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[Troubleshooter]

Originally Posted by Brianna

Spiritual, not religious? That brand?

I'm not spiritual in that I don't mystify the unknown or unexplained. Things occur in life that are not explainable without a leap of faith, so to speak. I refuse to accept an explanation that isn't an explanation but is a salve to heal the discomfort of ignorance. To me, that is what religion, and to most extents sprirituality, is. It is an attempt to tell people that it's ok that the lightning struck your house and burned it to the ground. It's just saying that the Thunder God(tm) was unhappy about something instead of saying "How the fuck should I know?"

And as to my brand of athiesm, I mean it in the literal sense. Non-theism. How can I have a religion if I don't recognize a spiritual existance. Now, as to my opinion about a spiritual component to life; I have yet to see a legitimate, verifiable, reproduceable, etc. instance of one.

But I'm also cognizant of my own ignorance, as well as that of others, so I am, with proper evidence, quite willing to concede the possibilities of the paranormal.

And for clarity's sake, supernatural is a null word in my opinion. Either something exists, or it does not. If it does, it is natural. If it does not, then it is Not. Paranormal is only a referrence to what has been shown to be extant and what has not. Once it is proven, it ceases to be paranormal.

Originally Posted by Brianna

Whatever works (does that make me a pragmatist? I'm not). You can't just mean that a cult is simply the odd-man out at the latest party. A cult distorts doctrines of other faiths, especially pertaining to salvation (however that is defined) making salvation virtually unattainable. You get nowhere in a cult. Even Christians are more palatable than that! At least they tell you that jesus loves you just as you are!

Christians are more palatable now. To the pantheistic Romans they were exactly what you describe a cult to be. See the Egyptian model as well.

Originally Posted by Brianna

But, seriously, I don't agree that all religions started as cults. Depends on the defintion of cult. And Wicca wasn't specific to the Celts and Picts only. Not everyone painted themselves blue and ran around with their hair on fire. Go back and trace the roots of Wicca and you find that road leads so far into pre-history that you can't know it's origins.

To me, defining cult is based on its etymology. Notice the prevailing usage, hiding. See the OED*.

It doesn't matter which time frame you examine, it's a basic theme to be hidden at first, to protect yourself and your fellow adherents until you grow large enough to impact your social-political environment. Then you either insinuate yourself so thoroughly that you are impossible to eradicate or you possess enough strength of arms to to resist or destroy the other guy.

*[< classical Latin occultus secret, hidden from the understanding, hidden, concealed, past participle of occulere to cover up, hide, conceal < ob- OB- + the stem of which a lengthened form is seen in c{emac}l{amac}re to hide (see CELE v.), cognate with Old Irish celim (Irish ceil), Welsh celu to hide, conceal (12th-13th cent.), Old High German helan to hide, conceal (see HELE v.1). Cf. Anglo-Norman and Middle French, French occulte secret (first half of the 12th cent. in Anglo-Norman; also in Anglo-Norman as oculte (first half of the 12th cent.)), Italian occulto (1308), Spanish oculto (1438), Catalan ocult (1481), Portuguese oculto (16th cent.). With use as noun cf. classical Latin occulta secrets, use as noun of neuter plural of occultus (see above), and French occulte secret thing (1821). Cf. slightly earlier OCCULT v.
With occult philosophy (see quot. 1651 at sense 1b) cf. post-classical Latin occulta philosophia, title of a work by H. C. Agrippa (1531), and French philosophie occulte (1603 or earlier). With occult sciences (see quots. 1711, 1903 at sense 1b) cf. French sciences occultes (1690).
With occult qualities (see sense 2c) cf. French qualités occultes (1677). With occult line (see sense 3b) cf. French ligne occulte (1690).]

A. adj. I. General uses.

1. a. Not disclosed or divulged, secret; kept secret; communicated only to the initiated. Now rare.

b. Of or relating to magic, alchemy, astrology, theosophy, or other practical arts held to involve agencies of a secret or mysterious nature; of the nature of such an art; dealing with or versed in such matters; magical.

2. a. Not apprehended, or not apprehensible, by the mind; beyond ordinary understanding or knowledge; abstruse, mysterious; inexplicable.

{dag}b. Of a thing or phenomenon: not affecting, or detectable by, the senses; imperceptible. Obs.

c. Science (now hist.). Of a property or matter: not manifest to direct observation; discoverable only by experiment; unexplained; latent. Also: {dag}dealing with such qualities, experimental (obs.).

3. a. Hidden from sight; concealed (by something interposed); not exposed to view.

{dag}b. Of a line, etc.: drawn as an aid in the construction of a figure, but intended to be erased or covered; (also) dotted. Obs.

c. Med. Of a disease: hidden, concealed, difficult to detect; unaccompanied by readily discernible signs or symptoms; spec. designating a primary neoplasm that is initially detected only indirectly, esp. by its metastases. Formerly (also): {dag}inexplicable, obscure (obs.).

II. Special uses.

4. occult bleeding Med. [after German Okkulte(magen)blutung (I. Boas 1901, in Deutsch. Med. Wochenschr. 16 May 315/2) < okkult occult + Magen stomach (see MAW n.1) + Blutung bleeding], haemorrhage, esp. in the gastrointestinal tract, that results in occult blood. occult blood Med., blood, esp. in faeces or stomach contents, that is present in an amount too small to be visible, and that is detectable only by chemical or other laboratory tests.

B. n.

{dag}1. A hidden or secret thing. Obs. rare.

2. With the. The realm of the unknown; the supernatural world or its influences, manifestations, etc.; (collectively) magic, alchemy, astrology, and other practical arts of a secret or mysterious nature (see OCCULT a. 1b). Cf. OCCULTISM n.

C. v.
1. trans. a. To hide, conceal; to cut off from view by interposing something. Also fig.

b. Astron. Of a celestial object: to conceal (an apparently smaller object) from view by passing or being in front. Cf. OCCULTATION n. 2b, ECLIPSE v. 2.

2. intr. Of a lighthouse light: to be cut off from view as part of its cycle of light and dark.