Saturday, March 31, 2012

Golden Dawn Witch Hunt Revealed: Fundamentalism



by David Griffin

For nearly two decades now, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega, and other traditionalist Golden Dawn orders heve been harrassed, misrepresented, and defamed across the internet on a variety of fora, websites, and blogs belonging to Golden Dawn reconstructionists. The really nasty attacks came on "anonymous" websites and blogs. The Alpha Omega was also attacked in the courtroom in an failed attempt to prevent us from even calling our order Golden Dawn. Due to the hard work and skill of our Praemonstrator and attorney, GH Frater DeDI, we managed to prevent anyone from gaining absolute control over the Golden Dawn trademark.

It should come as no surprise then that over the years, I have earned a special place of hatred in the hearts of those who want to destroy the Alpha Omega and to control the Golden Dawn. Never since Aleister Crowley has any esoteric leader been so attacked and maligned as I have over the past two decades I have served as Archon Basileus of the Alpha Omega and Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

The HOGD and the AO are by no means the only traditionalist Golden Dawn orders to have  been subjected to legal harrassment and internet defamation. Dr. Robert Word, Chief Adept of the August Order of the Mystic Rose, was legally harrassed as well - and nearly bankrupted in the process of defending himself and the AOMR.

At the recent Conclave of the Adepti, hosted by the AO near Las Vegas, Nevada, our College of the Adepts told me they are fed up with the constant harrassment of our order, our members, and our leaders. They are particularly unhappy with my having to waste so much time defending the reputation of our order, which could be better spent translating additional magical transmissions for our College. 

To free up my time, numerous Adepts stepped forward, offering to assist in defending the reputation of our order and its members. You may have already noticed in recent weeks the vigilent presence of AO Adepts across the Internet. I commend them for the find job they are doing in defending the Rose of our order from further defamation.

I was not suprised that our Adepts were fed up. After all, what more could the AO do? Our order had worked tirelessly to promote harmony in the Golden Dawn community for years. We had tried to reason with our attackers using logic. I had tried to reason with them using humor. We had even invited them to share the mysteries of the higher grades of the Golden Dawn at our International Conclave of the Adepti.

It had become clear there was no way that hate filled individuals would end their Witch Hunt against the AO, no matter what we did. Therefore, the Adepti suggested we step up our reputation defense, and we make crystal clear to the world what is really going on.

For AO Adepts, Nick Farrell's latest book, which in its introduction slanders our order by implication, was the last straw. Farrell had been spreading malicious rumors about our order on the internet for nearly two decades. He had published our rituals. He had slandered our founder Mathers and our present leaders. He had deeply offended our members. And now, said the Adepti, Farrell had crossed a line that demanded a firm response from our College.

Our order therefore drew a line for Farrell in the sand. Amazon.com was the ideal venue for our College to show its resolve, as Amazon is the primary place Farrell sells his book attacking the Alpha Omega.

One would think that, once Nick Farrell became aware of how he had offended his Golden Dawn brothers and sisters of the AO, he would have apologized to them. Instead, Farrell once again unleashed the full fury of his Witch Hunt. Our order and its leaders were attacked by anonymous trolls with vile slanderon Farrell's personal blog and on hate filled blogs of his friends.

Farrell, as he has done for decades, tried to blame his agression once again on our order. He denied the offensive passage in the book even referred to our order, yet turned around and spread the the same vile rumors on his personal blog!  As a diversionary tactic, he even accused me of "forging" the introduction to his book!

Farrell and his hate blog allies, next claimed that I, as AO Imperator, am merely inventing  the entire 20+ years of attacks on the members of our order. He claimed I do this to brainwash AO members to unite our order against an imaginary outside enemy. That 20+ years of legal and internet attacks are thoroughly, historically documented did not hinder Farrell in his Witch Hunt in the least.

I next published Episode 3, "The Dark Secret Revealed" of The Golden Dawn Saga to make clear to the greater esoteric community what Nick Farrell's real agenda is and has been all along. I showed how the arguments in Farrell's book he uses to attack the Alpha Omega, our Secret Chiefs, and our founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers, are the identical arguments used for decades by Fundamentalist Christians to attack the Golden Dawn. As proof, I directed readers to "Uncommon Sense Ministries," an anti-Golden Dawn and anti-Pagan web site operated by Fundamentalist Christians out to destroy the Golden Dawn.


Instead of any rational reply, Farrell and his allies began behaving like third graders in a food fight, unleashing a tsunami of hate-filled slander against our order and its leaders on the Internet. Farrell mocked the parallel between his attacks on the Alpha Omega and Fundamentalist Christian attacks on the Golden Dawn, claiming "I am not even Chrisitan."

Farrell had completely missed the point. I was never implying Nick Farrell is a Fundamentalist Christian. I am saying, however, that the dark specter of Fundamentalism has reared its ugly head in the Golden Dawn community - and that Farrell and others like him are, in reality, Golden Dawn Fundamentalists ... 

I am also saying that Golden Dawn Fundamentalists are using the tactics of Fundamentalist Christians to attack their Golden Dawn brothers and sisters in the Alpha Omega!

Fundamentalist Golden Dawn Creed

"You AO freaks are delusional!
Your lineage is a lie!
There are no Secret Chiefs!
Your Imperator, like Mathers your Founder ...
... is a madman and a liar!
Repent, you AO witches - Or rot and burn in fire!"

Let us examine, therefore, the dangers of Fundamentalism for the Golden Dawn Community. Any kind of fundamentalism, be it Biblical, atheistic or Islamic, is dangerous. The new fundamentalism of our age leads to the language of expulsion and exclusivity, of extremism and polarisation, precisely as we are experiencing today in the Golden Dawn community.

The Witch Hunt that Golden Dawn Fundamentalists have waged against the AO and other traditionalist Golden Dawn orders for 20+ years now, has all of the hallmarks of same sort of fanaticism that typifies Christian Fundamentalism.

Take, for example, accusations of delusion leveled by Nick Farrell and Golden Dawn Fundamentalists against S.L. MacGregor Mathers and modern leaders of traditionalist Golden Dawn orders. This is stongly reminiscent of extremist accusations leveled by Christian Fundamentalists against Joseph Smith and leaders of the Morman sub-culture within Christianity.

The way Golden Dawn Fundamentalists unreflectively dismiss all evidence that does not support their ideological agenda, perfectly typifies extremist Fundamentalism as well. Take for example, the doctrine of the Secret Chiefs as the actual, physical source of origin of the Golden Dawn. Golden Dawn Fundamentalists dismiss the Secret Chiefs as fantasy and any Golden Dawn group that embraces the Secret Chiefs as a source of origin are derided as "delusional." 

Or take the Rosicrucian origins and spiritual lineage of the Golden Dawn. Golden Dawn Fundamentalists claim the Golden Dawn was founded on a hoax. Or take he magical talent and syncretic genius of S.L. MacGregor Mathers - Fundamenalists attack both Mathers and modern leaders of traditionalist Golden Dawn orders as "crazy."

Golden Dawn Fundamentalists, as basic tenets of their doctrine, hold that:

1.The Golden Dawn was founded on a hoax
2. S.L. MacGregor Mathers was not magically talented at all,
3. the Secret Chiefs are but delusions,
4. There is no lineage
5. The Golden Dawn died when the Whare Ra temple closed its doors.

They also hold, however, that despite all of this "the Golden Dawn system works when properly reconstructed."

In his book, The New Inquisition, Robert Anton Wilson (recognized episkopos, pope, and saint of the parody religion Discordianism), lampoons the members of skeptical organizations like the Golden Dawn Fundamentalist faction, as fundamentalist materialists, alleging that they dogmatically dismiss any evidence that conflicts with their materialism as hallucination or fraud. We see this clearly in the agression of Golden Dawn Fundamentalists towards anyone who does not ascribe to their materialistic dismissal of the Secret Chiefs, the founding of the order, etc.

All these themes mirror precisely arguments we find Fundamentalist Christians using in their attacks on the Golden Dawn on the "Uncommon Sense Ministries" website. All of these Fundamentalist Christian attack themes we find mirrored and elaborated in Nick Farrell's books, blogs, and internet postings, but attacking the Alpha Omega and other traditionalist Golden Dawn orders.

Fundamentalist groups generally refuse to participate in events with any group that does not share its essential doctrines. The Golden Dawn witnessed this after the recent Conclave of the Adepti, to which Adepts from the entire Golden Dawn community were invited. Golden Dawn Fundamentalists chose not to come, so they could continue to dismiss evidence running contrary to their Fundamentalist materialist ideology.

We have witnessed over and over in the Golden Dawn community for over two decades how Golden Dawn Fundamentalists selectively ignore all presented evidence, all rational dialogue, and respond only with personal attacks and with propaganda "talking points" instead.

Finally, Fundamentalism is not merely the demand for a strict adherence to specific ideological doctrines. Fundamentalism is usually combined with a vigorous attack on any percieved outside threats to their ideological sub-culture. Clearly, Golden Dawn Fundamentalists see traditionalist Golden Dawn orders as a threat to their ideological agenda. This explains the Golden Dawn Fundamentalists' 20 year long Witch Hunt.

Like their Christian counterparts, Golden Dawn Fundamentalists refuse to participate in events with any group that does not share their essential doctrines. They refuse to view the members of the Alpha Omega as their Golden Dawn brothers and sisters or even to treat them with any modicum of fraternal dignity or respect. 

Instead, Golden Dawn Fundamentalists offend our members, offer no apology, dismiss our Secret Chiefs, pretend our Higher Mysteries do not exist, call us liers and delusional, paranoid - and even manipulative , when we as an order finally stand up to their bullying - and declare ...

Enough is enough!

The true motives of Golden Dawn Fundamentalists are now plain for all to see. Now that their game is exposed, the time has come for the GD Fundies to end their Witch Hunt once and for all.

SO SAY WE ALL!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Today Nick Farrell wrote on his blog: 
"I started out at aged ten falling into a born again cult which lasted for nearly seven years." 
Mr. Farrell then claims he has since left Christianity. This, however, in no way negates that Mr. Farrell's 20 year Witch Hunt against the AO bears all of the hallmarks of Fundamentalist intolerance and fanaticism.

Mr. Farrell still does not seem to get it. One must not be Christian to ascribe to a Fundamentalist mind set. Islamic Fundamentalists, for example, are just as dangerous as Christian Fundamentalists. 

It is alarming that a uniquely Golden Dawn Fundamentalism appears to have developed in our community unnoticed, bearing all the hallmarks of fanatical Fundamentalism:
1. demand for a strict adherence to specific ideological doctrines, combined with 
2. a vigorous attack on any percieved outside threats to their ideological sub-culture,  
3. refusal to participate in events with any group that does not share its essential doctrines, and 
4. dogmatic dismissal of evidence that conflicts with their materialism as hallucination or fraud. 
Mr. Farrell's 20 Witch Hunt against the members of the AO certainly embodies all of the hallmarks of aFundamentalist mind set - especially in its fanatical intolerance of ideological diversity in the Golden Dawn community.

18 comments:

  1. I am sorry--I still like Elvis better than you.

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  2. Fundamentalists do vibrate slowly but they appear to be an essential part of hosting and transmitting essoteric knowledge for they know not what they do. When myth is translated literally, many things "ought" to be different. It is what it is.

    It is quite an order to expect 7 billion people to see the "Father" the same way when even siblings see their dad differently and most of the time that is with the use of the four senses.

    Thank you. Bless you. I am grateful for the time and effort you devote.

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  3. I am not a member of GD but I am interested in joining thw AO. I sense that the gap between GD fundamentalists and traditionalists widens in such a rate that any kind of communication is not only futile, but counterproductive. As stated, it's not appropriate for a GD Imperator to spend all his time and energy on cyber bitch fights. I suggest that a manifesto with the tenets and positions of AO should be created. Anyone interested should put up with it, or shut up for ever.

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  4. I do not believe that the Golden Dawn Fundamentalists will ever end their Witch War on the AO as long as they see any advantage in it.

    Our goal is to make it actually disadvantageous for them by exposing their actual game to the public and their members over and over.

    This strategy proved deadly effective against the attacks on our order by Robert Zink. Once the EOGD membership fully understood what was happenning, they voted with their feet and left Zink alone with a sinking EOGD ship.

    Unless they end their hate filled Witch Hunt against the members of the AO, the same thing will ultimately happen to the other GD Fundamentalists who continue to attack the AO until today. The rank and file Golden Dawn community has grown quite weary of this nonsense and no longer buy into the "blame games" that the Fundies use to perpetuate their aggression.

    You are quite correct that my time is better spent on other duties. I am therefore deeply grateful to the Adepts of the AO, who are taking more and more of the burden of the internet reputation defense of our order, so that my time is freed up for more important duties.

    This does not mean that reputation defense is no longer important. It has been for 20+ years and remains so even today. We will not allow a distorted image of reality be created in the public mind by the Fundamentalist masters of illusion.

    Wherever the Golden Dawn Fundamentalists spew their poison on the Internet, our Adepts will be waiting for them. Let there be no doubt about it. Ultimately, the truth shall prevail, and the light shall triumph over the darkness of Fundamentalist misrepresentation, misdirection, and personal attack.

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  5. @Morgan,

    I've have followed your blog for some time now, and I don't like you either; you're a cry-baby that called me and my fellow Order Members "fools" in your blog, when you said that we are "the poor fools".

    Who the hell are you to call me a "Fool"? I'm a member of this Order and you don't know me to make such claims. I demand from you an apology, otherwise, I will have to put your name on a blog, and you will not like what you will read, I can promise that.

    Frater VL.

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  6. Care Frater VL,

    I feel your outrage, brother. All of the good brothers and sisters of our order are fed up with the constant aggression and poisonous hatred being spewed out across the Internet by the Golden Dawn Fundamentalists in their Witch Hunt against the members of our order.

    As a Pagan, I too am shocked and disappointed to discover also Morgan, a fellow Pagan, behaving like a fanatical Fundamentalist towards his Golden Dawn brothers and sisters in the AO.

    Still, Frater, I ask you once again as I have asked all of the Fratres and Sorores of our order, to set a shining example for the rest of the Golden Dawn community, by not stooping to the level of the Fundamentalists.

    I ask that you not strike back, even though you have clearly been wronged over and over for 20+ years now.

    The best strategy is to continue to show restraint and just let the Fundies spew their hatred across the net.

    They are unmasked and now the whole world sees them for what they truly are.

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  7. Thank you, David, for setting an example of such restraint. The Golden Dawn community needs more leaders like you

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  8. Understood, I'll keep on doing my work instead. Thanks for reminding me the importance of hold our breaths.

    Thanks.

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  9. Care Frater VL,

    I am not trying to silence you. You are doing fine work on your blog. I am merely asking you, as frustrating as it is to watch the Fundamentalists go on attacking our order over and over, not to descend to their level.

    Our Adepts are doing a fine job of defending our order, despite the Tsunami of hatred the Fundamentalists have been pouring over all of us on the net since the Conclave ended.

    The reason why they have been so successful is because no one from our order is stooping to the level of the Fundies and flaming them back.

    They are just waiting for anyone from our order to show the slightest aggression, so that they can pour forth again the full force of their hatred and blame everything on us like they have been doing for 20 years.

    This time that game is not working for them thanks to the discipline and restraint being shown by all of our Fratres and Sorores.

    This time the Fundies are being seen for the hate mongering bullies they truly are!

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  10. Morgan Eckstein wrote:

    To Griffin and company:
    You are not getting an apology.
    I have expressed my honest opinions, and been told that I am utterly wrong by you.
    I feel that you think that my Golden Dawn and AO related experiences (not your trademarked AO, but they did call themselves AO) are invalid and unimportant. That alarms me.
    I feel insulted by your anti-scholar, anti-historian, anti-writer, anti-book reviewer stance.
    I feel like I have been called a witch burning Christian.
    And yes, I whine and complain a lot; my Jewish ancestors live on in me.
    The only opinion you seem to believe is valid is yours. I disagree. Therefore, you will not be getting an apology from me.
    I am sorry, but I think we have to be enemies.
    Morgan Drake Eckstein

    Morgan,
    I hear yuo feeling like you are being unjustly treated. This is exactly how the members of the AO felt also when you called our order the vilest names possible and called our members fools. I have known you to be a just and fair man until now with a wonderful sense of humor.
    I still see you as a Golden Dawn brother and a respected author.
    But I do not at all respect your behavior when you behave in an offensive manner towards the AO and its members. We are all brothers and sisters. There is no need to lash out with hatred and derision. There has been far too much of that in our community already.

    I do not at all think you are a Witch burning Christian. I do honestly believe that you were actiing like a Fundamentalist when you offended the members of our order with vile slander on your blog.
    And now you feel offended as well.
    I have no doubt that you as a brother Adept have the empathy to understand how your brothers and sisters in our order felt when you did what you did.
    I do not concemn you personally, Morgan. How can I. You are my Golden Dawn brother. I only condemn your offensive behavior in a specific instance that clearly offensive.
    Fundamentalism has caused far too much division and hurt in our community. The time has come for each of us to root it out within ourselves and to see a brother where we thought we saw an enemy.

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  11. @ Morgan

    The sad thing is the article you wrote that offended so many people could have been easily written without so many emotion laden words. This would have gotten your point much better.

    You are right about another thing too. You were not heard. But then again, it is hard to hear even your brother when he is screaming at you with expletives.

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  12. I will be sure to put my use of the "vilest" language into my resignation letter.

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  13. You win---I am no longer a member of Golden Dawn.

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  14. @ Morgan

    Will you now be changing the name of your blog to something like "Gleamings from the Christmas Kitties"?

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  15. I haven't decided yet. I have already removed the "Golden" part.

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  16. David, my interest in GD doesn't end just because you managed to label my actions in a way that calls for my resignation. Furthermore, there is a chance that the lodge I belong to will decide that an offense against you is not a crime against them.

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  17. @ Morgan. Hi Morgan, i think one of the problems (from my readings of various posts - rightly or wrongly) is that there seems to be a general attack on the HOGD/AO Order by various. Though admittedly much of it does seem foolish. The issue however becomes that members of the HOGD/AO and its associates (such as myself) feel victimised and placed in an awkward position in defending our Order. So GH Fr L.e.S takes up the sword so to speak, and quite rightly defends his Order, whether such is rational or not. I should state that G.H Fr L.e.S have had some major disagreements especially over the Secret Chiefs in the past, but this does not negate G.H Fr L.e.S role and duty in defending his Order; and nor should any issues various other adepts have with G.H Fr L.e.s be used as an excuse to attack our Order. Because the HOGD/AO is not just G.H Fr L.e.S but also its members and associates. Cheers.

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