1. Aims

2. Teachings

3. Organization and structure

4. Reception and criticism

5. References

6. External links

first as a school of philosophy and later on as an international organization devoted to philosophical studies and practice. Its current president is philosopher, musician and writer, Delia Steinberg Guzman.

Aside from regular philosophy courses, lectures, and workshops the organization offers in its branches, it is also involved in social and philanthropic activities,^[2] such as food collection campaigns, art workshops, cleaning of monuments and parks,^[3] as well as disaster rescues^[4] and music competitions.

Registered in Belgium as international organization since 1981, number 3/12-941/S.^[5][6][7] The organization has been accused by some scholars and investigators to be a far-right cult.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]} The organization itself rejects these accusations and claims to have no political or religious affiliation.^[15]

Aims

Its founding principles are:

1. To promote an ideal of universal fraternity, based on respect for human dignity, beyond racial, sexual, cultural, religious, social and other differences.
2. To encourage the love of wisdom through the comparative study of philosophies, religions, sciences and arts, in order to promote the knowledge of the human being, the laws of Nature and the Universe.
3. To develop the best of the human potential, by promoting the realization of the human being as an individual and his or her integration as an active and conscious part of society and nature, in order to improve the world.^&91;16&93;

According to the organization's 2018 assembly resolution,^[17] New Acropolis is active in three main areas: philosophy, culture and volunteering.

Teachings

The organization describes itself as a school of philosophy, understood as "a way of life (...), as a means of access to spiritual knowledge and collective and individual realization." According to the organization's webpage, its official introduction program includes the philosophies of Buddhism, Tibet, China, Greece and Rome among others. The school also offers advanced studies in courses such as psychology, history of philosophy and symbology.^[18]

Scholar of Western esotericism Antoine Faivre writes:

French writer Jean-Pierre Bayard describes New Acropolis as

The sociologist and researcher of new religions, Massimo Introvigne, defines New Acropolis as a "post-teosophical movement, that combines the ideas of the Theosophical Society with other sources. Compared with the Theosophical Society, it focuses more on Western esotericism than the Eastern one, especially Greek philosophy in the tradition of Pythagoras and Plato."^[21]

New Acropolis teaches Apocalypticism and some sort of Esoteric eschatology.^[22] The group teaches that current society is living in the "end of times" predicted by several religions, including the hindu Kali Yuga^[23] and the Norse Ragnarok,^[10] thus making necessary to preserve the esoteric knowledge by creating schools such as NA itself. This apocalyptic belief revolves around a pseudohistorical concept taught in the lessons of the organization and that talks about historical "cycles" where humanity would pass through periods of splendor and decay over and over again.^{[24][25][26][27]}

According to Miguel Martínez, a group's defector, NA follows an ultraconservative ideology strongly influenced by Traditionalism and that advocates a hierarchical and disciplined society with ideological concepts influenced by Plato, Nietzsche and Confucius, and that considers democracy decadent^[9] and the ideal model of society a strong caste system under an esoteric theocracy.^[28] The Escépticos blog claims that NA believes the white race is divided into seven subraces also hierarchized where the Germanic is the most elevated and the Hebrew the least.^[29] According to a NA's former member interviewed in 2014 by Vice magazine, Homosexuals are not allowed to be members of NA.^[32]

Organization and structure

According to Livraga's 1976's Manual del Dirigente (Leader’s Handbook) the organization's structure was pyramidal and hierarchical. The highest level is the World Command, an office that once belonged to Livraga and his wife known as ADA-JAL.^[22] Under the World Command is the Guardian of Seals, under it the Continental Commands, under these the Central Commands, followed by the National or Federal Councilors, the Unified Zone Commands and Branch Chiefs.^[22]

The "Golden Ax" is used as a symbol given only to an elite of members known as "hachados" (ax holders) and this honor could only be given and taken away by the World Command.^[22] These hachados are proposed by the Central Commands due to their merits and are supposed to refrain from owning a fortune beyond their basic needs. The hachados can request retirement for reasons like age or health, and the organization should be responsible for their living in their final years. If the person retires as hachado can keep the honors but returns the ax, if the person status as hachado is revoked then the ax is return and destroyed.^[22]

The handbook itself expresses in its page 3 that its content should be kept secret not only from the public but from every non-directive members of the organization.^[22] It also establishes that is valid for the leaders to hide their Acropolitan ideas, believes and concepts when speaking in public or adapt them to the listener's wishes,^[22] and that most of the symbols, salutes and customs of the organization should be kept secret as other political movements have used them in the past staining its image in the public eye.^[22]

The Reglamento para miembros (Members’ bylaws) of the organization establishes a series of norms for the participants including the obligation of at least 12 hours per month of voluntary work (although this can be increase if the person is sanctioned or if can’t do the monthly payments),^[30] the prohibition of any kind of critic to the leaders and fellow members "to the former in any sense, to the later in their personal affairs",^[30] the requirement of the students to stand up anytime the teacher enters the room,^[30] the mandatory use of tie and jacket for men and skirts for women in all official events,^[30] and to refrain from any kind of immorality,^[30] among others.

This bylaw also establishes the existence of the “Living Forces” or subgroups; Feminine Brigades, (male) Work Brigades and Security Corps.^[30]

Reception and criticism

In general, New Acropolis activities supporting emergency relief, archaeology, the preservation of cultural and historical monuments, and ecology, are seen as positive by respective communities. ^[31]

The organization's music competitions attract many participants, such as the International Competition of Piano Delia Steinberg which takes place in Madrid, Spain, and the Peruvian National Music Competition for youth, "Nueva Acropolis".^[32] The organization's 2018 commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, which took place in Mumbai, India, was endorsed by the Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi, the Dalai Lama and Devendra Fadnavis.^[33] Among the speakers, were Indian philanthropist Ronnie Screwvalla, innovator and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk and social activist Chetna Sinha.^[34]

Although accusations of neo-fascism and neo-Nazism against the group exists^{[35][8][10][29]} New Acropolis condemns Nazism, racism and political extremism^[36][37], and some scholars and defectors claim that the organization is more ultra-conservative, hierarchical,^[28][9] and critical or skeptical of democracy^[38] influenced by Platonism and Traditionalism, and by the writings of Helena Blavatsky and René Guénon^[39]. The Theosophical Society officially denies any links with Livraga,^[40] Livraga was expelled from the organization due to his radical far-right ideas.^[41][42] The group also was criticized for allegedly expelling gay members.^[32]

Claire Lise-Hoehn, a Swiss independent observer who aids cult victims,^[43] penetrated the organization with an alias, and after a 14 month operation, found no basis to the accusations against it. Her report reaffirms the identity of New Acropolis as a philosophy school as well as its founding charter.^[44]

The French Commission on Cults (1995) as well as a Belgian parliamentary commission, have, in 1997, registered it as a cult in their respective countries, in an annexed blacklist to their report, along with 171 other associations. On May 27, 2005, the cult blacklists were abandoned by the French government.^[45] However Serge Blisko, director of the French Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combatting Cultic Deviances (MIVILUDES) said to VICE magazine in 2014 that "disregarding what it says in its Wikipedia article, the French government still considers New Acropolis a cult and is under surveillance".^[46]

A study of ex-members of New Acropolis, realized in 1997 by CESNUR, the center of Studies of New Religions, found that 74.79% of ex-members defined New Acropolis as "a philosophy", 22.69% as a cultural association, 3.36% as a religion, and 2.52% as a political movement. Investigating the reasons for leaving the organization, a large majority (69.23%) expressed that "it is an interesting way, but it is not my way", 17.95% expressed that it was "probably my way, I regret having left it". A minority (10.26%) expressed negative views of the association as their reasons for leaving. ^[47]

References

External links

• {{Official website|www.acropolis.org}}

• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T13
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T20
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T36
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T37
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T38
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T44
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T47
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T51
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T52
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T53
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 400 metres T54
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 5000 metres
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 5000 metres T11
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 5000 metres T13
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 5000 metres T54
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 800 metres
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 800 metres T34
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 800 metres T36
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 800 metres T53
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's 800 metres T54
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's club throw
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's discus throw
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's high jump
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's javelin throw
• Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics - Men's long jump