The Greatest Super-Story Ever Told: A Review of "Mutants and Mystics"

November 01, 2011 by Christine Hoff Kraemer

Continued from Page 1

If we are to take the paranormal as seriously as Kripal does, then we cannot ignore questions of ethics. Certainly world mythology is full of divine beings who have no respect for human boundaries or for issues of consent. But do we want to continue that pattern by seeking out relationships with "rapist" visitors? Is the UFO religion that has formed as a result of Strieber's books making a positive contribution to our culture? Or, in an era of crumbling institutions and conspiracy theories, is it simply feeding into American feelings of paranoia and powerlessness?

If we are the authors of our own reality, we have an obligation to exercise choice over our relationships with the divine. Kripal does ultimately warn us away from "uncritically believing" in the apparent meanings of paranormal experiences, and refers the reader to gnostic, esoteric, and tantric literature as tools for interpretation. Yet, without addressing the question of where mysticism shades into madness, I can't join Kripal in his unequivocal enthusiasm for consciousness expansion. Strieber's world is not one I want to help create.

Page: 2 of 2

11/1/2011 4:00:00 AM

Book Club

Varieties of Religious Experience

Jeffrey Kripal

Mutants and Mystics

William James

more at patheos

Our Questions Often Presuppose Our Beliefs

Larry Jordan

Causal Constructions and Food for Thought

Dan Peterson