‘New Age rubbish’ versus old-school religion

A chara, – Fionola Meredith’s article had me laughing into my chai latte. I hadn’t realised it was open season on other people’s spiritual practices. Spiritual practices are meaningful to practitioners and often baffling and amusing to the outsider.

I would posit cleansing my toxic soul with a dose of Deepak is as effective as sitting in a dark, little box and cleaning my soul by "confessing" to a man who has had a holy spirit invoked into him. What is modern-day Christianity to many practitioners but a pinch of Buddhism here ("Be nice to others!"), some mysticism there (the concept of the Trinity is a bit mystical) and the odd archangel. Let he who is without sin . . . – Is mise,

ÉILIS Ní FHARRACHAIR,

Harold’s Cross Road,

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Dublin 6W.

Sir, – Fionola Meredith (Opinion, January 13th) notes that December 25th is the birthday of Jesus Christ. If we look at the evidence that’s highly unlikely. Mary and Joseph came to register for a Roman census, which didn’t take place in winter, and the shepherds were guarding their flocks in the fields at night, which would not happen in winter either. Since Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy with John the Baptist when Christ was conceived and Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah, which was mid-June of that year, we can date Christ’s likely date of birth as late September. Pull that zip over your chakras. – Yours, etc,

DAVID WILKINS,

Vevay Road,

Bray,

Co Wicklow.