Posted on 05/16/2023 2:18:37 AM PDT by spirited irish
In his two books, “The Occult Underground: The Dawn of the New Age” and “The Occult Establishment,” historian James Webb chronicles the rise of an occult intelligentsia as it emerged out of the Renaissance. Webb sees the Renaissance as a spiritually traumatic time in which the spiritual roots of many people were shaken free of Christianity. As a result, they eagerly embraced the pantheistic /materialistic occult traditions — Hermeticism, Theosophy, Buddhism, esoteric Cabbalism, alchemy, neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, and spiritism — sweeping into Christendom at that time. His book, “The Occult Underground” was originally called “The Flight from Reason” because Western man had turned back to occultism — the science of magic. Webb’s main point is that since the Renaissance, a powerfully influential occult community existing at the highest levels of society and church has been both the intelligentsia and the real powers behind what has been variously called the Progressive Underground, the Anti-Establishment, and the Counter Culture, the aim of which is twofold: first, the total destruction of the hated Old Order based on Christianity , and second, the creation of a New World Order which is to rise out of the smoldering ashes of the Old Order.
(Excerpt) Read more at patriotandliberty.com ...
ping
That was a terrific article. Thanks you for posting.
You’re very welcome. It is Truth that sets us free.
Very interesting and thought provoking.
Angelic beings are imbued with an intelligence that is far beyond that of any human beings, and yet many of them (often interpreted as 1/3 of them) made a conscious decision to rebel against God.
This suggests to me that intellect, especially prideful intellect, is perhaps not the best basis for decision making. IMHO, wisdom may have intelligence as a component, but also tempers it with humility, mercy, and sympathy.
A good read.
You’re touching on some important points re: cognition.
I think that wisdom has knowledge as a component, as “knowledge” of the sort that is THE TRUTH (i.e. universal, necessary and certain) gives the wisdom component something real to work with.
Knowledge is awareness of what is true. Wisdom is what to do about it. Understanding is usually unattainable because it answers the questions about “why” things are the way they are. (IMHO)
Intelligence alone isn’t worth much if it has only lies to work with.
I was about to suggest that. I would also add that an important part of wisdom is experience. A person can only be truly wise if they have seen the only components of wisdom played out in the real world before their eyes and have experienced it firsthand.
You are on it friend.
Very well stated, and I agree.
Agreed. But then we need to ask, 'what kind of experience?' To which I respond: Not experiences of happiness but of suffering, quite often suffering in silence.
I agree that no one can call themselves wise without experiencing the suffering that is part of this world. But can you imagine how lacking in true wisdom one would be if they never experienced joy, pain, sadness, love, loss, triumph-- the full gamut of human emotions and experiences? It takes much of a person's life to experience these, which is why truly wise people tend to be older.
Bookmark
Agreed again.
Webb sees the Renaissance as a spiritually traumatic time in which the spiritual roots of many people were shaken free of Christianity.
........................................
“Shaken free” as if in Christianity there is bondage. Quite the opposite. More accurate would be along the lines of a spiritually traumatic time in which the spiritual roots of many people were dragged from the protection of Christianity only to be exposed to the ravages, bondage and death path of sin.
All true, yet the ones ‘shaken free’ imagined themselves in chains. They still do, and that is why we see them ‘throwing off the chains’ of traditional marriage, the two created sexes, absolute truth in favor of relativism, and so on.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.