What do atheists think about the occult?

[Anonymous]

[LuciusTheOdd]

As an atheist, I do not believe in the occult, And while I can support it as a hobby, Much like somebody might get into Warhammer 40 K or growing plants, If it goes beyond simply being a hobby, and you genuinely think that stuff is real, Then I will just silently agree that you’re not a good source for information.

[Asker]

That interesting to hear.. I just wonder is accepted like a hobby but going beyond that make it uncredential.. obviously I'm scared of what beyond that... but you don't have the thought... that the fact that is a hobby that mean is a part of something bigger and the idea of that something bigger can't be denied.. because growing plants make you botanist expert let's say that.. and well that person can have a bigger Impact.. not just planting roses in their garden.. like say change the bad climate in a lake or land.. obviously I'm not expert... but like they now do something more significant.. with a impact... but yeah I know is not the best example comparation because the botanist actions are physical and impact too turn to be.. but that.. occult stuffs I don't know even their nature... but like the income and outcome like so uncertain and yeah.. also hard to prove... but like even if it's hard to prove doesn't mean doesn't happen?(I hope you got my mess)

[LuciusTheOdd]

I get what you’re saying, but the occult is not real.

I’m going to use what I call the unicorn method.

You see it is significantly easier to prove something DOES exist rather than it DOESN’T, but there is one method that is pretty reliable.

I don’t think you believe that unicorns are real.

Now, hypothetically speaking just because we have never seen a unicorn doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I mean, people thought it was impossible to fly, but now we have airplanes.

But, there have been unicorn sightings, and every unicorn sighting has been disproven, and any evidence of them being real turned out to just be narwhal teeth, so when something is repeatedly proven to be a hoax, that significantly reduces the credibility of it being real, but that leads us on to the next thing, is there any verifiable method for it to potentially be true? If yes, then it may be true, but it’s highly unlikely.

If something is repeatedly confirmed to be a hoax, but then something eventually happens to prove it to be real, at least in one instance then it turns into highly rare phenomenon and an odd coincidence good to look into for the sake of science and reason.

The occult claims have been widely disproving very consistently, and the few times where they have gotten things right we found out what actually caused them which always ends up being something like science, luck or you’re everyday wildlife doing the weird stuff that it does every day.

Meaning the reason we know that it is not real is because it has had many opportunities to prove to be real and failed every single time because better and more consistent explanations have been found nearly all of them easily verifiable.

No, you might be referring to something like psychological effects, which yes, do happen, but that’s not occult, it’s something else.

A placebo is a perfect example of this, you can give somebody a sugar pill, and they will suddenly start to feel better.

[LuciusTheOdd]

If a placebo works, it usually falls down to the issue having been imagined in their head or, all they needed was some kind of psychological factor to boost their immune response, people’s mentality has a really weird effect on the immune response so sometimes what people need isn’t medication what they need is just something to believe in for a little bit, and at that point a placebo is just that nice little trigger of hope that gets your immune response to actually start doing its job again.

In the case of the occult, it often is either staged, accidentally used science of some sort or was a matter of psychology.

In other words, it is verifiably fake every single time it has happened.

[Asker]

That's really well explicited and like cut off a lot of stuff.. thank you by the way.. but when reading it I had that thought that the focus was too zoom in... what I want to say is... hmm maybe I controargu myself... but like what if the unicorn exist.. like what's wrong it it... well firstly came oh it's a magical world... but this came just now because first thought of mind was... whatever unicorn... occult.. maybe I made up now but like by Christianity Christians is saw like... hmm the evil stuffs... like the dark side.. and tbh maybe we became already biased by just saying occult it's feels creepy feeling.. but maybe just personal... so like as I said the Christians see it... well firstly maybe just propaganda to hate other cultures just because they different and justify their superiority and colonization why needed to happen... but in same time... like this duality of life.. black and white.. and yeah I know it's a biased.. but like about that main phrase like bottle between good and evil... hmm wtf is that evil then... from where that sh. t... like why this occult stuffs so feel similar or like a stuff scared off... again perhaps I even dig up but just make my superficial opinions... Just I don't know.. this all confusion and uncertainty made to not understand anymore the known things

[BCRanger10]

I asked a similar question a while ago. Some think they're just as delusional as us Catholics, others just laugh it off and take the "whatever floats your boat" mentality.

[Asker]

You know the christianity is also problematic that's why I can't believe no parts till I don't dig enough... because why I said it's problematic... and hopefully you will take the right way... is the more you going to the church or read bibles or different religious books.. the more you spiral in the idea of demons.. and becoming to be everything human demon.. and like your mind starting to think in that way.. or to have the permanent fear... it's just this dillemas make me step back... and tbh I'm tired of this dillemas and I don't know what anymore to believe

[slatyb]

I rarely think about it. Just like religion, there's no evidence to support any of it. ESP isn't a real thing, and neither is any occult prognostication.

[DryGermanGuy]

That they do - whatever they do - hidden. Like the „Order of the Silver Serpent“.

[AngryCarl3]

Stories of the occult can be entertaining, but everything has a rational explanation. Even when we don't know what it is.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Depends who you ask