I see a lot of pearl clutching and handwringing here any time someone mentions occultism or esotericism in general. I want to help bring some Light to a topic that has been purposely kept in the Dark. Let's explore what occultism is and how it plays a role in society and every day life.
First, we must understand what the word occult means: something that has been hidden. That's it. Not scary, or dark, or harmful. Just hidden. If it has been hidden from society and used by the ultra rich and powerful, one must wonder why it was hidden. It doesn't take too much of a leap of logic to postulate that it's a tool kept secret so that those in power can remain in power over those that don't possess the tool. Think about how if only 1% of the population had access to the use of electricity. How much of an advantage would they have over everyone else? And just like any tool, you can use it for good, or for evil. You can use a hammer to build a house or commit a murder.
In Trump's book "The Way to the Top," he credits much of his success to his Kabbalah teacher. Yes, even President Trump uses Kabbalistic practices. The Kabbalah is just a road map of how to optimize your own mental abilities by focusing on improving your own self.
I used to be one of those folks that considered myself to be an atheist and looked down on mainstream religion as uninformed, but my study of the esoteric has given me a new perspective and understanding of the Bible. It's really not saying anything different.
You will find the principles of Hermticism in every religion throughout the ages. Have you heard the verse "As you hold true on earth, so shall I hold to be true in heaven"? How is that any different than "As above, so below. As within, so without"? That's the hermetic principle of correspondence.
And how about prayer? You are focusing your will and intent on a particular desired outcome. And since "God helps those that help themselves," you are taking the will, the care, and the action to create your reality. That's mentalism and manifestation.
The holy union of the masculine and feminine to create life (the most beautiful creation of all) is the principle of duality and the principle of gender.
The deciding factor of whether or not someone is doing something nefarious with their occult practices is always the INTENT applied to them. So whenever you hear or see the word occult or esoteric, do yourself a favor and look at the bigger picture surrounding what's going on rather than automatically assuming that it's evil.
Had to look up what Mithraism is, but a cursory glance at its history doesn't show Emperor Constantine influencing it at all. In fact, what I've read indicates that Christianity rivaled then persecuted this practice in the third and fourth centuries.
Lastly, the fact that Christians used fish iconography or other codes to recognize each other and avoid persecution does not in any way make them a cult. It does not imply any esoteric or occult beliefs whatsoever. I'm curious to hear what your definitions of cult, occult, and esoteric are.
Well, that quote formatting didn't come out the way I though it would. My mistake.
I never said Christianity was a cult. I said it was an OCCULT religion. I already provided the definition of occult. It means hidden.
And Mithraism absolutely influenced Christianity. When Constantine rewrote the Bible, he changed the day of rest from Saturday (the Sabbath still recognized by Jews to this day) to Sunday. That was to make it more attractive for Mithraists to convert since their day of rest was already Sunday. This is merely one example.
There is a massive difference between being hidden because you want an exclusive members only club to do rituals and being hidden because the government will execute you for being a Christian. Just because occult means hidden doesn’t mean that everything hidden is occult. Also, by that definition the hermetic principles, Tarot cards, palm reading, and astrology are not occult, when it is generally accepted that they are.
The book of Acts records the early church meeting on Sundays while the Apostles were still around. Mithraism had nothing to do with it. All you’re doing is showing that you haven’t read the Bible.
You’re twisting definitions and redefining history to justify your study of the occult and justify blending it with your version of Christianity. If you want to study the occult or esoteric stuff that’s fine, but don’t call it Christianity. No Christian outside of the misguided New Agers would condone the practices or teachings you’re endorsing.
The mystery religions went underground when Christianity became the prominent religion to avoid persecution. Are you seriously trying to argue that hermetics or Gnostics have never been persecuted? Have you never heard of the multiple inquisitions? Burning "witches" at the stake? Friday October 13th, 1307 (where the superstition comes from)? Hundreds of years of crusades? Quit trying to ignore the parts of history that are inconvenient for you.
Hence why I said that by your literalist definition (occult=hidden) those practices ARE not occult, despite the fact that by the more common connotation they ARE occult due to the fact that they are not orthodox teachings of Christianity. Note the use of the present tense, not the past tense.
You still have not addressed the fundamental issue that “occult” practices and beliefs like Hermetics, Kabbalah, and Gnosticism are completely incompatible with the Bible. Or Christianity in general for that matter. At best, they are the false doctrines of misguided men. At worst, they are vectors for demonic influence. Pretending otherwise only puts your own mental/spiritual health at risk.