Occult vs. New Age vs. Religion

Post Reply New Topic

Can anyone explain what the difference is between these things? And why is it socially accepted to have web filters against Occult sites, but those same filters don't target Christian sites?

At some point in history, Christianity was a New Age cult And if a modern day person were to slaughter and burn a sheep on a stone altar like Abraham did, it would be an occult ritual.

There is one more point that's missing from your list. Imagine you'd see a modern day Abraham who is about to "sacrifice" his own son I bet people would immediately call 911, and this modern Abraham would end up strapped to a bed in a mental institution.

New age cults are pretty esoteric. I think they lack some defining moment where they can be more open about their beliefs and can act more in the public view, and that's how they differ from major religions.

Religion refers to "a system of faith and worship." So could really refer to practically all forms of faith and worship.
Although traditionally speaking, Religion refers to the Worlds main and most popular religions.

Occult generally refers to "mystical, supernatural, magical powers, practices, or phenomena."> also hidden or secret teachings.

Cult refers to "a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or as imposing excessive control over members"

New Age definition from New Age Wikipedia to "a number of beliefs commonly found within the New Age have been identified. Theologically, the New Age typically adopts a belief in a holistic form of divinity that imbues all of the universe, including human beings themselves." This new age may also refer to the Hindu Golden Age, and the Age of Aquarius.
Age of Aquarius

So. There is a fair amount of cross over between these categories. And sure, Christianity could have been regarded as a Cult when it started off, as many other religions could also have been.

I guess, the difference is to do with success of the movement, and of course, how convincing the leader can be to convince his followers he is God or the person who has the key to life. etc.

I would say that most religions have some form of new age element, i.e. Christianity, the new system of things.
Heaven on Earth.

Judaism also awaits the Messiah to sort out the universes problems and bring an age of bliss.

Many Hindu variations believe in the Golden Age, which follows a series of other ages, and comes around as part of a cycle of ages. With the Golden Age being the ultimate in terms of human spiritual evolution.
Golden Age

There have been many influences on the development of what is now known as the New Age Ethos, which include
the eclectic teachings from the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society

Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo

The Beat Generation, who got the western world to retune into their spirituality
The Beat Generation

An eccentric English Theosophy Scholar, who brought many of the esoteric Asian Philosophical and religious teachings to the west.
Alan Watts

The occult revivalists Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley and Guido Von List
Madame Blavatsky

Aleister Crowley

Guido Von List

The wisdom from the main world religions and philosophies.
and the impact that all of the above have had on the last couple of hundred of years, since the Enlightenment period, when many of the people in the west went searching for meaning outside of Christianity.

Religion is the overt expression of open faith. Occult is the covert expression of hidden faith.

I'll try to explain simply, but at the risk of decreased accuracy.

Christian sites tends to feature nudity as a natural state, yet in need of concealment, and sexuality as something practiced between a husband and wife, only with each other, and only for the purpose of procreation.

Occult sites tend to feature nudity and/or descriptions of erotic nudity and promiscuous sexual practices as part of their rituals (at least, those were the reasons given to me by a government webmaster).

Thus, Christian websites are considered 'clean' and Occult websites are considered 'dirty' (e.g., pornographic) by businesses and government organizations.

Fnord does it again.

Good stuff!

What kind of Christian sites have you been looking at? The Christian sites I go to don't feature any nudity at all

Ok so why was a government webmaster giving you reasons to view or avoid certain types of website? Was this for your work?

Christian sites that show image of cherubim, scenes from the Garden of Eden, and Michelangelo's statue of David.You do not have the need to know.

Oh I get it. You were were looking at Catholic sites. Unfortunately the Protestant church I was raised in had absolutely no interest in art.

You're no fun

Occult I think means hidden knowledge.new age means just what it says belief systems that are of the new age or modern thought,I believe the term was coined by Rudolf Steiner in the 30's
religion is the practice of ones beliefs in a formal way

Your "government webmaster" friend/colleague/whatever was vastly over-generalizing. Plenty of occult sites don't contain "nudity and/or descriptions of erotic nudity and promiscuous sexual practices" at all, although some do.

Occult just means hidden knowledge and has nothing to do with nudity one way or another.some Occult groups may practice promiscuous sex but that not really what the OP was asking about in a definition of occult