A small rant about Christianity and Paganism

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

This will be very brief, just venting some annoyance here.

My mother is very disparaging to Christians, which annoys me, because even if you think their beliefs are stupid...be polite. But it annoys me more because of her worship habits. She goes out once a week with her 'women's group' and they do pagan things and sing songs and dance around trees and the like.

One day I decided to find out what the heck she was doing so I asked her. The response: "pagan worships." Next question: which Gods? "Umm"

Protip to all you neopagans:

DANCING AROUND A TREE AND LIGHTING CANDLES DOES NOT MAKE YOU A 'PAGAN.'

THE PAGAN GODS AREN'T ANY LESS RIDICULOUS THAN THE CHRISTIAN GOD.

Thank you.

[removeduser_426582376423734]

Peope just want to be different. Too bad these differences make them the same.

[Juno]

Decapitate her.

[Zenith Darksea]

I've often wondered about what gods modern day pagans worship (if any). I've been to Waterstones and had a flick through one or two books on paganism out of interest, but everything's very vague. They contain spells for success in business and advice on how to be a witch, as well as advice on organic foods and when to celebrate the soltices and so on, but as of yet I've not actually seen a reference to any actual religion.

If pagans literally believe in gods, then which ones? Ancient Celtic gods, Norse ones like Odin and Freya, the Greco-Roman pantheon, Ahura Mazda, or what? Or do they have new pagan gods for the modern day? One question I'd ask is that, since most pagan gods are traditionally quite easy to offend, why hasn't the goddess Hera come and blitzed the world for not believing in her for 1500 years? I'm not trying to be silly, I really would like to know the answer.

[Dayman]

One question I'd ask is that, since most pagan gods are traditionally quite easy to offend, why hasn't the goddess Hera come and blitzed the world for not believing in her for 1500 years? I'm not trying to be silly, I really would like to know the answer.

One can ask the same of your god, and your are touching the point that the Fuzz made - your God, is just as silly as the pagan gods. Why hasn't the Lord smote anyone recently? Or raised any dead?

[Bovril]

One question I'd ask is that, since most pagan gods are traditionally quite easy to offend, why hasn't the goddess Hera come and blitzed the world for not believing in her for 1500 years? I'm not trying to be silly, I really would like to know the answer.

How do you know she hasn't. Lots of floods and earthquakes and so on happen all the time. How do you know global warming isn't a direct result of her divine wrath.

Of course all this smiting stuff is a bit silly, but hey, since you seem to buy into it when it comes to one mythos, you might as well countenance it when it comes to others.

[Sleeper]

How do you know she hasn't. Lots of floods and earthquakes and so on happen all the time. How do you know global warming isn't a direct result of her divine wrath.

Because the processes of the Earth are something we have sufficient understanding of and knowledge concerning. It could still be her behind it all, or playing a part. Maybe the Gods hide inside us.

[Ummon]

Maybe the Gods hide inside us.

So Hillman would say.

Though I prefer emotionally charged complexes still.

[merlinuscdxx]

What I see as the main difference between the Abrahamic and Paganistic religious forms are the polaristic/dualistic ideas(A) vs a more "cyclical" look at things (P). I myself prefer a more "cyclical/relativistic" view of the Divine than the Absolutist trash that some religions try to force upon people. If that makes me a "Pagan", thats cool.

[Sleeper]

Hecuba
Think on it as it is an argument. Or don't.

[Bovril]

There are lots of different types of modern pagan. Some try to reconstruct historical pre-christian religions. Some worship a modern earth-mother who is loosly conected to one trope form ancient religion. Others are so vague about what what they believe its impossible to say.

[removeduser_426582376423734]

I don't know where I'd start, Sleeper.

[Sleeper]

I don't know where I'd start, Sleeper.

Euripides play with a little was she a myth or a person mixed in.

[removeduser_426582376423734]

Arguably everyone in the Greek myths was a myth.

[Sleeper]

Arguably everyone in the Greek myths was a myth.

Not necessarily so though liberties are probably taken with their biographies. Whether or not she was a myth is not important. Whether myth is reality or reality is myth combined with the OP and the themes of Euripides. Where do real people fit in.

[Juno]

Wicca is a joke.

[Zenith Darksea]

One can ask the same of your god, and your are touching the point that the Fuzz made - your God, is just as silly as the pagan gods. Why hasn't the Lord smote anyone recently? Or raised any dead?

Well, no, one can't really ask that question if one has actually taken the trouble to read the New Testament. And I never called pagan gods 'silly'.

[Dayman]

Well, no, one can't really ask that question if one has actually taken the trouble to read the New Testament. And I never called pagan gods 'silly'.

I know you didn't. I was just making a point.

[Sleeper]

While must people refer to wonderful works of fiction to explain anything concerning but especially the necessity of God. It makes it harder on the rest of us trying to separate the wheat from the chaff for those in doubt.


?????

[removeduser_426582376423734]

The problem with pagan gods is that they are fallible, and very, VERY anthropomorphised. The existence of monotheistic gods is acceptable because of divine mystery.