When we discuss the occult, we are discussing something which is beyond our human abilities to fully comprehend, for the same reasons that it's impossible for our human abilities to comprehend God. We can rationalise, talk about, assume, but what we are talking about, is something beyond ourselves and our ability to understand.
To understand it properly, and what we are all trying to say is impossible if we don't look at a theology of demonology. (just a big word, meaning a biblical understanding of demons) We also need to know who we are and our part in this power play that is going on in the invisible world.
When we talk of the cross of Christ, we often forget, that dying for the sins of mankind, was only half the story of what happened on the cross. As wonderful a miracle as that was.. it also produced the one thing that Satan had for centuries been attempting to stop happening.. his own destruction!! Thown out of heaven for trying to be like the Most High God, Hell was created not for humans, but for the devil and his angels. He knew that the death of Christ and subsequent resurrection would bring about His own destruction and His entire focus was to prevent that happening...and destroy both the Messiah and also the people God had created to be in relationship to Him.
This is one huge area of Theology and I'm going to attempt to explain it here. I will miss things out, but please others, add your posts to fill in what I miss out, but please, in this thread, no personal thoughts.. only a discussion based on what the Bible clearly says. Feel free to open up a new thread if you want to discuss these things, but please let's keep this thread totally based on Biblical fact and not personal thinking.
In this thread, we will look at the origins of man and the origins of Satan, and the activities of Satan to thwart the activities of God in relation to Satan and to man. This is the basis of the Gospel. This is where all the questions of "why does a God who is meant to be loving, send man to eternal punishment in hell."
This will take a few days, but please bear with me and with others who choose to add to this thread with things to help us all understand what we are truly getting into when we talk about the occult.
Again, if you want to discuss anything.. introduce a new topic and we can discuss in that topic. I'll ask the moderators to move any personal discussion answers to the other topic, so this one will provide an easy reference for those who want to know what the Bible is really saying about the Occult world.