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The dark legacy of Carlos Castaneda
The godfather of the New Age led a secretive group of devoted followers in the last decade of his life. His closest "witches" remain missing, and former insiders, offering new details, believe the women took their own lives.
By Robert Marshall [2007-04-12]

  • Sad But True

    Carlos failed to transcend very much perhaps in his personal life. He may have plagiarized philosophical and spiritual ideas. He may have made stuff up.

    Does that make the concepts in his writings invalid?

    I would posit, that rational people do not take the Bible to be literally true. They might also suspect that Jesus was not the first to pronounce insights or teachings attributed to him. They might nevertheless find that their lives and actions are meaningfully and fruitfully informed by The Sermon on the Mount.

    If the concepts are valid and useful, what difference does the source make? It’s like hating a great painting because the artist is an ass who lies about how he produced the painting. It doesn’t matter. The painting is still great.

    -- Samson141
    [Read Samson141's other letters]
    Thursday, April 12, 2007 08:13 AM
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