The Occult Fundamentals

One Wikapedia entry on Sensationalism:

" Sensationalism is a manner of being extremely controversial, loud, or attention grabbing. It is especially applied to the emphasis of the unusual or atypical. It is also a form of theatre."

Originally posted by jaywill
[b]===============================
According to the dictionary definition of 'occult', Fundamentalist Protestants and traditionalist Catholics are occultists.

It's obvious, no?
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What does "the dictionary" say about a Sensationalist ?[/b]

Isn't Sensationalism a standard tactic in discrediting other religions?

Say I'm a Christian and I wish to show that Mormonism is not the true faith. I then make a website like this one:

http://www.commonplacebook.com/current_events/politics/more_on_those_w.shtm

etc.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Isn't Sensationalism a standard tactic in discrediting other religions?

Say I'm a Christian and I wish to show that Mormonism is not the true faith. I then make a website like this one:

http://www.commonplacebook.com/current_events/politics/more_on_those_w.shtm

etc.

======================
Isn't Sensationalism a standard tactic in discrediting other religions?

Say I'm a Christian and I wish to show that Mormonism is not the true faith. I then make a website like this one:

http://www.commonplacebook.com/current_events/politics/more_on_those_w.shtm

etc.
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If you ask me let me say up front that I have seen a "Christian" version of practically everything that exists in the world.

Of course as a disciple of Christ do I have to engage in all these "Christian" rock concerts, "Christian" sensationism, "Christian" online dating services, "Christian" yoga, "Christian" Weight Control, "Christian" Bingo, "Christian" Discotech, "Christian" political action commitee, "Christian" Gay and Lesbian club, "Christian" this, that and the other ...?

Of course not. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is "self-control."

Whatever you can name you can probably find a "Christian" version of it. Its a free world in much of the world to label what you like "Christian" if you want to.

I checked your website SwissGambit
www.commonplacebook.com/current_events/politics/more_on_those_w.shtm

Nothing jumped out at me that this was put up by Christians. Did you read somewhere there that these were Christian authors ? With a quick glance I saw nothing.

Okay, I double checked. They have a comment board. I do not count submissions to the Comment Board as the authors of the website.

And the one Religion Type comment I did see, the poster said he didn't think the referents of the critique were real Mormans.

That sounds like a defense rather than a slander. I think you moved a little too quickly there.

Originally posted by jaywill
I checked your website SwissGambit
www.commonplacebook.com/current_events/politics/more_on_those_w.shtm

Nothing jumped out at me that this was put up by Christians. Did you read somewhere there that these were Christian authors ? With a quick glance I saw nothing.

Okay, I double checked. They have a comment board. I do not count submissions to That sounds like a defense rather than a slander. I think you moved a little too quickly there.

Good point - there is no obvious indication that the author is christian. The tactics, however, sounded very similar to those used against them at my former church.

Here's one from a Christian perspective:
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/mormon.htm

9. Temple Rituals. A typical temple ceremony would take place as follows: "The ritual began in a small cubicle where we had to strip completely. We then put on 'the shield,' a poncho with a hole for the head, but open on the sides (similar to a hospital gown). We went through a series of 'washings and anointings,' as various parts of our bodies were touched by elderly temple workers who mumbled appropriate incantations over them. Our Mormon underwear, 'the garments,' are said to have powers to protect us from 'the evil one.' It had occult markings, which were so 'sacred' that we were instructed to burn them when the garments wore out. The endowment ceremony mocked all doctrines held to by Biblical Christianity, and Christian pastors were portrayed as servants of Satan. We had to swear many blood oaths, promising we would forfeit our lives if we weren't faithful, or if we revealed any of the secrets revealed to us in the temple ceremonies. We were made to pretend by grotesque gestures to cut our throats, chests, and abdomens, indicating how we would lose our lives. We were never told who would kill us! The inference was, and history testifies to, that it would be the Mormon priesthood." (Testimony of a former Mormon.) [Note: The blood oaths and portrayal of Christian pastors were removed in April of 1990, despite the fact that the ordinance was purported to have been given originally by a revelation and was never to be changed.]

Originally posted by jaywill
[b]===============================
According to the dictionary definition of 'occult', Fundamentalist Protestants and traditionalist Catholics are occultists.

It's obvious, no?
=========================

What does "the dictionary" say about a Sensationalist ?[/b]

"someone who uses exaggerated or lurid material in order to gain public attention"

Someone like Hal Lindsey, perhaps.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Our Mormon underwear, 'the garments,' are said to have powers to protect us from 'the evil one.' It had occult markings, which were so 'sacred' that we were instructed to burn them when the garments wore out.

Note the misuse of 'occult' in connection with the slanderous depiction of the holy underwear.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
"someone who uses exaggerated or lurid material in order to gain public attention"

Someone like Hal Lindsey, perhaps.

One Christian author down 10,000 Christian authors to go.

Originally posted by jaywill
One Christian author down 10,000 Christian authors to go.

Are you indulging in reverse sensationalism? Can you discuss this topic rationally without turning it into a theatre of paranoia?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Are you indulging in reverse sensationalism? Can you discuss this topic rationally without turning it into a theatre of paranoia?

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Are you indulging in reverse sensationalism?
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So you admit to sensationalism then ?

Where's the reverse ?

Originally posted by jaywill
[b]=============================
Are you indulging in reverse sensationalism?
==============================

So you admit to sensationalism then ?

Where's the reverse ?[/b]

No, I haven't made any extreme claims to attract public attention.

The reverse would be your peculiarly hypersensitive behaviour, flapping and squawking like I don't know what. Calm down, address the topic, paltry as it is. Use 'occult' in a sentence.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
No, I haven't made any extreme claims to attract public attention.

The reverse would be your peculiarly hypersensitive behaviour, flapping and squawking like I don't know what. Calm down, address the topic, paltry as it is. Use 'occult' in a sentence.

Okay, the use of occult in a sentence.

This website is called All About the Occult.

http://www.religion-cults.com/occult.htm

And yes, they do discuss the occult in some forms of Christianity:

- "Spiritism" attempts "to communicate with the death", to receive information and help from them. "Spiritualism" is the same, but with the sacrilege of using Christian prayers and rites.
- Churches, Membership
- Sceance
- Ouija boars, ghosts, phantoms.
- Spiritulism and Christianity

Originally posted by jaywill
And the one Religion Type comment I did see, the poster said he didn't think the referents of the critique were real Mormans.

You obviously stopped reading after the first comment. 😉

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
According to the dictionary definition of 'occult', Fundamentalist Protestants and traditionalist Catholics are occultists.

It's obvious, no?

Occult; The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to "knowledge of the hidden".[1] In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g. an "occult bleed"[2] may be one detected indirectly by the presence of otherwise unexplained anaemia.

The word has many uses in the English language, popularly meaning "knowledge of the paranormal", as opposed to "knowledge of the measurable",[3][4] usually referred to as science. The term is sometimes popularly taken to mean "knowledge meant only for certain people" or "knowledge that must be kept hidden",

Originally posted by jaywill
One Christian author down 10,000 Christian authors to go.

No such list would be complete without the guy who wrote Revelations.