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Page Three (To go to Page One Click here)
During the Hellenistic age there was much religious diversity a lot like today. The dominant religious groups, however, were “the Hellenistic cults, Judaism and Christianity, the older Greek and Roman deities, and the civic and state religions. In addition [there was also a] belief in astrology and magic.” (Kyle) The journey of attaining immortality through Alchemy (the transmutation of elements into gold, the search for a panacea and a philosopher’s stone) also flourished during this time and would be the basis of modern chemistry. But during the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church dominated and in order to address issues of uniformity the Apostles’ creed and the Nicene Creed were established to set the framework for what orthodox Christianity would be. As a result, Gnosticism, the deities of the Hellenistic age, astrology and magic were deemed heretical as they did not fit this model (Wikipedia). However, simple sorcery and a belief in diabolical witchcraft did exist during the witch-craze, with sorcery existing until today (Kyle). The Renaissance-Reformation period pre-empted the modern age and spawned many new religious movements that would influence new thinking in the coming eras. Protestantism broke off from Catholicism after the Reformation in 1517 and Rosicrucianism developed with the myth that their founder had traveled to the Far East, had learned magical occult secrets, and could commune with elementary spirits (Kyle). Rosicrucianism in turn combined with the secretive guild of Masons to spawn Freemasonry. This is important to note in examining influences leading up to the resurgence of witchcraft in the 20th century because it was this kind of new religious thought that would influence Emmanuel Swedenborg and lead us into the Romantic period. Various approaches to religion would develop; swedenborgianism, spiritualism, transcendentalism, theosophy, up to the counter culture of the 60’s (Kyle).
Alternative Religion Continued...
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