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These notes (in no particular order) are reprinted from the Newcomer infosheet, and while they are especially pertinent for anyone interested in Strange Ideas such as we are, they hold for all:
"a) Matters of physical and mental well-being should be left to qualified professionals, e.g. doctors, counselors, etc. If you crack your laptop screen, you can’t quite fix it with a software update; likewise, you take the laptop (so to speak) to the repair shop, then pray about it (if you’re so inclined, of course).
"b) Don’t neglect practical safety concerns. A devotional flame can still burn down your house, and sacramental wine will get you drunk. Be informed about anything you’re handling or doing.
"c) Properly source information - not just about esoterica (although a developed Bullshit Detector goes a long way), but listen to Experts on their subject of expertise. A bishop can give a well-formed perspective on religion, but not climatology. A climate scientist is the best resource to understand how the environment is being affected by human activity, but not philosophy. You wouldn’t make a game-show host president.
"d) Know the signs of a noxious cult - they can take any form (be it religious, political, economic, etc.) and anyone can get suckered. The key factor in someone being recruited is vulnerability, from something as extreme as the death of a loved one, to something as mundane as moving to a new city. Steve Hassan’s Combating Cult Mind Control is an excellent resource for this, but of course you can’t say you’ve ‘researched’ something if you’ve only read one book on the subject.
"e) Beware the huckster who demands payment for that to which you have a right. Further, con-artists tend to set up shop where periphery reasoning takes place, and Science is by no means free from this. So be wary - claims which seem too good to be true usually are false."
Our documents have been collected here in print form.
Made With The Approval Of The I.O.