Sire defines worldviews as commitments, fundamental orientations of the heart, which can be expressed as assumptions that we hold either knowingly or unknowingly, consistently or inconsistently about the basic components of reality, and offers the basis on which we live and move and have our existence. Pantheism is a type of religious belief where pantheists see God and the Universe as one and similar. New age thought is a type of religious belief that developed from ancient Gnosis and existentialism during 1970s through occult and metaphysical religious communities (Sire, 168). Although it has many expressions, New age thought aims at self-discovery, spiritual growth and enlightenment.
Central assumptions of each worldview
Pantheism
According to pantheism, God is the one, infinite-impersonal, and ultimate reality. Pantheists’ belief that anything that exists is God, and if not, it is ‘maya’ or an illusion and has no existence (Sire, 149). This means that, anything that exists separately is said to be an illusion. They also belief that oneness gives reality and not separation, because Brahman is one and Brahman is the one. They also believe that ultimate reality is beyond distinction because it can only be realized by being it.
Eastern pantheists believe that some things are more real than others. The hierarchy is as follows: matter and minerals are least real, vegetable, anima and lastly humanity. Under humanity, a guru is believed to be closer to unity because they are closest to the pure being (Sire, 151). One you realize consciousness you become infinite and impersonal. To the furthest is illusion which requires an individual, and being itself requires one to have unity with the one. They belief that realizing the one is unreal. Eastern pantheists believe in “Karma” which is a notion that what you the current outcome of in life is based on the previous actions i.e. you reap what you saw. This is linked to the notion of reincarnation, which articulates the principle that nothing that is real ever passes out of existence because they are eternal existence (Sire, 155).
New age thought
This type of worldview is majorly eclectic and syncretic, i.e. it derives ideas from all major worldview such as naturalism, ancient animism and eastern pantheism (Sire, 179). The New age thought rejects the existence of a transcendent God of the cosmos unless it be each of human beings. Believers of the new age thought belief that there is only a closed cosmos that is occupied by human beings with special intellectual power, which is not confined in the skull. Moreover, those humans and the consciousness of the universe are also not transcendent in accordance with the logic of theism.
New age thought derived the idea of hope of evolutionary variation for humanity from naturalism. They believe evolution will result in transformation of a new being. It also has a similar belief just like theism and naturalism in the notion of giving human beings the greatest value, i.e. if one person has value, then all beings are valuable. The new age thought has also borrowed various aspects of spirituality from animism in a naturalistic manners. They include: many spiritual beings occupy the natural universe in a hierarchy manner with the sky God being at the top, the world has no infinite-personal creator-God but has personal dimensions, the spiritual beings have varied temperament, the evil spirits must be conciliated and the good spirits be enticed gifts and offerings for people to get life, arduous learning has enable witch doctors, shamans and sorcerous to take control of evil spirits, and all of life has unity (Sire, 180).
Similarities
New age thought copied the spiritual experience in which time, space and morality are transcendent from Eastern pantheistic monism. The New age thought is also referred as Western version of Eastern mysticism (Sire, 180). In the new age thought, the notion that “Atman is Brahman” is substituted by the notion that “seeing, experiencing or perceiving the unity of reality is what life is all about.”
Differences
In the new age worldview, the life of an individual is more valuable unlike the East pantheism that puts more stress on Atman Braham as the ultimate spiritual being. According to the new age spirituality, the center of the universe is the consciousness of a human being which differs with the Eastern pantheism that believes the supernatural being (Atman Brahman) is the center of the universe. Eastern pantheism believe that anything that exists on its own is an illusion and there is no other external universe. In the new age, they do claim that an external universe exists and it is not controlled by God but its inner self. In eastern pantheism, ultimate reality is beyond distinction because it can only be realized by being it. In new age thought, thinking is distinction, therefore, distinction of one thing from another is a way of knowing reality.
The overall concept that Sire discusses of pantheism and new age
Sire discusses the general spiritual beliefs of both pantheism and the new age thought worldviews. He explains that new age worldview was formed during 1970s from the major worldviews. Sire adds that the New age thought is a new version of Eastern pantheism. He concludes that despite the journey to the east has reduced due to influence of western lifestyle, as long as pantheism and the new age thought gives peace and togetherness, people will still rejoin (Sire, 212).
Source
Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door. 5th ed., Intervarsity Press, 2009, pp. 145-212.
