CT 113: Transcendentalism & New Age Spirituality Study Guide

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts, worldview questions, evaluation tests, and comparative matrix for Transcendentalism, Naturalism, and the Biblical Worldview from the CT 113 Exam 3 Study Guide.

Pantheistic Monism

The worldview belief that all reality is one divine spiritual essence, and everything is connected as part of the same reality.

Brahman

The eternal and infinite reality that is the source of everything.

Atman

The true self or soul in Eastern Pantheistic Monism.

Maya

The belief that the physical world and individual differences are ultimately illusions.

Samsara

The repeating cycle of birth, death, and rebirth until reaching liberation.

Karma

The principle that every action has a consequence.

Prime Reality (Eastern Pantheistic Monism)

Brahman is the only ultimate reality; all individual differences are ultimately illusions.

External Reality (Eastern Pantheistic Monism)

The physical world is temporary or illusory, while Brahman is the only ultimate reality.

Human Beings (Eastern Pantheistic Monism)

Humans are expressions of Brahman, and their true self (Atman) is spiritually connected to it.

Physical Death & Destiny (Eastern Pantheistic Monism)

Death leads to rebirth through Samsara, with the ultimate goal of escaping this cycle and realizing oneness with Brahman.

Epistemology (Eastern Pantheistic Monism)

The view that true knowledge comes through spiritual experience and insight rather than relying only on the senses.

Ethics (Eastern Pantheistic Monism)

Good and evil are not ultimately separate realities; they are viewed as distinctions within the world of Maya.

Meaning of Human History (Eastern Pantheistic Monism)

Human history has no final destination; it is part of the repeating cycle of Samsara until liberation.

The Failure of Language (Pantheism)

The concept that language inherently divides reality into separate things using terms like 'this' and 'that,' making it unable to fully express the ultimate oneness of reality.

Christian Epistemological Contrast (1 Corinthians 15:3–8)

An epistemological model that presents the resurrection of Jesus as a real historical event supported by public eyewitnesses and written propositions, contrasting with private mystical experience.

Ethics 'Beyond Good & Evil'

The pantheistic view resulting from the belief that 'All is One' and the cosmos is perfect, treating good and evil as dualistic human distinctions or illusions rather than objective realities.

Biblical View of Moral Evil

The conviction that moral evil and suffering are real rather than an illusion (Maya), originating from human sin and the misuse of free will.

Eastern Dissolution vs. Western Self-Exaltation

The theological contrast where classic Eastern pantheism focuses on shedding the ego into Brahman, whereas Western New Age thought emphasizes the divine power or godhood of the individual self.

Occult Pathway

A New Age pathway that uses practices such as tarot, astrology, channeling, and spirit guides to seek hidden spiritual knowledge and bypass rational thought.

Psychedelic Pathway

A New Age pathway that seeks mystical experiences through chemically altered states of consciousness, Ayahuasca, or 'ego death' rather than ordinary reasoning or observation.

Relativistic Pathway

A New Age pathway that emphasizes 'my truth,' manifestation, and the concept that individuals construct or shape their own reality.

Cultural Mergers

The blending of pantheistic ideas with American consumerism, self-help culture, and radical individualism to present spirituality as a personal path to power, success, or fulfillment.

Test of Reason (Transcendentalism Breakdown)

The self-referential inconsistency of using logical arguments and written books to claim that reason and human language cannot be trusted.

Test of the Outer World (Transcendentalism Breakdown)

The failure of pantheism to adequately explain how one undivided spiritual reality could produce a diverse physical world of distinct objects, individuals, and natural laws.

Test of the Inner World (Transcendentalism Breakdown)

The conflict between pantheism's claim that evil is an illusion and humanity's innate moral intuition that cruelty and suffering are genuinely wrong and cause real harm.

Test of the Real World (Transcendentalism Breakdown)

The practical tendency of pantheism to revert to primitive animism when followers attempt to appease unseen spiritual forces or manipulate karma through rituals and actions.

Christian Affirmations of Transcendentalism

reality includes a spiritual dimension, humans have value beyond physical existence, and humans possess a desire to connect with God and seek ultimate truth.

Infinite System (Transcendentalism)

A metaphysical model where Brahman, the world, and humanity are all part of the same divine reality, completely erasing the Creator–creation boundary.

Closed System (Naturalism)

A metaphysical model where the material universe (nature and humanity) is all that exists, matter and energy are foundational, and no God acts from outside or within.

Open System (Biblical Worldview)

A metaphysical model where God is personal, eternal, and distinct from creation, but can act and interact directly within the world.

Humanity / Personhood (Naturalism)

The view that human beings are physical organisms that developed entirely through natural processes.

Humanity / Personhood (Biblical Worldview)

The view that human beings are created in the image of God and possess unique inherent value.

Epistemology (Naturalism)

The belief that knowledge is acquired through reason, observation, and scientific evidence.

Epistemology (Biblical Worldview)

The belief that knowledge comes through reason, observation, Scripture, and God's revelation.

Ethics / Morality (Naturalism)

The perspective that morality develops through human society, biology, and shared human values.

Ethics / Morality (Biblical Worldview)

The perspective that morality is grounded in God's character and revealed moral standards.