/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

>>563849

*6. Occult, I've been rather interested in Freemasonry and the mysteries in general.

What do Christians think about people like, let's say; Manly P. Hall?

>>563849

>1. Difference in churches; does it matter?

Not really, no.

>2. I really enjoy reading the things Jesus said, agree with most of them, could anyone eleborate on Jesus outside of the things writen in the Bible?

Thomas Aquinas seems to be rather popular.

>3. Any other books I should read in general?

Many. I'm sure someone has the books image.

>4. Family; I would like to become a better man.

>How do you reject temptation?

Same way you do everything else. You put your mind to it.

>5. Racism; I understand that this is a rather overused term, but after lurking /pol/ for 1~ year it has become ingrained in my psyche that I hate every minority I see, and I want to get rid of it.

/pol/ is poison, like porn. It desensitizes you and makes you stray. Stay away from it.

>>563851

>6. Occult

Just stay away from that altogether.

>>563849

I will try to answer the questions I can to the best of my ability, and I hope that God will lead you to Him.

1) At first do not worry about this, just get into Christianity in general, and begin to practice it, later you will see things that align with the Truth (or not) in Churches. You should though eventually concern yourself with correct doctrine. This board can help direct you to the finer details of it when you get there, but do not overwhelm yourself in the beginning, and here's a tip: focus on living Christian, there is a lot more to this faith than theological debates on-line.

2) St. Thomas Aquinas as said by another Christanon, and I'd recommend reading secular sources you can find about the historical evidence for Christ.

3) "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis for sure as a starter, then the books in the images posted above.

4) Pray it away, and focus on the superior pleasure and satisfaction of Christ, resist it when it first comes upon you, and be ever vigilant for it.

5) Pray so that you'll love your neighbor like God loves you (and you should love God this way too), and you love yourself.

6) This board doesn't allow for this, so I'll refrain from comment.

Glory to God brother, and I hope you find your way in Him.

>>563849

>1. Difference in churches; does it matter?

A little, but not as much as some people will lead you to believe. Pretty much all Protestants agree that salvation is by faith alone, and church doesn’t really matter that much. Catholics and Orthodox say salvation comes from Christ’s Church, so they have a heavy emphasis on both trying not to schism and not doing a lot of ecumenicalism. Basically, you should have a broad idea of the different sects and you’ll be fine. All of us agree though: avoid the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians/Unitarian Universalists, Messianic Judaism, and the Unification Church (Moonies). Since you’re probably in the anglosphere, this probably won’t matter too much, but just in case: also avoid the Iglesia ni Cristo.

>2. I really enjoy reading the things Jesus said, agree with most of them, could anyone eleborate on Jesus outside of the things writen in the Bible?

You say you’ve read the gospels, now read the epistles. They contain extra stuff Jesús said and they’re more reliable because they are scripture

>3. Any other books I should read in general?

Mere Christianity is a common starter. Here are the two main reading charts we spread

>>563855

>4. Family; I would like to become a better man.

How do you reject temptation?

That’s not my forte, I struggle really bad too. The best advice I can give is to pray in the morning “lead me not into temptation” and in the evening pray either “thank you for keeping this day without sin” or “I apologize for sinning, please forgive me”

>5. Racism; I understand that this is a rather overused term, but after lurking /pol/ for 1~ year it has become ingrained in my psyche that I hate every minority I see, and I want to get rid of it.

Just get out their and talk to them. I was pretty racist as a NEET who browsed twitter all day. Now I’m not as racist as a regular guy in college

>6. Occult, I've been rather interested in Freemasonry and the mysteries in general.

I think it’s a load of bunk, but I don’t know exactly what you believe. The only advice I can give you for now is this: focus on the exoteric things you can see in Christianity, before you engage in the esoteric. As Steven L. Anderson put it, “Why do people who haven’t even read real scripture go around looking for “lost” Bible books like the Gospel of Thomas? Why don’t you read the real Bible 30 times? Then we’ll talk”

>What do Christians think about people like, let's say; Manly P. Hall?

I’ve seen his tome in secret teachings of all ages. I flipped through it and it just looked like neo-gnosticism, and it seemed nutty. I do hope to read it someday tho

>>563849

>old testament was boring as fuck tho

Please be more respectful of our holy scriptures.

>1. Difference in churches; does it matter?

Protestants say no.

Catholics and Orthodox say yes.

Either way, avoid cults that can pass off as Christian (such as Jehova's Witnesses, Mormons, and Oneness Pentecostals).

>2. I really enjoy reading the things Jesus said, agree with most of them, could anyone eleborate on Jesus outside of the things writen in the Bible?

Every book of the Bible is about Jesus, so, read the full Bible, for one.

The Church Fathers have written a lot of exegesis on the scriptures, and so necessarily on Jesus. See http://www.ccel.org/fathers.html

>3. Any other books I should read in general?

I wouldn't suggest something before you've read the complete Bible. Until then, go to church to see how our faith is carried out and expressed.

>4. Family; I would like to become a better man. How do you reject temptation?

Prayer.

>5. Racism; I understand that this is a rather overused term, but after lurking /pol/ for 1~ year it has become ingrained in my psyche that I hate every minority I see, and I want to get rid of it.

Read the fullness of the New Testament at least.

I mean, you're asking a lot of questions, but I think that actually reading the whole Bible, and at the very least the whole New Testament, would somewhat answer all of them.

>>563851

Freemasonry is condemned in Orthodoxy, that's what I know.

>1. Difference in churches; does it matter?

Focus on learning the basics of Christian faith universal to all types of Christianity, and growing a faith in Christ, figure out your church later.

The 3 main branches of Christianity are Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Orthodoxy and Catholicism are ancient churches that used to be united until around the year 1054 (the split built up for a while and didn't completely happen at once, so an exact date can be difficult to pin but 1054 is generally the accepted date) and have an emphasis on tradition as opposed to just the bible. Also, Jehovas witnesses, Mormons, and other groups that deny the Trinity and the Nicene creed aren't Christians even though they claim to be.

Orthodoxy is resistant to change and believes it has remained unchanged since the time of the Apostles, and has a more "mysterious" approach to theology, in that it is willing to leave some details unanswered and unexplained because God can't be completely understood by the human mind.

Catholicism maintains the ancient traditions but has a more logical and scholastic approach to theology, with a system of doctrinal development where explanations about theology become more detailed over time, which is why things like Purgatory and indulgences are in Catholic theology.

Protestantism came about in 1517 and roots it’s belief solely in what’s written in the bible in almost all protestant denominations believe in “sola scriptura” (scripture alone). It also emphasizes “sola fide” (faith alone), meaning only faith in Christ is what saves you, though Orthodox and Catholics believe this too but some details are different regarding the importance of your works.

Within Protestantism different protestant churches don't really matter that much, they generally recognize each other as valid, but have varying views on Catholicism and Orthodoxy, though hardcore ones may believe only their denomination (like some Independent Fundamentalist Baptists) will be saved.

Catholics generally view Protestants as misguided and in an imperfect union with the Church, and view Orthodox as having valid but illicit sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Etc.), though again some Catholics believe only Catholics are saved.

Orthodox usually view Catholics in a similar way that Catholics view us, and protestants are seen as just another form of Catholicism to some in Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy doesn’t say if Protestants or Catholics are saved because only God can decide that, but we believe Orthodoxy is the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ, and the rest have broken away from it.

==TL;DR== Christians generally recognize each other as fellow Christians and share the same core beliefs, don’t decide on a church while you’re starting out, it’s a big decision if you decide on Catholicism or Orthodoxy, it’s a process taking ~a year and has deep theological importance, so spend time studying and praying once your faith is established.

>2. I really enjoy reading the things Jesus said, agree with most of them, could anyone eleborate on Jesus outside of the things writen in the Bible?

Everything that's believed about Jesus is written in the bible, just might not stand out because it's not clearly defined in one spot.

What just about every Christian denomination believes about Christ are:

* Son of God

* Eternally existed before being born as a human

* Fully man and fully God

* died and was resurrected, will return to judge the living and the dead

3. Any other books I should read in general?

There’s some pics >>563855 posted

>4. Family; I would like to become a better man.

The best way to be a better man is to follow God’s commandments. As a man it’s your job to love your wife as Christ loves the Church, be the spiritual leader of your family, and to make sure your wife and children are Christian.

>How do you reject temptation?

Prayer, when I feel tempted I grab my cross and pray “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”.

>5. Racism; I understand that this is a rather overused term, but after lurking /pol/ for 1~ year it has become ingrained in my psyche that I hate every minority I see, and I want to get rid of it.

Salvation is offered to every person regardless of race, and dividing the Church based on nationality or race is a heresy called Phyletism. The Bible says “there is neither Jew nor Greek, for we are all one in Christ Jesus”. So in the Church race is irrelevant, and hatred of anyone is a serious sin.

6. Occult, I've been rather interested in Freemasonry and the mysteries in general.

What do Christians think about people like, let's say; Manly P. Hall?

It’s evil, stay away from it, it’s forbidden by the Bible and the Church, and it places your faith in something other than God.

>>563891

>with a system of doctrinal development where explanations about theology become more detailed over time, which is why things like Purgatory and indulgences are in Catholic theology.

This may sound misleading to a person unaccquainted with Catholic doctrine - we believe in a Deposit of Faith, the whole public revelation, that was fixed in the Apostolic Age. We can at best deduce previously unknown truths from what we already have.

>>563896

Right. If I had to reduce the cause of every schism, I would say they are the following:

- Catholic - Nestorian schims: Are Jesus the eternal Word and Jesus the temporal man distinct person united in the one Jesus (Nestorian) or merely two natures in one person (Catholic)?

- Catholic - Monophysite: Is it incorrect to say that Jesus has two natures after the Incarnation (Monophysite) or is it correct (Catholic)?

- Latin Catholic - Greek Catholic: Is the Pope being the head of the Church instituted by God from the beginning (Latin Catholic, ie "Catholic"), or is it a place of honor instituted by man? (Greek Catholic, ie "Orthodox")

- Latin Catholic - Anglican: Same as for the Greek Catholic schism, but a different ecclesiological and theological outcome due to a different theological tradition and influence from the Protestants below.

- Latin Catholic - Protestant: Is all of our salvation based on what God alone wills (monergism, the view espoused by the Reformers) or do we cooperate to God's offer of grace with our own free will (synergism, the view espoused by the Catholics)? There are many more issues (the authority of Scripture in relation to tradition, the validity of infant baptism, the veneration of saints, the form of spiritual gifts…) but the basis of the Reformation itself was about monergism vs synergism.

>>563883

/pol/ strengthened my faith tbh. Seeing chesscucks worship the flawed man Trump made me realize even more the futility of having faith in any man.

>>563849

1. Church matters for the church is literally the body of Christ and there is no way to get to heaven than through the body of Christ. Christ founded only one holy catholic and apostolic church on Peter. You must work out from the church history what that church is hint: it's the Roman Catholic Church. All other "churches" (except schismatic apostolic communions like eastern churches) are fake and made by man not Christ.

2. I recommend reading the church fathers as they will elaborate on Jesus and the church and point you to what the orthodox catholic church is.

3. Ancient classic Greek philosophers who found Christ through logic before he became flesh. Don't read fiction or modern works for they are drivel.

4. Stop masturbating, looking at porn, watching TV, uselessly browsing the internet but engage yourself in ancient scholarship and productivity. Force of will and trust in God and asking him to remove temptation is important.

5. You have to love everyone to hold the faith. Hate the sin not the sinner.

6. Don't. You will be possessed by a demon. There's a reason Freemasons are auto excommunicated by the catholic church.

>>563872

>Same way you do everything else. You put your mind to it.

Problem is, I am successful at almost anything without having to put my mind to it, and discipline is something my parents have never taugth me.

Teaching yourself to deny your own ego, while following it is what you've been doing your entire life is beyond difficult, lol.

>>563855

Thank you.

>>563859

>Pray it away, and focus on the superior pleasure and satisfaction of Christ

I've tried praying multiple times, but when you're surrounded by athiests, and you yourself have been brought up on said belief, you start to feel like a hypocrite while praying.

>Pray so that you'll love your neighbor like God loves you (and you should love God this way too), and you love yourself.

For some weird reason, this does seem to work, but only when I turn my mind completely off and focus on the love feeling towards the Creator/God.

>Glory to God brother, and I hope you find your way in Him.

Thank you.

>>563859

>faith alone

I've read about this before, but without any actually knowledge again the protestant belief it sounds rather shallow, could anyone elaborate why you/they feel this way?

>All of us agree though: avoid the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians/Unitarian Universalists, Messianic Judaism, and the Unification Church (Moonies). Since you’re probably in the anglosphere, this probably won’t matter too much, but just in case: also avoid the Iglesia ni Cristo.

What about the Rosicrucians?

>That’s not my forte, I struggle really bad too.

I see. Anyway, I'll try what you suggested.

>Just get out their and talk to them. I was pretty racist as a NEET who browsed twitter all day. Now I’m not as racist as a regular guy in college

I'm good to all people IRL. It's mostly the ones of the internet and television that piss me off.

>but I do not know exactly what you believe

Since posters before me told me occult is a no-go on this board, I'll leave it at this;

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

>I do hope to read it someday

Teachings of all ages reads like a summary of most of the religions that were present in the world up unto this day, it's not that interesting, imo.

>>563881

>Please be more respectful of our holy scriptures.

Ye, now that I read it again it was rather rude. Mb bud.

>Either way, avoid cults that can pass off as Christian

I've been interested in the Rosicrucians, could you tell me what you think about them?

>Every book of the Bible is about Jesus, so, read the full Bible, for one.

Alright, will do.

>I mean, you're asking a lot of questions, but I think that actually reading the whole Bible, and at the very least the whole New Testament, would somewhat answer all of them.

I understand, but studying a new religion is rather undoable for me if I'm unable to talk with other people about it.

>>563891

>Focus on learning the basics of Christian faith universal to all types of Christianity, and growing a faith in Christ, figure out your church later.

Ye, that's what I've been getting from almost every poster.

Thanks for the info on the churches btw, was an interesting read.

>The best way to be a better man is to follow God’s commandments.

I believe you mean the 10?

If my parents are athiest, and often break said commandments, what do I do?

Are the 613 commandments just for the Jews?

>Prayer, when I feel tempted I grab my cross and pray “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”.

As I pointed out before, I simply feel like a weak hypocrite when praying,

>So in the Church race is irrelevant, and hatred of anyone is a serious sin.

I understand, but how to you get rid of impulsive hate?

>It’s evil, stay away from it, it’s forbidden by the Bible and the Church, and it places your faith in something other than God.

I see, even when it's Christian Mysticism?

>>563893

>Stay out of bed except when necessary.

>Often be outside home.

>When the temptation kicks in, doing something intensely and sharply unpleasant (e.g. intentionally watching a jumpscare, making a very uncomfortable stretch) helps too.

Interesting, esp the last.

I'll be sure to apply them.

>Don't do anything occultistic, it's extremely dangerous for your soul and gravely sinful.

When do you classify something as occultistic?

>Ancient classic Greek philosophers who found Christ through logic before he became flesh.

Ye, it's what I've been doing and classified under occult, since Plato's teachings and stoicism can't, at least according to me, be seen as Christian lit.

>6. Don't. You will be possessed by a demon. There's a reason Freemasons are auto excommunicated by the catholic church.

Ouch, a decent amount of my family members belong to the masons, so that'll be rather difficult.

angels dont have tits

>>564108

>8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

>9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

>Ephesians 8-9, KJV

I believe this is the best biblical justification for faith alone doctrine. Jesus teaches us there is none on Earth without sin, even the most pious among us, and there never will be because we live in a fallen world and constantly succumb to Satan's tricks. God's gift of salvation is therefore deserved by no one, your works on Earth will not get you into Heaven, only belief in Jesus Christ as your savior and forgiver of sins can do that. If you're interested I'd suggest reading up on the doctrines of sola scriptura and sola fide, as are both very important to Protestant theology.

>>564108

Rosicrucianism is occultic garbage, stay away from it. It was one of the primary influences behind Freemasonry, which is condemned flatly as incompatible with Christianity by many major Christian denominations. The Catholic and Orthodox churches will deny you sacraments if you're a known Freemason

Honestly all the comments discouraging OP to read Hall etc. rub me the wrong way. This is why Christianity is viewed as anti-intellectual and anti-scientific! I read The Secret Teachings of All Ages (among other "occult" works), and it contains nothing but a (surprisingly fair) overview of the different traditions, theologies, and philosophies of old. Does it contain claims that go against Christianity? Of course, but a man who is familiar with the arguments for exoteric Christianity and pious in his faith, has nothing to fear from opposing arguments.

Although Hall's work is, admittedly, exceptionally boring at times…

Anyway, I'd argue there is a lot to gain from reading the pagan philosophers - "pagan," as many things classified as occult by most Christians cannot be seen as satanic or magical. It may also surprise a Christian reader how much of an influence pre-Christian philosophies have had on Christian theology, and how many "occult" themes found their way into the gospels. This does not make the gospels less truthful; it might as well mean that the pagan philosophers weren't as wrong about everything - and I'm inclined to think they weren't, indeed, among the first to honour the Christ were the wise Zoroastrians (magi) from the east.

What makes reading about the Qabbalistic Sephiroth, about the four layers of reality that emit from the indivisable one, different from a regular lesson in comparative theology? Why is knowledge so often considered an enemy of faith?

Lastly, even if no physical truth is to be found in the philosophies Hall etc. write about, the works contain a treasure of psychical insight, of the workings of imagination and the human mind. The case is often made that the Hermetics, alchemists, etc., really were early existentialist/psychologists.

Hall etc. and the philosophies they describe mostly explore the metaphysical; feel free to prove me wrong, but I see no harm in reading if that's where your interests lie. Just don't try to summon demons or something! And maybe don't waste too much time on anything New Age or generally post-WWII, as the character of most esoteric work in those categories is almost certainly meant to be subversive and anti-Christian.

>>563851

Stay away from the white man's talmudism

>>564126

If this is best then it is really, really weak doctrine for it is. For it is not something that teaches faith alone at all. It just classical anti-pelagian verse.

>>564261

I like this post.

But, in every Orthodox calendar there are so called "Commandments of the Church". And there's one that says "Do not read heretical books." Im not saying that every philosophy is heretical, but im not sure the Fathers would give us a thumbs up on reading those.

It's best to follow the commandment, at least for the sake of being obedient.

>1. Difference in churches; does it matter?

Yes. There's no salvation outside the Catholic Church.

>2. I really enjoy reading the things Jesus said, agree with most of them, could anyone eleborate on Jesus outside of the things writen in the Bible?

Elaborate what? Do you want a commentary of the Gospels?

>3. Any other books I should read in general?

Read the catechism of the Catholic Church.

>4. Family; I would like to become a better man.

This isn't a question.

>4.5 How do you reject temptation?

Pray to Jesus to help you on this. And most important, repent your sins.

>5. Racism; I understand that this is a rather overused term, but after lurking /pol/ for 1~ year it has become ingrained in my psyche that I hate every minority I see, and I want to get rid of it.

Wrath is sin.

>>564261

>Does it contain claims that go against Christianity? Of course

This is the problem. We're talking to someone who is new to Christianity. You may have spiritual armor against these lies. He likely does not.

>>564274

You may be right. If so OP, ignore the rest of this post (maybe give the video a try?).

But OP didn't strike me as the easily influenced type, seeing as he posted that he is "interested" in Christianity, comes from an atheist perspective… He seemed to me a logical person, or he wouldn't be here looking for answers.

That being said, a warning is in place - I'll probably need a few paragraphs to explain OP, sorry about that.

The esoteric philosophies are attempts at describing the world and the universe, and deduce from these descriptions how one is to act in the world. What you'll find when reading about those systems is that they're logically consistent internally, as they are the result of centuries of refinement by minds more brilliant than yours or mine. But the question isn't how deep you can go; the question is whether the axioms these worldviews are based on are valid.

Explanations of the world, such as the Qabbala from my previous post, are especially convincing to those of us who like their worldview to be logically consistent. But the notion that we humans can perfectly explain the world around us in these systems of thought, is a prime example of the sin of pride. Many (esoteric) philosophers manage, but not without casualties, as in mapping the universe, they tend to explain away the duality of our world and the human experience.

In fact a recurring theme is that these facts of life (our humanity!) are viewed as evil and to be overcome or destroyed - such may serve the system (as it would then fit our entire experience), but it hardly serves the world.

Christianity is logically consistent all the same, and all of us here hold its axioms to be true. Studying the occult is only a danger to a Christian, if it is possible for him to encounter a system based on something "truer" than Christianity - and I don't think there is; in fact the same process of critical examination is how I ended up here (I used to be an atheist as well).

For books, if you're going to read Lewis' Mere Christianity, I particularly enjoyed The Abolition of Man as well (embedded). I hope you'll find it accessible.

>>564318

You make good points. I was just giving a little perspective and warning.

>>564318

>But OP didn't strike me…answers.

Meh, when every family around you collapses, including your own, you start questioning the morals and values they are based upon.

Christianity is attractive because it does away with the ego and it's selfish desires.

Err.. I believe a lecture of Manly also spoke about this. He argues that with freedom people simply mean that they want the ability to do the wrong thing.

Which also makes;

>>564270

>Yes. There's no salvation outside the Catholic Church.

a problem, since what I am looking for is to life according to God's will, not salvation.

>Explanations of the world, such as the Qabbala from my previous post…human experience.

I understand.

Many philosophers also make clear that a decent amount of their knowledge is simple speculation, or half-truths.

However, as you also pointed out, things like the Qabbala are interesting to me, and I find it difficult to believe that God would not want us to continually improve ourselves.

>The Abolition of Man as well (embedded)

I'll be sure to check it out, thank you.

>>564299

Because Baptists say "there is salvation for everyone, except the Catholic Church because ???".

For the Catholics, it's a 2000 year part of dogma to acknowledge the Church as one.

For Baptists, they've inherited the Puritans hatred of Catholicism. If you really logically consider OSAS, then all Christians are actually saved.

>>564358

>a problem, since what I am looking for is to life according to God's will, not salvation.

God's will is salvation. Why would He send down His only begotten Son to die for you otherwise?

>However, as you also pointed out, things like the Qabbala are interesting to me, and I find it difficult to believe that God would not want us to continually improve ourselves

If you read the Gospel, there is everything from conduct, thought, and will to improve upon. You can also read St. Thomas Aquinas and many other Catholic doctors of the church (it's a title) and discover the mysteries of our faith, as well as the depth.

Also, you are interested in esoteric lies and half-truths, why would God condone this?

>>564299

It isn't fair. They don't care.

>>564372

If you believe in OSAS Catholics are not saved, because Catholics reject born again sola fide doctrine, they believe salvation comes from the church and the sacraments, which is not where salvation comes from according to OSAS

>>564358

>I find it difficult to believe that God would not want us to continually improve ourselves.

There's a process in Orthodoxy called Theosis, which is becoming more like God and achieving a union with Him, so God does want us to continually improve ourselves by imitating Him and partaking in his divine nature. Occultism distances you from God and damages you, it's the opposite of improving yourself.

Look into Orthodox Monasticism if you're interested in improving yourself in a mystical way.

>>564438

Scripture warns against sin for a reason anon. Then why confess sins? Or take communion? Or even keep the Lord's day holy?

>>564358

>I find it difficult to believe that God would not want us to continually improve ourselves.

Lewis' Mere Christianity covers this topic extensively actually, so definitely start there. The book is always among the first recommendations for Christian literature here and not without reason: in just a few hours it explains the relevant doctrines in a way that is convincing to unbelievers.

>>564374

>God's will is salvation. Why would He send down His only begotten Son to die for you otherwise?

I understand, but what I am trying to say is;

I want to life according to God's will, no matter if it includes salvation or not.

>Also, you are interested in esoteric lies and half-truths, why would God condone this?

Because by studying mysticism I found Christianity.

>There's a process in Orthodoxy called Theosis, which is becoming more like God and achieving a union with Him, so God does want us to continually improve ourselves by imitating Him and partaking in his divine nature.

Interesting, I completely agree with this.

I'll be sure to read up on it more.

>Occultism distances you from God and damages you, it's the opposite of improving yourself.

I might've been a little hasty in calling it occultism, since what I've read promoted the same values as Christianity.

>>564528

Thank you, your post have been great/what I've been looking for.

>>564876

>>564440

>There's a process in Orthodoxy called Theosis, which is becoming more like God and achieving a union with Him, so God does want us to continually improve ourselves by imitating Him and partaking in his divine nature.

Interesting, I completely agree with this.

I'll be sure to read up on it more.

>Occultism distances you from God and damages you, it's the opposite of improving yourself.

I might've been a little hasty in calling it occultism, since what I've read promoted the same values as Christianity.

Forgot to add, saged post.

>>564876

>Because by studying mysticism I found Christianity.

By saying this, you are really saying that by sinning, you found Christ. Go and sin no more, anon.