Articles Index
Are the Raelians A Dangerous Cult?
Are the Raelians a dangerous cult? The term cult is often applied to new religions because they have not yet stood the test of time and may also teach unorthodox ideas, just as traditional religions once did hundreds or thousands of years ago. See how the Raelian Movement stacks up against common indicators of dangerous cults.
What is Eckankar?
Eckankar means "Co-Worker with God." It is a 20th century, monotheistic religion that posits that every human soul is a fragment of God. Eckankar practices heighten awareness of the ECK, or divine spirit, understood as the light and sound of God. The ECK is a bridge between human souls and God, and awareness of it brings spiritual enlightenment, tranquility, and self-realization.
Peyote and the Native American Church
The Native American Church is a fusion of traditional Native American beliefs and Christianity. Central to its practices is the use of the drug peyote, which comes from a particular cactus plant.
Human Sacrifice - Facts and Fallacies of "Human Sacrifice" in LaVeyan Satanism
The concept of human sacrifice is one of the more abhorrent facets of religion in the minds of most of us. Historically, minority groups have been repeatedly accused of it. Today, it is a common rumor about Satanism. Not only is that concept totally false, multiple aspects of Satanic teaching are completely contrary to the notion of human sacrifice.
The Force in Jediism
Jediism, or Jedi Religion, represents a diverse set of beliefs organized only as much as the individual believer wishes to organize them. However, one belief that unites most if not all Jedi is some concept of the Force.
Religion of Japan
Tenrikyo is a monotheistic religion originating in Japan. Its central principle is striving for and embracing a state known as the Joyous Life, which is also the original and intended state of mankind. Founded in the 19th century, it is commonly considered a new religious movement.
The Elohim within the Raelian Religion
According to the Raelian church, the Elohim are a human-like alien race that created life through scientific processes on Earth. They are not gods, nor are they to be treated as such. The Elohim created humanity as an equal, just as their creators once created them as equals. Through this process, intelligent life continues to develop throughout the galaxy.
What are Kami in Shinto?
Western texts on Shinto commonly translate kami as spirit or god. Neither term works well for the entirety of kami, which span a wide range of supernatural beings, from anthropomorphic "gods" to animistic spirits and ancestral souls.
Shinto - Traditional Religion of Japan
Shinto, roughly meaning "the way of the gods," is the traditional religion of Japan. It centers upon the relationship between practitioners and a multitude of supernatural entities called kami who are associated with all aspects of life.
Ten Sephirot of Kabbalah
The ten sephirot represent ten aspects of the divine will in Kababalah. They are commonly depicted in a diagram known as the Tree of Life. Interpretations of both the Tree and the sephirot can vary considerably between sources. Below on general associations for each sephirot.
Light and Dark Sides of the Force
The Force is an impersonal energy field that connects all things according to Jedi philosophy. At its most basic, there are two sides of the Force, the Light and the Dark. Some feel it is more correct to say that one's approach to the Force is either Light or Dark, as the Force is, in fact, impersonal.
Transmission of the Cellular Plan within the Raelian Movement
While Raelians perform a variety of meditations, the transmission of the cellular plan is the only formal ritual within the Raelian Movement. This is often described as a baptism or initiation, and it marks a parson's formal entrance into the movement.
Vodou, an Introduction for Beginners
Vodou (Also spelled Vodoun, Voodoo, and several other variants) is a syncretic religion combining Roman Catholicism and native African religion, particularly the religion of the Dahomey region of Africa (the modern day nation of Benin). It is primarily found in Haiti, New Orleans, and other locations within the Caribbean.
Bondye, the Good God of Vodou
In Vodou, Bondye is the highest principle in the universe and is responsible for both the universal order and human activity. He is the wholeness of the human community and is the origin of all life, which ultimately belongs to him.
Historical Christian Gnosticism
Christians have flirted with Gnostic thought since the early centuries of Christianity. After the 4th century, these movements were systematically ruled as heretical by the established Church, which then moved to isolate and wipe them out through a variety of methods. Each movement had its own specific beliefs, but there were also many qualities held in common by many of them, qualities they also often shared with the Gnostic Jewish Essences who had come before them.
Deism
Deism is not a specific religion but rather a particular perspective on the nature of God. Deists believe that a creator god does exist, but that after the motions of the universe were set in place he retreated, having no further interaction with the created universe or the beings within it.
Unitarian Universalism
The Unitarian Universalists, or UUs, are the product of two separate but similar movements, the Unitarians and the Universalists. While both previous groups commonly identified themselves as Christian, Unitarian Universalism considers itself a separate religion in which belief in a higher power is optional and teachings focus instead on the inherent worth of all human beings, religious tolerance, rationality, advancing truth, and ethical living. <
Zarathust No Diso
The Zoroastrian holiday of Zarathust No Diso is celebrated in Iran on December 26 and by Parsis in May. It commemorates the death of Zoroaster, founder and prophet of the Zoroastrian religion.
Yalda: Zoroastrian Winter Solstice Celebration
Zoroastrians celebrate the winter solstice as a triumph of good over evil as nights begin to shorten as the time of daylight lengthens. This celebration is commonly known as Yalda or Shab-e Yalda.
Baha'u'llah – Mirza Husayn Ali
Baha'u'llah, building upon the teachings of the Bab, formed the Baha'i Faith in the mid-nineteenth century. He is considered a Manifestation of God, equivalent to Christ, Mohammad, Zoroaster and other great faith leaders.
Aleister Crowley, Thelemic Prophet
A highly controversial figure in his own time, Aleister Crowley is now considered highly influential in occult circles. Besides being held as a prophet within the religion of Thelema, his numerous writings on magic and religion are still widely read.
Amesha Spentas, the Bounteous Immortals
To Zoroaster, the Amesha Spentas were impersonal emanations and abstractions of various qualities of Ahura Mazda. Followers were to emulate and embrace what they represented. Since then, they have acquired some slight personality of their own and might be very roughly compared with angels.
Paracelsus
Paracelsus, hailed as both a father of modern alchemy and of modern medicine, stressed the value of observation and experimentation in order to diagnose and correctly treat ailments. His occult studies includes astrology and alchemy, both of which linked back to his scientific pursuits.
Henry Cornelius Agrippa
Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy have gone through dozens of printings over the last 500 years and continues to be a commonly referenced occult source. The Three Books is large and fairly all encompassing, combining aspects of Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Neoplatonism and other sources into one coherent system.
John Dee
Renaissance occultist who revealed the Enochian language and ideas of Enochian magic, which were revealed to him by a series of angels through mediums such as Edward Kelley.