MIS 305 Topics in North American Missions: New Age, NeoPaganism

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MIS 305 Topics in North American Missions New
Age, Neo-Paganism Witchcraft

• Cky J. Carrigan, Ph.D.
• National Missionary, NAMB
• Adjunctive Professor, SCWF
• ccarrigan_at_namb.net www.ontruth.com

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CREEPERS CONTENDERS Jude 3-4

• CONTEND
• CONTEND EARNESTLY
• CONTEND FOR FAITH
• FAITH ONCE FOR ALL DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS
• FAITH BIBLE

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LEADERSHIP, TRUTH LOVE Ephesians 411-16

• GOD GAVE LEADERS TO PROTECT CHURCH FROM NON-TRUTH
• LEADERS EQUIP EDIFY SAINTS
• SAINTS DO MINISTRY
• LEADERS TEACH SAINTS TO SPEAK TRUTH IN LOVE

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Space Themes Promote New Age
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Spirit
Fire
Air
Pentacle Is A Symbol of Earth Religions
Neo-Paganism
Earth
Water
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Acupuncture Is New Age Alternative Medicine Based
on Chinese Principle of Chi
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On The New Age Bookshelf
Harry Potter Books Promote Witchcraft
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MEET THE BRIDGER GENERATION

• Bridger Generation Follows Builders, Boomers
  Busters
• 72 Million Young People
• 2ND Largest Generation
• Born 1977 - 1994 ( Present Ages, 7-24)
• Growing Up In A Vastly Different World...

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Growing Up In A Vastly Different World...

• Mult-Racial
• Multi-Cultural
• Non-Traditional Family Structure
• Socio-Economic Class Divisions
• Youth Stress
• Youth Skepticism

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BRIDGERS AND FAITH

• Very Religious, But .
• Almost Any Religion Will Do
• 86 Claim To Be Christian

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• 72 Truth Can Never Be Clearly Defined

• 66 Affirm Salvation By Works
• 50 Jesus Sinned
• 50 All Religions Teach Similar Lessons
• 50 All Good People Go To Heaven (With or Without
  Faith In Jesus)
• 4 Affirm Exclusivity of Christ for Salvation

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Two Prominent Beliefs That Define Bridger
Beliefs About Religion...
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1) Christ Is Not The Only Way To Salvation

• Four Options
• Universalism (None Lost)
• Pluralism (Many Ways)
• Inclusivism (Many Ways Thru Christ)
• Exclusivism (Christ Is The Only Way)

2) Tolerance Is The Supreme Religious Principle
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The Toleration Slide

• Toleration Means Openness To Other Beliefs
• But, Other Beliefs Contradict Christianity
• Accepting Contradictions Means Compromising Some
  Christian Beliefs
• Compromising Some Beliefs Opens The Door For
  Compromising Any Or All Of Them
• Ultimately Left With No Absolutes

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The Toleration Slide Has Caused...
A Crisis of Truth And the Crisis of Truth Has
Caused... A Crisis of Morality
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Evidences of the Crisis of Morality

• Remember--86 Claim to be Christian
• 90 Affirm Situation Ethics
• 80 No Certainty About Morality
• 60 Lying is Necessary

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I. WHAT IS THE NEW AGE Movement?

• Not an institution or single organization
• Large number of autonomous groups individuals
• Hundreds of groups religious leaders
• NAM is a westernized form of eastern religious
  beliefs combined with occultic practices,
  self-help, holistic medicines, astrology
• Not new in time, but new to western traditions

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• New Age Origins
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Theosophical Society

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What is the New Age Movement? (continued)

• American origins
• 1800s
• New thought movement
• Spiritualism
• Theosophical society
• Counterculture movement of the 1960s-70s
  adopted the above new ideas

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Imagine by John Lennon Imagine theres NO
HEAVEN Its easy if you try NO HELL below
us Above us only sky Imagine all the
people Living for today Imagine theres NO
COUNTRIES It isnt hard to do Nothing to kill or
die for And NO RELIGION too Imagine all the
people Living life in peace
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You may say Im a dreamer But Im not the only
one I hope someday youll join us And the world
will BE AS ONE Imagine NO POSSESSIONS I wonder
if you can No need for greed or hunger A
brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing
all the world You may say Im a dreamer But Im
not the only one I hope someday youll join
us And the world will BE AS ONE
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What is the New Age Movement? (continued)

• 6. Oprah Winfrey reintroduced New Age in 1990s
• Estimated that 1 in 5 Americans hold some NAM
  tenets, but most do not consider themselves New
  Agers

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Gallup Polling on Psychic and Paranormal

• 01 - 90
• Psychic, Spiritual, Mind Healing 54-46
• Extrasensory Perception 50-49
• Haunted Houses 42-29
• Ghosts of the Dead 38-25
• Mental/Spiritual Telepathy 36-36
• Extraterrestrials Visiting Earth 33-27

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Gallup Polling on Psychic and Paranormal

• 01 - 90
• Clairvoyance of Future 32-26
• Communication with the Dead 28-18
• Astrology 28-25
• Witches 26-14
• Reincarnation 25-21
• Trance Channeling 15-11

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Lion King and Pocahontas Advances The New
Age Worldview
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Colors of the Wind You think you own whatever
land you land onThe earth is just a dead thing
you can claimBut I know ev'ry rock and tree and
mountainHas a life, has a spirit, has a nameYou
think the only people who are peopleAre the
people who look and think like youBut if you
walk the footsteps of a strangerYou'll learn
things you never knew you never knew
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Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue
corn moonOr asked the grinning bobcat why he
grinned?Can you sing with all the voices of the
mountain?Can you paint with all the colors of
the wind?Can you paint with all the colors of
the wind?
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Childrens Media Is Riddled With New Age, Pagan
and Occultic Themes
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Space Themes Promote New Age
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Aliens May Be New Age Ascended Masters
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15 Million Americans Do Hindu Yoga
--- 100 Increase In 5 Years
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Transcendental Meditation Produces An Altered
State Of Mind Relieves Stress
--- Promoted In Schools And Workplaces
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New Age Mantras Used in Meditation
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Psychic Services Are A Multi-Billion Dollar Indust
ry In America
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Some Pocket Monsters Of Pokemon Use
Psychic Powers In Dangerous Roleplay Games
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Crystal Balls Are A Kind Of Divination Which
Is Prohibited In Bible
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Tarot Cards Are Another Very Popular And Widely
Available Form of Divination
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Astrology-- Divining the Future With The Stars--
Is Prominent In The New Age
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Acupuncture Is New Age Alternative Medicine Based
on Chinese Principle of Chi
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New Age Herbal Connection
Balance your health in a natural way according
to a 5,000 year old perfected health care
system. India's Vedic Medical System called
"Ayurveda". Be a part of Ayurveda, the
Spiritual Health Science which could be the
World's health care system of the next
millennium.
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Aroma Therapy Is New Age Way to Wellness
--- Change Your Reality With Aroma Therapy
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Colour Therapy Is Another New Age Way To
Wellness --- Change Your Reality
With Colour Therapy
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Change Your Reality With Gemstones
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Experiencing Energy Flows At An Energy Vortex Is
A New Age Way To Achieve Balance And Wellness
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Eastern Martial Arts Bring
New Age Ideas To Western Culture --- Billy
Blanks Is A Pluralist
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On The New Age Bookshelf
The Entire Series Is Dedicated To Spirituality N
ot Biblical Truth
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On The New Age Bookshelf
Harry Potter Books Promote Witchcraft
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On The New Age Bookshelf

• Conversations With God by Neale Walsch
• Embraced by the Light by Betty Eadie
• A Course in Miracles by Helen Schucman
• Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf
• The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav

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On The New Age Bookshelf

• Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
• by Deepak Chopra
• The Other Side and Back by Sylvia Browne
• The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama, et al
• Mind Medicine by Uri Geller
• Talking to Heaven by James Van Praagh

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Feminism, Earth Religions, Mother
Earth, Pantheism, Witchcraft, Goddess
Worship Are All New Age FEM-Themes
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Neo-Paganism, Witchcraft, and Wicca Share Many
New Age Beliefs
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II. EIGHT CHARACTERISTIC BELIEFS

• Pantheism
• God is All
• All is God
• God is Impersonal
• Since you are something, you too are God
• Monism
• All is one
• All distinctions are mere Illusions

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II. EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS BELIEFS (continued)

• Reincarnation
• Will be reborn as a new baby, after death, and
  live a new life
• Past lives
• Future lives are improved by positive karma in
  this life and visa-versa

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II. EIGHT CHARACTERISTIC BELIEFS (continued)

• People are Divine
• Sensation of finiteness is Illusion
• Humanity has forgotten its Divinity
• Enlightenment is discovery of Divinity
• Enlightenment achieved by means of yoga,
  meditation, past life regression, soul travel,
  channeling spirit guides

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People Are Divine

• If Everyone Was Taught One Basic Spiritual Law,
  Your World Would Be A Happier, Healthier Place.
  And That Law Is This.. Everyone Is God.
  .EVERYONE
• Says Shirley McLaine

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II. EIGHT CHARACTERISTIC BELIEFS (continued)

• Morality is Relative
• No Distinction between good/evil or right/wrong
• There can be no judge of ethics
• Actions simply are, they are not good or evil
• In absence of an ethical judge, the individual
  person decides what is good for him

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II. EIGHT CHARACTERISTIC BELIEFS (continued)

• Distinction between Jesus The Man from Christ
  Spirit
• Christ Spirit is but one example of One who has
  self actualized His Deity
• Some believe that Jesus was a Hindu Guru
  crucified for professing Hindu beliefs

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II. EIGHT CHARACTERISTIC BELIEFS (continued)

• A New Age of enlightenment transformation is
  coming
• This world is about to undergo a transformation
  to a higher level
• This transformation will be the result of a
  world-wide shift to the New Age model

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II. EIGHT CHARACTERISTIC BELIEFS (continued)

• Pluralism
• All religions are equally true one
• Essence of all religion is the same

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--Christianity Vs. New Age--

• Trinitarian
• Monotheism
• Creator-Creation
• Resurrection

• Pantheism
• Monism
• Reincarnation

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--Christianity Vs. New Age--

• Image-bearing
• Humanity
• Absolute Bib.
• Morality
• Jesus Christ

• Divinity of
• Humanity
• Moral Rel.
• Jesus Became
• A Christ

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--Christianity Vs. New Age--

• New Age is
• Coming
• Pluralism

• Jesus is Coming
• Exclusivity

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The New Paganism Wicca, Witchcraft
Nature-based Religions By Cky J. Carrigan,
Ph.D. North American Mission Board ccarrigan_at_namb.
net www.ontruth.com
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The New Paganism or Neo-Paganism is A revival
of the old gods and goddesses of pre-Christian
paleopagan polytheistic nature religions,
mythologies, and mystery cults, such as Celtic,
Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and other
Traditions of the Western world. . . . Astaroth,
Diana, Hectate, Cernunnos, Osiris, Pan,
and others are being invoked anew. --Craig
S. Hawkins
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Spirit
Fire
Air
Pentacle Is A Symbol of Earth Religions
Neo-Paganism
Earth
Water
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Horn
Horn
Inverted Pentacle is a Symbol of
the Horned-God, Pan Also a Satanist Symbol
Ear
Ear
Chin
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Witchcraft, also known as wicca,the craft, or
the craft of the wise, is a generic term for the
Neo-Pagan religious movement that is-

• anti-dogmatic
• anti-authoritarian
• diverse
• decentralized

• eclectic
• experience based
• nature oriented

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Followers of witchcraft are

• polytheistic and/or
• pantheistic and/or
• panentheistic
• and...

• worship/believe in/ invoke/experience
• Mother Goddess
• Horned God

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• Witches practice
• diverse kinds of divination
• altered states of consciousness
• or trances
• magick spells and incantations
• special rites for seasonal holy days

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Three Core Values of Witchcraft

• Experience over Dogma
• Religious Toleration
• Religious Moral Relativism

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CHARACTERISTIC BELIEF About Deity

• Pantheism
• God is Everything
• Everything is God
• God is Impersonal
• Since you are something, you too are God
• Or, Panentheism
• World is IN God
• Theres more to God than world
• God is both Personal and Impersonal

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CHARACTERISTIC BELIEF About Deity (continued)

• Polytheism
• There are many deities
• There is a hierarchy among many deities
• Animism or Spiritism
• Everything has a spirit
• There is interaction between all spirits
• Hylozoism - everything has a lifeforce
• Panpsychism - everything has consciousness

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--Christianity Vs. Neo-Paganism--

• Pantheism
• Panentheism
• Polytheism
• Animism

• Trinitarian
• Monotheism

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• The Maiden
• Associated with
• 1st stage of
• womanhood
• New Moon

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• The Mother
• Associated with...
• 2nd stage of
• woman-hood
• Full lunar phase

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• The Crone
• Associated with
• 3rd stage of
• womanhood
• Waning lunar phase
• (dark before new)

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Neo-Pagan Views on Deity

• The Gods are Immanent Deities Pervading All of
  Nature
• Mother Goddess or Triple Goddess is Primary
• Maiden Mother Crone
• Male Consort, the Horned God, is Secondary
• Other Intermediate Spirit Beings Are Also
  Manifestations of the One
• All Deities May Be Real Entities or Metaphors

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Neo-Pagan Views on the Goddess

• The Three Phases of the Goddess are Associated
  with the Three Phases of the Moon (waxing, full,
  waning)
• The Goddess is Eternal Assoc. with the Earth
• The Goddess is Invoked by a Variety of Names
• Aphrodite Astarte Diana Cybele
• Gaia Isis Venus Luna
• Diana is Most Popular Name in Witchcraft

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Neo-Pagan Views on the Horned God

• Horned God is Assoc. with the Sun
• Horned God is Lord of the Animals, Death and the
  Afterlife
• Horned God is NOT Eternal, He Dies Every Winter
  and is Reborn Every Summer
• Horned God is Invoked by a Variety of Names
• Adonis Ammon-Ra Osiris Thor Pan
• Pan is the Most Popular Name in Witchcraft

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Neo-Pagan Views on Satan-Demons

• Satan is a Christian Fiction or Invention
• Do NOT Consciously or Deliberately Worship Satan
• Demons May or May Not Exist, But Evil Entities Do

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Neo-Pagan Views On Sin, Salvation, Hell, Death,
Afterlife, Ethics

• Sin Hell as Conceived by Christianity is Myth
• Sin is Disharmony with the Goddess
• Salvation is Harmony with the Goddess
• Death and Life are Cycles of Rebirth
• The Intermediate Place of the Soul Between Death
  and Rebirth is Called Summerland
• Wiccan Ethical Code is If You Harm None, Do What
  You Will

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Neo-Pagan Practices-MagickMagick is the
Natural Manipulation of the World, Usually by
Secret (Hidden or Occult) Means

• I Ching
• Channeling
• Tarot Cards
• Raising Psychic Powers
• Trances
• Sex Magick
• Numerology
• Runes
• Ritual Nudity

• Magickal Techniques Include
• Astrology
• Astral Projection
• Scrying
• Necromancy
• Incantations
• Potion Making
• Crystal Gazing

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Neo-Pagan Practices-Magick

• Motivations For Magick Include
• aesthetic appeal
• artistic expression
• drama
• gain prosperity
• alter consciousness
• healing

• manipulate reality for suitable ends
• personal development
• facilitate spiritual growth
• union with the Divine
• realize self divinity
• harmonize with earth

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Neo-Pagan Practices-The Coven

• Witch Coven has 13-30 members
• Covens gather in a 9ft Magick Circle
• 13 regular meetings (esbats) each year at full or
  new moons
• Each coven member is priest(ess) clergy
• Each coven has a High Priest(ess)
• There are 3 or more degrees of initiation
• Several other rite of passage observances

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Neo-Pagan Practices-Calendar

• 8 main Holy Days each year called Sabbats
• 8 Sabbats correspond to Solar Cycle
• 4 Minor Sabbats
• Winter Solstice (Dec) Spring Equinox (Mar)
• Summer Solstice (Jun) Fall Equinox (Sep)
• 4 Major Sabbats
• Nov Eve Feb Eve May Eve Aug Eve

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Tools of Witchcraft

• alter
• black-hilted knife
• bowls of salt water
• bell(s)
• broom
• candles
• cord(s)
• cauldron
• chalice
• censer
• crystal(s)

• images of Goddess-God
• incense burners
• necklace or pendant
• pentacle
• scourge
• staff
• sword
• wand
• white-hilted knife
• grimoires (magick texts)

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What Does The Bible Say About Pagan
Practices? Let no one be found among you who
sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets
omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or
who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the
dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable
to the LORD. (Deut 1810-12) See also -- Lev
1926, 31206 2 Kin 1710-17 211-6
2324-25 2 Chron 336 Isa 819-20 4712-15
Acts 136-12 1616-18 Gal 519-20 Rev 921
218 2215
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EVANGELISM STRATEGY

• Because of diversity, find out the particular
  beliefs of the recipient and begin from there
• Be prepared gently to undermine the foundation of
  their belief system (pantheism, monism) by
  pointing out necessary implications
• This kind of evangelism is especially
• dependent upon prayer

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EVANGELISM STRATEGY(Continued)

• Gently point out the inconsistencies between
  belief and the possibility of practice
• Point out self defeating claims of moral
  relativism
• Offer the genuine unique Jesus as the solution to
  all
• Share your own genuine experience of faith and
  repentance living in Christ

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EVANGELISM STRATEGY(Continued)

• Show consistent love
• Show unconditional love
• Be ever ready to introduce them to
• the Ever-Faithful God of the Bible
• when the Mother Goddess
• fails them

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Association with New Age, NeoPaganism or
Witchcraft?
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Snake Analogy Practical Advice for Playing with
the New Age

• Dont Play With
• Snakes
• If Youre Going
• To Play With
• SnakesKnow
• The Dangers

SNAKES
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Playing with the New Age

• Dont Play with
• the New Age
• If Youre Going
• to Play with the
• New AgeKnow
• the Dangers

New Age
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