Other and Unclassified Religions

“A Commune is a kind of intentional community where most resources are shared and there is little or no personal property….communes…are often referred to as egalitarian communities. These include: Eastern Religious Communes, Christian Communes, Psychological Communes (based on mystical or gestalt principles), Rehabilitational Communes, Cooperative Communes, Alternative-Family Communes, Countercultural Communes (‘hippies’), and Political Communes.”

(Wikipedia,”Commune: Intentional Community,” 12/27/05)

“The Rosicrucian teachings strive to create a liveable philosophy incorporating various aspects of science and mysticism and seek to free society of the enslaving power of superstitions… The Rosicrucian path provides the means to awaken one’s innate potential for higher knowledge, which lays dormant without enlightenment. Natural laws are learned and applied which allow one to experience an aware union with Divine or Cosmic Consciousness… Rosicrucian teachings are centered on the ‘mastery of life,”…the belief that man’s success is through his ability to use his mental imaging power to bring forth concrete reality.”

(Religious Movements Page, University of Virginia, “The Rosicrucian Order,” https://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu, 12/27/05)

[Editor’s Note: The San Jose, CA-based Rosicrucian order named AMORC (Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis) states on its website (accessed Oct. 29, 2012) that Rosicrucianism is not regarded by its adherents as a religion: “Becoming a Rosicrucian student does not in any way require you to leave your church, join a church, or change your religious beliefs… Some Rosicrucian members do not subscribe to any specific religious beliefs at all. For students who do, we encourage them to participate in the religion of their choice.”]

“There are many definitions of the Occult; no general consensus exists. Some groups divide the Occult into three branches: 1) Divination: Various harmless methods of foretelling the future; 2) Religious and Spiritual Pursuits: These are normally a group of unrelated minority religions; 3) Magick: This is a list that includes ceremonial magick and many other schools of practice involving rituals and spells. They are used to change the environment, in order to reach the magician’s goals.”

(Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, “The Occult,” www.religioustolerance.org, 12/27/05)

“Theosophy teaches that our world and all others go through numerous rounds of evolution from the primordial to the material to the spiritual, and that in these grand evolutionary cycles all humanity experiences numerous incarnations from less-advanced to more-advanced states of being. According to Theosophists, teachings about the evolutionary history of the cosmos are preserved in partial form in many world religions, carefully guarded by the Masters or Mahatmas, advanced beings who have evolved past the point of dependence on the physical world. Theosophists call this understanding of the world ‘the Ancient Wisdom.’ Theosophy, then, is the study of Ancient Wisdom. Through Theosophy, one finds answers to life’s deepest, most significant questions…A common motto among Theosophists reflects this: ‘There is no religion higher than the truth.'”

(Religious Movements Page, University of Virginia, “Theosophy,” https://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu, 12/27/05)

“After spells as an evangelical Christian and a member of the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society, Alice Bailey founded the Arcane School in 1923… According to Alice Bailey, almost all of her books were dictated to her by the Tibetan, Djwhal Khul…These are textbooks on occult science, astrology, white magic, meditation and general occultism. It has been said that A.A.B.’s books are more inspirational than informational as the works themselves are occult artifacts which have a definite effect upon those who read them.”

(Wikipedia, “Alice Bailey,” 12/27/05)

“The name ‘I AM’ refers to the name that God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14. The basis of the ‘I AM’ belief rests on the idea that every person has a connection to an ‘omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent’ God who controls all. The energy of God, and other divine beings, such as the Ascended Masters, takes the form of light…Each person has a higher self that is connected, by light, to God…Jesus, one of the Ascended Masters, was responsible for releasing the ‘Christ Light,’ which is the ‘Mighty I AM Presence.’ This made the Light available to all who wished to move out of darkness and into the Divine Light of Love…Because God, is present in everyone’s higher being through the ‘Mighty I AM Presence,’ it is simply a matter of tapping into one’s higher self in order to use the power. An ‘I AM’ student, in conjunction with the teachings of the Ascended Masters, can use the Presence to eliminate evil and bring justice to the world….The ultimate goal is to purify oneself, with the guidance of the Ascended Masters and the aid of the Violet Flame [a light generated by the ‘I AM Presence’], so as to leave the human body and become an Ascended Master.”

(Religious Movements Page, University of Virginia, “I AM Religious Activity,” https://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu, 12/27/05)

“Vodun, like Christianity, is a religion of many traditions. Each group follows a different spiritual path and worships a slightly different pantheon of spirits, called Loa. The word means ‘mystery’ in the Yoruba language. Yoruba traditional belief included a chief God Olorun, who is remote and unknowable. He authorized a lesser God Obatala to create the earth and all life forms. A battle between the two Gods led to Obatala’s temporary banishment…There are a number of points of similarity between Roman Catholicism and Vodun…Followers of Vodun believe that each person has a soul which is composed of two parts: a gros bon ange or ‘big guardian angel’, and a ti bon ange or ‘little guardian angel’. The latter leaves the body during sleep and when the person is possessed by a Loa during a ritual. There is a concern that the ti bon ange can be damaged or captured by evil sorcery while it is free of the body.”

(Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, “Vodun,” www.religioustolerance.org, 12/27/05)

“Any individual or group that worships Satan or a precursor/analogue of Satan, either in a literal or figurative form. Satanists in [the Atheistic] tradition believe in, and worship, no deity at all. Instead they honor the spirit of Satan, or at least some equivalent of Satan (such as the ancient Egyptian god Set)…Atheistic Satanists worship the ideals of Satan and present him as an idol whose traits are to be emulated. Satan is often also worshipped simply as a symbol of resistance to dominant Christian ethos. A good example of a group based on these principles is the Church of Satan…Theistic Satanism…involves the belief that Satan or some equivalent does exist, and this satanic deity is the main focus of worship. The Temple of Set…is a church that leans more toward this philosophy.”

(Religious Movements Page, University of Virginia, “Satanism,” https://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu, 12/27/05)