The Unicorn in the Sanctuary: The Impact of the New Age Movement on the Catholic Church

Rating:
Summary: Strong resource for lovers of traditional Catholic liturgy
Review: Highly readable and sadly amusing 1990/1992 book quoting priests and religious advocates of "New Agey" liturgical changes...some of whom have either been excommunicated or left voluntarily by the time of this review (1998.) Good resource for Catholics who support respect for tradition in liturgy, who aren't sure why some of the radical changes don't "feel right" spiritually, or who just don't like underrdressed informality and bad music at their Sunday Masses.

Rating:
Summary: A good overview of an important subject.
Review: Randall England's eye-opening book examines the dangers of the New Age movement, the movement's beliefs, and its efforts and success in infiltrating mainstream Catholic Churches.

England effectively shows how the New Age movement's beliefs that "we are gods" and efforts to "re-imagine" the Church, have already made their way into many Catholic schools and parishes.

Although somewhat dated it presents factual information that continues to have long-ranging effects on the celebration of liturgy, Christian retreats, and the education of our young. A funeral Mass I was at recently was overflowing with New Age theology.

This is still an important book.

Rating:
Summary: Informative survey of New Age infiltration in the Church
Review: Some people might think Unicorn in the Sanctuary could qualify as a horror book, for all the information about Catholic dissidents and others trying to incorporate New Age sentiment in the Church. Alas, this is all too real (I've seen it myself in churches I used to attend), and England does a satisfactory job of detailing various movements (ennegrams, visualization, and non-Christian Eastern thought) trying to infiltrate the Church parish by parish.

The only thing that bothered me, as mentioned elsewhere here, was the reference to Dave Hunt's work. Mr. Hunt is rabidly anti-Catholic, and it bothered me to see his works were included in the bibliography of a Catholic book. I'm guessing Fr. Mitch Pacwa's books were not out at the time England was researching this one.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly researched and misleading
Review: There's no shortage these days of Catholics who believe in astrology. No doubt there are Catholics who believe in reincarnation, the healing power of crystals, trance channeling, spirit guides and other New Age nonsense. Unicorns have nothing to do with this, however. The unicorn is barely mentioned in the main text of "The Unicorn in the Sanctuary." The cover features a ghastly demon unicorn. The brief prologue asserts that the mythical beast is an evil New Age symbol of destruction that has wrongly been associated with Christ.

There is no "wrongly" about it. Catholic writer Sandra Miesel, in an article for the impeccably orthodox This Rock magazine ("The Unicorn Hunters," August 1991), points out that church fathers Tertullian, Ambrose, Jerome and Basil called the unicorn a symbol of Christ and that it appeared widely in medieval art as a symbol of the Incarnation. The unicorn also came to symbolize chaste love and faithful marriage. And remember Jewel, the noble unicorn in C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia."

As if misrepresentation of the unicorn weren't enough, the book as a whole is poorly researched and misleading. The text, footnotes and bibliography indicate that the author has relied heavily on the sensationalistic, anti-Catholic "cult expert" Dave Hunt. He also cites as a reference Texe Marrs, an evangelist who has alleged that all New Agers are part of a conscious, Satan-directed conspiracy to exterminate Christians by 2004; that C.S. Lewis' fiction is "New Age"; and that J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" is "demonically energized." Yikes! All this is obviously fringe fundamentalist, not Catholic.

If you enjoy absurdity, you may find the book amusing. But please don't take it seriously. It's a fount of misinformation.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly researched and misleading
Review: There's no shortage these days of Catholics who believe in astrology. No doubt there are Catholics who believe in reincarnation, the healing power of crystals, trance channeling, spirit guides and other New Age nonsense. Unicorns have nothing to do with this, however. The unicorn is barely mentioned in the main text of "The Unicorn in the Sanctuary." The cover features a ghastly demon unicorn. The brief prologue asserts that the mythical beast is an evil New Age symbol of destruction that has wrongly been associated with Christ.

There is no "wrongly" about it. Catholic writer Sandra Miesel, in an article for the impeccably orthodox This Rock magazine ("The Unicorn Hunters," August 1991), points out that church fathers Tertullian, Ambrose, Jerome and Basil called the unicorn a symbol of Christ and that it appeared widely in medieval art as a symbol of the Incarnation. The unicorn also came to symbolize chaste love and faithful marriage. And remember Jewel, the noble unicorn in C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia."

As if misrepresentation of the unicorn weren't enough, the book as a whole is poorly researched and misleading. The text, footnotes and bibliography indicate that the author has relied heavily on the sensationalistic, anti-Catholic "cult expert" Dave Hunt. He also cites as a reference Texe Marrs, an evangelist who has alleged that all New Agers are part of a conscious, Satan-directed conspiracy to exterminate Christians by 2004; that C.S. Lewis' fiction is "New Age"; and that J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" is "demonically energized." Yikes! All this is obviously fringe fundamentalist, not Catholic.

If you enjoy absurdity, you may find the book amusing. But please don't take it seriously. It's a fount of misinformation.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for Catholics!
Review: This book is a must read for any and all Catholics. This shows the subtle (and sometimes alarming) ways the New Age movement is slowing seeping into the Catholic church, our schools, business' and lives and the dangers it brings with it. Even though this books is about the New Age movement and it's impact on the Catholic church, every Christian can gain some very useful knowledge and insights from this book.

Rating:
Summary: A good overview of an important subject.
Review: This book will open your eyes to the ways that New Age teachings are being presented by some supposedly Catholic leaders. It reminds us that we need to be strong in our faith, so that we can discern when something fishy is going on.

I give it 4 stars because I feel the author's tone creates a strong uneasiness regarding the unfamiliar, a sort of "in this place there be dragons" warning. Instead, he might have encouraged us to do more to reclaim our spiritual heritage. Through study and God's grace, we can uncover and embrace the truths that have been hijacked and twisted by the promoters of these teachings. (For example, Catholics don't need to be afraid to explore the theological dimensions of ecological questions -- as long we base our understanding of the universe on our understanding of God, rather than the other way around.) Still, I agree that avoiding questionable ideas is a safe approach, especially for those who are going through a period of spiritual or theological uncertainty.

If there's an up side to the story, it's that the people involved in this scene are an aging demographic. Today's young people generally feel free to choose their own religious paths, so someone who prefers, say, Wicca to basic Catholic teachings is likely to be honest about it and leave the Church. Although it seems like a harsh observation, this would actually be a good thing. By increasing the doctrinal unity of the Church, it would make Catholicism more appealing to reverts and converts, as well as the lifelong faithful.