Alternative Spirituality vs. The “New Age”

Alternative spirituality is commonly lumped together with the New Age. Alternative spirituality is a large umbrella and the New Age is just one subset underneath it.

The term “New Age” has a different connotation with different groups of people.

• For Christians, the New Age is associated with false religion and witchcraft

• For truthseekers, the New Age is thought of as the false light

• For rational skeptics, the New Age is thought of as "quackery” due to not fitting the standards of scientific inquiry

• For others, the New Age represents innovative concepts outside of mainstream society and/or a positive movement that will usher in a “new age” for humanity

• Lastly, the New Age can be an entirely neutral term, such as the genre “New Age Spirituality” at a bookstore

As you may be able to tell, the New Age is difficult to define with so many interpretations of what it is.

For the purpose of this post, though, I am referring to the New Age as the conglomerate of popular principles and practices that pervade the spiritual community or those who identify as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR). Not all ideas popular within the New Age are false, but they tend to be interpreted and applied in an overly simplistic manner.

This post is part of a larger article, which you can read in full here.