our normal comprehension but associated with humanity which can be contacted and worked with.

Voodoo It can be considered in this group. The difference is that Voodoo adopted Christian names and practices for pagan entities. Voodoo has an all-powerful creator god called Bondye. It created the universe, but it is so far above human comprehension that little else about Bondye is known. Humans do not interact with Bondye directly, instead, they interact with Lwas, lesser divinities created Bondye to care for his creation. There are more than 200 different names known for Lwas. Among the most important are Papa Legba, a guardian of the crossroads, and Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte, gods associated with the dead.

Damballah Wedo is the powerful serpent god of Voodoo mythology. In the sky above the island of Haiti he manifests himself in the company of his wife, Ayida, as a rainbow. They encompass the world, an entwined air of serpents representing sexual unity. The serpent is common in nature religions such as Australian aboriginal religion of the Rainbow Serpent. Female priestesses are most common and called Mambos.

Wicca Wicca is a modern-day, nature-based pagan religion, often referred to as “The Craft,” It draws inspiration from pre-Christian European traditions, emphasizing ritual, magic, and the worship of both a male god and female goddess. It is considered a new religious movement by scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esotericism, developed in England during the first half of the 20th century, and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon ancient pagan and 20th-century Hermetic motifs for theological and ritual purposes.
Wicca is typically duotheistic, venerating both a goddess and  god, traditionally conceived as the Triple Goddess and the Horned God, respectively. These deities may be regarded as having many different divine aspects which can be identified with various pagan deities from different historical pantheons. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as the “Great Goddess” and the “Great Horned God”, with the honorific “great” connoting a personification containing many other deities within their own nature. Some Wiccans refer to the goddess as “Lady” and the god as “Lord” to invoke their divinity. These two deities are sometimes viewed as facets of a universal pantheistic divinity, regarded as an impersonal force rather a personal deity. Wiccan celebrations encompass both the cycles of the Moon, known as Esbats and commonly associated with the Triple Goddess, alongside the cycles of the Sun, seasonally based festivals known as Sabbats and commonly associated with the Horned God. The Wiccan Rede is a popular expression of Wiccan morality and the ritual practice of magic.
Wicca, while growing in popularity, is still a relatively small religion, with followers mainly in English speaking countries. The largest groups are in the US with some estimates suggesting around 800,000 to 1.5 million practitioners in that country.

Judo Nature religions are often associated with healthy life Judo promotes itself as a health and exercise system. Its origin was Zen Buddhism and martial arts. For Christians any group should be carefully examined before participating since the many groups dedicate meetings to gods. ( they say it is only symbolic but forbidden for Christians.) Also Judo is part of the greater Holistic medical life style system which includes many natural religions.

New Age The supernatural realm is fascinating for many and the culmination of this is the New Age. There is no specific New Age church or belief system, there are no holy books or sets of articles of faith but anything supernatural and anti God can be included.

We in the Western world live in the most scientific and educated world in history but obviously, with Christianity being rejected increasingly, there is a spiritual gap in people’s lives.
Despite “Science” promising a brave new world we see more wars, societal unrest, crime, family breakdowns, sickness, famine, and mental disorders than ever before and all growing. So science is being rejected as the problem solver Where is there to turn to?.

Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism have made big inroads into Western society, A huge variety of Christian cults have developed offering something “new” because much of traditional Christianity has conformed to current attitudes (we will be reviewing the major cults in later studies)
The occult offers another alternative with a wide range of options to try. Just one example is astrology.. Look at magazines and newspapers and see the signs of the zodiac and astrological readings filling page after page..

The basic belief of the New Age is that there are many spirit beings apart from mankind and they can be contacted and interacted with. This can be done in many ways including astrology, seances, mediums, spirit guides, tarot, witchcraft (they say white witches are OK but Scripture does not differentiate),mysticism and in church circles reliance on spiritual revelation rather than Scripture.
There is no doubt that there are many spiritual forces in the world and most are controlled by Satan and he is working hard to have them replace the Holy Sprit in the world.

When I was a child it was common to go to the Saturday afternoon picture show matinees. The main film was most popularly a Cowboy and Indian film like Hop-along Cassidy or a Science Fiction serial like Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon. This was followed by a cartoon and then usually a horror film like Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein, Werewolves or other horror characters. While these were fairly harmless tales they scared kids out of their senses but worse laid a base for belief in the supernatural.

Today the media, TV or computers are overflowing with horror stories that appear so real that the concept of their reality is often believed, This paves the way for accepting the occult world as reality.. .
Astrology is based on the belief that the positions of celestial bodies, like the sun, moon, and planets, at the time of a person’s birth, or during a specific event, influence human affairs, personality, and destiny
On the reverse side New Age shops and publication feature many beautiful angelic beings as available to control our lives. Go into any New Age store, and there are many around and see all the beauties displayed.

These New Age beliefs have invaded many churches where there is an unhealthy emphasis on angelic beings as spiritual guides having great spiritual powers available to believers.
In the general society UFOs were once regarded as imaginary but are now discussed as real with news sources leading discussions on whether they are controlled by alien civilisations, spirit beings or other entities,

China/Russia..
I believe the world is being desensitised to the occult as evil and being prepared for AntiChrist and demonic forces at the approaching end of this age
THERE WILL BE A NEW AGE WHEN GOD SETS UP HIS
ETERNAL KINGDOM AT CHRIST’S SECOND COMING,
In the meantime avoid anything that appears to be the modern New Age,

Another dangerous New Age development is the increasing number of medical practices advertising HOLISTIC MEDICINE. What this means is that many clinics incorporate New Age alternative medicine and Eastern medicine practices to attract the newer generation of patients who are coming to doubt traditional medicine and the medical profession.

Astrology One other important thing is to comment on the validity of the astrology theory.
Astrology is based on the belief that the positions of celestial bodies, like the sun, moon, and planets, at the time of a person’s birth, or during a specific event, influence human affairs, personality, and destiny. It has been practiced all through history where in ancient times celestial bodies like the sun, moon or certain stars (Venus and Mars for example) were considered to be gods. All through Scripture it has been prohibited for God’s people.

“And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.” Deuteronomy 4:19
“Do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there… The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so… Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.” Deuteronomy 18:9, 12 & 14
The make up of the Zodiac has been used since Babylonian times but the final establishment of positioning used today was established in 100 BC but because of the precession of the earth’s rotational axis the signs are separated today by about 30 degrees from their corresponding constellation. That means that horoscopes actually represent the Zodiac as it was 2000 years ago in Babylon so every horoscope is 2000 years out of date. This does not seem to worry astrologers today however.

God does not say anywhere that these alternative religions or occult practices do not work. Demons and evil spirits are real but the Lord tells His people in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. not to practice ANY of them.

 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable customs of those nations. No one among you is to make his son or daughter pass through the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery  cast spells, consult a medium or a familiar spirit, or inquire of the dead.  Everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable things.  You must be blameless before the Lord your God.  Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do this.

While it may not be popular theology, God has a very strong attitude towards the New Age.
Exodus 22:18 —————–You shall not suffer a witch to live. (Black or white)
Leviticus 20:27 A man or woman who has a familiar spirit shall surely be put to death.
Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this
will not inherit the kingdom of God.

BASIL’S BIOGRAPHY

Basil De Lacy Evans has had a rich and successful life. Born in Sydney, Australia in 1933. He attended Canterbury Boys High School, Scots College and Sydney University, where he graduated with a degree in Pharmacy. He obtained further qualifications in International Business and management from the USA and Australia.

Basil’s commercial career included time as Assistant Chief Pharmacist at Royal Alexandra Hospital Sydney in 1958 to being Planning Manager for the international division of a major multinational pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey USA. There were many highly responsible appointments in between including running a marketing division employing 120 staff in Sydney.  Locations included Australia,  Indonesia,  New Zealand and Hong Kong.

He retired from the multination group in 1988 to start his own Medical Regulatory Affairs consultancy which is now still operating owned and  managed by one of his daughters.

Basil’s Christian walk has included serving as Deacon, Youth Leader and adult Bible teacher in Sydney Petersham AOG from 1956 – 1967. Attending Livingstone NJ  AOG USA from 1967-1970. Founder and Pastor of Dural Christian Assembly, 1990-2004