Hi Robert,
You raise excellent points, but can I suggest that New Age culture was
institutionalized a long time ago in the Theosophical Society, followed by
its many Steiner-esque and Baileyite offshoots. One could add to this a host
of other institutions, such as The Wrekin Trust, and the outfits run by such
figures as Elizabeth Clare Prophet and Benjamin Creme. I'd certainly add the
Raelians, and we might want to begin the list with the Swedenborgian New
Church. There is no single institution but, surely, exactly like
Christianity, a proliferation of competing institutions.
(By the way, I would see the origins of the modern New Age 'movement' in the
late 18th century).
What do you think?
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Segal, Professor
Robert A.
Sent: 01 February 2012 08:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Thanks to everyone from the list who
helped
Feb. 1
Dear David,
I'd never heard of MOOT MAGAZINE till now.
I just perused your well-written article, which I recognize is directed to a
popular rather than an academic audience. I do not want to get involved in
an exchange with you or with others, but conspicuously missing from your
article are (a) the argument of rational choice theorists of religion that
in America traditional religion is thriving and, more important, (b) even
the most superficial consideration of what it means to identify a group or a
movement as a religion. For those of us professionally trained in
religious studies, metaphysics, ethics, and INSTITUTIONALIZATION are
necessary, whether or not sufficient, criteria. The new age "movement"
hardly qualifies AS a religion, in which case it can never be a rival or
successor to existing religion. As Weber noted a hundred years, any
movement that survives BECOMES institutionalized. Otherwise it simply dies
out.
Sincerely,
Robert Segal
Prof. of Religious Studies
University of Aberdeen
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic
[[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of D G Mattichak jr
[[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 7:47 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Thanks to everyone from the list who helped
Hi All;
I just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone that patiently answered my
questions for my article Spirituality: A New Religion for a New Age. I would
especially like to thank Sabina and Jesper for their help.
For those who are interested the article was published today and you can
take a look at:
http://www.mootmagazine.com/2012/01/31/spirituality-the-new-religion-for-the
-new-age/
Thanks
David Mattichak
The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013683.
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