Theos-Talk Archives (June 1997 Message tl00219)

>New Age and occult books are among the most
>frequently stolen.  This suggests to me that the paranoid
>fundamentalists may have a point-- there really is something
>evil in the character of people who are attracted to popular
>New Age stuff, e.g. crystals, astrology, fortunetelling?
>
>Comments?  Why this pattern?

The main reason that people buy/read/steal New Age
books is that they hold the promise of at least some
kind of self-control over things.  Life, for many, is
out of control.  Magic and other New Age books
promise "easy" and "fast" results for little work,
(which is mostly publishers jargon to get  people to
buy the books).  But the promise of being able to
gain some control over your life is the real reason
most people are attracted to New Age materials.
In some cases, the desire for control outweighs
poverty or being seen buying such stuff in a book
store, so they steal it from libraries.  Some of my
own books have disappeared from our local library
shelf too.

Jerry S.
Member, TI