New World Now

Almost 80 percent of Christians believe that Jesus will come again ... and 20 percent of them believe it will happen in their lifetime. That's tens of millions of Americans who believe Jesus' return is imminent. Based on what you, ask? Largely on modern Christianity's interpretation of one book in the Bible: Revelation. In some instances it can turn potentially deadly—witness the recent arrest of nine Michigan Christian militia members for plotting to kill “anti-Christ” government representatives, “preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive.” With so much focus on one text, might it not behoove us to take it out and give it a once-through with a New Thought lens? Laura examines the "Book of Revelations" and the Second Coming in both literal and metaphorical terms and how it impacts our present generation.

The new HBO series on the life of Jack Kevorkian brings up a moral dilemma: If we are gods, as the Bible suggests, do we not have the right to decide when we die? Is there a soul price to pay if we cut our lives short of our "natural" demise? Or is it a sign of our own divinity if we choose the time, place and manner?

Laura and Christopher speak to Matthew Fox, best known as the catholic priest excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church in the 1990s. Due to controversy surrounding his denial of original sin, he was forbidden to teach theology by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Fox discusses the spiritual crisis that Roman Catholicism now faces and how it may come through this as a more authentic force of love and spiritual awareness. The panel addresses the shadow side of religion in general, including scandal, sexuality and denial.

In Western theology, if you think Satan makes his first appearance in Genesis, think again. From the inception of Christianity, to the Tarot, to modern religion, human beings have struggled with the notion of a devil. And even if you see yourself as a sophisticated New Thought soul-thinker who has moved past the need for such things, what’s all this about “the ego”—hasn’t it become the new devil? Isn’t that just as problematic as the old notion? If you believe in such things as angels, can demons be that far behind? In the end, Satan may be the most misunderstood character in our religious annals … and isn’t it time we show him a little sympathy?

Christie Collbran’s very public “defection” has placed the Church of Scientology on the front pages again. The most recent National Geographic—not to mention HBO’s Big Love series—unearths some of the more notorious elements of Mormonism. As with Unity, these are virtually homemade American religions that have, at times, been assigned the “cult” label by the orthodox mainstream. Perhaps the comparisons end there. What are the truths and myths about these belief systems, where are they headed and what do they have in common with either the conventional or New Thought ends of the religious spectrum?

Is there such a thing as a "true religion?" Is it a choice between literalistic theism and scientism? Where do you fall along the belief spectrum? Friday, March 5, New World Radio host Christopher Naughton and special guest Unity minister Diane Scribner Clevenger interview Jack Call, author of the recent book, God Is a Symbol of Something True: Why You Don't Have to Choose Either a Literal Creator God or a Blind Indifferent Universe. The conversation ranges from the "traditional" belief systems many of us were brought up in to the notion of a personal God, the more deistic views as held by Thomas Jefferson and his contemporaries, to the beliefs of those who just aren't sure.

The Ego—in the classic metaphysical sense—always needs an enemy, an “other” to justify its existence, its fear, its need to vanquish an adversary. Now that we no longer have a definitive enemy as in bygone eras—the British Crown, the Germans, the Japanese, the Russians—who will the Ego now choose as its reason for dissatisfaction? Terrorism is too amorphous. So why not your political enemy as the bogeyman? Niels Nielsen, author of God in the Obama Era, addresses why political squabbles are nothing new but may be reaching a new low. And maybe it signals a new breakthrough beyond the ego’s need to blame an enemy.

Okay, admit it—that word has always sent a bit of a shiver up your spine, no matter how metaphysically-inclined you are, right? Imagine how middle America feels about it! When did the word occult get such a bad reputation? Author, media commentator and publisher Mitch Horowitz joins Laura and Christopher and explains, from his new book Occult America, how the occult has shaped American thinking and spirituality and is set to play a bigger role in the years ahead.

It’s entertaining, riveting and visually sumptuous. But like many archetypically-driven movies before it—such as Star Wars—does the movie Avatar have similar import with a message that some say is spiritually powerful—and flies under the radar of the conscious mind? Audio includes clips of Bill Moyers, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung and numerous films.

Laura and Christopher welcome their first phone-in guest of the new year, Dr. Garland Landrith, best known for his appearance in What the Bleep Do We Know? They will examine the latest scientific experiments on the impact of prayer and meditation … and why dedicating yourself to a meditation practice may be the greatest new year’s gift you could give to yourself—not to mention the world. The program will examine everything from the Transcendental Meditation studies of the '60s to Larry Dossey’s groundbreaking work of the ’80s and ’90s as well as a somewhat controversial Unity-based experiment of this past decade.