Talk:Arthur Versluis

Re-creating Arthur Versluis
Copied from User talk:Peridon

Hi Peridon. In 2012, you moved the article on Arthur Versluis to User:JEMead/Arthur Versluis. I'd like to restore the page, since I like his publications on western esotericism, and think they're relevant. Which improvements are needed to restore this page? Best regards,  Joshua Jonathan   -  Let's talk!   11:44, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
 * NB: I've moved the page into my userspace, to work on it.  Joshua Jonathan   -  Let's talk!   11:49, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
 * It needs more about him, as at present it's mainly a list of books and an academic position. That may be OK in an academic context, but an encyclopaedia needs a bit more. Something about his views on whatever it is he's written about. The referencing needs improvement - in fact, there aren't any that are reliable independent sources WP:RS. A chaired professor usually passes A7, but check out WP:SCHOLAR for academic notability which is the target to aim at. Of course, a pass at WP:BIO would do... Peridon (talk) 13:38, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I already figured so.  Joshua Jonathan   -  Let's talk!   14:31, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

End of copied part.

I've added info and references, and moved th earticle to mainspace. Joshua Jonathan  -  Let's talk!   15:32, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Looking like a good start, thank you. Midnightblueowl (talk) 16:38, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Maybe this needs a Criticism section?
For example, in the Article, it quotes his book as saying "In American Gurus: From Transcendentalism to New Age Religion, Versluis describes the emergence of immediatist gurus: gurus who are not connected to any of the traditional religions, and promise instant enlightenment and liberation.[2] These include Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass, Adi Da, and Andrew Cohen."

This brings Versluis' scholarship into question, since Ram Dass is directly connected to a traditional religion, he is a disciple of a traditional Hindu guru. Both Da and Cohen claim to be disciples of traditional Hindu gurus, although Da is an abusive charlatan and Cohen's legitimacy as a teacher is doubted by some as well. In that list, Only Tolle is "not connected to any of the traditional religions".

Also, I have read a lot of Ram Dass, and he nowhere promises anything other than a lifetime of seeking, devotion, and practice.

In general, this guy seems to first have a point of view, and then wants to find evidence supporting it, rather than the other way around.162.205.217.211 (talk) 22:37, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

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