Paganism

[Valjean]

Free will does not preclude changing your mind.
If humans had no free will we would just be like puppets on God's string, deciding nothing for ourselves.
Why would God want puppets?

So he prefers a bunch of violent, out of control, killer apes?

 

[JoshuaTree]

Astrology is about more than just planets. I forget a lot of it since it has been a long time, but you have many signs, sun, moon, rising, and the planets, and they all interact to affect you. I found my brother's predictions to be eerily accurate.

So planets interfer in our lives?

 

[Trailblazer]

And as for lonely... yeah, that stinks. A lot of that is just luck of where you live. I'm now in one of the world's largest religions, but due to lack of Hindu community in the Midwest, still find myself lonely.

Sorry to hear that but not surprised. I am never lonely even without social interaction because I have my husband and seven cats, but if I want social interaction all I have to do is go to a Zoom meeting, as the local Baha'is have a meeting practically every day. Before Covid, they met in person and there are Baha'i communities practically everywhere in the country and in the world so one could never be lonely. We are the second most widespread religion after Christianity and almost as widespread.

 

[Trailblazer]

So planets interfer in our lives?

They don't interfere, but I think they have an effect, kind of like God.

 

[JoshuaTree]

They don't interfere, but I think they have an effect, kind of like God.

So... As God was eyeballing the que to break the rack of creation He put just enough spin on the ball to ensure Jupiter was in the house of the rising sun to obtain just the outcome He wanted from you billions of years before you were born?

 

[Trailblazer]

So... As God was eyeballing the que to break the rack of creation He put just enough spin on the ball to ensure Jupiter was in the house of the rising sun to obtain just the outcome He wanted from you billions of years before you were born?

I don't know, I am not an astrologer.

 

[The Hammer]

But that means it's without authority, and to me that's not a personally acceptable form of religion as I don't know that what I'm doing is right practice. It's also still lonely.

The authority is the Gods. Not a church or doctrine.

 

[Valjean]

Astrology is about more than just planets. I forget a lot of it since it has been a long time, but you have many signs, sun, moon, rising, and the planets, and they all interact to affect you. I found my brother's predictions to be eerily accurate.

If you distribute a bunch of horoscopes to a classroom of students and claim they're based on their birth dates from the school records, the students will find them astonishingly accurate.
Then the instructor reveals that they are random horoscopes, distributed randomly....

This simple demonstration has been repeated countless times in countless high school and college classrooms. It's a classic demonstration of cognitive bias and apophenia.

 

[Rival]

I wonder if this has something to do with my understanding of religion.

It basically comes down to 'God says do these things, so do them.'

Paganism doesn't seem to work this way and is very novel to me. I'm not used to this and am not particularly invested in it. It seems to be more about various rituals, offerings, get-togethers etc. Not much by the way of prayerbooks, doctrine, so on.

The authority is the Gods. Not a church or doctrine.

But how does one know what the Gods want?

 

[JoshuaTree]

I wonder if this has something to do with my understanding of religion.

It basically comes down to 'God says do these things, so do them.'

Paganism doesn't seem to work this way and is very novel to me. I'm not used to this and am not particularly invested in it. It seems to be more about various rituals, offerings, get-togethers etc. Not much by the way of prayerbooks, doctrine, so on.


But how does one know what the Gods want?

Just speaking for myself, don't think I'm pagan, I believe God is in control so I don't worry about what god wants me to do as I'm doing it, and other then believing I serve some purpose in god's perfect plan I haven't a clue what god is up to. Kinda peaceful existence most of the time ha ha.

 

[JustGeorge]

I wonder if this has something to do with my understanding of religion.

It basically comes down to 'God says do these things, so do them.'

Paganism doesn't seem to work this way and is very novel to me. I'm not used to this and am not particularly invested in it. It seems to be more about various rituals, offerings, get-togethers etc. Not much by the way of prayerbooks, doctrine, so on.


But how does one know what the Gods want?

Most Pagan traditions are less authoritive than the Abrahamic faiths for sure. However, it doesn't mean one has to just go by their whims and the seats of their pants. I remember you shared a list of rules with me on another thread(I think there were 42 of them?) Is it possible to use those as a guidance for daily behavior? One can also learn the stories of their traditions, and familiarize themselves with the Gods in them. The more you get to know them, the better you will understand what they want from you.

At this point, I wouldn't worry much about what other Pagans do. What is it you want to do? If you can't find the day time routines you're looking for, can you create some based on what you know?

 

[Rival]

Most Pagan traditions are less authoritive than the Abrahamic faiths for sure. However, it doesn't mean one has to just go by their whims and the seats of their pants. I remember you shared a list of rules with me on another thread(I think there were 42 of them?) Is it possible to use those as a guidance for daily behavior? One can also learn the stories of their traditions, and familiarize themselves with the Gods in them. The more you get to know them, the better you will understand what they want from you.

At this point, I wouldn't worry much about what other Pagans do. What is it you want to do? If you can't find the day time routines you're looking for, can you create some based on what you know?

They're all 'do nots' essentially. Not positive commandments.

My issue is, I think, I don't like making stuff up, Because it's, well, made up

Guess I need to figure this on my own. As damn usual.

 

[Viker]

Leave the spells, magic and rest of the gobbledygook to us occult nutjobs. You don't have to do anything you feel uncomfortable with.

 

[Rival]

It really seems Judaism has a monopoly on 'stuff you have to do day to day'

I'm just not going to find it elsewhere.

 

[Viker]

So planets interfer in our lives?

Jupiter is a bully. It still pushes all the other little planets around. Big mean bully.

 

[Trailblazer]

I believe God is in control so I don't worry about what god wants me to do as I'm doing it,

Logically speaking, if God is "in control" God is controlling everyone.
So if God controls good people God also controls bad people,
Is the rapist or murderer also doing what God wants him to do?

 

[Viker]

But how does one know what the Gods want?

Ask them, seriously.

 

[osgart]

Free will does not preclude changing your mind.
If humans had no free will we would just be like puppets on God's string, deciding nothing for ourselves.
Why would God want puppets?

You are only as free as your loves, cares, desires, hates, and ambivalence make you. Some people might be slaves to theirs with very little freedom. Thus they say there is no free will. Others might be perfectly aligned with what is true, and have the freest of wills.

I believe there is a truth that can make us free will people. So being independently religious I pursue that. That's probably what gods would want for us. I don't see gods can or would want any control at all.

The idea of always being a controlling parent probably isn't what a God desires. They would long for the opposite.

I thought pagan was independent religion. More about thinking for yourself then say being obedient and not knowing why only having how.

If a person can't see it for themselves then I don't know how liveable it is. Perhaps some religions keep bad people in line through fear and promise. That's probably a good thing.

 

[Heyo]

They're all 'do nots' essentially. Not positive commandments.

My issue is, I think, I don't like making stuff up, Because it's, well, made up

Guess I need to figure this on my own. As damn usual.

Do you think the Jewish traditions aren't made up by someone?
And you don't have to make up things out of whole cloth. Just act like you feel. Feel thankful for some gain? Make a sacrifice to the god(dess) probably responsible for that gain. Like nature? Make it a ritual to have a daily walk, etc.
Do what you feel (but don't harm anybody).

 

[The Hammer]

But how does one know what the Gods want?

By interacting with them. Meditating on them and learning the lessons they have to teach through their stories.

And a heavy dose of intuition. You have to be willing to do what 'feels' right, and drop the rest.

Judaism is top down, a central authority governs everything from a place of power down to the congregation. Paganism is from the ground up. The congregation decides what does or does not work for them, and you build your practice upwards, towards the gods.

I do a morning Rune pull, to give me something to meditate or ruminate on throughout the day. I do an evening candle devotional to the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits. I drum when it feels right. Etc. There are ways to build the sort of practice you had with Judaism, but you have to be willing to build it within the framework of the tradition you want.