Talk:M. Scott Peck

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Removed the sentence attributing criticism to one person:

1. You have to give some indication of why she disagrees with him. Is it just because he isn't a fundamentalist Christian?
2. Do we have to add this sentence to every article in this pedia about someone who isn't a fundamentalist Christian

Nobody is claiming that Peck represents fundamentalist Christians, or that everybody agrees with him. Why should we include criticism from one party? There are probably plenty of people who disagree with him. DJ Clayworth 19:53, 5 Apr 2004 (UTC)

1. Her article, in the link I gave, lists specific alleged departures from Christian theology. I thought that a one-line summary quote with a link to the original was better than repeating each of her points, because the latter course would entail giving more space to the criticism than to the biographical article.
2. As to your second point, no, we don't have to add a sentence to everyone who isn't a fundamentalist -- but Peck is specifically a religious author, whose books are sold in religious bookstores and on religious websites (see, e.g., Christian Healing Ministries online bookstore). Therefore, controversy within the religious community about his work is an appropriate part of the article.

I don't want to get into a revert war here, so I'll await your reply before restoring the link to the criticism. JamesMLane 20:12, 5 Apr 2004 (UTC)

The trouble is that every book is going to attract criticism from someone. Some Christians don't like Tony Campolo, some don't like C S Lewis. I found a site that basicly attacks every Christian leader except Billy Graham as being a heretic. Do we have to put a note on every protestant author saying that Catholics disagree with them? If we don't say he is a fundamentalist (which he isn't) then haven't we said enough? DJ Clayworth 20:17, 5 Apr 2004 (UTC)

A note on every Protestant author's page? No. On the other hand, if a particular author writes a book or article espousing a Protestant viewpoint, and a Catholic author responds with a criticism of that particular piece, then, yes, I think the article on the Protestant author would reasonably include information about this controversy concerning his or her work. To take one of your examples, I dimly remember reading some Christian author's disagreement with C. S. Lewis about miracles. Ideally, the Wikipedia article about Lewis (or, better yet, the still-nonexistent article about his book Miracles) would summarize both Lewis's view and the criticism lodged against it.

We have to strike a balance and not bother reporting every crackpot criticism (like that of the Billy Graham supporter you mention). My impression from skimming some Google results, though, was that, presumably because of Peck's immense popularity, he has attracted a fair amount of fundamentalist criticism. The Dewart piece seemed to be the most comprehensive so I chose that one as the representative of that point of view concerning Peck.

I'm not out to attack Peck (about whom we didn't have an article until I created it). Obviously I'd have no objection if people more knowledgeable about his work added more positive information about it. I just think that some acknowledgement of the widespread criticism directed specifically at him is appropriate. JamesMLane 20:51, 5 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I wish this article was about what he taught. His life story isn't interesting enough to be the main topic of discussion. What is The Road Less Traveled about?

You could read it, and then write an article about it here. ;-) DJ Clayworth 15:03, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

I discovered that Peck's obituaries listed a wife of a different name from the one listed here. I've added something about the 'new' wife, but I can't find any record of what happened to the 'old' one (Lily Ho) or when he married the 'new' one; or indeed which wife his children are by. Or if we just got it wrong. Any contributions welcome. DJ Clayworth 15:03, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

That Times interview is a great find, very revealing. (Of course, "colossally self-deluded man" would never pass muster under NPOV. I guess the Times is more lenient.) I'm changing the link format, partly because I think the article title is worth noting, and partly to provide an adequate reference to the printed version in case the link is disabled. (In a bio of someone who lived in the northeastern U.S., many readers would assume "Times" to be the New York Times.) Also, "separated" is a technical term in matrimonial law here, and we don't know if it's applicable. Rewording is necessary, and I've chosen wording that adds the information that the split was at her initiative, not his. JamesMLane 15:55, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

I removed a part about him relying on Malachi Martin because of lack of source and because I don't remember Martin being mentioned in his works. DJ Clayworth 14:26, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

He dedicated Glimpses of the Devil to Malachi Martin and talks quite a bit about Martin in that book. Martin is the one who 'mentored' and inspired him to try exorcism Caroline1008 20:30, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Biographical Material

I just added some biographical material, then noticed that somebody had recently (and maybe inadvertently) deleted a lot of similar stuff. I don't know how to easily restore that which was deleted, or whether it was quality material or not. Surely the article needs material about Peck, and not just about one of his books. Lou Sander 17:21, 3 March 2007 (UTC)