MMathis,
I "second" morbo's recommendation for the book "The Universe Next Door." If your niece likes to read and is philosophically inclined (seeks to be informed, etc.), this book is the best I know of. You may want to read it yourself to see "where she's coming from."
I have a friend who's into "New Age." But from what I understand, this label is considered outdated these days. Some recent promoters of the worldview are calling it "21st Century Spirituality." Ravi Zacharias coins it "The New Spirituality."
In any event, I made a playlist on youtube that I named "Ex-New Agers." The first is an in-depth look at how a guy got into New Age and later became a Christian (his full testimony). He does the second vid, which has some stuff about biblical prophecy that I don't really agree with.
The next two vids are shorter and are the testimonies by two young women (30ish) who converted to Christ from New Age.
Here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/mv2gc6j
MMathis wrote:She believes Jesus was a real person, but she also believes Buddah was too. I looked up who and what Buddah was. Some enlightened dead dude from 2500 years ago. DEAD !
Yep. Buddha is considered "enlightened." And, yes, he's dead. But in Eastern Religion a fully-enlightened person does not cease to exist. Well, they do and they don't.
People talk a lot about "karma" these days. Very few know what it really means. "What you sow, you will reap" is often paraphrased (from the Bible) in support of "karma," as if the Bible teaches it, which it doesn't. The "sow & reap" comes from Galatians and is talking about what we do, good or bad, and what we will reap: life or corruption.
In Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, karma is worked through, so to speak, by millions and millions of reincarnations. Ghandi spoke of it as a curse! Karma involves being reincarnated in order to be perfected. That is, until you -- (though "you" become a different "you" each lifetime!) -- live a totally self-less life.
When this happens, Hindus, Buddhists, and "New Agers" will no longer be reincarnated (as another person, each time). They go to Nirvana. This isn't the Eastern counterpart to Heaven, though it is a little similar.
In Nirvana the person becomes part of the universe and will no longer personally exist. In other words, on New Age type beliefs, there will come a time when one "isn't" (no longer exists).
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One other quick point: Does your niece ever pray? I mean, does she ask God (or whatever or whoever she considers God or "god" to be)?
The Christian God is personal, so she could pray to Him.
But in Eastern thought, "prayer" and/or meditation isn't you speaking to another personal being. It's ridding the mind of the illusion that anything & everything, us, and all of our problems are REAL! (The material world and everything (us included) is NOT REAL in "New Age")!
I'd say your niece needs to decide if she wants to know Someone (God and Jesus) or if she wants to "be one with It" and eventually become non-existent in Nirvana. That is, if Nirvana is real, which we Christians don't think so.
Lastly, I just posted this on another thread:
(Monism is "New Age," Hinduism, and Buddhism):
I saw one of Ravi Zacharias's associates speaking to: worldviews on a U2B vid. He (forgot the guy's name) said there are three basic (or essential) worldviews. In terms of material reality and spiritual reality, there are:
Monism
"All is God" -- everything in the universe, including people
Theism
"Both" -- the material is real, the spiritual is real
Atheism
"All is material" -- everything in the universe, including people
Take Care!