On 13/12/2011 11:47 PM, Alison Butler wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> Any recommendations for the best translation/edition of the Corpus Hermeticum (Asclepius in particular) for a reading group composed of philosophers, historians, sociologists and magicians? I've heard the Walter Scott version may not be the best, but it's
the only one on my shelf at the moment!
>
> Thanks and best wishes,
> Alison
>
> ________________________________
> From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [
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> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 7:27 AM
> To:
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> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] A request for opinions on new age spirituality, eclecticism and Wicca
>
> Hi David
>
> If you didn't ask such interesting questions I wouldn't reply so fully, so I have done so again on the next interesting topic you raised.
>
> I think you are right about perceptions of the spiritual free market, and it is predictable the faiths that stand to lose members/privileges/status/money/control see it as a bad thing, whilst the ones that are gaining in credibility/acceptance see it as a
good thing. As you will see below that bifurcated viewpoint played out in the response to "cults" too.
>
> Cults is not a term that is used much anymore, and New Religious Movement is more common. The Church/Sect/Cult typologies have been discussed as inadequate for new spiritualities; Michael York (1995) went into this. Roy Wallis (1976) developed new terms in
his study of Scientology, of World Accommodating, World Affirming and World Rejecting ideologies, the world rejecting ones being more likely to end badly, ie Waco, Solar Temple etc. The Cult Controversy took off post 1960s/hippy era, Eileen Barker wrote up
her research on conversion to NRMs in her seminal book the Making of a Moonie, brainwashing or choice, in 1984, finding that far from being brainwashed (as had been the popular explanation) the joiners were educated, intelligent, idealistic seekers who did
not necessarily stay for life but whilst they asked those deep questions and formulated the answers. This turned out to be quite a common finding in such groups. Indeed "deprogrammers", who made money from familie
s by kidnapping young joiners and subjecting them to a distressing process of forcible deconversion were the real "brainwashers".
>
> Melton 1999 found anti-cult agitators to be made up of ex-members, frightened parents of young members, and those with a hidden religious agenda which included non-neutral governments politicians seeking sensitive issues, and clergy from mainstream churches,
although in America the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches declared deprogramming to be undesirable and against the laws of liberty in 1974 (Melton and Moore 1982). In Britain, Christian evangelical groups have been inextricably intertwined
with the main anti-cult groups - the Reachout Trust and Deo Gloria (Chryssides 1999).
>
> Eileen Barker points out that NRMs serve as a barometer on how ‘open’ or ‘closed’ the legal system in a country is, and shadow the underlying fears in any society by revealing perceived vulnerabilities of perceived victims. Barker notes that France has
been particularly concerned with political intrigue, Britain with brain washing, the United States with family break-ups and financial matters, Japan with effects on adherents’ careers, and Germany with social security issues. She points out that the interpretations
and perceptions of events surrounding Britain’s ‘Satanic scare’ in the 1980s could provide a good starting point for further study on this subject (Barker 1999:29).
>
> You say "There is also a tendency to view the dangerous cults as being fundamentalist Christian rather than Eastern or of some modern origins which seems to me to be quite an important shift in people's perceptions." I think you'd need some figures on that,
a lot of the NRMs were Christian based, even the "Moonies" full name is "The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity," and looks forward to the second coming of Christ in our age. You are right about the fundamentalism though, which
of course is probably the fear/shadow today in a world where Muslim/Christian tensions are leading us to new eras of terrorism (by individuals and/or states depending on your viewpoint), tension and fear, perhaps even of Armageddon.
>
> I don't think traditional religion is being demonized, having to compete, having to face up to past wrong doings maybe, what did you mean by demonized? Also, not nitpicking but genuinely interested in your post, Buddhism or Taoism have been seen as being
fonts of ancient wisdom and "new age friendly" for more than a century, Crowley put a large amount of Yoga into his book Magic in Theory and Practice, and Theosophy and Anthrosophy are well rooted in eastern metaphysics.
>
> Good luck with the article, I am looking forward to reading it!
>
> best regards
>
> Melissa.