lpetrich

I remember someone describing some of where he lives, a small town near Mt. Shasta in northern California, noting that it has a New Age bookstore. When he described some of what was inside, I commented that it was a woozy, formless sort of religion -- an opinion I have had for a long time, and that was consistent with what was in that store.

But he commented that a religion like that is better than militant fundyism.

Here's a <a href="http://www.religioustolerance.org/newage.htm" target="_blank">nice article</a> on it at religioustolerance.org -- it describes the New Age as a rather formless sort of movement without a formal hierarchy or official doctrine. Many New Agers let their beliefs coexist with whatever formal religious affiliation they have, however; I've seen Fundies fulminate about New-Ageism infiltrating mainstream churches.

New Age beliefs are far from new, of course; there are numerous antecedents in various mystical movements. One thing that someone rationalist-minded may find annoying is that New Agers encourage people to shop for the beliefs and practices they find the most "true". A more friendly interpretation is that the beliefs and practices are not the key thing -- it's the experiences.

The article claimed that something like 20% of Americans were at least partial New Agers:

Doesn't seem much like an old man with a big white beard

The religious affiliations of Americans the article listed in order of how many followers as

Cultural Christianity (Christmas & Easter: C&E)
Conventional Christianity
New Age
Biblical (Fundamentalists, Evangelicals)
Atheist/Agnostic
Other
Jewish

Arrowman

...it was a woozy, formless sort of religion... One thing that someone rationalist-minded may find annoying is that New Agers encourage people to shop for the beliefs and practices they find the most "true".

I heartily agree; to me New Age beliefs lack any sort of intellectual form or rigour. At least "militant fundyism" is based on strict interpretation of a given "manual"; at least they're living according to what they believe are the rules of their religion, and not just making it up as they go along. New Age religion is "the religion you have when you can't be bothered subjecting your beliefs to any rigorous analysis or justification".