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The System of Antichrist: Truth and Falsehood in Postmodernism and the New Age

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_The System of Antichrist_ by the Sufi scholar Charles Upton offers the reader a unique look into some of the pernicious philosophies and movements which are contributing to the moral degeneracy of our times. The modern world is besieged by a crass materialism which emphasizes scientism and denies the traditional outlook of the world's religions. Postmodernity has brought new philosophies which deny absolute truth and objective reality while at the same time offering New Age spiritualities which lead man away from God. Firmly grounded in the Traditionalist school of such writers as Rene Guenon, Ananda Coomaraswamy, and Frithjof Schuon and basing his critique on the perennial philosophy and the idea of the Transcendent Unity of Religions, Charles Upton attempts to show that both postmodernity and the New Age are likely to lead man astray and are a sign of nihilistic decadence which may be heralding in the coming of Antichrist. According to Charles Upton, both postmodernity and the New Age movement consist of spiritualities which are fitted for the coming globalism. Opposing globalism are various revolutionary and reactionary tribalist groups which attempt to assert their own identity against the conformity demanded by the New World Order. It is this crisis in the modern world that is likely to bring about the Age of Antichrist. Charles Upton contends that a return to the traditional outlook, perennialist metaphysics, and the world's great religious traditions is necessary if we hope to survive the coming tribulation and our own modern nihilistic culture. Much of this book is spent critiquing various systems of New Age thought. Thus, there are to be found critiques of the spiritual systems of Jane Roberts and her "Seth" material, the Native magician Carlos Castenada, the neo-Gnosticism of _A Course in Miracles_, the philosophy of _The Celestine Prophecy_, and the entrepreneurial Hinduism of Depak Chopra. In particular, Charles Upton shows how each of these systems conflicts with the traditional metaphysics and religious orthodoxy and thus falls into error. Upton proceeds to show how the New Age movement is actually a reflection of the shadow of God and how each individual must address the problem of evil. In addition, various aspects of the New Age movement are particularly disturbing because they seek to either deny or rebel against the idea of love - as traditionally understood. Charles Upton provides a unique interpretation of the modern phenomenon of UFOs. To Upton, UFO sightings and alien abductions constitute a particularly disturbing aspect of the postmodern world. Upton contends that perhaps we can understand these aliens as spiritual beings, the jinn of Islamic folklore or the demons of Christian tradition. Upton notes that not all of these entities may be evil or necessarily harmful; however, since without a traditional understanding it is impossible to determine this, they should be avoided. This is similar to the manner in which Upton understands the phenomenon of channeling and discarnate spirits (in which he references the work of Rene Guenon in particular on this subject). Next, Upton proceeds to refute the thesis put forward in the popular exposition of the Traditionalist school, _The Only Tradition_ by William Quinn. According to Upton, this book attempts to reconcile two disparate forms of thought, that of the Traditionalist school and that of the Theosophical Society founded by Madame H. P. Blavatsky. Rene Guenon himself had written a distinct book refuting the ideas of Blavatsky. The best and most fulfilling chapters in this book are the last two focusing on Comparative Eschatology and Facing Apocalypse, respectively. Upton offers a unique comparative eschatology in which he focuses on the eschatological traditions in the world's religions, including Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, the religions of the Hopi and Lakota American Indians, Tibetan Buddhism in particular, and Hinduism. Upton is particularly strong in focusing on the relationships between Christian eschatology (particularly that of the Eastern Orthodox Church)and Islam and their own unique understandings of the Antichrist (al-Dajjal to the Muslims), the Mahdi, and the person of Jesus Christ. Contrary to much of the nonsense that has been offered up in the eschatological fields in recent times particularly by fundamentalist Protestants, the eschatological theories of Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism entail a much higher level of understanding. Many individuals from different religious persuasions believe that the Antichrist will likely be a unique individual who appears during a time of crisis. Rene Guenon himself believed that the Antichrist would likely be a specific individual. While Upton remains noncommittal as to whether the Antichrist will be an incarnate individual or simply a powerful force, he does show that his reign is to come upon us and is signified by the crisis of the modern world. Particularly of interest is Upton's understanding of the person of Jesus Christ; he notes that Jesus may have sympathized with the revolutionary forces of his time, the equivalents of modern day tribalism and nationalism, but that his own philosophy did not entail revolution ("Render to Caesar what is Caesar's"). Interestingly, Upton contends that it is out of these two distinct forces that the tribulation and the reign of Antichrist will come. Also interesting is Upton's unique understanding of and warning about shamanism. While Upton contends that there may be many primordial traditions that have retained an intact form of shamanism, he argues that this late in the cosmic cycle any attempt to revive this religious form is likely to be potentially dangerous. It is prophesied that the Antichrist will be a great deceiver and that he will usher in a new era and will be a political and religious problem solver. However, his ultimate goals will appeal to our own spiritual pride. While the modern age remains in a time of crisis, the Traditionalist philosophy and the foundation of the world's religions offer mankind a sign of hope. By overcoming our own pride and turning towards God, man will be able to survive the vicissitudes of the modern world and the coming reign of Antichrist.

Make no doubt about it - Charles Upton has written an absolutely excellent book, destined to become a classic. Despite its length (500+ pages) it is written in a brisk, almost breezy style, and lends itself well to non-linear reading if you are so inclined. Indeed, you will probably wish to skip at least one or two small sections of the book, as the purpose of this book is several-fold.

First of all, it introduces the reader to the "Traditionalist" school of theology and philosophy exemplified by Coomaraswamy, Guenon, Schuon, Lings, et al. While it's difficult to do justice to the Traditionalists in one paragraph (and they are a disparate bunch in their own right) they can probably be said to espouse a "perennial philosophy" that strives for a universal spiritual understanding that at the same time sets absolute standards. This is a sharp contrast from various postmodern and New Age doctrines, which essentially hold that "all paths lead to the same source" and that there is no objective truth. Upton traces the geneaology of postmodernism and the New Age movement, showing how successive strains of philosophic and scientific thought have gradually eroded at the notion of objective truth. In Dostoyevsky's words, "Without God, everything is permitted."

The book then refutes popular strands of New Age thought: the ideas and respective cults that have grown around Jane Roberts' _Seth_ material, Carlos Castaneda's _Tales of Power_, James Redfield's _The Celestine Prophecy_, _A Course in Miracles_, Theosophy, Jung, Terence Mckenna and Deepak Chopra's _Seven Spiritual Laws of Success_ all come under scrutiny. At this point, you can probably pick and choose whatever ideology you were exposed to. As a Gen-Xer, the Castaneda and _Seth_ material didn't have much impact on me, but _The Celestine Prophecy_ was certainly widely read during my undergraduate years at college. Upton is not down on everything that these authors have to say; indeed, much of it is positive. What's important to realize here is that, in his own words, New Age doctrines "don't take you all the way." The problem with much New Age thought, Upton says, is that it might allow for some initial feeling of enlightenment, but it simply doesn't have the time-tested validity of a traditional path. Unfortunately, a lot of the 'follow your bliss' style of New Age thought is not geared towards the pragmatic realm that a spiritual path must take in to account; this often leads to the feeling of being let down after the initial rush of perceived enlightenment is had.

A later chapter on UFO's is particularly interesting. Upton effectively articulates Rene Guenon's notion of UFO's being representative "fissures in the great wall" that appear during the final phases of a complete coalescing of the spiritual into the material world (this is the Kali Yuga of Hindu cosmology, which is a centerpiece of most Traditional thought.) He also (correctly, I believe) points out that these phenomena are manifestations from the psychic or demonic plane, not space brothers heralding a new era of peace and harmony.

The book does occasionally bog down into polemics. Most readers will probably want to skip the chapter that Upton devotes to refuting William Quinn's "The Only Tradition" (which was an attempt to show that Theosophy is compatible with the Traditionalist School.) However, these small asides into academic nitpicking certainly don't detract from the overall strength of the book; it's an excellent introduction to religion, cosmology, and the End Times all in one, and there's hardly a page lacking in quote-worthy passages.

As a final note, I was still left wondering exactly what it is I should _do_ after reading this. Upton would say to pick one traditional path and strive for total immersion in it, but I can't help but think that a religion isn't just another consumer choice that you pick because it seems "interesting". (And this is certainly how most spiritual paths get picked. Americans convert to Buddhism while Asians convert to Christianity in even greater numbers.)

Now, the first 2/3 of the book is excellent, but it bogs down into predictable politically correct syncretism by the end. Make no mistake: I do like Charles Upton. I do believe he is sincere. However, he just has way too much baggage in the form of all of his previous "spiritual paths", a list of which reads like a What's What of Goofy West Coast Dodgy New Age Philosophy. (What the hell is "dreamwork", for example? Do any of us really even want to know?) He wants to be a "traditionalist", but he just can't get away from his beatnik past. You can't help but smirk a little bit every time Upton says "peace be unto him" every time the Prophet Muhammad is referenced -- the True Believer is definitely still there, and you can't help but think he'll move on to yet another "path" in another five or ten years when he becomes "uncomfortable" with Traditionalism. He makes repeated references to his wife that is an Orthodox Christian. An Orthodox Christian and a Muslim? All that being said, this is still a solid book, but it's hardly a substitute for Guenon's _The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times_ or Evola's _Revolt Against the Modern World._ Caveat emptor.

Charles Upton's _The System of Antichrist_ is a lengthy treatise that discusses the nature of the power of evil in today's world and functions as an introduction to the reader of the various thinkers of the obscure "Traditionalist" school. The Traditionalists are a small group of scholars (Rene Guenon, Huston Smith, Frithof Schoun, Coomaraswamy, etc.) who believe in the "Transcendent Unity of Religions." What this doctrine teaches is that there was once one universal spiritual state of mankind that was corrupted during a primeval fall. The traditional religions of the world (Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, Sufi and Shiite Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroasterianism, and a few versions of tribal Shamanism) share common roots and maintain similar views on the nature of the universe and the first and last times. Basically the universe operates on a vicious cycle where the created world starts off with a Golden Age, a Garden of Eden of perfection and Divine Love, but humanity falls from this state and progressively gets worse and worse. Demons rule openly and work to convince humanity to accept the rule of the Antichrist, totally opposed to Godliness. The Messiah, Christ, Madhi, Tenth Imran, Kaki Avatar, Buddha, i.e. Truth Incarnate arrives, slays the Antichrist and initiates a new Golden Age, an New Heaven and New Earth and utterly transfiguring the old, sinful world. Part of the mass apostasy seen today manifests itself in the philosophical development of postmodernism and blatant demonic activity giving psychic weight to the New Age phenomenon, UFO sightings and government mind control. Upton also differentiates between different types of religions, such as folk/worldly, Church/otherworldly and mystical paths that seek liberation from the world and connection to God. Mainline and Evangelical Protestantism have lost their esoteric, ascetic, mystical aspects (such as can be seen in monastic practice) that go above and beyond merely living in the world and believing a set of laid out precepts. Most of America practices a form of secular folk religion in the public sphere which does not have much to do with the liberation of the soul or beliefs but rather good luck in this life (pep-rallies for instance). The hippie movement erred seriously when it equated folk religion with mystical traditions. The biggest problem with this book is that it deals with a metaphysical perspective and is not a specific religion itself, although Upton attempts it in a fashion towards the conclusion. He says to choose one of the world's traditional faiths and stick to it in its conservative form, but I would question the whole process of "choosing" a religion. Religion is above human decisions and if the decision behind choosing them is not overtly political or social, they are not "chosen" in the same way as a kid deciding to buy a lollipop or chocolate bar (the Spirit goes where it will). Also the Transcendent Unity of Religions is a bit questionable itself. It works fine as a metaphysical perspective because of the similarities between Orthodox Christianity, Sufism and Zoroasterianism for example, but is not in itself a religion. The god of "Traditionalism" is one who initiates repetitive cycles of time from eternity to eternity, from Golden Age to Kali Yuga to Golden Age to Kali Yuga again. This is derived from the Hindu and ancient Greek belief in the cycles of eons. It is a lot more on track with the True natures of things than the liberal belief in "progress" ascendant today, but it really does not offer man any hope of ultimate salvation in the love of God. As an Orthodox Christian, it is impossible to believe that Christ is anything less than "true God and true man, of one Essence with the Father, etc.," so some of the comparisons with Islam feel a bit sketchy. I also question Upton's reference to the Kabbalah, a system of mysticism drawn up based on the oral traditions of the Pharisees who conspired to crucify Christ and incite the Roman state to persecute Christianity. International Jewry is antithetical to tradition. Generally speaking, whenever a society, nation or religion abandons its traditions, the position of Jews will increase. Upton notes that the Antichrist will indeed rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and be worshipped by most of the world's Christians and Jews. This signifies the mass apostasy of Christians and Jews from the true Faith. The world of Islam will however, instantly recognize this imposter as the Antichrist (Dajjal) and oppose his reign. It is not all that clear what will happen at the end times though. What I find interesting is that Upton believes, based on the Apocalypse 17-18 that the Antichrist (the Beast) will overthrow the One World Government (the Whore of Babylon) and set himself up as God in its stead. Religious fundamentalist groups are doing their part to fuel the flames of the rule of Antichrist in a scenario like this. The more chaos there is in the world, the more many people will wish for a figure who will hold out a carrot and offer to solve the humanity's problems if he is given unquestioning obedience. "Traditionalism" remains an interesting school of thought among a handful of scholars, but it is nothing more than "a school." It cannot attract a mass of believers of all levels of intelligence and education like the Church can. In all, a great book on the nature of reality. The second law of thermodynamics states that as the universe continues, so does entropy. You will NEVER get as much out of something as you put in. Loss, decay, death, dissolution, disorder, darkness. "Matter is entropy," writes Upton, as even our earth is nourished by a Sun, slowly burning itself out. The only hope in this age is indeed a return for whoever can to repent, return to the ancient Way, realize that the world only ends in death, the ultimate defeat, and look forward to where one's state will be in Eternity, unto Ages of Ages.

Charles Upton, I am sad to say, is no Rene Guenon. While Guenon eschewed apologetics, marking his writings as the work of a real sage, Upton cannot resist making the arguments that Guenon made earlier and better. In fact, due to his long history as a beatnik, hippy, New Ager, and mainstream liberal, Upton has a hard time shedding many of the problematic baggage he has accumulated over the years. He praises Noam Chomsky and still seems constantly susceptible to egalitarian, moralistic thinking at nearly every turn. In short, Upton has decided to write a book on a subject he is not yet qualified to pontificate about. While reading his book, I wondered whether he will migrate, at some future point, away from "Traditionalism" in the same way he moved on from the New Age and his other interests. The saddest, and yet at the same time most fascinating aspect of his book, is how he manages to unintentionally render Tradition appear to be yet another facet of the New Age. He mixes up Hindu, Christian, and Islamic ideas while complaining about New Age syncretism. He claims to have "transcended dogma" but does not "deny it." This is the same trick many New Age people assert they can do too. At no point does Upton see that there are problems and legitimate objections to some of his assertions, and he avoids venturing into any area that deals frankly with possible holes in either his approach or his argument. I would heartily recommend this book to people to watch a soi disant Traditionalist fall flat on his face. I am disappointed that SP, a publishing house that usually has high standards, went for this mess of a book.

It is difficult to imagine that anyone on an earnest quest for genuine knowledge will not find much that is worthwhile, and even life saving, in THE SYSTEM OF ANTICHRIST. The book poses profound challenges to various New Age trends, as well as academic tendencies toward an abandonment of the concept of truth in favor of more strictly power-oriented political ideologies that are typically founded on a sense of cultural identity. The book effectively argues that traditional metaphysics is an infinitely more generous, humane and rational system than any that have been offered to counter it. Charles Upton provides a highly cogent and accessible explication of the "perennial philosophy" that culminates in an invaluable analysis of the nature of evil, as well as of the divine, as these natures have been understood by traditionalists from a variety of religious backgrounds. Aside from the particular insights and passionate arguments it offers, Upton's work has enormous value as a reference for further reading in the Perennial tradition. The author combines a formidable intellect with a disarming compassion to arrive at a strong antidote to the nihilism and cheap skepticism so prevalent in discussions of religious matters currently. If the likes of Blavatsky, Carlos Castenada, The Course in Miracles, 2012 and end-of-the-world mania, UFOs or various other metaphysical fashions have left you numb and wanting, or if you think that traditional religion can be dismissed as some sort of ancient conspiracy to oppress you, you are in for the challenge, and quite possibly the delight, of your life. I can think of no one who has looked harder, more fairly, or more critically at traditional religion and its detractors than Upton, whose personal experiences on both sides of the fence inform a book that resists casual pigeonholing at every turn.

The starred rating THE SYSTEM OF ANTICHRIST has so far received is a poor reflection of its real worth. Those who criticize Upton for his "apologetics" and his honesty about his own spiritual past miss the point. The author's appreciation of the Perennial philosophical school is all the more affecting for his having arrived at it from a sundry New Age background that has helped prepare him to be a trenchant if understanding critic of our era's zeitgeist. There is a brittle, condescending tone on the part of the reviewer who apparently expects Upon's own spiritual journey to be reflected in more strictly doctrinaire tones. No, Charles Upon is no Rene Guenon, but he is, thankfully, Charles Upon, who relates his spiritual sojourn with an honesty which more than adequately reflects the value of the perennial tradition that he credits with rescuing his life, sanity and soul from the deadening trends toward meaninglessness and dissociation that have been all the rage, academically and culturally, for decades now. Upton's experiences allow him to expose the heart of our spectacle-obsessed and violently materialistic epoch more effectively than anyone not grounded in traditional metaphysics has been able to, at least to my knowledge. In part, this is because the faith he draws from the insights of traditional sources of wisdom allows him to avoid the ideological rigidity, intellectual aloofness, as well as the general contempt and despair into which others have tended to fall.

As the positive reviews posted here adequately convey a sense of its content, I will only add that, some years ago, this book came into my life as only a few others have, with the salvic force of genuine revelation. It opened new vistas to explore, and allowed me to abandon the dead ends I'd wandered up while indulging a penchant for the esoteric and occult. I credit this book with confronting me with what matters, with helping me to see the line in the sand on what the Bhagavad Gita calls "the battlefield of life."

Upton's ample measures of brains, heart, guts and spirit earn a full five stars from me any day. If you aren't afraid of bare-knuckle debate, and if you think your own system of thought is a match for the greatest that humanity's rich tradition of inspired genius has to offer, this book is for you. If you expect the author to be someone other than who he is, you might want to pass. I for one remain indebted to Upton for what he has risked and shared, and am grateful for the wisdom that still touches our fraught species, an expansive, nuanced and finally inundating vision of which the author so graciously shares.

Hellas, the author know absolutly nothing about 1917 Fatima Apapritions complexe phenomena. The classic ignorance translated by foriegners writers that follows the old mytical legends. It's a pity that the author ignores the solid research made by Portuguese historians DR. Joaquim Fernandes and Fina d'Armada based in their unprecedent access to the original Fatima archives and official inquiries that are enough different from the old popular religions propaganda. In fact, one needs to read Portuguese to know what REALLY happens in Fatima! So, the author's assumptions about Fatima are indeed a falsehood old Age version...