Caveat: I was not raised to be religious, and I have never warmed to a doctrine of faith; however, I grew up in Christian and New Age environments, so I have more than a superficial knowledge of these spiritualities.
This quarterly says it seeks to “foster communication between Christians and New Agers” bridging tenets of love, respect, and tolerance. The feature story, “The Desecration of Ground Zero,” tries to reach such a pedestal and falls short.
Editor Catherine Groves writes about how the American public initially banded together to support the ideal of freedom for which they were attacked on September 11, 2001, and how it subsequently morphed into a dangerous form of tribalism. Her critique proposes that the ideal of freedom that Americans cherish so dearly must be extended to every creed, race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Yet, Chris Rock said it better and earlier: “Slowly but surely, patriotism turned into hatritism… Anyone who makes up their mind before they hear the issue is a fucking fool.”
This story (and others) doesn’t present a New Age perspective, but rather a very liberal, Christian conversation about politics. Readers who are interested in a true dialogue will be disappointed, and possibly inspired to write the New Age Christian Quarterly. (Megan Polley)
Zine, Quarterly, Vol.19, PO Box 276, Clifton, NJ, 07015-0276, USA, christiannewage.com