About Thelema? Umm yes, we do. I guarantee you that each of us has no less than $500 in books or access to them at the very least. We study. We study a lot.missmars wrote: that's why i personally feel that having all of you thelema experts on here is almost counterproductive. i mean you guys know more than wikipedia, more than the websites out there, and let's not forget more than those who 'research for 10 min online and think they know more than you', and certainly i'm sure you know more than the creators themselves.
Thelema isn't a religion where you're told what to believe. You have to research. You have to be a stickler for details. You have to pull up obscure references. It's not something you're going to know a lot about even in a year.
So, do we know more about Thelema than the creators? Absolutely and obviously. I spent two years with the Hare Krishnas...which have nothing to do with the occult. I was going to their temple 2-3 times a week. After even a year, did I understand them? No. After 2 years I had a reasonable understanding.
So no...you're not going to know as much as us about Thelema. When we disagree about points, you're not going to know the background behind the points, etc. But, that is why we're here. We all came to offer help in understanding us....in understanding our religion. We disagree on some things...based upon our backgrounds and the way we see certain things...but we agree on a lot more.
Could you use this as a learning experience? Yes. You've got several thelemites in here with varied insights. Do you have to? No. But, we feel the need to defend our religion...and one way of doing that is making ourselves and some of what we know available to you. We're attempting to demystify things and allow you to put faces on what otherwise might be a faceless religion.