I screwed up too. It just took a moment for me to return from hulk form.
Awareness, I am sorry that I misread your question and assumed it was hostile.
And I apologize to EVERYONE here for similarly assuming the worst. I am embarrassed.
The truth is, several people have mentioned that this forum is mostly Christian, and I felt initially so discouraged and bummed out by that I was reading everything through that lens.
Also, I have to admit I have had the luxury of being around people of like mind for several years now. Yikes! I have to remember that fringe groups are exactly that. They aren't necessarily the norm. I have not been around a group of Christians for a while now.
Apologies to countmeworthy too because I did not read your responses very carefully, and I was feeling very protective of my friend. Because of that I missed the beautiful story you were telling me of your healing! That is an awesome story. I love stuff like that.
I *am* able to admit when I'm wrong even though I don't like doing it. :P I sometimes have to have the tantrum first. I'm sorry, Awareness. I just didn't want to lose what I thought I'd just found.
I spent so much of my life apologizing for what OTHER people do, at the expense of myself, that when I realized that's what I was doing, I began to condition myself to do the opposite. And let's face it...I assume everyone has noticed I have some slight anger issues...LOL
Okay, to briefly touch on your question, as I'm about to leave and I want to give more thought to it, I don't believe the gods are "real" in the sense that I once believed in Jesus. I (and this is common, actually) accept them as facets and manifestations of the divine, AND at the same time hold space for them as being merely archetypes. I'm of a similar opinion that something doesn't have to be objectively real to be useful, and since none of us can prove anything anyway, except that what one believes does in some respect shape the world around them and their experience of it, I've made it a conscious choice because it makes me happy.
I'm so happy and excited people here actually want to know about mine and other beliefs...and I'm also humbled, because I wasn't expecting that.
Please ya'll forgive me for being awkward. I got a little spooked, that's all. I do very much want to get to know all of you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by awareness
Okay, I understand now. The pagan gods are real to you. Which ones? All of them? I guess I've been spoiled. I'm a big fan of mythology, and have read many books on it, many by Joseph Campbell, the MOTA of a different sort, the Mythologist of the Age ; books like "A Hero with a Thousand Faces," and "Masks of God" - 4 books : Primitive Mythology, Oriental Mythology, Occidental Mythology, and Creative Mythology. They cover the whole gambit of gods, all the way back to the first and only universal religion on planet earth (that we know about): Animism.
So my question about your paganism, and gods that are figments was no big deal to me. There are thousands of them. All the mega-myths of old, that provided cohesion to early civilizations, are now considered false constructs, or figments if you will. But even tho they were false they were still functional. Beliefs don't have to be real to produce positive results. Early civilization builders believed that the purpose of humans were to serve the gods, and that their leader was God's representative on earth. So they served the leader. We have the Pyramids because of those beliefs. They were false beliefs, but still worked to build civilizations.
I was honestly hoping you would tell me what you like about paganism. But okay. I screwed up, and called your gods phony. You don't know me yet, but I've said that out here about the depiction of God in the Old Testament ... and in the book of Revelation. I think those are phony depictions of God ... and have taken heat for saying it, as expected.
I don't have any problems discussing these kinds of things. And I know it upsets believers. But that's where I have arrived after years of coming out of the local church. Just as you have arrived at paganism, and your friend Kindness, that has arrived at atheism (to no gods whatsoever).
I guess we all have different paths. I think I've pointed that out with exLCer friends that I have.
Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. My bad. Sorry. Let's try again.
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