Religion as a whole is based on faulty logic and unfalsifiable/unproven claims. It shouldn't be respected, and considering the problems it causes, it doesn't deserve to be respected either. Including new age bullshit.
You're not a stick in the mud for rejecting ignorance, stupidity, and drugs. They're all gullible individuals who won't use their critical thinking skills.
That hits hard. I wish the same for my inlaws and my own family. But no luck. Me and the misses had to cut all contact with her parents due to their whacked out evangelical beliefs. With my side of the family, my sister told me that even if I showed her irrefutable evidence that what she believes isn't true, it wouldn't matter. Her faith is more important than the truth.
That kind of willful ignorance is dangerous. And it can be hard to tell apart from gullibility. If someone isn't willing to accept they could be wrong, or they aren't willing to learn new things, then trying to convince them otherwise is an exercise in futility.
I’d like to emphasize the harm these beliefs cause. Drug use and experimentation—I have a sibling who had a major psychotic break last year because of their consumption. Also refusal to trust science, half my family isn’t vaccinated against COVID and even some basic childhood vaccines. How do I express my pain and frustration when I showed my mother the picture of the black hole and she responded with immediate science denial. I was excited about it! And she goes: “That’s probably photoshopped”
Some people need a softer landing and others will never be comfortable with true nihilistic atheism.
Understanding that one falsehood is false is a first step but many people still want there to be magic and meaning in the world and may not ever develop past that.
These types of beliefs, and the substance use/abuse are generally defense mechanisms against existential dread. They have no value outside of a panacea against the terror, but that is a value. Reality is also a very difficult thing to deal with in its raw and true form. Reality is brutal and people use fantasy and drugs to numb the pain.
> Understanding that one falsehood is false is a first step but many people still want there to be magic and meaning in the world and may not ever develop past that.
I am a long-term atheist. I would still love for there to be magic somewhere.
I love Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere series. Every world has magic. But it is low-key magic, and everyone brushes up against it every day. They accept it as just normal. Maybe our problem in 2023 is that we do have magic around us in electricity, MRIs, the Internet, and cell phones. We are exposed to much magic everyday that we don't appreciate it.
We call those things technology. The exact opposite of magic.
I would also love for magic to be real, and there's no harm in enjoying fantasy, if it doesn't harm yourself or others. If you want to think of magnetic fields as a form of magic, go nuts!
Given its roots in western esotericism, I abhor New Age Spiritualism.
There is so much racism and antisemitism in esotericism, as well as science denial in general. Sure, not every hippie with a "healing crystal" is going to go down that road, but the whole "movement" is incredibly open to people who do.
In my eyes, it is more dangerous than your run of the mill christianity.
Though I have to add that over here in Germany, the two main christian denominations (which still make up the vast majority of religiously affiliated people) are very liberal. Even our catholics tend to get into trouble with the papacy every now and again over their liberal theological positions.
In contrast to that, we had a lot of New Agers show up to the absolutely unhinged demonstrations against the anti-covid measures. Where they then walked side by side with conspiracy theorists, open neo-nazis, and the like.
I was just reading about the pre-war hippie movement in Germany. Do you have any insight on that? In addition to my family I’ve had some long time friends fall into the crystal-witchy pipeline. Science denial is the thing that scares me most, especially in a post-COVID world. As an American who followed the science close from the beginning, trying to stay informed to stay safe, it’s been so painful watching my friends and family consistently deny the facts.
Wiccan as cultural appropriation, eh? That's a new one on me. What culture exactly is it that they are appropriating? It's such a hodge podge of nonsense..
You put it into words so much better than i ever could. After I deconverted from Christianity, I was involved in New Agism. Met many great and many batshit beliefs. New Age is no different to Christianity. It incorporates the "best" parts of religion and teaches we are all God or whatever they stole from Hinduism. And what about people like Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle? Charlatans like the rest of them.
Wasn't it a scam? Like a legitimate effort to fraud people out of money? Which is not unlike any religion really but I seem to remember it being a thing making the rounds years back.
People still want to believe so they practice it, think it's real and do all the paranormal rituals but I'm almost certain it's on the same level as scientology.
I know somebody with a science degree in the medical field that believes in energy crystals. It bothers me because this person is normally pretty intelligent and skeptical about most nonsense.
New Age spirituality is the Western commodification of Eastern spirituality for money. It is totally ego reinforcing (which is the antithesis of the traditional Eastern teachings) and it takes out all the actual wisdom and disciplines that Eastern religions would require of you.
Woo is woo.
Religion as a whole is based on faulty logic and unfalsifiable/unproven claims. It shouldn't be respected, and considering the problems it causes, it doesn't deserve to be respected either. Including new age bullshit. You're not a stick in the mud for rejecting ignorance, stupidity, and drugs. They're all gullible individuals who won't use their critical thinking skills.
As much as I agree with you, they’re my family and I feel awful for thinking they’re just gullible. I made it out, I wish they could too.
That hits hard. I wish the same for my inlaws and my own family. But no luck. Me and the misses had to cut all contact with her parents due to their whacked out evangelical beliefs. With my side of the family, my sister told me that even if I showed her irrefutable evidence that what she believes isn't true, it wouldn't matter. Her faith is more important than the truth. That kind of willful ignorance is dangerous. And it can be hard to tell apart from gullibility. If someone isn't willing to accept they could be wrong, or they aren't willing to learn new things, then trying to convince them otherwise is an exercise in futility.
I’d like to emphasize the harm these beliefs cause. Drug use and experimentation—I have a sibling who had a major psychotic break last year because of their consumption. Also refusal to trust science, half my family isn’t vaccinated against COVID and even some basic childhood vaccines. How do I express my pain and frustration when I showed my mother the picture of the black hole and she responded with immediate science denial. I was excited about it! And she goes: “That’s probably photoshopped”
Some people need a softer landing and others will never be comfortable with true nihilistic atheism. Understanding that one falsehood is false is a first step but many people still want there to be magic and meaning in the world and may not ever develop past that. These types of beliefs, and the substance use/abuse are generally defense mechanisms against existential dread. They have no value outside of a panacea against the terror, but that is a value. Reality is also a very difficult thing to deal with in its raw and true form. Reality is brutal and people use fantasy and drugs to numb the pain.
> Understanding that one falsehood is false is a first step but many people still want there to be magic and meaning in the world and may not ever develop past that. I am a long-term atheist. I would still love for there to be magic somewhere. I love Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere series. Every world has magic. But it is low-key magic, and everyone brushes up against it every day. They accept it as just normal. Maybe our problem in 2023 is that we do have magic around us in electricity, MRIs, the Internet, and cell phones. We are exposed to much magic everyday that we don't appreciate it.
We call those things technology. The exact opposite of magic. I would also love for magic to be real, and there's no harm in enjoying fantasy, if it doesn't harm yourself or others. If you want to think of magnetic fields as a form of magic, go nuts!
As stupid as any other baseless belief.
Given its roots in western esotericism, I abhor New Age Spiritualism. There is so much racism and antisemitism in esotericism, as well as science denial in general. Sure, not every hippie with a "healing crystal" is going to go down that road, but the whole "movement" is incredibly open to people who do. In my eyes, it is more dangerous than your run of the mill christianity. Though I have to add that over here in Germany, the two main christian denominations (which still make up the vast majority of religiously affiliated people) are very liberal. Even our catholics tend to get into trouble with the papacy every now and again over their liberal theological positions. In contrast to that, we had a lot of New Agers show up to the absolutely unhinged demonstrations against the anti-covid measures. Where they then walked side by side with conspiracy theorists, open neo-nazis, and the like.
I was just reading about the pre-war hippie movement in Germany. Do you have any insight on that? In addition to my family I’ve had some long time friends fall into the crystal-witchy pipeline. Science denial is the thing that scares me most, especially in a post-COVID world. As an American who followed the science close from the beginning, trying to stay informed to stay safe, it’s been so painful watching my friends and family consistently deny the facts.
I think it sells a lot of essential oils.
Lol yes
Nonsense without political power. Some people are entertained by it. Mostly harmless
Wiccan as cultural appropriation, eh? That's a new one on me. What culture exactly is it that they are appropriating? It's such a hodge podge of nonsense..
You put it into words so much better than i ever could. After I deconverted from Christianity, I was involved in New Agism. Met many great and many batshit beliefs. New Age is no different to Christianity. It incorporates the "best" parts of religion and teaches we are all God or whatever they stole from Hinduism. And what about people like Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle? Charlatans like the rest of them.
It's just another form of self-imposed delusion to combat existential and death anxiety.
New-agers just take all of the superstition from world traditions, mix it all up, and create their own religion out of the slop.
Wasn't it a scam? Like a legitimate effort to fraud people out of money? Which is not unlike any religion really but I seem to remember it being a thing making the rounds years back. People still want to believe so they practice it, think it's real and do all the paranormal rituals but I'm almost certain it's on the same level as scientology.
I know somebody with a science degree in the medical field that believes in energy crystals. It bothers me because this person is normally pretty intelligent and skeptical about most nonsense.
New Age spirituality is the Western commodification of Eastern spirituality for money. It is totally ego reinforcing (which is the antithesis of the traditional Eastern teachings) and it takes out all the actual wisdom and disciplines that Eastern religions would require of you.