Isaiah Roman

Comparative Religious Studies: Occult

The careful reader may have noticed that we didn’t spend a lot of time on pantheism, polytheism, spiritism/animism, and atheism. The sheer number of adherents to these practices and philosophies might seem to warrant more time in study on the vagaries and complexities of their institutions. However, just because a bunch of people like something, doesn’t mean these numbers give it any credit. In fact, the more people who are satisfied by a particular philosophy should give us a clue as to the falsity of that philosophy.

So far we have examined “religious” practices that satisfy the conscience of the individual, but which provide no real answers to living a satisfied life. Eastern religions require a series of duties and studies, none of which provides an answer for evil, or hardship in the world. Once one has ceased the practices, there is no lasting, internal change that allows for continued peace or fulfillment. Thus, we find monks secluding themselves away from the public in order to concentrate on their meditations. Eastern religions don’t work in the real world beyond providing a mollification, trite platitudes for the conscience or ego.

Spiritism and atheism have no answers at all. These give one superficial reasons for good moral behavior, but the rules are all left to the individual to keep or release. Within these systems there are no real ramifications for either good or evil, beyond the immediate, temporal satisfaction.

Polytheism, pantheism, and even henotheism are all mythologies that certainly contain impetus for moral imperative, but do not provide substance for their message. We must remove all aspects of physical reality when examining religion and leave aside any sense of our rational selves. This disjoin between reality and religion is how these thought processes approach life and the human condition.

Atheism seizes on this separation and attempts to apply it to all religion. According to atheist principles, all religions are false, and therefore mythological. Subsequently, one cannot apply religion to reality, and conversely anyone who seriously believes in their religion must be themselves removed from reality.

None of these fit with what we know about reality. There are those who certainly believe in their religious practices ;and who have realized real spiritual awareness who have not taken leave of their senses. There are certainly messages of moral imperative throughout all society that must be dealt with on a daily basis and these imperatives have a source. There is real evil in this world that must be dealt with beyond mere trivial platitudes. Any religion that fits the individual’s whim must have – at it’s heart – some form of deceit.

Occult religions are different. Occult religions specifically attempt to tie themselves to reality, and at the same time make claims of the supernatural, then over time they all teach an alternate, hidden reality. Occult religions promise power, wrapped in a secret. The secret can be knowledge, practices, or even the revelation of the “true” power structure of the universe, but nonetheless, occults all make promises of power to their adherents. It is only through adherence to the occult, over time and through some form of experiences are these “secrets of reality” revealed to the adherent.

Most “false” religions have a bit of occult in them. What specifically makes an Occult is the criminal, or destructive nature of the occult itself.

For instance, the cult of Scientology promises to reveal the secrets to longevity, health, wealth, and a peaceful psyche, all in exchange for a few training sessions that reveal the “truth” about the universe. To receive these training sessions, one must pay, and pay exorbitantly, for the secrets of the universe. The key to this revelation process, and the real meaning behind all occults, is the brain-washing that happens during the training sessions. The individual’s mind is altered to accept piece by piece a completely altered view of reality, to the point where that reality overtakes the true reality in the mind of the victim. Soon the individual finds themselves broke, isolated from society, and totally reliant upon the cult. Not only does Scientology destroy the individual in it’s cause, it has been known for it’s criminal and destructive practices as an organization.

The cult of Wicca invented by Gerald Gardner promises power over the elements and even power over the spirits of nature and people. Some sects of Wicca even believe that they have the power to summon and control demons and spirits. The cult requires sexual ceremonies, chants and dances, the use of drugs, herbs and special “teas.” The end result is the eventual revelation that the  “Horned God” and the “Triple Goddess” are the true rulers of this universe. The horned god, in history, refers specifically to Gilgamesh (Nimrod), and the Triple Goddess, his wife Semiraimis. It is an extension of Babylonian worship practices, the worship of man and nature over God. Wicca preaches peace with nature and asks the individual to commune with the spirits and powers of nature. Powers which many think are the things of fiction, but which the Wiccan understands are real. The Wiccan perceives these powers as benevolent, or true goodness. This makes God the enemy, and the spirits of nature our friend.

Unlike Wicca, Thelema comes right out and states it’s true premise without the vagaries and trappings of mysticism and a false spirituality. The cult of Thelema, developed by Aleister Crowley, is based upon pure Satan worship, and teaches the opposite of Judaism and Christianity at every opportunity. It is the contention of Thelema that Satan is the true king and that God is the pretender. Aleister Crowley personally declared himself as the antichrist.

The problem with each of these cults is that they rely initially upon reality, and then twist that reality to meld the minds of their followers to a place where those followers are willing to do anything the cult leaders want them to. An extreme example of this was Jim Jones’ cult the “Peoples Temple” where Jones convinced over 900 people to commit suicide by drinking poison Kool-Aid.

In the case of Scientology, the premise starts with science. It pretends that it’s system Dianetics is a new, scientific approach to personal well being. When all is revealed the story turns out to be a load of science-fiction. But, the victim is so deeply indebted in emotion, time and money that they continue to give up huge sums of money to continue the practice; just so that they can belong.

This is the secret of all cults. Cults prey upon those who have a need to belong, to those individuals who have a strong lack of support in their lives. These people are desperate to belong to something much greater than themselves. They are desparate to gain power over the forces which they perceive to have held them back, or perhaps persecueted them. When they are offered such a place, along with the promise of great power over not only their own circumstances, but life in general, they quickly grab hold, and rarely let go, even when reality presents itself.

Fortunately most cults are small, and do not grow beyond a limited size simply because of their nature. Most level-headed individuals can recognize a cult when it’s presented to them, and in most cases there are many whistle-blowers who are prepared to reveal the falsities of such organizations.

Unfortunately, cults are growing in number as more and more of the truth is being removed from the world. Nature abhors a vacuum. As Christ and Christianity are being removed from society, that absence is being filled with ever more interesting and bizarre cults. Don’t be surprised if you meet someone someday who claims to be a vampire and who even takes the opportunity to drink blood now and then.

Once again, cults promise power, wrapped in a secret. They provide community, but they also enforce community. Cults begin with a premise of reality, then alter reality through a series of steps of brain-washing. Normally cults center themselves around a particular personality. You can be sure that it is this personality who receives the greatest benefit from the cult and it’ practices. Cults are often dangerous, and sometimes fatal.