"Let's pretend" religions?

Engyo said:

That's only 6. The 7th is either ***** or Flatulent, I'm guessing.

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Sorry 'bout that....I left out Sleazy.

UltraViolet said:

It really isn't necessary to "believe" anything
in order to benefit from a ritual/magic.
"Hard wired Belief" can actually have the reverse effect
of closing you off (by means of your pre'concieved ideas/beliefs),
whereas the suspension of disbelief
puts you in a temporary "State" of "wide open" being,
where you are Open to the desired effects/manifestation/s
of the intent of your ritual.

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Oh! I wish this and it's implications were more widely understood! Its not necessary to believe; just suspend belief while expressing your intent in ritual and the subconscious (or whatever is responding) will do its thing.

In terms of my rational mind I'm an atheist who doesn't believe in supernatural forces. No evidence, etc. However, that is besides the point when it comes to the trans-rational. I use Magick to converse with I-know-not-what. No beliefs necessary. The connection & relationship is about openness. Its why my brain lights up like a Christmas tree the moment I enter "ritual space", why I've been able to out-compete more mentally & physically gifted peers my whole life and why my spine & nervous system in general right now feels like its hyper-charged by some "spiritual" sourced lust for life.

Skwim said:

In a lively discussion of religions the other day a couple of people were of the opinion that today Druidism, Wicca, Witchcraft, and the like were not honest, sincerely held religions, but part of a game of "let's pretend." An activity where the attraction wasn't the espoused core beliefs, but the novelty of it all, a novelty that necessarily was at odds with more main stream religious beliefs and practices. That were it not for this novelty, and its unconventional, abnormal?, trappings, these religions would never have reemerged in today's world.

Thoughts?

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I would guess that in the case of the religions you're talking about there are people who are serious about the core beliefs and there are people who buy into it all because it's popular, socially convenient, and trendy---just like any other religion. :yes:

Skwim said:

In a lively discussion of religions the other day a couple of people were of the opinion that today Druidism, Wicca, Witchcraft, and the like were not honest, sincerely held religions, but part of a game of "let's pretend." An activity where the attraction wasn't the espoused core beliefs, but the novelty of it all, a novelty that necessarily was at odds with more main stream religious beliefs and practices. That were it not for this novelty, and its unconventional, abnormal?, trappings, these religions would never have reemerged in today's world.

Thoughts?

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There are a few people who join those religions for those reasons, or out of simple rebellion or what not. The common term for them among more serious pagans is "fluffy bunny" or just "fluffy", because they aren't really taking any of it seriously. However I can assure you that is not the reason why these religions have reemerged and are becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on.

Skwim said:

In a lively discussion of religions the other day a couple of people were of the opinion that today Druidism, Wicca, Witchcraft, and the like were not honest, sincerely held religions, but part of a game of "let's pretend." An activity where the attraction wasn't the espoused core beliefs, but the novelty of it all, a novelty that necessarily was at odds with more main stream religious beliefs and practices. That were it not for this novelty, and its unconventional, abnormal?, trappings, these religions would never have reemerged in today's world.

Thoughts?

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To some degree I have to agree.
The whole "make your own religion" fad is somewhat entertaining though.

Skwim said:

In a lively discussion of religions the other day a couple of people were of the opinion that today Druidism, Wicca, Witchcraft, and the like were not honest, sincerely held religions, but part of a game of "let's pretend." An activity where the attraction wasn't the espoused core beliefs, but the novelty of it all, a novelty that necessarily was at odds with more main stream religious beliefs and practices. That were it not for this novelty, and its unconventional, abnormal?, trappings, these religions would never have reemerged in today's world.

Thoughts?

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My thoughts are this, there are people in this world who get into stuff because it is the next big new thing and as soon as the new wears off or something bigger comes along they are on that. We don't notice it so much if they are a member of one of the mainstream religions but if their next big new thing is a religion that isn't quiet so well known or practiced then the religion is blamed for it and not the individual.

When something seems odd it is only because we aren't familiar with it.

Mestemia said:

To some degree I have to agree.
The whole "make your own religion" fad is somewhat entertaining though.

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"Let's play pretend" is always SO much more fun,
when you realize it's what you're doing.

Would be my serious, and "made up" take on the matter. :cover:

Though "pretending you're not pretending"
can have it's benfits as well.

UltraViolet said:

"Let's play pretend" is always SO much more fun,
when you realize it's what you're doing.

Would be my serious, and "made up" take on the matter. :cover:

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UltraViolet said:

Though "pretending you're not pretending"
can have it's benfits as well.

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*waits to be pummeled by tomatoes of misunderstanding*

I'm not singling anyone out.
In general it is my observation that people play pretend with their lives in general.
Be it religion, relationships, their future, what they can actually afford...

Mythologies and Magicks can be excellent ways to see into/thru all of that,
so we can begin unwinding it all....
(unless of course, we are using them to "hold our illusions" solid.
which in the end, doesn't work anyway)

UltraViolet said:

*waits to be pummeled by tomatoes of misunderstanding*

I'm not singling anyone out.
In general it is my observation that people play pretend with their lives in general.
Be it religion, relationships, their future, what they can actually afford...

Mythologies and Magicks can be excellent ways to see into/thru all of that,
so we can begin unwinding it all....
(unless of course, we are using them to "hold our illusions" solid.
which in the end, doesn't work anyway)

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Er, well yeh, but what do you do after unwinding it all, UV?

Despite its power the primal subconscious mind doesn't have a clue what's really going on. It responds like a dumb machine to what it is shown. Magick is all about appearances because of that but seeing beyond appearances isn't the end of the story. What happens next, in your experience?

Skwim said:

In a lively discussion of religions the other day a couple of people were of the opinion that today Druidism, Wicca, Witchcraft, and the like were not honest, sincerely held religions, but part of a game of "let's pretend." An activity where the attraction wasn't the espoused core beliefs, but the novelty of it all, a novelty that necessarily was at odds with more main stream religious beliefs and practices. That were it not for this novelty, and its unconventional, abnormal?, trappings, these religions would never have reemerged in today's world.

Thoughts?

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I will admit to enjoying a good rousing round of "freak the mundanes" on occasion. Thinking back on my life, I may have been initially attracted to non-christian religions due to the unconventionality of the religion, but I would also have to argue that my religious choice is NOT part of a 'freak the mundanes' gambit. If it were, I would be much more ostentatious about it, wearing a Thor's hammer the size of the crucifixes I see on a regular basis worn by the good christians that surround me, loudly proclaiming 'Freya's blessings on you this day' whenever I meet someone (as opposed to my normal 'Hi!, how are you?') or some such event similar in many respects to what those good christian people do. Of course, I could also do things like shout 'Blood for Odin' before I hit people with an axe outside a church, or attempt to strip them of their civil-rights because they don't believe, or **** the opposite sex and proclaim that I am doing so because being straight is against the will of the gods because Loki fathered and bore children (hence everyone should be bi).

So, given that many (not all) christians feel that any espoused religious beliefs that aren't christian beliefs are a threat to their religion, who exactly is 'playing pretend'? If the mere presence of my religion is threatening (after all, my (and all other) gods are really devils in disguise according to many christian sects) to one's religious beliefs one's religious beliefs can't be that firmly held now can they?