tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2137745883005399087.post2835855394752416205..comments2023-11-05T01:50:18.443-07:00Comments on Into the Mound: Ol’ Wassisname and PaganismIanChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05091029307945473759noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2137745883005399087.post-84085458091792080402013-01-19T06:13:11.928-08:002013-01-19T06:13:11.928-08:00Scott - I didn't say that very well.I could ha...Scott - I didn't say that very well.I could have expanded to a paragraph about how I doubt the existence of 'transcendant' beings who are not manifested directly as the gods of cultures. That's one reason why I'm not a cabalist - I don't think the forces transcend the personal gods. Eh... that isn't very good either... <br /><br />I have several models of how Pagans can be doing what we're doing, though I don't attach certainty to any of them. It never occurred to me to think of the Christo-secular pop culture as an influence on how the spirits appear to us... that culture is so far removed from my mental spaces these days.<br /><br />GreenFlame: As to the existence of some non-Christian Jesus spirit, I find that entirely likely. I have certainly observed that some Pagans like to have a being named Jesus in their personal pantheon. Again, I didn't head for the metaphysics here, but we might discuss how often some spirit adopts a name and form that make a certain point to the mortal with whom it communicates. If the being has no relationship with traditional Christianity, isn't the fact that it is named 'Jesus' just a coincidence?<br /><br />I've said several times that I see the current wave of Neopaganism as the compost from which modern polytheist religions can grow in the next couple of centuries. My own inclination is to control the content of that compost to exclude what I see as undesirable elements of abrahamic religion. However there's no predicting which of the spirits will make themselves important to us - our descendants may yet be worshipping some antlered Jesus on a flowering cross...<br /><br />As you say, personal experience trumps doctrine. However one can't make a movement out of one's personal experiences. We will require intellectually-devised ideas and models, which will be frequently ignored in practice, as they are in every world religion.IanChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05091029307945473759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2137745883005399087.post-28219404166897210292013-01-18T16:33:20.888-08:002013-01-18T16:33:20.888-08:00Basically what I came here to say, except that I d...Basically what I came here to say, except that I don't have the personal relationship that you do.<br /><br />Ian: if the Gods have no nature apart from their cultural construction, then I find it very difficult to understand how modern Paganism is having relationships with beings that appear to (a) exist and (b) be genuinely interested in our good, which contradict the two prevalent modern cultural conceptions of the Gods (I.e. as imaginative figments or as demons).Scott Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06716904247597215576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2137745883005399087.post-22596172581696931892013-01-18T16:09:06.203-08:002013-01-18T16:09:06.203-08:00This is a great post, intellectually; too bad that...This is a great post, intellectually; too bad that it's simply not accurate for people who have had powerful experiences with SomeOne Out There who answers to the name "Jesus" when they call that Name. I have healer friends, neither Christian per se (they neither believe nor adhere to any Bible-based creed or doctrine) nor Pagan, who have a working relationship with Jesus, or again, SomeOne Out There who answers to that name -- and the Person who answers just doesn't resemble what you wrote. Matter of fact, I've called that Name myself in the context of doing healing work for some Christian clients, and Whoever answered was not consistent with this intellectual analysis. <br /><br />I have not read Webster's post; I'll be interested to see if he's had personal experience with a Spirit who answers to the name "Jesus" and if that informed his opinions.<br /><br />I asked "Jesus" one time about me worshiping other Deities. He was quite okay with it, although "He" also indicated that working with him was more productive if it was .... "monogamous" was the feel. Others' mileage has varied on that also, however.<br /><br />We love our labels and we love our carefully-reasoned opinions, but spiritual experience trumps both. CuriousWitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06731801258325526536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2137745883005399087.post-1889277163273068082013-01-18T07:39:07.700-08:002013-01-18T07:39:07.700-08:00*clap clap clap*
Excellent post. I agree almost w...*clap clap clap*<br /><br />Excellent post. I agree almost wholeheartedly. Thanks for writing this. :)Chelydoreushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02096560292382339733noreply@blogger.com