I find this world funny in some ways. I love to debate. I love walking into a room and shoving a case in their face that makes them flip their lid. I'll cite evidence, and give rebuttals to my opponents case. However, I hate when people debate religion in the same way. I know it's kinda silly, but stay with me here for a moment.
Religion is supposed to be an intimate and humble thing, and if I have learned anything about debate, is that very rarely does anyone admit they are wrong. The bible has been interpreted many different ways since it's creation and yet people out there still will cite a translation of a sentence of an entire section and call it fact. Religion is not fact. I repeat this, religion is not fact. If religion was fact, we wouldn't need science. In the opposite corner, science cannot explain the conundrum of various topics like religion can.
Despite what I said before, personal truths do exist. For me, Odin, Freya, and several other Gods and Goddesses have spoken to me, but I can't claim what they said as absolute truth, and fact. I always try my best to be careful in how I say things when it comes to religion, because it is supposed to be a personal and humble action. Instead of telling someone, "God said to me that your hair needs to be cut", I would say something like "When I sat down, God passed a suggestion to me, for you, about cutting your hair. You don't need to and what I say isn't truth, only you can make that choice in the end, but perhaps there is a reason why I was told about your hair." I would say something along those lines. The power should always remain in the individual when it comes to making a decision as well. Maybe, that's my Wiccan side popping up from years ago, but I don't like telling people what to do and what is right or wrong.
Actually, when I do bring up a debate about religion (because I'm stupid) I like to pull off a sneaky task. Instead of arguing about what is right or wrong, I use the knowledge I do have and ask questions. People are a lot less aggressive when you ask them questions and you learn THEIR PERSONAL TRUTHS. Sorry to my friends out their who disagree, but even if you know your religion inside and out, how you interpret it will be different from the next. Accept it.
----
Deviating a little from before, but not by far, is my dislike for people who wish to debate something you said about religion in passing. Despite my love for arguing and how aggressive I can get, I like to be nurturing and loving when I bring out my pagan side. I separate my personality from each other. Unfortunately, when I bring up a problem, I see in the very small community of pagans, and all someone wants to to is debate with a condescending tone, my feathers get ruffled. Please, people, show some kindness if you don't understand why someone is doing something. Don't treat them like they are stupid. Save that for court rooms, debate rounds, and sometimes special times with family and friends.
My personal thought is that the best truths are the ones you figure out yourself, instead of grabbing them from everyone else around you.
Don't have much else to say so,
Hail to the Gods!
Blessed Be
or however you may say it
Have a good day world. :)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Starting out
I have learned much in 7-8 years, and that is nothing can be entirely explained about the universe. No matter what someone thinks to be the Ultimate Truth, we must all come to terms with the fact that we, as humans, can only speculate on our coming into existance.
I don't know what, exactly, brought me to the pagan path...perhaps rebellion? No, that isn't quite right, I was in a state of questioning the world and I seemed to get satisfaction when getting introduced to the world of Wicca. One of my best friends at the time had introduced me to it through her mom...who is now a Baptist Christian funnily enough. She was my only person of true understanding as I grew up but due to so many dramas and her unreliability, I basically worked alone. I never quite trusted forums on the internet and I wasn't sure who was actually posting. Face-to-face is always more preferable, however, since I always had skeptic parents behind me (better than having parents trying to kick me out though) I never could get the help I needed to learn more and integrate myself into the world of being a pagan.
That being said, the books I did get a hold of were my Bibles, and in my youth I believed most of what I read to be truth. It wasn't until I was in the middle of High School that I had a rude awakening while learning a new terminology. A Fluffy Bunny. Looking back on it now, I most definitely was, but I had no clue what that was. I lived up to a very common problem in pagan communities today with ignorance that Wicca was all light, love, and not hurting others no matter what. Because of the nature of that problem, many within the pagan community today have turned a blind eye not wanting to deal with the ignorance of youth. So I wonder, how do you fix a problem such as this? Due to all the various branches a pagan can fall under, we have a hard enough time uniting together, as well as dealing with the prejudice of the outside, not-understanding world. There needs to be a better system of teachers available, ones who don't mind driving for free to a local bookstore who can educate the youth. Granted, it's not a perfect system, and security issues arise, but in a world like this- problems can occur from walking down a street.
I'm trying to find the answers to my world, I've even found comfort within the reconstuctionist pagan path of Asatru, but I am still feeling a little lost. Many who currently follow Asatru, or Odinism give a bad name in favor of the gods and use this path as an excuse for Racism. It's hard to follow a path that is tainted with political slander between those who think it's ok to mix Wicca and Asatru and accept anyone into their fold, to people who can't understand why someone not of Germanic blood would want to practice, to the far extreme of only allowing white Germanic followers and criticize or hold prejudice against those who aren't like them. This contrasts what I originally learned of peace, love, and acceptance, which I still hold deeply in my heart.
At this stage in my life I am constantly around others are either Wiccan, or Eclectic which can prove to be a problem because I know this well, you do things that feel right, but when you are working on a reconstuctionist path, you try to do what you can like the past, and because Asatru actually has quite a bit to base off of, I try to follow 'their' ways the best I can which can be hard for my wonder friends to understand. I can't hope to understand the will of my Gods if I don't know their stories and the practices today that is supported by the Asatru/ Odinist community, hence why I tent to be such a stickler and sometimes won't want to join in the eclectic celebrations. It's not that I think myself, or my gods better, not at all, but it's more like I can't bear to include other gods into my practice with others when I've just got the tip of the iceburg with my gods and I'm craving to hear their will.
I've actually noticed this about myself, and I've been told this by other pagans in my life before, but I tend to be more religious than others when it comes to Paganism. I just care so passionately! When I settle in later in life and I've studied a lot more I would love to organize my own pagan group, that focuses on integrate teaching for all paths, almost like a teacher group so they can go out and teach the youth that get brought in our world without support. Unlikely that it would work, but a girl can dream, right? If a group of pagans well versed in many paths appear in the world as a uniting force, I'm sure that more support can be rallied for acceptance of our faiths. Conferences could be made regular and creating common ground would be easier. Of course, everyone would have their specialty, but wouldn't a pagan teachers school sound wonderful? Full of academia and research of people's native lands and certification so people can look them up and be sure of it's accreditation instead of such and such is a high priest/priestess of some unknown clan from ???
I'm pretty much ranted out at the moment but keep tuning in for more if you like this! :)
I don't know what, exactly, brought me to the pagan path...perhaps rebellion? No, that isn't quite right, I was in a state of questioning the world and I seemed to get satisfaction when getting introduced to the world of Wicca. One of my best friends at the time had introduced me to it through her mom...who is now a Baptist Christian funnily enough. She was my only person of true understanding as I grew up but due to so many dramas and her unreliability, I basically worked alone. I never quite trusted forums on the internet and I wasn't sure who was actually posting. Face-to-face is always more preferable, however, since I always had skeptic parents behind me (better than having parents trying to kick me out though) I never could get the help I needed to learn more and integrate myself into the world of being a pagan.
That being said, the books I did get a hold of were my Bibles, and in my youth I believed most of what I read to be truth. It wasn't until I was in the middle of High School that I had a rude awakening while learning a new terminology. A Fluffy Bunny. Looking back on it now, I most definitely was, but I had no clue what that was. I lived up to a very common problem in pagan communities today with ignorance that Wicca was all light, love, and not hurting others no matter what. Because of the nature of that problem, many within the pagan community today have turned a blind eye not wanting to deal with the ignorance of youth. So I wonder, how do you fix a problem such as this? Due to all the various branches a pagan can fall under, we have a hard enough time uniting together, as well as dealing with the prejudice of the outside, not-understanding world. There needs to be a better system of teachers available, ones who don't mind driving for free to a local bookstore who can educate the youth. Granted, it's not a perfect system, and security issues arise, but in a world like this- problems can occur from walking down a street.
I'm trying to find the answers to my world, I've even found comfort within the reconstuctionist pagan path of Asatru, but I am still feeling a little lost. Many who currently follow Asatru, or Odinism give a bad name in favor of the gods and use this path as an excuse for Racism. It's hard to follow a path that is tainted with political slander between those who think it's ok to mix Wicca and Asatru and accept anyone into their fold, to people who can't understand why someone not of Germanic blood would want to practice, to the far extreme of only allowing white Germanic followers and criticize or hold prejudice against those who aren't like them. This contrasts what I originally learned of peace, love, and acceptance, which I still hold deeply in my heart.
At this stage in my life I am constantly around others are either Wiccan, or Eclectic which can prove to be a problem because I know this well, you do things that feel right, but when you are working on a reconstuctionist path, you try to do what you can like the past, and because Asatru actually has quite a bit to base off of, I try to follow 'their' ways the best I can which can be hard for my wonder friends to understand. I can't hope to understand the will of my Gods if I don't know their stories and the practices today that is supported by the Asatru/ Odinist community, hence why I tent to be such a stickler and sometimes won't want to join in the eclectic celebrations. It's not that I think myself, or my gods better, not at all, but it's more like I can't bear to include other gods into my practice with others when I've just got the tip of the iceburg with my gods and I'm craving to hear their will.
I've actually noticed this about myself, and I've been told this by other pagans in my life before, but I tend to be more religious than others when it comes to Paganism. I just care so passionately! When I settle in later in life and I've studied a lot more I would love to organize my own pagan group, that focuses on integrate teaching for all paths, almost like a teacher group so they can go out and teach the youth that get brought in our world without support. Unlikely that it would work, but a girl can dream, right? If a group of pagans well versed in many paths appear in the world as a uniting force, I'm sure that more support can be rallied for acceptance of our faiths. Conferences could be made regular and creating common ground would be easier. Of course, everyone would have their specialty, but wouldn't a pagan teachers school sound wonderful? Full of academia and research of people's native lands and certification so people can look them up and be sure of it's accreditation instead of such and such is a high priest/priestess of some unknown clan from ???
I'm pretty much ranted out at the moment but keep tuning in for more if you like this! :)
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