Worst Things You Can Ever Say As A Pagan

[TeaDidikai]

SpaceTerminal Destiny

You're referring to the cultural practice of setting widows on fire in India, I presume?

I was thinking of Thích Quảng Đức's sacrifice.  

[Autumnal Light]

SpaceTerminal Destiny

You're referring to the cultural practice of setting widows on fire in India, I presume?

... Seriously?

burning_eyes  

[TeaDidikai]

mute_coyote

SpaceTerminal Destiny

You're referring to the cultural practice of setting widows on fire in India, I presume?

... Seriously?

burning_eyes

Historically.  

[Autumnal Light]

TeaDidikai

mute_coyote

SpaceTerminal Destiny

You're referring to the cultural practice of setting widows on fire in India, I presume?

... Seriously?

burning_eyes

Historically.

I am really curious what the rationale behind that was.  

[TeaDidikai]

mute_coyote

I am really curious what the rationale behind that was.

Sati was a goddess who immolated herself by jumping onto her husband's pyre in grief.

My understanding is that the Mahabharata holds the earliest accounts of the practice- but they are akin to "casual reports", rather than detailing a tradition.

It's now illegal- however symbolic Sati exist.

Being consumed with grief and loss of your beloved could drive a person to do desperate and irrational things.  

[Deoridhe]

There are some reports that Sati still occurs, often involuntarily. Part of this is because in many places women can't hold jobs, so a widow would be a drain on her family, so saying she committed suicide out of grief was an easy way out of that trap.  

[Fiddlers Green]

TeaDidikai

I was thinking of Thích Quảng Đức's sacrifice.

That seems more like a statement than a punishment. also a bit later than Teh Byrnie Thymes. xd
Doesn't make the statement any less powerful tho.

I'm mostly curious about punitive immolations. I've had little luck finding any reliable sources for where they originated. confused  

[Neko_Bast]

This was said by a woman that claimes that she practices hodo. She is my brother-in-laws girlfriend and my husband (and me) don't really like her. She asked my husband if he had "cursed her with negitivity" because he didn't talk to her wile they were at the park. She also claimed that her mother is sending out psycic attaks aimed at her. And today she said she didn't really like halloween because its a "Pagan" holliday. although she didn't say why.  

[Deoridhe]

Fiddlers Green

I'm mostly curious about punitive immolations. I've had little luck finding any reliable sources for where they originated. confused

I would imagine the purifying aspects of immolation come into play to a certain extent... though despite the name, I think a lot of the deaths during that period of time were not due to burning (in Iceland, apparently, they were all hung and most were male).

I find it interesting given the flag burning controversy in the US, since burning the flag is considered the only proper way to dispose of it once it has been damaged, and they sought to render that illegal because some people disposed of undamaged flags that way.

But, then, we're also a supposedly rational and secular country where the flag and patriotism have reached the status of idol, at least.  

[Wrath of Ezekiel]

Actually a pretty good view point on widows and immolation is the historical fiction movie by Deepa Mehta, Water. The other two in the series Fire and Earth deal with other cultural issues in India, particularly in devout Hindu communities.

Deepa Mehta and her film crew were attacked by Hindu extremists while trying to shoot the movie in the holy city of Varanasi. They had to relocate the film set.

Quote for the thread: "Hindus are the most welcoming people and they'd never attack anyone..."  

[TeaDidikai]

Neko_Bast

This was said by a woman that claimes that she practices hodo. She is my brother-in-laws girlfriend and my husband (and me) don't really like her. She asked my husband if he had "cursed her with negitivity" because he didn't talk to her wile they were at the park. She also claimed that her mother is sending out psycic attaks aimed at her.

It's a difference in cultural perspective. If she knows the first thing about you- I wouldn't blame her.

Quote:

And today she said she didn't really like halloween because its a "Pagan" holliday. although she didn't say why.

Common misinformation that is perpetuated by some pagans (I'm looking at you Cabot).  

[Neko_Bast]

TeaDidikai

Neko_Bast

This was said by a woman that claimes that she practices hodo. She is my brother-in-laws girlfriend and my husband (and me) don't really like her. She asked my husband if he had "cursed her with negitivity" because he didn't talk to her wile they were at the park. She also claimed that her mother is sending out psycic attaks aimed at her.

It's a difference in cultural perspective. If she knows the first thing about you- I wouldn't blame her.

confused question she is cracked thats what she is. I've know this woman for 6 months and she gets depressed when my husband wont talk to her, kicks my brother-in-law out for the stupidist things (then begs him to come back the same day), and treats me like i'm invisible or a child depending on whats going on. The thing is, is that my husband has never given this woman a reason to think that he would ever curse anyone, much less her.  

[Fiddlers Green]

Interesting Deo, altho I always understood that Christianity identified water with purification (see baptism) rather than fire, which was related more to Zoroastrian views... and even then, purification of humans came from exposure, not immolation. confused

I'll take a look, SpaceTerminal Destiny, thank you.  

[Nomad of Nowhere]

Fiddlers Green

Interesting Deo, altho I always understood that Christianity identified water with purification (see baptism) rather than fire, which was related more to Zoroastrian views... and even then, purification of humans came from exposure, not immolation. confused

I'll take a look, SpaceTerminal Destiny, thank you.

Wasn't fire the traditional means of sacrifice? Indo-Iranian traditions often hold fire as the "messenger" element to the gods. I think one example is Agni (Whose name is related to the greek word, ignis- isn't that just amazing?) who, if I recall, is the fire/messenger god. The tradition was preserved in Iran even with the onset or Zoroastrianism, which integrated it. It sounds like it may have actually been a pretty kosher human sacrifice. I mean a proper (not morally correct, but historically) old Iranian one that may have actually been taken place a long time ago, assuming there were human sacrifices in that culture a long time ago. Then again, it's far from "kosher", since the Jewish god prefers to only test people by asking them to do that sort of thing. If they also integrated Judaism as you mentioned, perhaps they thought they were "pulling an Isaac" the way god intended?  

[Wrath of Ezekiel]

Teague the Druid

Fiddlers Green

Interesting Deo, altho I always understood that Christianity identified water with purification (see baptism) rather than fire, which was related more to Zoroastrian views... and even then, purification of humans came from exposure, not immolation. confused

I'll take a look, SpaceTerminal Destiny, thank you.

Wasn't fire the traditional means of sacrifice? Indo-Iranian traditions often hold fire as the "messenger" element to the gods. I think one example is Agni (Whose name is related to the greek word, ignis- isn't that just amazing?) who, if I recall, is the fire/messenger god. The tradition was preserved in Iran even with the onset or Zoroastrianism, which integrated it. It sounds like it may have actually been a pretty kosher human sacrifice. I mean a proper (not morally correct, but historically) old Iranian one that may have actually been taken place a long time ago, assuming there were human sacrifices in that culture a long time ago. Then again, it's far from "kosher", since the Jewish god prefers to only test people by asking them to do that sort of thing. If they also integrated Judaism as you mentioned, perhaps they thought they were "pulling an Isaac" the way god intended?

Agni is the Hindu fire god. I think the story of immolation goes back to the back story involving the 6th reincarnation of Vishnu.