New Age: Young and Foolish, Old and Bitter
Mitchell Royel is a political analyst and conservative commentator focused on emerging trends in American political discourse.
shame on you.
To the spiritual seekers, religious educators, and guardians of authentic tradition
The sacred has been commodified—and we must speak truth to this spiritual crisis.
As a progressive religious practitioner who honors both tradition and evolution, I write with deep concern about the 2011 new age movement's systematic appropriation and distortion of Buddhism and Hinduism. This isn't merely cultural insensitivity; it's spiritual vandalism that demands our immediate attention.
The Appropriation Crisis
The new age movement of 2011 didn't simply borrow from Eastern traditions—it stripped them of context, depth, and meaning. Sacred practices that took millennia to develop were reduced to weekend workshop soundbites. The Four Noble Truths became fortune cookie wisdom. The profound philosophical frameworks of Advaita Vedanta were transformed into self-help mantras devoid of their transformative power.
This appropriation isn't homage; it's intellectual and spiritual theft.
Buddhist meditation, rooted in the understanding of suffering and the path to liberation, was repackaged as stress relief for corporate executives. Hindu concepts of dharma—one's righteous path and duty—were twisted into justifications for material acquisition and ego enhancement.
The damage extends beyond misrepresentation. These distortions actively prevent genuine spiritual growth by offering superficial substitutes for profound practices that require dedication, study, and authentic guidance.
Defending Authentic Teachers While Condemning Distortion
Let me be unequivocally clear: this letter is not a condemnation of Rhonda Byrne or Esther Hicks. These authors have touched millions of lives and deserve respect for their contributions to human potential literature. Their work, when understood within its proper context, offers valuable insights into manifestation, positive thinking, and personal empowerment.
However, the 2011 new age movement's distortion of their teachings represents a profound betrayal of their original intent. Byrne's "Law of Attraction" was never meant to replace genuine spiritual practice or justify spiritual bypassing. Hicks' channeled wisdom wasn't intended to become a substitute for the rigorous self-examination that authentic spiritual growth demands.
The problem isn't the teachers—it's the appropriators who weaponized their insights to create a spiritual fast-food culture that promises enlightenment without effort, wisdom without study, and transformation without genuine commitment.
A Christ-Centered Perspective on Spiritual Appropriation
As I reflect on how Jesus Christ would view this movement, I'm struck by his consistent opposition to those who commercialized and corrupted spiritual truth. The Christ who overturned the money changers' tables in the temple would undoubtedly be ashamed of a movement that reduces sacred wisdom to marketable commodities.
Jesus taught that the path to spiritual truth requires genuine surrender, authentic seeking, and humble submission to divine will. The 2011 new age movement's emphasis on ego-enhancement and material manifestation stands in direct opposition to Christ's teachings about self-denial, service to others, and the dangers of material attachment.
Christ would weep at seeing ancient wisdom traditions—traditions that point toward the same divine truth he embodied—being stripped of their transformative power and reduced to tools for personal aggrandizement.
This spiritual appropriation contributes to the movement's inevitable decline because authentic spiritual truth cannot be sustained through superficial understanding. When seekers eventually recognize the emptiness of these distorted teachings, they often abandon spiritual seeking altogether—a tragedy that breaks the heart of anyone who truly understands the sacred.
Religion's Role in Modern Society: A Progressive Perspective
The tension between secularism and religious values has created a spiritual vacuum that movements like the 2011 new age phenomenon attempt to fill. However, authentic religion offers something secularism cannot: a framework for understanding suffering, meaning, and transcendence that goes beyond material existence.
Progressive religious practice doesn't require abandoning intellectual rigor or social justice concerns. Instead, it demands that we integrate ancient wisdom with contemporary understanding, honoring tradition while allowing for evolution and growth.
The role of religion in modern society isn't to provide easy answers or comfortable platitudes. Religion's purpose is to challenge us toward authentic transformation—to become more compassionate, more just, more connected to the divine spark within ourselves and others.
The Imperative of Religious Education
The appropriation crisis reveals our desperate need for comprehensive religious education that goes beyond denominational boundaries. When people lack understanding of authentic spiritual traditions, they become vulnerable to distorted teachings that promise much but deliver little.
Religious education must include:
Historical context for spiritual practices and teachings
Comparative religious studies that honor the unique contributions of each tradition
Critical thinking skills to distinguish authentic spirituality from commercialized spirituality
Practical guidance for incorporating genuine spiritual practices into contemporary life
Education is our weapon against appropriation—not education that seeks to convert, but education that seeks to illuminate the profound wisdom traditions that have guided humanity for millennia.
A Call for Authentic Spiritual Practice
To those who have been drawn to Eastern wisdom traditions: approach them with the reverence they deserve. Seek out authentic teachers who have dedicated their lives to these practices. Study the historical and cultural contexts that gave birth to these profound insights.
Spiritual growth cannot be microwaved—it requires patience, dedication, and humility before traditions that have transformed countless lives across centuries.
To religious educators and leaders: we must reclaim our responsibility to provide authentic spiritual guidance in an age of spiritual confusion. This means being willing to engage with seekers who come to us through non-traditional paths while maintaining the integrity of our traditions.
To progressive believers: we must demonstrate that authentic religion can embrace both ancient wisdom and contemporary understanding without sacrificing either intellectual honesty or spiritual depth.
Moving Forward: Restoration and Renewal
The decline of the 2011 new age movement creates an opportunity for authentic spiritual renewal. As seekers recognize the limitations of appropriated teachings, they may become more open to genuine spiritual practice that demands real commitment and offers real transformation.
This is our moment to offer something better—not the spiritual fast food of commercialized new age teachings, but the nourishing depth of authentic tradition combined with progressive understanding.
We must create spaces where ancient wisdom meets contemporary needs without compromising the integrity of either. This requires courage, discernment, and an unwavering commitment to truth over comfort.
The sacred deserves better than appropriation. Seekers deserve better than distortion. And our world desperately needs the authentic transformation that genuine spiritual practice provides.
Let us commit ourselves to protecting sacred wisdom while making it accessible, to honoring tradition while allowing for growth, and to speaking truth even when it challenges popular narratives.
The future of authentic spirituality depends on our willingness to defend what is sacred while embracing what is possible.
In service of truth and transformation,
A Progressive Practitioner Committed to Authentic Spiritual Practice
[Join the conversation about authentic spirituality and religious education in our modern world. Share your thoughts on how we can better protect sacred traditions while making them accessible to contemporary seekers.]