I believe where the misconception comes in could be the controversial teachings in some heretical and gnostic scriptures telling us that the God of
this world is actually "Satan"/Lucifer/(Yaltabaoth) known by many names to many people, but essentially referring to the same concept/idea.
Although a misunderstanding of the texts, because it never says that he is "GOD" the end all and be all, .. it's much more complicated than
that.
My belief though is that many secret brotherhoods and underground sects took this to mean that they've been worshiping the wrong person, or perhaps
these sects and brotherhoods prefer a jealous god opposed to the god that Jesus Christ spoke of in the gnostic scriptures.
So instead of having faith in the Logos, the word, of Jesus Christ, they worship the creator of this place, which is "Satan"/Lucifer/(Yaltabaoth)
known by many names to many people, but essentially referring to the same concept/idea.
So the heretical teachings and occult literature were deemed satanic because it spoke of a different creator god and a different story that was
strange and hard to grasp.
Although as I said calling them satanic is a misunderstanding of the scripts because yes, Jesus spoke of and taught his disciples about
Yaltabaoth(Satan) and the sleep which was cast upon us he also taught of the true Father.
What I am saying here is Heretical EVEN today!
because people would rather have faith in an ideology, a person, instead of the Logos, the word and message of that person.
With the many branches of occultism the gnostic have been attacked unwaveringly, their books destroyed and their leaders murdered, all of Christs
apostles were considered heretics and many of the first followers were put to death as such.
The greatest deception ever would be to suppress these ideas and manipulate it into something entirely different.
If that message is true that we can only know the true Father of the All through Christ who brought us the message of the ignorant father(Yaltabaoth)
of this world and the true Father of the All and then that message gets mixed up, we would still be living in ignorance worshiping the ignorant one
eyed father although it appears some of us choose to do this willingly even knowing the All.
(28) Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh. I found all of them intoxicated; I found none of them
thirsty. And my soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the
world, and empty too they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent."
So that being, I am also, of the belief that occultism is not satanism.
[edit on 1/16/2009 by PuRe EnErGy]