Friday 17 December 2010
Thursday 9 December 2010
Demystifying Paganism (part 2)
Merrie Meet
Here is the 2nd part of the piece that I began yesterday on the subject of Demystifying Paganism taken from a sermon by the Rev.D.Edwards.
If you try to force someone into your beliefs or force them to accept what you are saying that IS persecution, it is a mental persecution, as much as slapping someone’s face is a physical persecution.
Most people who condemn Pagans do not realize just how much they actually have in common, how much common ground the two beliefs actually hold for example, every time Christians celebrate a Pagan holiday.
Christmas is celebrated on 25th December but this was not the birthday of the person Jesus. He was actually born in or around August / September time, nobody really knows the exact date but anyone who has actually studied the subject will know that he was not born in December.
So why celebrate in December? Well a Roman emperor declared that 25th December would be a celebration to help integrate the followers of Mithra into Christianity. Mithra was an ancient Pagan religion that preceded Christianity by some 600 years and 25th December was already a holiday that these people celebrated.
An interesting thought here is that Mithra was a Pagan deity whose birth day was 25th December, he also had 12 disciples, was born of a virgin, he was sacrificed to redeem mankind and before he died he had a last supper of bread and wine with his 12 disciples and at the end of his life he said that he would return again to redeem mankind.
So therefore, how can Christians pass judgment on Pagans saying that they worship the devil? Christians have more in common with Pagans than they could ever know.
Whenever they decorate a Christmas tree, whenever they sit their children on Santa’s knee, whenever they hunt for an Easter Egg or send a Valentine’s card they become practitioners of Paganism!
If they were confronted with this insight most Christians would reply that it is all in the meaning, that the meaning is what is important.
For example they may say that the star on the top of the Christmas tree represents the Star of Bethlehem.
However if this statement that it is all in the meaning is true and the Christians say that they are not worshiping the Devil then by what right can they tell Pagans that they are worshiping the Devil. This sort of comment is hypocrisy at its very best.
A Christian may also resort to discussions about rituals and spells that Pagans perform.
A ritual is nothing more than a performance of a visual prayer it gives the practitioner something to focus on, a focal point for the energy released in prayer.
A spell is simply another way to pray to the Divine as in Islam where they bow 7 times a day. It is also the same as burning incense in a church (another parallel here). There are the rituals of performing baptisms, christenings, communion or marriage – they are all strictly symbolic and mean NOTHING without intent.
Research has indicated that “Pagans” who do fit the stereotypical image of paganism tend to grow out of it by the time they reach puberty.
Paganism is a way of life more than it is a religion, it is possible to follow any number of religions and still be a Pagan. There are, in fact, Pagan Christians. They practice Paganism using Christian style names for their Deities. There is such a thing as Christian Wicca where God and Goddess terminology is replaced by Father, Holy Spirit and Son.
Pagans can be guilty of the same things as Christians, they will scream “persecution” but will ignore a Christian just because of religion.
If that is you then how are you any different from the others?
Pagans should become more responsible for creating awareness of their beliefs. They cannot expect people to understand if they are not told about it. This does not mean standing on soapboxes on street corners preaching Paganism to all and sundry but it does mean that if you wear a Pentacle, be proud. Do not hide it away under your shirt, blouse or jumper, people will often ask you what it means, and don’t be afraid to explain. Shed light and dispel darkness and myth.
The moral of this whole piece on demystifying Paganism (and Christianity) is to stop believing everything that you are shown on TV, in films, in the papers – take the time to investigate for yourself.
Learning will bring knowledge which will create understanding and once you understand something it will bring unity and peace
Blessed Be
Merlin
Here is the 2nd part of the piece that I began yesterday on the subject of Demystifying Paganism taken from a sermon by the Rev.D.Edwards.
If you try to force someone into your beliefs or force them to accept what you are saying that IS persecution, it is a mental persecution, as much as slapping someone’s face is a physical persecution.
Most people who condemn Pagans do not realize just how much they actually have in common, how much common ground the two beliefs actually hold for example, every time Christians celebrate a Pagan holiday.
Christmas is celebrated on 25th December but this was not the birthday of the person Jesus. He was actually born in or around August / September time, nobody really knows the exact date but anyone who has actually studied the subject will know that he was not born in December.
So why celebrate in December? Well a Roman emperor declared that 25th December would be a celebration to help integrate the followers of Mithra into Christianity. Mithra was an ancient Pagan religion that preceded Christianity by some 600 years and 25th December was already a holiday that these people celebrated.
An interesting thought here is that Mithra was a Pagan deity whose birth day was 25th December, he also had 12 disciples, was born of a virgin, he was sacrificed to redeem mankind and before he died he had a last supper of bread and wine with his 12 disciples and at the end of his life he said that he would return again to redeem mankind.
So therefore, how can Christians pass judgment on Pagans saying that they worship the devil? Christians have more in common with Pagans than they could ever know.
Whenever they decorate a Christmas tree, whenever they sit their children on Santa’s knee, whenever they hunt for an Easter Egg or send a Valentine’s card they become practitioners of Paganism!
If they were confronted with this insight most Christians would reply that it is all in the meaning, that the meaning is what is important.
For example they may say that the star on the top of the Christmas tree represents the Star of Bethlehem.
However if this statement that it is all in the meaning is true and the Christians say that they are not worshiping the Devil then by what right can they tell Pagans that they are worshiping the Devil. This sort of comment is hypocrisy at its very best.
A Christian may also resort to discussions about rituals and spells that Pagans perform.
A ritual is nothing more than a performance of a visual prayer it gives the practitioner something to focus on, a focal point for the energy released in prayer.
A spell is simply another way to pray to the Divine as in Islam where they bow 7 times a day. It is also the same as burning incense in a church (another parallel here). There are the rituals of performing baptisms, christenings, communion or marriage – they are all strictly symbolic and mean NOTHING without intent.
Research has indicated that “Pagans” who do fit the stereotypical image of paganism tend to grow out of it by the time they reach puberty.
Paganism is a way of life more than it is a religion, it is possible to follow any number of religions and still be a Pagan. There are, in fact, Pagan Christians. They practice Paganism using Christian style names for their Deities. There is such a thing as Christian Wicca where God and Goddess terminology is replaced by Father, Holy Spirit and Son.
Pagans can be guilty of the same things as Christians, they will scream “persecution” but will ignore a Christian just because of religion.
If that is you then how are you any different from the others?
Pagans should become more responsible for creating awareness of their beliefs. They cannot expect people to understand if they are not told about it. This does not mean standing on soapboxes on street corners preaching Paganism to all and sundry but it does mean that if you wear a Pentacle, be proud. Do not hide it away under your shirt, blouse or jumper, people will often ask you what it means, and don’t be afraid to explain. Shed light and dispel darkness and myth.
The moral of this whole piece on demystifying Paganism (and Christianity) is to stop believing everything that you are shown on TV, in films, in the papers – take the time to investigate for yourself.
Learning will bring knowledge which will create understanding and once you understand something it will bring unity and peace
Blessed Be
Merlin
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Demystifying Paganism (Part 1)
Merrie Meet
This post is taken from a broadcast by Rev.D.Edwards and as soon as I saw it I knew that it was something that I wanted to share and so I have taken the time to do this Musing on the matter and will be broadcasting it very soon on
CauldronFM - where Magic, New Age and Pop Cultures connect.
There is a huge misconception lurking around regarding Paganism and this really needs to be addressed. Paganism is a controversial subject but it is normally only controversial to people who don't know much about it.
To begin with, Paganism is very much misunderstood and therefore it becomes controversial. There is a lot of mystery about it and I would like to take this time to go some way to removing that mystery.
So what is Paganism - is it devil worship? Is it people going around casting spells on their enemies? Is it people in black robes who harm animals and mutilate cattle?
If people believe any of that stuff then immediately 3 things become patently obvious
1 They have never made it their business to study Paganism
2 The don't know any Pagans personally
3 The watch far too much television
Here I am going to try and clear up any misconceptions that are commonly found outside of Paganism.
In order to explain what Paganism is, it is necessary to explain a few things that Paganism is not. Hopefully this will dispel the rumours that are currently in existence.
Firstly Paganism is not Devil worship, true Pagans will not believe in the devil nor that it exists. The Devil is a Judaeo / Christian concept and since Pagans do not accept the theology of the Judaeo / Christian beliefs they will not worship a Judaeo / Christian Devil. They simply do not accept the concept. In other words to worship something you do not believe in is totally pointless.
Secondly, Pagans do not make blood sacrifices, they do not harm animals. To harm an animal would be a huge betrayal of their belief, rather like a Christian burning a bible it just would not happen! It is probably that people who spread this misconception have forgotten that Jehovah required blood sacrifices.
Thirdly Pagans do not go out looking for people to harm or hurt. Most Pagans have the same rule as Christian people – treat others the way you would like to be treated. Most Pagans have the same creed – if it harms no-one do what you will. The wording may be different but the same concept is held by Pagan traditions. Most of the rumours about Pagans rely on these 3 misconceptions.
Paganism is an extremely broad term encompassing many different religions and spiritual traditions that actually outnumber every denomination in every mainstream religion globally.
When they hear the term Pagan a lot of people automatically think Wiccan. This is covered under the term Paganism however to say that Pagan means Wicca is like saying that Christianity means you are a Baptist, and that is an insult to each belief and is totally untrue.
Pagans are mainly polytheistic (although not all) – they believe in, or worship, more than one God or Goddess. However, this does not apply to all Pagans for there are those who only believe in and worship one God.
Mormonism could be considered to be a Pagan religion because it is a polytheistic religion, they believe in multiple deities but they only worship one God, and yet there are Mormons who bad mouth Pagans because they have not taken the time to make the comparison. If they did compare they would be surprised at just how much the two beliefs have in common. They are more like Pagans than any other denomination of Christianity.
A cautionary note here – Pagans might want to take note of this as well.
Generally the one-god Pagans believe that all the gods from every time, every religion and every culture are the same God or the same Goddess – a Universal Divine.
Some people consider that Pagans come from one type of background again this is totally untrue. Pagans come from everywhere, from every background imaginable, every financial class or educational level of society, they are everywhere you look. Most people never recognise Pagans because they are looking for a stereotype that they have been taught to believe by the movie and tv industries.
People have been taught to believe that Pagans wear all black clothing or hooded robes and go around chanting incantations – doesn’t this sound similar to a catholic priest or a Buddhist monk?
Some Pagans do wear all black but then so do a lot of other people, but most of the time people do not notice the Pagans around them because they are dressed like Policemen, Firemen, Soldiers, Doctors, Lawyers or Dentists. They cook our food, give us our medicines, dress our wounds, babysit our children, they protect while we are asleep.
Some people have known Pagans for years and yet never knew it.
Pagans do not force their beliefs on other people. One of the most basic traits of Paganism is that Pagans do not attempt to convert others to their belief system.
Amongst Pagans it is a generally held belief that every person’s path will come to them and that nobody has the right to tell someone who they are or what they should believe.
Pagans often practice what they don’t preach.
When asked a Pagan will be honest and usually thrilled that someone has asked about their beliefs because that question shows that the person asking has not been filled with the propaganda, stigma or stereotypes that they have been fed by almost every church.
When you say that you have had enough most Pagans will stop talking about their beliefs because they will respect your wishes.
Most Pagans carry out what was said about keeping one’s own counsel better than the Christians. If somebody does not want to hear they will walk away, they don’t force the issue. It is a fact that in the Bible it is said
“And whosoever should not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city shake the dust of your feet” (Matthew 10,14)
This concludes the first part of this 2 part post, I hope that you have found it interesting and that you will look forward to the next part where I will further develop the topic.
Love and Light to All
Blessed Be
Merlin
This post is taken from a broadcast by Rev.D.Edwards and as soon as I saw it I knew that it was something that I wanted to share and so I have taken the time to do this Musing on the matter and will be broadcasting it very soon on
CauldronFM - where Magic, New Age and Pop Cultures connect.
There is a huge misconception lurking around regarding Paganism and this really needs to be addressed. Paganism is a controversial subject but it is normally only controversial to people who don't know much about it.
To begin with, Paganism is very much misunderstood and therefore it becomes controversial. There is a lot of mystery about it and I would like to take this time to go some way to removing that mystery.
So what is Paganism - is it devil worship? Is it people going around casting spells on their enemies? Is it people in black robes who harm animals and mutilate cattle?
If people believe any of that stuff then immediately 3 things become patently obvious
1 They have never made it their business to study Paganism
2 The don't know any Pagans personally
3 The watch far too much television
Here I am going to try and clear up any misconceptions that are commonly found outside of Paganism.
In order to explain what Paganism is, it is necessary to explain a few things that Paganism is not. Hopefully this will dispel the rumours that are currently in existence.
Firstly Paganism is not Devil worship, true Pagans will not believe in the devil nor that it exists. The Devil is a Judaeo / Christian concept and since Pagans do not accept the theology of the Judaeo / Christian beliefs they will not worship a Judaeo / Christian Devil. They simply do not accept the concept. In other words to worship something you do not believe in is totally pointless.
Secondly, Pagans do not make blood sacrifices, they do not harm animals. To harm an animal would be a huge betrayal of their belief, rather like a Christian burning a bible it just would not happen! It is probably that people who spread this misconception have forgotten that Jehovah required blood sacrifices.
Thirdly Pagans do not go out looking for people to harm or hurt. Most Pagans have the same rule as Christian people – treat others the way you would like to be treated. Most Pagans have the same creed – if it harms no-one do what you will. The wording may be different but the same concept is held by Pagan traditions. Most of the rumours about Pagans rely on these 3 misconceptions.
Paganism is an extremely broad term encompassing many different religions and spiritual traditions that actually outnumber every denomination in every mainstream religion globally.
When they hear the term Pagan a lot of people automatically think Wiccan. This is covered under the term Paganism however to say that Pagan means Wicca is like saying that Christianity means you are a Baptist, and that is an insult to each belief and is totally untrue.
Pagans are mainly polytheistic (although not all) – they believe in, or worship, more than one God or Goddess. However, this does not apply to all Pagans for there are those who only believe in and worship one God.
Mormonism could be considered to be a Pagan religion because it is a polytheistic religion, they believe in multiple deities but they only worship one God, and yet there are Mormons who bad mouth Pagans because they have not taken the time to make the comparison. If they did compare they would be surprised at just how much the two beliefs have in common. They are more like Pagans than any other denomination of Christianity.
A cautionary note here – Pagans might want to take note of this as well.
Generally the one-god Pagans believe that all the gods from every time, every religion and every culture are the same God or the same Goddess – a Universal Divine.
Some people consider that Pagans come from one type of background again this is totally untrue. Pagans come from everywhere, from every background imaginable, every financial class or educational level of society, they are everywhere you look. Most people never recognise Pagans because they are looking for a stereotype that they have been taught to believe by the movie and tv industries.
People have been taught to believe that Pagans wear all black clothing or hooded robes and go around chanting incantations – doesn’t this sound similar to a catholic priest or a Buddhist monk?
Some Pagans do wear all black but then so do a lot of other people, but most of the time people do not notice the Pagans around them because they are dressed like Policemen, Firemen, Soldiers, Doctors, Lawyers or Dentists. They cook our food, give us our medicines, dress our wounds, babysit our children, they protect while we are asleep.
Some people have known Pagans for years and yet never knew it.
Pagans do not force their beliefs on other people. One of the most basic traits of Paganism is that Pagans do not attempt to convert others to their belief system.
Amongst Pagans it is a generally held belief that every person’s path will come to them and that nobody has the right to tell someone who they are or what they should believe.
Pagans often practice what they don’t preach.
When asked a Pagan will be honest and usually thrilled that someone has asked about their beliefs because that question shows that the person asking has not been filled with the propaganda, stigma or stereotypes that they have been fed by almost every church.
When you say that you have had enough most Pagans will stop talking about their beliefs because they will respect your wishes.
Most Pagans carry out what was said about keeping one’s own counsel better than the Christians. If somebody does not want to hear they will walk away, they don’t force the issue. It is a fact that in the Bible it is said
“And whosoever should not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city shake the dust of your feet” (Matthew 10,14)
This concludes the first part of this 2 part post, I hope that you have found it interesting and that you will look forward to the next part where I will further develop the topic.
Love and Light to All
Blessed Be
Merlin
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