About the Books and Other Beginner Resources Board (Special Rules)

Board Purpose:

Members of our message board often assume that people can automatically tell the difference between an accurate book, web site, or other source and one that sounds great but isn't accurate. Unfortunately, the ability to tell the good from the bad only comes with knowledge of the field -- something beginners obviously lack. This board is intended as a place where beginners can ask more experienced members if a particular book (or web site or other source) on Paganism, Magic, or the Occult is accurate and/or worthwhile.

All beginner level questions about books and other sources on Pagan religions, magic, and the occult belong on this board.

Additional Rules for this Board:

1. In the absence clear evidence to the contrary, members with long experience in Paganism and magic should assume that questions asked and issues raised in this board are being asked or raised by beginners and try to answer them accordingly. This is not the board for sarcastic answers or rudeness because the poster is completely misinformed or ignorant. You are a teacher here. If you cannot at least try to be a good teacher, don't post. Note that this does not mean that you cannot firmly correct misinformation or the like, it just means that you need to do so nicely.

2. Questions and issues posted here are assumed to be from beginners who are interested in learning from our more experienced members. If you are not interested in hearing the answer(s) if those answers differ from what you want to hear, you might want to rethink posting that particular question or issue. You are, of course, free to believe what you wish but please don't lecture our more experienced members on how they must be wrong if their opinion of a source you consider good is negative.

3. Please remember that a book or author can be popular and/or easy to read and understand and still be inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date, and/or have other problems. While we ask our more experienced members to be polite in refuting incorrect information and dodgy ideas, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum is devoted to critical thinking, so expect to see books with incorrect information and ideas mercilessly (and often bluntly) shot down. If this is unacceptable to you, chances are that The Cauldron is not the message board for you.

4. Please remember that encyclopedia articles and dictionary entries are starting places for further research. They are seldom, if ever, the definitive source of information on a subject. This is particularly true of Wikipedia -- after all, anyone can edit its articles even if everything they know about a subject came from a work of fiction, out-of-date sources, or even their own imagination.

5. This is not place to discuss books or other sources not strongly related to Pagan religions, magic, or the occult.