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From: cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
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: <1711@optilink.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jun 89 21:21:36 GMT
References: <2357@yunexus.UUCP> <1582@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu> <1961@se-sd.NCR.COM>
Organization: Optilink Corporation, Petaluma, CA
Lines: 44

In article <1961@se-sd.NCR.COM>, lord@se-sd.NCR.COM (Dave Lord) writes:
> 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.  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
> 
> YES, YES, YES!!! Give these people a place to to masturbate with
> their atheist, PROVE IT PROVE IT, intolerace and closed mindedness.
> But only if they promise not to cross post to talk.religion.newage.
> Let our news group be a place where people with spiritual experiences
> and beliefs can talk to each other without fear of being attacked
> by atheists.

I speak from a rather peculiar perspective.  I was a charter subscriber
of _The_Skeptical_Inquirer_.  I'm a Christian; I'm definitely 
NOT a new ager.

If such a group falls into the same trap that _The_Skeptical_Inquirer_
fell into -- defending ALL scientific orthodoxy, as opposed to 
open-minded but skeptical evaluation of extraordinary claims --
such a group will be as worthless as talk.origins.

I'm skeptical such a group has any real value.  Better to stay in
the sci.* groups, and leave the New Agers to their beliefs -- you
aren't going to persuade them by rational discussion anyway, since
the self-directed view of reality is the essential component of
New Age ideas.




-- 
Clayton E. Cramer {pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!cramer
A pacifist who calls the police isn't one; hired violence is still violence.
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