MOC writes: “Someone I know who attends LaSalle University in Philadelphia was given a book by a religious sister authored by Gregg Braden to read. Is this book and author New Age?”
Although I don’t know the name of the book you are referring to, Gregg Braden is definitely a hot ticket on the New Age circuit. My first clue was his publisher – Hay House, which is the biggest New Age publishing house on the planet.According to a bio on the Hay House site, Braden once had a successful career as a computer geologist and systems designer who left all that behind in order to become “a pioneer in bridging science, spirituality, and the real world.”
“For more than 25 years, Gregg has searched high mountain villages, remote monasteries, and forgotten texts to uncover their timeless secrets. His work has been featured as media specials shown on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, and ABC. To date, Gregg’s discoveries have led to such paradigm-shattering books as The God Code; The Divine Matrix; Fractal Time; and his latest, Deep Truth: Igniting the Memory of Our Origin, History, Destiny, and Fate. Today, his work is published in 19 languages and 38 countries, and shows us beyond any reasonable doubt that the key to our future lies in the wisdom of our past.”
These paradigm-shattering books don’t seem to be impressing anyone except New Agers and it’s easy to see why. In his book, The God Code, he claims that the human DNA sequence, when read by assigning Hebrew characters to the base sequence, spells out God’s signature in Hebrew. Upon what scientific source is he relying for this information? A Kabbalah text, plus a hefty dose of numerology. Not exactly convincing science.
As one skeptic who read several of his books contends, “Braden is typical of a lot of New Age authors in that he starts with science but distorts it to draw unwarranted conclusions. Braden also makes up stuff and says it is science too.”
This skeptic actually liked Braden’s earlier works but believe he went off the rails beginning with The God Code in 2004. Believing Braden to have his heart in the right place, he cautions the public to “treat his scientific and scriptural ‘evidence’ as fiction and focus on his sentiments. It is a shame his work is so sloppy and contrived as his heart is in the right place and he can be so inspirational.”
Suffice to say that Braden’s work is riddled with New Age pseudo-science and while it might be interesting to read, it is not likely to shatter your paradigm anytime soon.
Send your New Age questions to newage@womenofgrace.com
