Theres much to learn from the "World of Horrors"...
Quite correct, I think we agree that learning opportunities do not have to bear the stamp "Setian" in order to be useful.
One who is recognised to II degree (Adept) by a III degree is not unlike any other educational program. You must be acknowledged by your Professor, in college, to advance..., this professor must be acknowledge by his fellow senior faculty to advance in his field.
It is unlike any other educational program. You see, I have been at a university (and have even managed to finish my studies successfully, JFTR), so I do notice several important differences.
- No university will refute dialogue and discussion with other universities. Quite the other way round, they will both compete and work together. They will evaluate what the others have worked out (peer review) - both for refuting unfounded claims and for extracting useful ideas.
- Everything is open to everybody. Even outsiders can read what a professor publishes. In fact, the more people read what he writes, the happier he is because this means a good name, and a good name means money for more research.
- Every professor can prove what exactly he did for obtaining that degree. A study, a master thesis, a doctor thesis for example. And everybody can check it out.
Now compare this to the TOS:
- It refutes dialogues with other "schools" because it thinks it is oh-so-overwhelming. Naturally, this will foster group think. That is the very reason why there is peer review in science.
- Nothing is open. The ordinary II may not even read the by-laws of their own "school" because they are in the Onyx Table which is open only to the III+.
- The claim is that the degrees are conferred "by Set". And who will judge it? Obviously, the priesthood. So there is nothing comparable to a doctor thesis. It is at the whim of some IV whether a II will get the black medallion or not. Naturally, the "Set gave the degree" stuff is a cloak for completely arbitrary decisions which thus cannot be questioned.
So the comparison with a school is completely out of place. It is not a school, it is a church. Nothing wrong with that since it is not "University of Set", but "Temple of Set". But it is a religious organisation like there are hundreds around. With the same old boring priestly manipulation tactics as any other church, order, sect or whatever. Read Nietzsche's Antichrist and compare his elaborations on the ancient Hebrew priesthood to the TOS' priesthood. Nothing new in that.
This does not mean that there is nothing to learn. There is some worthy stuff nearly everywhere. I mean, even the Catholic church is quite interesting regarding their proficiency in LBM (and they have remarkable parallels to the TOS' structure). And there was one and another (or so) articles in the RT which I found somewhat useful, yes. So, of course one can learn using this "toolbox", as you describe it, under the condition of being clear about what terms this will be on.
Neither does it mean that there cannot be intelligent people in a church. Actually, if you put the e.g. current pope in any average Satanic forum, I would bet my money on him.
But that does not make the TOS a school. In fact, the TOS lacks nearly every necessary precondition as to qualify as school. It is a church, after all.. and we all do know the differences between churches and universities, don't we? (-:
... and I've never even stepped foot in a temple!
