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Rev. Jim Cowie, Convenor of the Board of Social Responsibility, Church of Scotland. Speech to the General Assembly of The Church. Edinburgh, 23rd May, 2003.
We assume there is a general, broad agreement with Rev.Cowie: Churches of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, together with The Roman Catholic Church and other churches, (Established or not) provide wonderful and much needed care in their own locality. One has to make up one's own mind if "faith" concomitants are acceptable at the particular centre in question. Nonetheless, in general terms, what you see is what you get: these centres do deliver exactly what it says on the box.
We contend that this is not quite the case at Anthroposophical centres: what it says "on the box" only touches on what is actually delivered at the most superficial level, something like "Care provided on the principles of Rudolf Steiner." i.e. Anthroposophy, this being the "distinctive emphasis" to which Rev. Cowie alludes.
In the context of care emanating from a religious basis, 'Christian Community' in the case of Anthroposophy,what does this entail? Thanks are due to Dialogue Ireland for permission to quote from their website: "His (Steiner's) interpretation of Christianity bears little relation to Classical Christianity, as the 'Christian Community', is really Gnostic" which is not necessarily undesirable, but neither is it quite what Anthroposophy 'says on the box.'
http://www.esatclear.ie/~dialogueireland/a2z/anthroposophy/ (website link no longer valid)
This item does say, quite freely, that Camphill does some great work., and this can indeed be so. So does St.. Vincent de Paul, amongst others, but these others aren't so recalcitrant about what drives them.
Well, what is Anthroposophy?
"Anthroposophy isn't anything: it just is."
"Anthroposophy isn't just a world view; it's a way of life."
The foregoing are just two responses encountered in attempting to get to grips with just what
Anthroposophy is, and what becoming a service user, or worker, entails.
Despite Anthroposophy's clear reluctance to provide definitive words in order to answer such questions, it remains that many people do want answers in clear language rather than the evasiveness demonstrated above. Nor should such people stand accused of "only thinking inside the box" or other passive-aggressive devices some samples of which are presented on this site's 'Language' page.
Canadian Commentator Steve Walden's paper "Who Was Rudolf Steiner? Answer: Who Is Asking" reveals some of the difficulties encountered in trying to find the answer to such questions.
http://www.waldorfcritics.org/
Look at promotional material of the particular centre of Anthro.outreach you are interested in.
Does it really seem like what you are looking for, or do all these words simply allude to something you want but can't quite define? Do the words actually describe much? Will they resonate the same way with other people as the seem to resonate with you, or might they become a source of ongoing discussion on just what it was all getting at?
Do they ultimately mean anything at all, or are they so vacuous that they can in fact mean whatever a reader might want them to mean?
Are the (probably as yet un-asked) questions they purpot to answer in fact dependent on who is asking- and why?
So, let's now look at some options: Esoteric Movement, Religion, Science and Cult.
All have at different times been rendered as defining Anthroposophy.
Which is it? You have to make up your own mind. Legal definitions of any of these are not readily available. Besides, adherents of such movements have their own supposition of what their organization is, inevitably eschewing the more pejorative descriptions.
Oxford Dictionary (1996 edition) definitions are:
1) Esoteric: adj. [of a doctrine, mode of speech, etc] intelligible only to the initiated. [from Greek esoterikos]
2) Religion: n. 1 the belief in a superhuman controlling power, esp. in a personal God or gods entitled to obedience and worship. 2 the expression of this in worship. 3 a particular system of faith and worship. 4 life under monastic vows (the way of religion) [from Latin religio 'obligation, bond, reverence.']
3) Science: n. 1 a branch of knowledge involving the systematizes observation of and experiment with phenomena (see also NATURAL SCIENCE) 2 a systematic and formulated knowledge, esp. of a specified type or on a specified subject (political science). b the pursuit or principles of this. [from Latin scienta]
4) Cult: n. 1 a system of religious worship esp. as expressed in ritual. 2 a devotion to a person or thing (the cult of aestheticism) b a popular fashion. 3 (attrib.) denoting a person or thing popularized in this way (cult film; cult figure). [from Latin cultus 'worship'] cultic adj. cultism n. cultist n.
So, where are we now? We might entrust our special person to something "intelligible only to the initiated." One might wonder just how the centre might view any questions or complaints we have.
Assuming we are not initiated, are we even permitted to query, irrespective of our education? (Esoteric)
Religion? We might place our responsibility with say, an Anglican, or Roman Catholic facility.
Whatever one's own affinities, in utilizing such a place, it is quite open where the impetus is. Hardly the situation encountered with Anthroposophical placements:
"The right to pass judgement on the content of any such private publication is nevertheless reserved to those possessing the prerequisite to do so. For the great majority of these publications, this is at least an Anthroposophical knowledge of man and the universe, in so far as its essence is presented in Anthroposophy, and of "the history of anthroposophy" such as it is derived from communications from the Spirit-World."
'Prayers for Mothers and Child
What do you think, how you feel about committing the care of your special person to an organization that holds you to be incompetent to comment without '...an Anthroposophical knowledge of man and the universe... '?
"Instruction is an art, and in order to teach reality in school a teacher must have exemplary statements, which without the word spirit can teach spiritual science."
http://www.anthroposophie.net/ru/MissionRudolfSteinerE.htm
But Anthroposophy isn't a religion. Is it?
Science? Quite simple for most of us: if "the systematized observation of and experiment with phenomena" can't be replicated by similar empirical methods (by the 'uninitiated') then it isn't science- it's a matter of faith, or maybe wishful thinking.
Cult? Make up your own mind.
Maybe you are relaxed about all this, maybe you find it spooky, but either way, maybe you should go beyond the surface before making any commitment. Should you so wish, our next page, Twisted Truth might provide some pointers, and it can't do much harm to bear in mind frederick Crewes' observation in his book "the Follies of the Wise" quoted at
http://www.
The question, of course, is how an outsider can be sure that one school of thought is less entitled to our trust than a rival one. In many instances such confidence would be unwarranted. Certain indicators of bad faith, however, are unmistakable: persistence in claims that have already been exploded; reliance on ill-designed studies, idolized lawgivers, and self-serving anecdotes; evasion of objections and negative instances; indifference to rival theories and to the need for independent replication; and "movement" belligerence. Where several of these traits are found together, even a lay observer can be sure that no sound case could be made for the shielded theory; its uncompetitiveness is precisely what has necessitated these indulgences.
You might also wonder about Steiner's 'clairvoyance' and his "reading of the Akashic record. Just what is this?
Well other than giving a blank-cheque acceptance of Steiner's claims, have you had any similar experience yourself? Probably. Most of us will have in a hypnagogic state. What does THAT mean?
Read Gary Lachman's article http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/227/hypnagogia.html (website link no longer valid)
Steiner rates a mention. Does this sound like something you have experienced yourself, but didn't really dwell on?
Published 02/02/06
Last revised 11/12/07
