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Is Thelema a Religion?

Octavia156

Octavia156

OTO/EGC
"There are several questions that seem to go round and round Thelemic discussions for decades without resolution, and almost all are incapable of being resolved because many people discussing them frequently don’t even understand the actual nature of the question to begin with. A classic example is the question “Is Thelema a religion?” I have visited this topic very briefly in my essay On Thelemic Orthodoxy, but since some readers have asked for a more thorough treatment of the subject, here it is........"

http://oto-ie.org/articles-2/is-thelema-a-religion-and-other-red-herrings/

A fantastic article by the esteemed Br Rodney Orpheus on the subject of "Is Thelema a Religion?"
A must read for anyone considering the subject:

"To sum up:
  1. A religion then, is a more or less coherent and consistent set of beliefs
  2. A religion means an enthusiastic putting-together of a series of doctrines
  3. Our system is a religion (because it has this stuff)"

Its important to note that many MANY people do not agree with Brother Rodney and are adament that Thelema is so distinct that is it not a religion its a philosophy, in a similar way people might argue that Buddhism is a philosophy rather than a religion...
 
Last edited:
Orbit

Orbit

I'm a planet
Octavia156 said:
"There are several questions that seem to go round and round Thelemic discussions for decades without resolution, and almost all are incapable of being resolved because many people discussing them frequently don’t even understand the actual nature of the question to begin with. A classic example is the question “Is Thelema a religion?” I have visited this topic very briefly in my essay On Thelemic Orthodoxy, but since some readers have asked for a more thorough treatment of the subject, here it is........"

http://oto-ie.org/articles-2/is-thelema-a-religion-and-other-red-herrings/

A fantastic article by the esteemed Br Rodney Orpheus on the subject of "Is Thelema a Religion?"
A must read for anyone considering the subject:

"To sum up:
  1. A religion then, is a more or less coherent and consistent set of beliefs
  2. A religion means an enthusiastic putting-together of a series of doctrines
  3. Our system is a religion (because it has this stuff)"
Click to expand...
Thelema was a place. The word gets associated with the person who used the place for ritual, Aleister Crowley.
 
Covellite

Covellite

Active Member
Crowley claimed to have received "The Book of the Law" from an entity named Aiwass, which was to serve as the foundation of the religious and philosophical system he called Thelema. So, it's a religion.
 
Covellite

Covellite

Active Member
I am really not sure what Orbit wanted to say.
"Serious Thelemites" have problems with Crowley's texts: first, he wrote so many things and some times he used to change his mind. Also, he didn't hesitate to write and speak from different layers of magical consciousness. It's easier with texts, but much harder with what he told to others. In that way, Thelema is very individual religion. So, my guess it could be a place to perform his rituals, a place to pray (to him), could be Cairo (Liber AL), Chefalu (Abbey of Thelema) or Boleskine (Ritual House) in some aspects. Unfortunately, I guess the most valuable information one could get only from himself.
 
Octavia156

Octavia156

OTO/EGC
Surprisingly though there aren't as many bones of contention amongst us as one might imagine...

If you read enough Crowley, even the seemingly contradictory aspects make sense when put into the right context...
 
Frater Sisyphus

Frater Sisyphus

Contradiction, irrationality and disorder
A great quote:

"There IS religion in Thelema for those that require it. There is also freedom FROM religion in Thelema, for those that require it."


Aka there are both theistic and atheistic paths in Thelema - depending on the individual.

In a practical sense, it's the case of how the rituals, invocations, exercises and so on (aside from philosophy) are routed in psychological phenomenon (from a scientific point of view)......aka; they work.

The goal of Thelema, like any good spiritual practice/system; is enlightenment (of the self) and the realization of purpose (Will).


The motto of the Equinox books, speak for itself: "method of science - aim of religion"



_________
Detour:

In a sense, this is an approach shared to varying degrees by the wider hermetic tradition (that Thelema is routed in), Theosophy and the universal world-views)

Along with this, Thelemites are advised to read a lot of sacred texts from many religions. Liber Al Vel Legis is our central sacred text and a personal journey in a Thelemites life, yet so is, e.g. The Tao Te Ching, Book Of Revelations, Corpus Hermeticum, Bhagavad Gita, (for me) and so on.



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