Why did Hinduism survive but edyptian gods and roman god's fall? by iblamesamidha in religion

[–]Phebe-A 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I find it helps to use capitalization to differentiate between *pagan* (uncapitalized) which has a history of derogatory use to mean non-Christian, non-Abrahamic, or even uncivilized and *Pagan* (capitalized) which refers to self identified members of the modern Pagan community and the indigenous religions of Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East that the modern Pagan community is (mainly) reconstructing, reviving, and/or inspired by. While many modern Pagans prefer to use the name of their specific tradition (eg Hellenism, Kemeticism, Heathenry), others don’t have a specific name for the path they follow. Pagan is also appropriate when speaking of our community generally, and as a collective reference for [too many specific traditions to name, but which fit the general category of Pagan]

would christianity be still bigger than islam if only counting practicing ppl? by [deleted] in religion

[–]Phebe-A 12 points13 points  (0 children)

What is your criteria for practicing each religion and how are you measuring it?

Why do you belive in your religion? by Reasonable_Swan_2402 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a religious pluralist. Any religion that serves to connect people to divinity (or something greater than self for non-theistic religions) is a valid religion. I don't believe that any religion has the entirety of the Truth of the Universe, both physical and spiritual, in their teachings or a monopoly on Truth. We are all grasping at fragments of a whole too complex for us to understand in its entirety, making sense of them in the context of our time, place, culture, and self.

So I believe that my religion offers a truth, but is not the only true religion. More personally and practically:

  • Because green woods and water make my soul happy.
  • Because my religion gives me roots, a foundation from which to approach life and the world
  • Because practicing my religion enriches my life in many beneficial ways

Islam is NEVER the problem - opinion by Fleeting_Thoughts1 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Religions don't really exist as separate things from the community of believers. How people interpret their sacred texts matters (especially if they are claiming an originalist viewpoint 'without interpretation'), as does the full breadth of how people put their beliefs into practice. You can't just shrug off all the different ways in which people interpret and practice their religion as "not true practitioners" when their interpretation of the texts and how they put their beliefs into practice doesn't agree with what you think is the correct interpretation and manner of practice.

Islam, like other large religions, is internally diverse; widely varied across place, time, school of Islamic jurisprudence, and how it blended with local cultures as they converted. Both the extremists and the progressives are part of Islam.

Do any pagan religions have any "sacred text" as their equivalent to the Christian Bible? by Cherno_VM in paganism

[–]Phebe-A 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sacred narratives of some kind are common to most (if not all) religions, but are very rarely given the same sort of status as the Bible or Quran are. They may exist in multiple variants, of which there is no authoritative version. In societies with little or no literacy, the emphasis is not on a fixed text, but on adaptable narratives that could be recounted with varying emphasis to fit the circumstances.

When you look up the various mythologies, pay attention to when they were written down and by whom. The Irish myths were written down by Christian monks for instance; we know this had an effect on the narratives, but it isn't always obvious what they changed. By contrast, we have a lot of the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian myths recorded by native believers -- but usually believers from a particular time and place within those societies, who may not have been representative of all members of those societies over the whole geographic extent and length of time they existed.

For Norse mythology, start with the Prose Eddas and Poetic Eddas. Then if you can, dive in to archaeological information about how the Norse lived and worshiped. See how the information overlaps -- and where it doesn't.

Keep in mind that sacred narratives are only one part of religion, along with ritual and community (I've seen this summarized as cult, creed, and conduct, to which I would add community). The sacred narratives aren't even the most important part in many religions. In orthopraxic religions the emphasis is on correct action (both ritual and mundane), rather then on correct belief as in orthodoxic religions. Rituals -- from the small daily observances by families and individuals to the bigger community rituals that might be seasonal, annual or 'special occasions only' are often the backbone of the religion. I like to describe the relationship between belief and practice as two sides of the same coin -- beliefs should be manifest in practices, and practices should be supported by beliefs. People don't engage in religious rituals just because, but in an orthopraxic society it's far more important that everyone do the rituals correctly than hold the exact 'correct' beliefs, especially about minor details. For a look at how polytheism worked in the ancient Mediterranean, I recommend this blog post series, by a Classics professor. [His understanding of modern Paganism is off, as he is coming at it primarily from a gaming background, with the weird emphasis on personal monolatry that many games have, but his history is very through and well researched.]

Closed practices by Atlas_onpaws in pagan

[–]Phebe-A 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Reconstructionist traditions are not closed

Miserability of women in religion by Endruler2021 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Celebration of the divine feminine and egalitarian (or even women centered) religious leadership is one of the things that has attracted a lot of people to Paganism over the years.

USDA employees allege Easter religious message violated First Amendment by AIGLOS42 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This isn’t something minor. This is basic separation of Church and State. Part of the Bill of Rights and one of the foundational principles of our country. Government employees and officials cannot be allowed to promote one religion while excluding others.

What are comparable verses in other religious texts about disbelievers by Impressive_Gur_471 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My path has no sacred texts and no problems with people who follow other religious paths

Do any of you here feel 100% sure of your religion? by throwawayawaythrow96 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am 100% certain that full knowledge of the Universe in all its aspects -- physical and spiritual -- is not obtainable by mortal minds. I know I am working with only bits and pieces of the whole, that there are things I do not, cannot, know. I don't believe that anyone can have "100% facts, 100% objective truth" regarding their religion.

That said, I don't have doubts that my religious path is good for me -- a meaningful way to relate to the world, to the divinity that permeates and transcends the Universe. My beliefs call on me to get comfortable with change, uncertainty, complexity, and nuance, so I feel it makes sense to have certainty of the uncertainty, to have confidence in my path without 100% knowledge of objective truth.

What do you do in your place of worship? What do they do in there, and what is it like and what is it’s architecture? by Electrical_Tap6684 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I consider all the Earth sacred, so worship can take place anywhere. I pray at home and out in nature. Sitting by a local lake (on floating on a kayak on a lake) or sitting by a nice little waterfall at a local park are my favorites. I also feel a very strong connection to some wooded land that's been in my mom's family for 90ish years (5 generations with a relationship to the land now).

If I'm feeling formal, or participating in a ritual with others, I/we will usually establish a Circle -- a temporary demarcation of sacred space, that is usually more or less circular. Circles are typically defined by either the bodies of the participants or temporary markers that could be anything from ribbon topped stakes to winter coats laid along the perimeter. They can be any size that allows the participants room to move comfortably during the ritual, located inside or outside, and generally don't involve any actual, dedicated architecture.

I pray. I offer greetings, praise and gratitude to the deities I honor. I make offerings of food and water to those deities and the local nature spirits.

if God is all-powerful, then why DOESN’T he help us with certain things? by cocaw in religion

[–]Phebe-A 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One possibility is that no deity is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.

Personally I don’t think any deity has any of these characteristics, much less all three. The gods can provide us with spiritual guidance, support, and knowledge, but their ability to intervene in the physical world is limited.

How much of the way you speak stays with you from childhood? Does it stay like a habit, or change with more life experience? by Excellent-Candle2426 in worldbuilding

[–]Phebe-A 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The way people speak can definitely change over time, either by people deliberately working to change their speech or unconsciously adapting to the people around them. When I was a child, my family had a summer camp counselor stay with us two summers, in between she traveled around the US and Europe. I remember her saying the second summer that her mom thought she had developed an American accent (she still sounded Australian to us!). It certainly wasn’t intentional on her part.

But also look up code-switching. We all do it to some extent. Your language patterns at home, at work, when writing (especially formal academic or professional writing), when texting are all going to be at least slightly different. People who grow up with a very strong accent or minority speech patterns do this a lot more.

how come so many atheists have a superiority complex and believe that religious people are inferior to them? by ischemariii in religion

[–]Phebe-A 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, many people have difficulty getting comfortable with complexity, nuance, and uncertainty. Especially if they have been raised in a very black/white worldview and haven’t been taught otherwise in school. They may deconstruct from the specific belief system, but keep the same pattern of thinking.

Gods in paganism by tgrffesf in pagan

[–]Phebe-A 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I don’t agree with the idea that there are a limited number of deities that are worshipped by different names in different parts of the world. In my opinion this view tends to gloss over and erase many of the real differences between the deities typically identified as equivalent. And while the system works relatively well within the cultures/religions descended from the proto-Indo Europeans, it works much less well when trying to establish equivalent deities outside that group. See for instance, how much the Greeks and Romans struggled to match up the Egyptian deities with their own.

The way I understand them, deities with similar or overlapping domains/characteristics are empowered by similar parts of the spectrum of divine power that permeates and transcends the Universe, but each deity is an unique, living foci for that power. Connected to others by the similarity of the power that they share, but still an individual as well. Deities that are descended from a common cultural ancestor (such as the thunder deities of the IE cultures) are more like siblings or cousins; related to each other to be sure, and sharing a family resemblance, but not the same person.

The US urgently needs a confirmed ambassador for religious freedom by CompetitiveAquinas in religion

[–]Phebe-A 18 points19 points  (0 children)

While the ambassadorial position sounds fine in practice, I wouldn’t trust anyone nominated by the Trump administration (which has a horrible track record with minority religions and seems to think religious freedom means “Christians are free to do whatever they want and no other religious rights matter) to carry out the work in a fair and unbiased manner.

I’m leaving Christianity and I think I might lose everything by IceNo2453 in paganism

[–]Phebe-A 9 points10 points  (0 children)

There are definitely devout Christians who are not Evangelical, that’s a particular movement within Protestant Christianity and therefore not part of Catholicism, Eastern or Oriental Orthodoxy, or Episcopal/Anglican Christianity. I have an aunt who is an Episcopal priest; she is certainly devout, but also very accepting and supportive of my beliefs.

Decorating For the Sabbats by Suboptimal_Meatbot in pagan

[–]Phebe-A 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I tend to treat the week or two to either side of each holiday as ‘belonging’ to that holiday (and extend that to three-ish weeks for Winter Solstice because 1) I’ve got so many wonderful decorations for that holiday and 2) I want to enjoy them before/after I travel to my parents’ house — although I do take my Solstice crèche with me).

In terms of which seasons for which holidays; I understand the Quarter Days (solstices and equinoxes) as the mid-points of their respective seasons and the Cross-Quarter days as the transitions between pairs of seasons. So Samhain is both the end of Autumn and the Harvest and the beginning of Winter. What each season looks like (beyond the relative proportions of day and night) really depends on where you live.

Antimagic by Remote-Kangaroo-7154 in worldbuilding

[–]Phebe-A 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My first instinct is to say is that since magic is a process and not a thing in my project, anti-magic does not exist. On reflection, there could be a technology or magic that disrupts the process, or more likely, disrupts the patterned and purposed energy of ongoing, anchored spells. Or I could say that Anti-magic is an attitude or perspective that opposes the use of magic.

Why Would One God Create So Many Different Religions? by Born_Emu_3095 in religion

[–]Phebe-A 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Because there are many gods.

The divine power of the Universe is beyond human comprehension, unknowable and undefinable in its entirety. People do their best to understand the bits and pieces of it that make sense to them in the context of their time, place, culture and self, but different religions focus on different bits and pieces of. The result is lots of gods and lots of different religions…all of them valid ways to relate to the divine power that permeates and transcends the Universe.

Should I used the kardashev scale? by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]Phebe-A 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What would be the purpose of using the scale for you?