Mediancat

From what I've heard and seen on line, Dennis Kucinich is fairly heavily into and supported by the New Age movement -- up to and and including Marianne Williamson, who among other things was largely responsible for one of the most asinine TV shows ever produced.

I've seen some mentions of this online but I was wondering if anyone out there had more details. Something like this would make me unlikely to vote for the guy no matter how progressive his politics. The Marianne Williamson connection ALONE almost cinches that for me. I'm a skeptic about pretty much all the New Age BS -- would this be the equivalent of electing Shirley MacLaine?

Rob aka Mediancat

Arken

I don't see why his new age beliefs would prevent you from voting for him. I am a big skeptic too, but I can separate my dislike for new ageism from my judgement of a political leader. After all, most U.S. Presidents have been Christians and they generally did not let that get in the way of doing their job. I don't see why this would be any different.

Remember, Kennedy got flak for being a Catholic. Critics were suggesting he would take orders from the Pope, etc. Also remember that if an atheist candidate ran, many people wouldn't vote for him or her simply because of the atheism. Do you really want to put yourself in the same mindset as those people?

Mediancat

I don't think I am. I would not vote for someone who practiced a plethora of New Age beliefs any more than I would vote for a Scientologist, a disciple of Fred Phelps or a follower of Lyndon Larouche -- because they all show a severe lack of judgment and critical thinking, not because they'd automatically be taking marching orders or suggestions from their religious leaders.

The reason I can't excuse this lapse while I can excuse other candidates' Christianity (and occasional Judaism, though I'm not fond of Lieberman for reasons having nothing to do with his religion) -- hmmm. Hard to put into words, but it has something to do with Catholicism et al not seeming to be as severe lapses in judgment and intelligence as the beliefs mentioned above.

Incidentally, Bush and Ashcroft's conservative Christianity also bothers me -- not that they believe it, but that they actually HAVE tried to translate their religious convictions into public policy. So yes, most presidents haven't done this, and for that I'm grateful, but it's not impossible.

The fear of Kennedy, just like the earlier response to Al Smith, was pure bigotry. I don't think my distrust of Kucinich is in the same ballpark. (I may be wrong, and I'm willing to listen if you think I am.)

Rob aka Mediancat

RED DAVE

Better a New Ager than a fundy. At least some NAs have something resembling a heart.

RED DAVE

crab juice

I think it may have something to do with this speech.

I like Kucinich's ideas...he would be my favorite Dem on issues alone. However, I fully realize how far to the left I am of most people, and I'll worry more about getting my ideals in place once we have the seemingly suicidal-for-Jesus Bushites out of office. I voted for Nader in 2000 and I don't regret it one bit...I wanted to do my part to advance the US beyond a two-party system, I live in a state that I knew already would overwhelmingly vote for Gore, he was the candidate I agreed with the most on issues, and, crazy me, I was actually fucking naive enough to believe that our elections would never be blatantly hijacked right beneath our noses. Now, of course, we all know better, and I don't feel I can take the risk of our pals in office getting another 4 years to further trample my country's reputation and rights, kill foreigners, and trash the planet to vote for the person I would most like to. The system must be changed, but let's work on it when the stakes aren't quite so high.

RED DAVE

Seems like a standard Idealistic, liberal speech to me, with a poetic intro that reminds me of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos."

RED DAVE

Calzaer

I'm sorry, but this is purely cultural bias with nothing even resembling logical reasoning. A sincere belief in a magic happy kingdom in the sky isn't a severe lapse in judgement and intelligence? It's at least as severe as thinking crystals have healing power, and much more likely to screw with domestic policy.

Mediancat

Well, I said it was hard to put into words. I'm an atheist, so it's not like I have an ingrained bias in favor of the common religions. I'll have to give it some thought.

What I want, though -- since I'm highly unlikely these days to get anything resembling an atheist as president -- is exactly what you mention, someone whose religious beliefs aren't likely to screw with domestic policy. Bush's do.

Maybe my original question should have been, is there any evidence that Kucinich's new age beliefs directly affect his political platform in negative ways? (Beyond the association with Marianne Williamson, which I must confess DOES truly annoy me.)

Rob aka Mediancat

Mr. Superbad

Lemurian light beings 4 Kucinich.


Kucinich tries to ban chemtrails.

"There is no proof whatsoever that this embryonic stem cell technology has benefited a single human being or that it could." - Kucinich

Clutch

Not so; or rather, it depends what you mean by "sincere belief". As a matter of contingent social fact, and not a matter of comparative doctrine, you can be born into Catholicism (say) and identify yourself as Catholic on cultural grounds, professing a commitment to its theology as a matter of convenience or inertia; whereas defending specific forms of New Ageism involve an active considered judgement of evidence.

In short, there is good reason to suspect that a member of an established cultural religion has simply never thought about the evidence. And there is good reason to think that a supporter of a specific New Ageism has thought about the evidence and been gulled. It's reasonable, I think, to find the latter a more worrisome personality trait.