Editing New Message from God (section)

== Beliefs ==
The New Message from God presents a syncretic theology that integrates [[monotheism]] with a cosmology centered on extraterrestrial life.<ref name="Liang3"/> While the movement acknowledges figures like [[Jesus]] and [[Buddha]], it explicitly distinguishes itself from [[Christianity]], asserting that it is a new revelation entirely.<ref name="Pakman">{{cite AV media |people=Pakman, David (Host); Summers, Reed (Guest) |date=November 17, 2016 |title=Interview with the Son of God's Messenger |medium=Video |language=en |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7eVrZUnnjo |access-date=November 25, 2025 |publisher=[[The David Pakman Show]]}}</ref>

=== The Greater Community ===
A central tenet of the movement is the concept of the "Greater Community," which refers to the vast universe of intelligent life.<ref name="Liang10">Liang, 2019, p. 10.</ref> Unlike many UFO religions that view extraterrestrials as messianic or benevolent saviors, the New Message teaches that the universe is a competitive environment.<ref name="Liang4">Liang, 2019, p. 4.</ref> The group claims that humanity is currently facing an "Intervention" by opportunistic extraterrestrial races seeking to exploit Earth's resources and undermine human sovereignty.<ref name="Liang4"/>

This narrative is expounded in ''The Allies of Humanity'', a series of texts Summers claims were transmitted to him by a group of ethical extraterrestrial observers who wish to warn humanity without directly interfering.<ref name="Allies">{{cite web |title=The Allies of Humanity Book One |url=https://www.alliesofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Allies-of-Humanity-Book-1.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=The Allies of Humanity |access-date=November 25, 2025}}</ref>

=== Theology of Knowledge ===
The movement's soteriology centers on "Knowledge" (capitalized), described as a deeper spiritual intelligence within every individual that connects them to God.<ref name="Liang35">Liang, 2019, p. 35.</ref> The movement teaches a form of cosmic monotheism, asserting that "God is Knowledge" and is the creator of all life in the universe, transcending any single human religion.<ref name="Liang36">Liang, 2019, p. 36.</ref> Salvation is defined as the "reclamation of Knowledge," which allows individuals to fulfill their specific purpose in the physical world.<ref name="Liang41">Liang, 2019, p. 41.</ref>

{{Quote|In the Greater Community, Knowledge is the essence and substance of all religious experience... Knowledge is the part of your mind that is spiritual and permanent. It is the part of your mind that knows who you are and why you have come here.|author=[[Marshall Vian Summers]]|source=''Greater Community Spirituality''<ref name="KnowledgeQuote">Liang, 2019, p. 35. See also: {{cite web |title=What is Knowledge? |url=https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-4/greater-community-spirituality/what-is-knowledge/ |work=Greater Community Spirituality |publisher=The New Message from God |access-date=November 25, 2025}}</ref>}}

=== The Great Waves of Change ===
The movement teaches that humanity is facing a converging set of global crises termed the "Great Waves of Change." These include environmental degradation, resource depletion, poverty, and the risk of conflict over diminishing resources.<ref name="Liang831">Liang, 2019, p. 67.</ref> 

According to the New Message, these catastrophic events are not merely physical challenges but are evolutionary thresholds that require humanity to mature spiritually and unite.<ref name="Waves">Summers, Marshall Vian (2009). ''The Great Waves of Change: Navigating the Difficult Times Ahead''. Boulder: New Knowledge Library. {{ISBN|978-1-884238-60-4}}.</ref> The movement explicitly rejects "End Times" or [[Rapture]] theology, viewing these crises instead as a difficult but survivable transition into a new world reality.<ref name="Pakman"/>

=== The Mental Environment ===
A distinctive feature of the New Message cosmology is the concept of the "mental environment." This is described as a non-physical but tangible realm of influence where thoughts and mental energies interact.<ref name="Liang593">Liang, 2019, p. 48.</ref> 

Scholar Celetia Liang notes that in New Message theology, the mental environment is "a parallel environment to our physical one" where "minds have a palpable influence over all individuals regardless of their awareness."<ref name="Liang593"/> The movement teaches that extraterrestrial forces (the "Intervention") utilize this environment to influence human leadership and pacify the public, relying on "human belief and acquiescence" rather than direct military force.<ref name="Liang845">Liang, 2019, p. 68.</ref> Students of the movement practice shielding their minds and developing "noetic" discernment to navigate this environment safely.<ref name="Liang28">Liang, 2019, p. 3.</ref>