Occultism is directly harming the credibility of the movement on a daily basis, and it is often the reason people will get dismissed as crazy or a “conspiracy theorist” without even listening to the information.

What is Occultism?

“Occultism is the study of occult or hidden wisdom. To the occultist it is the study of “Truth”, a deeper truth that exists beneath the surface: ‘The truth is always hidden in plain sight’. It can involve such subjects as magic (alternatively spelled and defined as magick), alchemy, extra-sensory perception, astrology, spiritualism and numerology. There is often a strong religious element to these studies and beliefs, and many occultists profess adherence to religions such as Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Luciferianism, Thelema, and Neopaganism. While Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are generally not considered occult, some of their modern interpretations can be, as the interpretation of Hinduism within Theosophy or the various occult interpretations of the Jewish Kabbalah. Orthodox members of such religions are likely to consider such interpretations false; for example, the Kabbalah Centre has been criticised by Jewish scholars.”

To further define the word Occult:

“The word “occult” is somewhat generic, in that almost everything that isn’t claimed by any of the major religions can be considered the occult. Even religious scientists have difficulties in defining occultism. A broad definition is offered by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke:

“OCCULTISM has its basis in a religious way of thinking, the roots of which stretch back into antiquity and which may be described as the Western esoteric tradition. Its principal ingredients have been identified as Gnosticism, the Hermetic treatises on alchemy and magic, Neo-Platonism, and the Kabbalah, all originating in the eastern Mediterranean area during the first few centuries AD.”"

1. When we are concerned with the truth movement and the role of occultism in it, we have to think about how this would be perceived by all walks of life. The average joe isn’t going to make it past the word occult, occultism, or any religion commonly referred to when discussing occultism. In other words, we have instantaneously lost a person that could have become informed to all the lies and deceit in the world.

2. Is there any benefit to discussing some occultism? Sure. For example, symbology is important, but if you approach it from a psychological perspective, you’re much less likely to “scare” people away with your “crazy” talk.

3. How much truth is involved in occultism? From a reason and evidence standpoint, next to none. In this regard I am speaking more toward the smaller religions that fall into the category of occultism.

The occult is a fascinating subject and worthy of inquiry by people that find it interesting, but in the context of the truth movement or the search for truth in general, it shouldn’t have a home. It will only serve to degrade the credibility and make one look like a “kook.”

-Ezekiel McLeskey

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occult