Xref: utzoo news.groups:10130 news.misc:3196 sci.misc:3622 talk.religion.newage:3445 talk.philosophy.misc:2487
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!gpmenos
From: gpmenos@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (G. Philippe Menos)
Newsgroups: news.groups,news.misc,sci.misc,talk.religion.newage,talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: *** CALL FOR DISCUSSION *** Creation of newsgroup sci.skeptic
Keywords: new age new science parapsychology skepticism
Message-ID: <9017@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 16 Jun 89 12:53:56 GMT
References: <2357@yunexus.UUCP> <1582@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>
Reply-To: gpmenos@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (G. Philippe Menos)
Followup-To: news.groups
Organization: Princeton University, NJ
Lines: 30

In article <1582@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> arrom@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee (600.429)) writes:
>>I have been personally shocked lately as to the promulgation of the   
>>so-called New Age in the media and in people's living rooms and
>>discussions.


Nothing new new here, except the greater power of the media with
advancing technology, but "new age" type issues have been circulating
broadly in America at least since the spiritualist movement of the 19th
century and befor that among devotees of the mother goddess
and forms of "witchcraft," a much maligned but often (but not always)
worthy (in the sense of ethically advanced) religion.

>>  Since there is even a newsgroup dedicated to it, I
>>wondered if a skeptical group might not be called for.
>>The idea would be that the group would be unmoderated and that issues
>>of New Ageism and its ilk might be discussed openly and skeptically.
>>If it seems as though I want only to bask these kind of ideas, it is
>>only my abhorance of these sorts of things merely accepted and not
>>discussed critically.  No bashing allowed!
>>What think you?
>>Norman R. Gall

I'm in favor!  But if this new group does not get off the ground, I hope
you join talk.religion.newage.  Many of us who participate in this group
do so for precisely the reasons and with the motives you describe, with
varying degrees of "abhorance", depending on the specific topic.

With best wishes,
-Phil