Statistics m, Aug2010

Fresh, Rose, Hammer, etc.

Healthy, L. (2000)

New Age practitioners in Sweden: Background, beliefs, commitment and "repentance" [in the return of Gods and goddesses. Studies in neo-religion] Department of Religious Studies. Umeå University

General

Ref to two American religious scholars, James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton, who sees the New Age as "an integral part of a new, truly pluralistic 'mainstream'" (Frisk 2000,s, 52)

In Sweden, the first research is done on the new age around 1994-1995. Frisk has done research on new-age movements in the mid-80s. The research done in the US is not automatically valid for Swedish conditions, and with us the area is thus about fifteen years old, (Frisk, 2000,s52)

Frisk also points out that the concept is difficult to define. Attempts have been made by focusing on the literal meaning of the term. (2000)

"Characteristic of the New Age is that the content changes over time", s52 (Healthy 2000)

Over time, the concept has taken on a negative connotation, which fewer and fewer people want to recognize within the movement, according to Frisk, s53 (2000)

Statistics

Survey in typical new age contexts. Frisk notes that the new age is not a youth phenomenon. The average age of her survey is Men=45; women=41; N=215. About ten years earlier, she has investigated new-age movements where the average age was 33. However, she notes that another way of seeing it is that they are from the same generation, born in the early 50s. They experienced the youth movement in the late 60's, were young then. (Healthy 2000)

The level of education is high. 48% have either university or college degrees or university courses (37% degree; 11% courses) (Healthy 2000)

Based on the kind of employment of the respondents, Frisk concludes that the new age is a kind of popular religion, p60. Compared to other religiosity, it is also a women's phenomenon, s62. Frisk suggests, with ref to the sociologist of religion Meredith B. McGuire, that one can "see institutionalized religiosity as male-dominated, and the 'modern religiosity' as a kind of female protest", p62 (Healthy 2000)

In Frisk's material, god's faith and belief that life continues after death are central. Both are traditionally perceived as indications of a religious outlook on life, and in light of this, it would not be wrong to call New Age adherents religious, s72 (Healthy 2000)

Some results, such as where the New Age community is headed, feel hesitant to present fifteen years later., s78 (Healthy 2000)

Faith in God

Almost everyone who is engaged in the New Age believes in God in some form. The survey has two options – Spirit/Vitality or Personal – and the former is overweight. 63% and 20%, respectively. Frisk comments that although this possibility was not pronounced, 14% ticked in both!, s64 (Healthy 2000)

Övr

It is not obvious that someone who seeks a course in healing or personal development should also believe in astrology or UFOs, but this is the case in Frisk's material: Under "Believe that the position of stars when born affects how one's life becomes" and "Believe in extraterrestrial beings who sometimes visit earth", 72% agree in whole or in part with this (in Sjödin's material with Swedish young people, 20% agreed in whole or in part when astrology, and in Sjödin's material with adult Swedes 24% on the other) s66 (Frisk 2000)

Rosén, A-S (2000)

Personal development and values: Do NRM participants differ from others? [in Gods and Goddesses]

Loewinger

Rosén presents Loevinger's theory of self-development. Central concepts are assimiliation and accommodation. According to the former, the indidivden takes up the new, allowing itself to be enriched. His image of reality is modified. However, accommodera means that the individual is moved to the next stage of development. The individual now gets a theory about life that is more complex than the one that existed before., p272 (Rosen 2000)

"However, there is a limit to assimilation – receiving new experiences can lead to a lack of coherence in the experience, that is, make it difficult to merge beliefs and feelings into meaningful patterns. A lack of coherence can be perceived as uncertainty, anxiety and existential anxiety and therefore motivate to seek new knowledge and insights, which are made possible by the mental restructuring that is the hallmark of development", p272 (Rosén, 2000)

"From adolescence to about the age of 25, longitudinal studies can follow how many young people reach higher stages in the development sequence. In adult years, such movements become rare and most remain at the stage they reached a few years after the 20. Although strange, however, they occur", p272 (Rosén 2000)

Loevinger's theory includes nine steps: three pre-conventional, three conventional, and three post-conventional. The population normally divides over these stages, with about 10% in the latter three stages. "A transition to the postconventional stages involves a loosening of slightly rigid mindsets and more of psycho-logic, that is, an understanding of differences between appearance and reality, between role and individual, or in changing patterns of one's own and others' relationships over time. This can lead to moving on to a well-integrated, highest stage of development, where one can deal with seemingly incompatible elements of life, such as the conflict between one's own endeavors and the legitimate claims of others, or can reflect on human existence and its paradoxes. Less than one percent of those who have reached here may also be able to reach freedom from the preoccupation with one's own objectifiable self and reach intuitiveness in thinking and experience," p273. (Rose 2000)

Rosén writes: "This level [the highest post-convention level] implies a stable self-awareness and self-esteem and is considered a precursor to a transcendence beyond a self or self [m ref to a Miller &amp Cook-Greuter, 1994]. Spiritual or transcendent experiences as instantaneous states shall not be confused with the overrun referred to here. Such temporary conditions can occur at all levels of self-development. Instead, an experience of reality beyond that mediated through the representation system or what transpersonal psychology perceives as an experience of unity, the absolute or God", p276 (Rosén 2000)

Rosén also finds himself to find in his material that people who have actually reached higher stages have a less interest in personal identity. "This is an expected result, based on theory. A well-integrated personality is tantacious to not having to investigate and consolidate one's identity, but [one can then] devote oneself to other things", p280 (Rosén 2000)

There are so many models, even in the relatively established academic world, that border on these thoughts. Maslow is one of the more famous, Kohlberg and Fowler, of course. But also one such as Loewinger as actually a highest "transcendent" stage that sounds religious. (Rosén 2000)

Hammer, O (2000)

Esoteric Science: Aspects of the History of Scientologistism

Scientologistism

Hammer describes the ambivalent relation of occultism and esotericism to natural science. On the one hand, it is used to give legitimacy to one's own ideas. (Very frankly.) Sometimes even mythical status. Relativity, quantum mechanics… On the other hand, the conventional sciences have also been heavily criticized. "Scientists may act as both punching bags and heroes, deeding the needs of esoteric teachings.", p11

Hammer points out that it is not limited to esoterism or the New Age, but similar criticism has been directed at the established from both the environmental movement, as well as social sciences. "Although the hermeneutics of suspicion are directed at science from such diverse directions as sociology and ecology, it is perhaps most bitter when formulated in religious terms," p12

Hammer describes how science "possesses a unique rhetorical weight". That something is called "unscientific" is a very negative judgment., p12

"The boundaries around a worldview are partly constructed around its perception of significant Others. And science and its practitioners are used by a wide range of new religious movements to delineate their own view of existence", p12.

We live in a world dominated by the left hemisphere of the brain, as well as the usual science, p14

Scientologistism, the "slightly self-indulgecent way of interpreting science for your own benefit," p15

Theosophy and Blavatsky. "Science could at best rediscover the insights the masters of antiquity had possessed," p25

Theosophy

"One of the components of Theosophy is an alternative history, a wide panorama of races and sub-races that replace each other over the course of millions of years," p22

The idea of development in Theosophy, that the whole cosmos, "from our individual souls to the planetary systems, is undergoing constant evolution", p23. In this there is also a natural connection to Darwin, something that is most often lacking in the usual religions and creation stories. However, developments in Theosophy and NA are targeted. s23

Hammer connects to Hegel's philosophy of history, a prescient evolutionary approach directly derived from pre-romanticism. S23

"But the development goes like a big U: we have passed a fall into the material and have just passed the bottom of the curve. Slowly we will now rise up to spiritual forms of existence", p23