Would this be ok? (Jesus, ritual, morals, Creator, Earth)

[I Panicked! At the Disco]

As most of ya'll know, I'm a Christian, but as I learn more about my N. American (specifically Cherokee) roots, I find myself interested in their "religion", that is, the concept that there is a Creator and treating everyone with love and respect, etc. Do you all think it would be alright for me to follow the Cherokee traditions, and religion, so to speak, as long as I didn't follow anything that contradicted Christianity? Would I be going against the Bible?

Also, I'm not sure that this is in the right forum, so the mods can move it if they want. It might belong in debates or discussion, I'm not sure.

Any help would be appreciated. I want to be a Christian, but I want to connect to the Cherokee side of me, too.

[ayani]

i'm not Native American, but i don't see anything wrong with honoring your Cherokee heritage and honoring your Christian faith, too. there are alot of books out there by Native authors about traditional religion and christianity. Jesus commanded Christians to love God and to love others- if you feel called to get in touch with your roots, i'd say God bless that.

[Feathers in Hair]

*nods* What Gracie said!

I'm afraid that we don't have many First Nations member logging in very often. While I travel sometimes on the paths of the Western Cherokee, I can't claim it as my ancestral or spiritual hertigage. The opinion I've gotten from those who do post here is that they're happy to have others learn and rejoice along with them, doing so by respecting the tradition is the correct way to pursue it. Because of this, you might ask yourself if you can approach the topic by rephrasing it "Do you all think it would be alright for me to follow the Christian traditions, and religion, so to speak, as long as I didn't follow anything that contradicted First nations spirituality? Would I be going against the Creator?" If you can approach the topic by being able to say 'yes', then I would imagine that it would be perfectly okay.

If I may ask, which of the Cherokee traditions would you be learning about?

[I Panicked! At the Disco]

Because of this, you might ask yourself if you can approach the topic by rephrasing it "Do you all think it would be alright for me to follow the Christian traditions, and religion, so to speak, as long as I didn't follow anything that contradicted First nations spirituality? Would I be going against the Creator?" If you can approach the topic by being able to say 'yes', then I would imagine that it would be perfectly okay.

I don't think I can approach it that way. While I love my heritage and culture dearly, I still can't believe that it will save me eternally. Christianity would still be my number one religion, and anything that contradicts that is not something I could follow.

Right now, I am studying duyuktv, that is the right way. I see it as discovering who you are, who you can be, and where you fit in the circle. It is also the idea of everything balancing, being in perfect harmony with each other and the Earth. I'm also studying how Cherokee "spirituality" and legends relate to those of Christianity, such as how they both have a Supreme being, and how both have a first man and first woman, and how Cherokee have had many of the same beliefs and morals as Christians for centuries. It's quite interesting, but I'm not sure if I can believe in it. Duyuktv makes perfect sense to me. But, by following it, would that be contradicting my Christian beliefs? I can't and don't believe in the legends of how earth was created, the spiritual beings, etc., but there are many things about Cherokee and N. American religion I agree completely with. So, in conclusion, I guess what I'm asking is "Can I have two religions, if they are similar to each other, and generally don't contradict? Or would it be better for me to learn about my culture, but stay away from it's religious beliefs?"

[ayani]

i say, Anade, do what your heart is telling you. i'd say yes, you can have the two traditions. but again, i can't speak for you. keep learning, and go with what feels good to your soul.

[Feathers in Hair]

Since most First Nations traditions don't demand that you believe anything in particular, I can't imagine that anyone would insist that you choose one creation story over another. I was just trying to offer what I imagine a person of that background would say, if they were here. (Again, I'm not of that background.)

I'm afraid the most that any of us would be able to offer you would be reassurance that we believe that the two traditions don't conflict. Ultimately, there is only one person who can make that choice and, because you're Christian, only one entity that can give you a clear 'yes' or 'no'. Because I hope that you're able to follow the two paths, I have hopes that the answer is 'yes'- but the only one who can ask it is you.

Hope you share your decision with us! Good luck on your path!

[I Panicked! At the Disco]

Examples of what I do believe/practice:

The rivers, or "Long Man," were always believed to be sacred, and the practice of going to water for purification and other ceremonies was at one time very common. Today, the river, or any other body of moving water such as a creek, is considered a sacred site, and going to water is still a respected practice by some Cherokees.

Very basic to the Cherokee belief system is the premise that good is rewarded, while evil is punished. Even though the Cherokee strictly believe in this type of justice, there are times when things happen that the system just does not explain.

And things I can not or do not believe:

The everyday cultural world of the Cherokee includes spiritual beings. Even though the beings are different from people and animals, they are not considered "supernatural." They are very much a part of the natural, or real, world and most people at some point in their lives, have an experience with spiritual beings. One group of spiritual beings still talked about by many Cherokees, are the Little People. They are invisible unless they want to be seen. When seen, they look very much like any other Cherokee, except they are very small, and have long hair, sometimes to the ground.

The most dreaded of all Cherokee witches is the Raven Mocker, who robs the dying of their life. A Raven Mocker can be of either sex, and there is no real way to know one. They usually look old and withered, because they have added so many lives to their own.

So I suppose I practice or believe the...how do you say this...practical? Yeah, the practical parts of the Cherokee religion, such as meditating, duyuktv, but not the supernatural/spiritual parts, like the legends, the little people...does this make any sense at all? I can't seem to spit it out...