The dangers of dabbling in the Occult, New Age, and NeoPaganism

[Hunter24]

I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I think saveusfromhell was being sarcastic. It’s considered proper to capitalize someone’s name, and since in Christianity “Satan” is a name (rather than a job description, as in Jewish thought) it gets a capital, same as Njord, Kali, Loki, Inanna etc. It’s just proper grammar, and has nothing to do with giving honour to a deity.

Lol I figured as much with the:shrug:

 

[TrueLight]

I tried that already, about…four times now? (See all my “Ask a Pagan” threads.) Sadly, some stereotypes and misconceptions still persist, but one person can only do so much.

I honestly don’t understand why so many “Ask a Pagan” threads are allowed to stand on a Catholic site.

There are a lot of younger people who browse through here and all we need is for one of them to become interested in paganism because of “Ask a Pagan” threads.

In one of these threads, I saw one pagan asking another where’s a good place to buy some sort of sacred object.

Really?

 

[Hunter24]

I honestly don’t understand why so many “Ask a Pagan” threads are allowed to stand on a Catholic site.

There are a lot of younger people who browse through here and all we need is for one of them to become interested in paganism because of “Ask a Pagan” threads.

In one of these threads, I saw one pagan asking another where’s a good place to buy some sort of sacred object.

Really?

And whats wrong with that? People must find their own path

 

[saveusfromhell]

This is the attitude, mutual exclusivity, that makes people dislike Christianity. It’s not Christians fault, it’s just built in to the religion, but that’s where we disagree. You beleave one of us has to be right and one wrong, I beleave that things are reletive. Shur I beleave in angry, violent spirits, some very powerful, but I don’t beleave there is one that is the embodiment of absolute evil, or for that matter absolute good. while an entity named satan full well may exist (and intact alot of people claim to have encounters it) I beleave he like all things, is part of God, and because God is made up of all the spiritual energy in the universe, Good and Evil (I hate using these words but they illustrate things to Christians), he is perfectly in the center.
QUOTE]

that makes little sense, as a reply to my post, seems more like a rant at catholics than a rebuttal
if you think we can both be right, great ,but either what you believe or what catholics beleive has gone right over your head.

 

[saveusfromhell]

And whats wrong with that? People must find their own path

yes they are just here doing satan’s work,

 

[Hunter24]

Hunter24;9491108:

This is the attitude, mutual exclusivity, that makes people dislike Christianity. It’s not Christians fault, it’s just built in to the religion, but that’s where we disagree. You beleave one of us has to be right and one wrong, I beleave that things are reletive. Shur I beleave in angry, violent spirits, some very powerful, but I don’t beleave there is one that is the embodiment of absolute evil, or for that matter absolute good. while an entity named satan full well may exist (and intact alot of people claim to have encounters it) I beleave he like all things, is part of God, and because God is made up of all the spiritual energy in the universe, Good and Evil (I hate using these words but they illustrate things to Christians), he is perfectly in the center.
QUOTE]

that makes little sense, as a reply to my post, seems more like a rant at catholics than a rebuttal
if you think we can both be right, great ,but either what you believe or what catholics beleive
has gone right over your head.

It’s not an attack on catholicism, I have no hard fealing twords it. I’m just stating we see things fundimentaly different. Monotheism is inherantly mutually exclusive and polytheism and panthiesm are often more open to merging religion.

 

[saveusfromhell]

hunter249491623:

It’s not an attack on catholicism, I have no hard fealing twords it. I’m just stating we see things fundimentaly different. Monotheism is inherantly mutually exclusive and polytheism and panthiesm are often more open to merging religion.

okay i get it now your saying there is fundamental differences in what we believe.
on an up note i’m glad someone else spelling is as bad as mine.

 

[Lokabrenna]

I honestly don’t understand why so many “Ask a Pagan” threads are allowed to stand on a Catholic site.

There are a lot of younger people who browse through here and all we need is for one of them to become interested in paganism because of “Ask a Pagan” threads.

In one of these threads, I saw one pagan asking another where’s a good place to buy some sort of sacred object.

Really?

I originally started those threads to clear up some misconceptions that Catholics on this board seemed to have of Paganism(s) in general. Things like “All Pagans are Wiccan,” or “All Pagans follow the Wiccan rede,” or even speaking of “Paganism” as a single religion, when in fact, it’s not. Would you honestly rather engage with people of other religions based on a foundation of lies and distortions?

TBH, I think that there are plenty of Catholics on here who are capable of seeing where Pagan faiths conflict with Catholic doctrine without believing all the wild stories about sacrificing virgins on full moon nights (if that were true, I’d be six feet under by now). I’m not interested in proselytizing, and I’m sure if young people want to find accurate information about Paganism, there are better places than my thread to find it. Fact is, the moderators were checking each thread, and I’m certain if they found something wrong with it, they would have deleted all of them.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

although i won’t hold my breath. opcorn:it seems off the wall that we should fear death more than hell.

Again. Read.

Physical Death -----> Spiritual Death

Nobody goes to hell while they’re still alive. Dante’s Inferno is literature, not dogma. You might think some folks are hellbound but that’s not up for you to decide.

and if you could supply something to back up this claim. highlighted in black

Seeing as how you lack reading comprehension, I don’t see the point of referring you to the Church’s position that condemns the silly superstitions I was referring to:

There are no dangers, aside from wasting your time and money on a bunch of nonsense and doing a bunch of goofy things like wearing crystals, lighting candles, calling yourself something ridiculous like “Raven MoonShadow.”

If you’re going to bold something, bold the portion that’s relevant.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

TBH, I think that there are plenty of Catholics on here who are capable of seeing where Pagan faiths conflict with Catholic doctrine without believing all the wild stories about sacrificing virgins on full moon nights (if that were true, I’d be six feet under by now).

You forgot the nuts also believe that you calling upon Zeus is actually gonna bring down thunder and lightning on your enemies.

 

[Daizies]

I would add that it really isn’t an attractive worldview, looking over your shoulder all the time like that. It’s practically Demonbuster levels of paranoia. (There’s still some part of me that thinks demonbuster is a parody site, I mean, stuffed animals are Satanic?)

What?!?! I went to your link, that HAS to be a joke, right? LOL, it talks about demons in people’s cell phones causing interference!!

Tell me that site isn’t made by someone who believes it!

Sadly, it appears to be legit. Other things they don’t like: candles, milk, pork products (basically it says to follow Biblical dietary laws–adding that it cures cancer), owls, frogs, hearts, dolls, unicorns, the paisley pattern, playing cards…it goes on.

I can’t imagine what must go on in the mind of someone who is so scared of…practically everything. It’s sad.

Years ago I went to a church like this with my landlord’s wife. I am totally serious. These people believe that everything they consider bad is attached to demons, like a demon of swearing, demon of drinking, you name it, they believed it. Once you start attending these groups they are difficult to get out. In my experience they are more like a cult.

 

[Lokabrenna]

You forgot the nuts also believe that you calling upon Zeus is actually gonna bring down thunder and lightning on your enemies.

I wish! But doesn’t anyone stop to think that if that were true, more people would be Pagan? Unless Christianity’s special ability was like, anti-magic force fields or something.
Actually, there was someone who asked a question in one of my Q&A threads about whether we Pagans were scared of crosses and churches, and all I could think about were old-timey vampires (not the sparkly ones).

I can personally verify that I did not burst into flames when my parents dragged me to church last Christmas, nor when my cousin’s kids were baptized, my brother was married, or during either of my grandparents’ funerals.

 

[Lokabrenna]

Years ago I went to a church like this with my landlord’s wife. I am totally serious. These people believe that everything they consider bad is attached to demons, like a demon of swearing, demon of drinking, you name it, they believed it. Once you start attending these groups they are difficult to get out. In my experience they are more like a cult.

I kind of wish they would be more creative with names, though, there’s a whole list of medieval demons with more interesting names than “demon of swearing” or “demon of murder” but of course, the lists were compiled by Catholics, so I guess they don’t want to touch it.

 

[Daizies]

I kind of wish they would be more creative with names, though, there’s a whole list of medieval demons with more interesting names than “demon of swearing” or “demon of murder” but of course, the lists were compiled by Catholics, so I guess they don’t want to touch it.

so true

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I wish! But doesn’t anyone stop to think that if that were true, more people would be Pagan? Unless Christianity’s special ability was like, anti-magic force fields or something.

I’ll let you in a little secret: I’m working to publish something that actually deals with that question.

Oddly enough though, it’s not a work I intend to attack paganism. It’s a work that decries the religious stupidity that we’re both talking about. Consider it a deconstruction of fundamentalist fantasy.

You also have the subject of demi-gods which would definitely have enough doctoral implications to call for a Vatican III. The Church, for instance, doesn’t actually believe that spiritual beings can ‘mate’ with physical mortals. The concept of demi-gods (figures who were just as important in myth as the gods themselves) as a fact would completely disprove that idea.

On a side note, I’d probably join the cause of scientifically breaking down the power behind the so-called ‘gods’ and find a way to make it our own. I’d even volunteer to be the first artificial demi-god… yeah. (I can see it now: angsty young superhumans who are going the Kratos route. >BD)

 

[Lokabrenna]

On a side note, I’d probably join the cause of scientifically breaking down the power behind the so-called ‘gods’ and find a way to make it our own. I’d even volunteer to be the first artificial demi-god… yeah. (I can see it now: angsty young superhumans who are going the Kratos route. >BD)

If you’re talking about Kratos from God of War, he’s the only protagonist in existence that I could not feel a shred of empathy for (but he’s supposed to be an accurate representation of a Classical Greek hero, and I guess I just have modern sensibilities).

Sounds like an interesting story! Does the Church then get into a debate about whether demi-gods have souls? Do they accept them? Hunt them down and kill them, or declare “Being a demi-god is okay–just no using your flashy powers!” and treat it like, say, pre-marital sex? And, I mean, the existence of other deities kind of rocks monotheism to its foundations (unless they aren’t really gods, maybe they’re like wizards or something, really powerful wizards).

 

[Rafik_Gabriel]

New Age is just is just a mixed salad of some religions but mainly Hinduism. now the difference is this: philosophies is the effort of human mind to reach the truth. Religions are some true and of course some not true. Religions any way are all based on some prophets or so who talks about God. In all this, there is always some rays of light. In Christianity there is no philosophy nor prophets, I dare to say not even a religion - God Himself is revealed to humanity. The Truth is finally revealed in whom He said I AM THE TRUTH.
rafikgabriel.com/

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

If you’re talking about Kratos from God of War, he’s the only protagonist in existence that I could not feel a shred of empathy for (but he’s supposed to be an accurate representation of a Classical Greek hero, and I guess I just have modern sensibilities).

I don’t like him so much either. However, I’m also no big fan of the Olympians. If these were the gods that the pagans worshiped, I don’t blame my religion for calling them demons.

No amount of godly power is enough to explicitly meddle and toy with my destiny.

Sounds like an interesting story! Does the Church then get into a debate about whether demi-gods have souls? Do they accept them? Hunt them down and kill them, or declare “Being a demi-god is okay–just no using your flashy powers!” and treat it like, say, pre-marital sex?

That’s exactly what I want to discuss! The thing is, it’s like when people compare the plight of mutants in X-Men to homosexuals. That’s actually not a fair comparison.

Homosexuality inclines people to perform acts that my religion deems sinful. On the other hand, the Church has never made a position that condemns the use of ‘flashy powers’. We’ve all seen how deep the Church can delve with its condemnation of homosexual acts. You can’t apply the same reasoning against super/magic powers. For instance, what is so evil about being able to channel lightning? What is so evil about having super-human strength? What is so evil about possessing enhanced analytical engineering skills because you happen to be the bastard child of Hephaestus?

If these powers were only the result of worship, then I can see why it’s wrong (violation of the First Commandment). But if these abilities are inherent, as a result of a supernatural union, then you’ll get the doctoral implications I’ve been talking about.

That’s the funny thing and it gets fundamentalists inside and outside tearing their hair out.

And, I mean, the existence of other deities kind of rocks monotheism to its foundations (unless they aren’t really gods, maybe they’re like wizards or something, really powerful wizards).

Well there is a passage in the Bible that goes along the lines of “the gods of the Gentiles are demons”. I encountered this idea a long time ago and I’m not even entirely opposed to the idea that demons could just be posing as gods (like Liam Neeson did in Clash of the Titans).

However, it’s still a huge stretch to say that these ‘demons’ are just as mighty as their pagan worshipers say they are. That’s what I seek to poke fun and deconstruct in my story.

 

[Hunter24]

I can personally verify that I did not burst into flames when my parents dragged me to church last Christmas, nor when my cousin’s kids were baptized, my brother was married, or during either of my grandparents’ funerals.

I had a teacher throw holy water on a Wiccan book a girl brought for a report. I told him to quit or he would burn the school down

 

[Lokabrenna]

Homosexuality inclines people to perform acts that my religion deems sinful. On the other hand, the Church has never made a position that condemns the use of ‘flashy powers’. We’ve all seen how deep the Church can delve with its condemnation of homosexual acts. You can’t apply the same reasoning against super/magic powers. For instance, what is so evil about being able to channel lightning? What is so evil about having super-human strength? What is so evil about possessing enhanced analytical engineering skills because you happen to be the bastard child of Hephaestus?

I would argue that it’s the intent behind the actions. You know that some people, when given the power to channel lightning, would start using it on other people, same with super human strength, the engineering skills would probably get a pass, though, or perhaps they all would, given that they are innate talents, but only if they’re used for good.

There’s a series of books I read (Lilith Saintcrow’s Jill Kismet series) where the titular Kismet is a Hunter (it’s basically her job to kill demons) throughout the first book, she mentions that the church has pretty much denied Hunters Communion because even though they’re killing hellspawn, they’re still committing murder (I don’t understand why they can’t just give them a special dispensation or something, but whatever). Then, come the second book, she basically says “Screw the church!” and starts invoking a different deity when she hunts–and then it’s never brought up again, and I was like “Way to waste a good plot point, Saintcrow!” Mind, I didn’t like that series very much because it seems like all her protagonists go from kicking butt to crying in a corner by the end of the series, so, yeah.