On this matter, Spinoza is a good example of a western philosopher to read in this regard.
> >
> > reconciling their own identity with that of the
> religious faith, but
> that he or she doesn't really believe in what you
> have to accept to be
> religious, and is too vapid to grapple with the
> issue.
You are right there is much vapidness in the New Age movement, but let's not be too nasty with all of the new agers. On the one hand, it seems to me that the New Age is an understandable reaction to a cold alienated impersonal world. Unfortunately, there are vultures who prey upon this weakness in order to propagate instant enlightenment and make huge profits for themselves. As far as I am considered the likes of Deepak Chopra, John Bradshaw, and Miss Cleo should be cast into the lower rungs of Dante's Inferno.(If it exist ;)
However I cannot arrogate to myself, or anyone else for that matter, to say that all spiritual pursuit is an alienation of man's own power into a hypothetical being. For example, what can we say of a-theistic spiritual paths such as Zen?
A lot of the paranormal stuff in new age circles is definitely crock. However, there have been double and triple blind studies done in parapsychology that deserve serious consideration. There has even been serious, but certainly not conclusive, studies on reincarnation done by Dr. Ian Stevens that deserve serious consideration also.
-Thomas
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