That is quite a statement! The quotation refers directly to ex-Plymouth Brother Aleister Crowley. Much has been written about this man, who was brought up in a strict Plymouth Brethren home full of rules and enforced piety. It is a psychologist’s dream – the study of what could turn a member of a Plymouth Brethren home into one of the most influential Paganists of the 20th century.
Most professional opinion seems centered upon a simple rebellion against a restrictive childhood. It is a topic that strikes home with any person who was born into the Exclusive (Plymouth) Brethren and who decided one day that they were not sheep, not to be forced into submission and gradually begin to summon the courage and energy to break free …
A June 2008 article in a Texas, USA newspaper sums up a very strange life:
Aleister Crowley lived a life of rebellion
Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) was perhaps the most controversial personality to figure in the new era of modern day witchcraft. Born in England, the son of Emily and Edward, he was brought up in an atmosphere of strict religious piety. His parents were devout Christians and staunch members of the Plymouth Brethren sect. His whole life seems to have been a revolt against his parents and everything they stood for. (Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia)
He was educated at Trinity College at Cambridge where he first became interested in the occult. In 1899, Crowley is reported to have become a member of a coven, but was dismissed after a time due to his contemptuous attitude toward women, his personal ego and his sexual perversion.
Crowley travelled much, especially in the East studying Eastern Occult systems including Buddhism and the ‘I Ching.’ As he delved deeper into the occult, he became infamous as a Black magician and Satanist. He openly identified himself with the number 666, the biblical number for the antichrist.
Toward the end of his life, a friend introduced Crowley to Gerald B. Gardner. A certain Leo Ruickbie has said that Crowley played a crucial role in helping Gardner establish a new pagan religion called Wicca. Wiccan initiation rituals are lifted directly from Crowley’s “Gnostic Mass” written for the Ordo Templi Orientis in 1913.
The sordid details of his life are far too lurid to repeat here, but suffice it to say that the British press dubbed him the “Wickedest Man in the World.”
His philosophy of life was: “Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.”
Crowley died penniless and a drug addict. Unrepentant and unbowed, he left this world with a final snub at the society that he had rejected. He left instructions that he was to be cremated and instead of the usual religious service, his “Hymn to Pan” and other extracts from his writing were to be proclaimed from the pulpit.
Wilbur M. Smith once said, “Men who are going to be disciples of these lords of naturalism must expect never to come into the experience of joy for which their very hearts were created.” Crowley undoubtedly had times of pleasure in his sinful way, but real joy surely eluded him.
For much more on this influential Satanist, type in Aleister Crowley in Google or some other search engine. It is said that Crowley’s ideas had a part in the throwing off of moral restraints in the 1960’s as many musicians and popular personalities, including the Beatles, picked up on his ideas.
How to account for such aberrant behavior? Unfortunately, there are some who rebel against the Christian religion for any number of reasons. Then there just seems to be a group of people who want to be different and spout some esoteric ideas in order to impress people. Then, there are unstable, disordered and unthinking people who are taken in by these weird ideas.
Raymond F. Smith is a deacon at Fellowship Bible Church in Victoria and President of Strong Families of Victoria.
Victoria Advocate, July 11th, 2008
Web Source - http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/features/faith/story/278075.html
The ability to rebel against a restrictive regime is something many ex-Exclusive Brethren recognize as the energy that enabled their escape from what the prime minister of Australia recently described as “An extremist sect and cult”. The Exclusive Brethren began it’s man-made journey into becoming a bona fide cult in the late 1840′s when early Plymouth Brother John Nelson Darby led the first major division in the Plymouth Brethren. The Darbyites, or Closed Brethren effectively closed access to holy communion by excluding anyone who was not completely in accord with their beliefs.
A religion beset by rules was the result of building walls against the rest of society. The rules were increasingly designed to keep members of the Exclusive Brethren under control. The above article state several reasons why people would rebel against such an environment and also states misleadingly “there are unstable, disordered and unthinking people who are taken in by these weird ideas”. What the writer does not seem to consider is the conditioning and brain-washing that results from being brought up in an exclusive cult, educated in cult-run schools and denied all access to the outside ‘wicked’ world.
Aleister Crowley is certainly viewed by many as a particularly reprehensible character and accounts of his private and public life do nothing to dispel this reputation. The fact that Crowley seemed to revel in his notoriety adds credibility to the theory that his was a life of rebellion. It might stretch generosity to its limit, but Aleister Crowley may also be viewed as a victim.
There may not be many stories like that of Crowley, but there are sadly many more who have been forced to rebel against restrictive regimes like that of the Exclusive Brethren. The modern-day EB add threats of permanent family shunning, loss of employment, refusal to give references, loss of pension rights, loss of all known acquaintances and friends to that of an upbringing that condemns all ‘opposers’ to their system as evil and bound for hell. With an education that is restrictive as their religious beliefs, a rebel often enters the wider community with little or no knowledge of how to interact with members of society. An Exclusive Brethren school is forced to use non-EB teachers due to their ban on further and university education. As a result, the curriculum is carefully monitored by members of the cult and ‘classroom assistants’ monitor each tutor and their classroom efforts.
Small wonder then that some refugees take their own lives, or are socially damaged beyond easy repair. It is not surprising that many reject all association with Christian belief and teachings.
Perhaps it is more surprising that there have not been more ‘Aleister Crowley’s.
Further reading:
(Warning – these links delve deeply into Crowley’s beliefs and teachings. They may not be to everyone’s taste.)
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley
Biography Project - http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/aleister_crowley.html
Crowley materials – http://www.aleistercrowley.com/
Photo Archive – http://altreligion.about.com/library/graphics/bl_crowley.htm
To have a universal fiefdom as claimed by Taylor-Hales Brethren cult members with a head in Australia is a sin against the Holy Spirit who moves millions of true believers world-wide owning Christ’s Headship. 1 Cor 12v18-21.
The individual is answerable only to Christ -1 Cor 11v28 is your charter Brethren people-believe it and depart from the evil of legalism now and the Lord arise and bless you Psalm 68v1.Jesus Christ has set you free in FREEDOM.
Far above all, far above all
God has anointed CHRIST far above all,
Low at His feet we’ll adoringly fall,
God has exalted Christ far above all.
Lord open the eyes of the Exclusive Brethren and let tham glorify your high and holy name.
Captain J.S. Colman.
*shaking his head*
In the article it stated that “Crowley travelled much, especially in the East studying Eastern Occult systems including Buddhism and the ‘I Ching.’”
That is such an incredibly ludicrous statement as to be self-evident but let me break it down…
First, Buddhism is FAR from being an “occult system”, it is a religious belief held by millions, that is far older than even Christianity. The I-ching ototh, I can see where Christians might get all bent out of shape over this. It was originally a tool of divination (which is “satanic” according to some of my Christian friends) but it is also the root of two other Eastern philosophies, Taoism and Confucianism.
This is an unfair representation in my eyes.
/agrees with DeltaZeta. WHAT Crowley learned/studied from his eastern treks is also one of the major reasons why we have Yoga here in the states today. Aside from the obvious fact that Buddhism is far from an “occult system”, court testimonies in the mid 30′s have Crowley renouncing his use ‘black magick’ AND is evidence to HIS confessions of God. His own testimony coupled with law suits AGAINST the slander of his reputation show he obviously cared about something there…
Second, the only one who proclaimed his ties to Satanism were the media (and we know how right they always are, right?). Regardless of his own perceptions, rebellions, and interpretations, the indication that “Unfortunately, there are some who rebel against the Christian religion for any number of reasons. Then there just seems to be a group of people who want to be different and spout some esoteric ideas in order to impress people. Then, there are unstable, disordered and unthinking peo” goes beyond even classic stereotyping, but flatly declares that the only people who would (believe in any such thing other than conformist christian philosophies and practices) must be rebelling, attention-mongers, or crazy? How offensive to the majority of the population of the world…
“Occult” is not a bad word. It simply refers to the unseen; in spirituality, it particularly refers to systems of knowledge that have been suppressed by mainstream religions over the centuries. That of course does make them “bad”. It simply makes them hidden.
Crowley was a genius, but with a complex personality that was not everyone’s cup of tea. The notion that he was a “satanist” however is utterly ludicrous. He rejected Christianity wholesale, and therefore also satanism, which exists only within the Christian worldview.
His book on Yoga is masterful, as was his grasp of Taoism and the entire western esoteric tradition (Qabalah, alchemy, Enochian magic, tarot, astrology, etc.).
All I *will* say is this: His presence inspired rifts, whether he meant to or not. Those rifts created controversy. Controversy initially divides people. People choose to stay divided, or to unite. Their reasons are their own. Whether those reasons be greed, lust, and sloth, or faith, hope and charity, it is up to the individual to choose his path. I *Think* that Crowley might have understood this. Whether this makes him a saint or a sinner is not contended by this one. We might all be considered sinners by some, and not by others. His life, for better or worse, has been an interesting signpost in human history. Perhaps not quite that of Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, or Buddha, but, his life certainly may cause an honest individual to examine one’s own. Peace.
I hope people can learn to open their eyes. To not take everything so literally. To stop taking life so seriously. Look at your beliefs and acknowledge the obvious possibility that they were constructed by people long ago in order to oppress. If you can not see that then at least try and die happy. I love you.