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From: smb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Other Spiritual Paths: BOOK LIST
Message-ID: <1042@ulysses.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Oct-84 14:35:08 EST
Article-I.D.: ulysses.1042
Posted: Mon Oct 29 14:35:08 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Oct-84 01:21:15 EST
References: <1467@qubix.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 34

> From: lab@qubix.UUCP (Q-Bick)
> Subject: Re: Other Spiritual Paths: BOOK LIST
> Message-ID: <1467@qubix.UUCP>
> Date: Fri, 26-Oct-84 15:12:26 EST
> 
> > 5.  `Real Magic' by P.E.I. (Isaac) Bonewits, Creative Arts Book Co.,
> >      1971, revised 1979 (paper).
> > 	this is the guy who got a B.A. in Magic, from UC-Berkeley,
> > 	legitimately, back in the '70's.
> 
> A degree in Magic? There aren't that many aspiring prestidigitators out
> there, so I can only conclude that a *state-supported* school has
> established a religion.
> -- 
> 		The Ice Floe of Larry Bickford
> 		{amd,decwrl,sun,idi,ittvax}!qubix!lab

Come now...  Anything, from magic as a sociological phenomenon to magic as a
religion to christianity as a religion is a fitting subject for academic
inquiry.  The only constraint I'd apply is that the matter be studied
academically, not theologically.  There are many religion departments at
secular (and state-supported) universities; they're merely a recognition
that religions exist, and have had significant impacts on society, philosphy,
etc.  It would be discriminatory to say that such departments were allowed to
study Christianity only, or "Judaeo-Christian" [sic] religions only.

I don't even object to *objective* study of religion in lower grades, though
I think it would be a poor idea.  Even at the university level, many students
can't handle the conflict between academic opinions and their own religious
beliefs; I'd hate to see what would happen to an elementary-school teacher
who (for example) questioned the authorship of the Torah (Five Books of Moses).


		--Steve Bellovin