David Edward Garber (@DaveGarber1975)

Yesterday, I and my wife Emily visited a local charter public school that used the Waldorf (or Steiner) method to learn more about it---and their orientation raised enough "red flags" for me that I felt that I needed to check if their methodology was rooted in the New Age or not. Aside from Wikipedia's articles, I found this Skeptoid blog entry / podcast episode (linked below) particularly educational about this Waldorf method's subtly-guiding "anthrosophic" esoteric philosophy, which is definitely rooted in the New Age. The New Age is a popular (but diverse) syncretic form of spirituality that synthesizes both Western spiritualism and Eastern mysticism together, along with other pagan beliefs-and-practices, plus (for some) some unique elements like welcoming the coming of an Antichrist to commence an astrological Age of Aquarius. New Age beliefs-and-practices too-often include subjective truth, self-salvation, seeking one's own will rather than God's will, and presuming one's own divinity. The New Age was first synthesized by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who loved Lucifer and hated traditional Christianity (especially Jesuits), and some of her ideological progeny have persistently sought to subvert traditional religions like Christianity, which is also embattled by a related New Thought movement. So, although I appreciate schoolteachers acknowledging the spiritual realm, non-compartmentalizing information, and teaching practical skills, I'll seek such benefits without any occult influences. And I hope that this information may help other parents who are enrolling (or who are considering enrolling) their children in a Waldorf school. Let's please raise our children well! https://skeptoid.com/episodes/968 #Education #CharterSchools #PrivateSchools #WaldorfSchools #SteinerMethod #Spirituality #NewAge #Occult