Editing Mark-Age (section)

== Beliefs ==
Mark-Age is a contactee or [[UFO religion]],{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=xxv}} as well as a [[New Age]] one,{{sfn|Melton|1988|p=732}} with [[Christian]] elements.{{sfn|Beit-Hallahmi|1998|p=224}} Their beliefs are heavily influenced by [[Theosophy]],{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=331}}{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=253}}{{sfn|Melton|1987|p=564}} and may have taken influence from ufologist [[George Adamski]].{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=22}} Scholars [[J. Gordon Melton]] and George M. Eberhart listed it in 1995 as one of the major contactee groups,{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=253}} and it was also one of the largest.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=9}} Their beliefs also incorporated older contactee stories.{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=xxix}} They described themself as dealing with "the relationships and the responsibilities between the angelic and the man kingdoms [...] the actual words of the seven archangels [...] spiritual guidelines for the Latter Days and the Second Coming.{{sfn|Beit-Hallahmi|1998|p=224}} The [[problem of evil]] is blamed on the spiritual inadequacy of current humanity; they wrote in their texts that "the human race is responsible for evil … There is no such thing as Satan, except the evil that lives in men’s minds, hearts, desires, ambitions and greed"; despite saying Satan does not exist, they use Christian terminology. They reinterpret [[Armageddon]] as instead being "where each person must accept responsibility for the conditions prevailing everywhere on the planet".{{sfn|Partridge|2004|p=185}}{{sfn|Partridge|2003|p=19}} 

The researcher [[John A. Saliba]] noted them as illustrating "the belief in beings from outer space can be incorporated in what is essentially a contemporary form of spiritualism",{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=29}} while [[Christopher Partridge]] listed it with the [[Aetherius Society]] as especially prominent examples of a specific kind of Theosophical religion, which while they were "fundamentally physicalist, expound a more traditionally theosophical worldview".{{sfn|Partridge|2003|pp=37–38}} Placing UFO religions on a spectrum, Partridge argued that they had a spectrum of religiosity, from the basically secular [[Raëlianism]] at the extreme end of the secular and physicalist end, the Aetherius Society in the middle, and Mark-Age at the extreme of supernatural and only slightly physicalist religions.{{sfn|Partridge|2003|pp=21–22}}

=== Hierarchical Board ===
The beliefs of Mark-Age involved a "communication plan" for the transition to the [[Age of Aquarius]].{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=331}} Mark-Age believes itself to be a contact point with the "higher beings" of the "Hierarchical Board" (also spelled Hierarchal Board; effectively the Theosophical [[ascended master]] figures){{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=29}} which have spiritually governed the [[Solar System]] since the beginning of the "transition" from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius (the 1960s). Members would [[Channeling (New Age)|channel]] from these beings, supposedly distributing them through [[telepathy]] and [[automatic writing]].{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=331}}{{sfn|Melton|1987|p=563}}

They claimed to be "commissioned by the Hierarchal Board to implant a prototype of spiritual government on Earth, the I Am Nation. The I Am Nation is a government of, for and by the I Am Selves of all people on Earth [...] It is not a political government, but is a spiritual congregation of all souls who seek to serve God, first and foremost, and the I Am Selves of all people on Earth."{{sfn|Clark|2000|p=119}} While initially done by many members, Nada-Yolanda became the main figure later on and did most of the channeling, seen as a telepathic [[Mediumship|medium]].{{sfn|Clark|2000|p=119}}{{sfn|Melton|1987|p=563}}{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=29}}

=== Extraterrestrials ===
Mark-Age also believe in ethereal, non-corporeal [[Space vehicle|spaceships]], created by an alien species on another planet with superior technology, with which one could communicate with other planets using telepathy.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=29}}{{sfn|Melton|1987|pp=563–564}} They believe that UFOs have interfered in the Earth's history on many occasions, and believed that [[Jesus]] would return come the Year 2000. God would then form a worldwide government of a spiritual nature, and the planet would be transformed and purified.{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=310}}{{sfn|Clark|2000|p=119}}{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=xxv}} Even past this date in 2007 the group still believed in an alien-assisted future [[Second Coming]].{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=310}} 

Another belief of the group was that Sananda (Jesus), a member of the Hierarchical board had been orbiting the Earth in an ethereal spacecraft since 1885, and that he would manifest once the planet was cleansed.{{sfn|Clark|2000|p=119}}{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=331}}{{sfn|Melton|1987|p=564}} They quote Jesus in their texts as claiming "I have come many times to the Earth planet as a leader and as a spiritual ruler responsible for that which does happen in this plane or cycle", and Mark-Age writes of his past incarnations that they count "[[Khufu]], [[Melchizedek]], [[Moses]], [[Elijah]], [[Zarathustra]], [[Gautama Buddha]], [[Socrates]], and Jesus of Nazareth".{{sfn|Partridge|2003|p=12}} They believe that, among others, the theosophical master [[Morya (Theosophy)|Morya]], other theosophical masters, Gloria Lee, and U.S. president [[John F. Kennedy]] have sent them messages through channeling.{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=310}}{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=331}}{{sfn|Melton|1987|p=563}} After Gentzel died in 1981, members believed he sent them messages as Morya.{{sfn|Tumminia|2007|p=310}}