How to effectively critique New Age ideas?

[killybob]

The Woo-Woo crowd should be asked to present evidence, just like the jesus freaks.

The thing is the new agers are not usually so obnoxious about not having any.

Well, that's the thing. Christians have their "evidence", however flawed it may be, in the form of scripture and dogma. Whereas New Agers' beliefs tend to be based on an amalgam of theirs and others' speculations, which can be much harder to refute. But you're right, at least the New Age folks are more likely to actually discuss it as opposed to argue about it.

It's not harder to refute. "I refute the so called 'evidence' produced by New Ageists". There, easy. Also, from what I've seen, the people who practice New Age crap and other superstitious shit are actually just as hard to reason with as the staunchly religious.
My mother had a delicate and almost suicidal friend, who was deeply into psychic readings and would regularly hold séances and practice spirit healing. When I tried to talk to her about her practices she got excited, but the moment she realized I was trying to ask for evidence and was a little sceptical, she immediately sunk into a defensive shell and seemed so disgruntled that I was worried I might make her suicidal condition worse, and I didn't persist any further.
She was so emotionally invested in her new age nonsense that she couldn't handle the slightest criticism.
Funnily enough, her delicate emotional condition had arisen out of her being in deep debt. The reason for this it turned out, was she that was getting financial advice from one of her "spirit guides".
I'm not sure all New Ageists are even remotely like this lady, but I do not think for a moment that they are in the least bit open minded about whether their beliefs are true or not, and very few would be bold enough to be tested in a scientific experiment.