EC writes: “We are having a parish ‘retreat’ day with a priest who also is heavily involved with the Silva Mind Control Method. Can you point me to any Vatican documents which expressly state that the Silva Mind Control Method is New Age and therefore incompatible with our Catholic faith? I want some ‘backup’ from the Church, so I can voice my objections to the Parish Priest.”
Tag Archives: Human Potential Movement
What Makes a Motivational Speaker New Age?
LL writes: “How do I know if a speaker is New Age or not? There are so many of them out there, and they make some very enticing promises. How do I know who is legit and who isn’t?”
Why Walking on Hot Coals is Not a Good Idea
Photo by Joshua Newton on Unsplash
The ability to walk across burning hot coals is known as firewalking and many a New Age motivational speaker wants us to believe that our mind has the power to enable us to do this. Does this explain why so many people at these events end up with their feet on fire while others walk away unscathed?
A Cautionary Note About Neurolinguistic Programming
BB writes: “A parishioner at my church is offering NLP at her health food store. It sounds kind of New Agey to me. Can you tell me more?
Julia Cameron and Why Dying to Self is the Only Way to Unlock our Full Human Potential
LL writes: “I have a son, Chris who is a reiki master and is now taking a course called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I did a bit of research on this and it looks very new age. Is this something you have touched on in your program before?”
New Age Self-Help Guru in a Heap of Trouble
Motivational speaker Tony Robbins (photo courtesy of Randy Stewart via Wikimedia Commons)
Tony Robbins, a popular motivational speaker and self-help guru who counsels his fans on the science of personal achievement may need to take some of his own advice as he struggles to recover from accusations of sexually abusing followers to labeling fans who underachieve as “losers.”
Dangers of Landmark
Werner Erhard (Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons, AkashOM, CC BY-SA 4.0)
SC writes: “My sister, a confirmed Catholic and the godmother of my daughter, attended a Landmark Forum last weekend in Cincinnati. She was “invited” by her boyfriend. After looking at a website on cults and watching a video that a French TV station did on this group, I do believe that it is a cult. It has been around for awhile, but seems to have really hit the Midwest. I looked on your New Age blog but couldn’t find an entry on this particular group. I told her it is anti-Christian and at the very least, she will be out of a lot of money. She has already signed up for more weekends, and asked me why I thought it was anti-Christian. What could be wrong with trying to make your relationships better with family and friends, she says? She is a smart woman and so is the boyfriend – I can’t understand how they could be drawn to something which is such a scam.”
The New Age/Occult Roots of the 5Rhythms
Gabrielle Roth (1941-2012)
(YouTube)
We have received a question from a reader about a form of trance dancing known as the 5Rhythms. Is it New Age? And are there any connections to the occult?
Can You Detox Your Brain?
THIS BLOG WAS UPDATED IN DECEMBER, 2019
MM writes: “I have looked with great interest at some interviews with Caroline Leah – Switch on your Brain. How science is catching up with God’s Word. It seems like great stuff. She offers a detox program of 63 days to change our mind habits. I would like to know what are your thoughts on her methods and teachings.”
Pam Grout: Repackaging the Law of Attraction
TD writes: “I am concerned because someone I know has recommended this book [by Pam Grout entitled E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality] to me and even the image on the cover scares me. Have you heard of this woman?”
