Worst Things You Can Ever Say As A Pagan

[Deoridhe]

TeaDidikai

Deoridhe

Oh yes. And a curious defensiveness when called on it, in my experience. I think this is the "god as pokemon" phenomena, where really the desire for being pagan is not to be religious but to feel like one has control over powerful forces.

Yeah.
How often would you guess this is a function of reaction to parent faiths in developing autonomy?

Frequently, but an over-reaction that seems to calcify a lot. There is a sense of "the only way to be in control is to never surrender or follow" which is also peculiarly USian (and perhaps Western? I don't know about different European country mindsets). It's also a function of the low value placed on community and relationship, I think.  

[TeaDidikai]

Deoridhe

TeaDidikai

Deoridhe

Oh yes. And a curious defensiveness when called on it, in my experience. I think this is the "god as pokemon" phenomena, where really the desire for being pagan is not to be religious but to feel like one has control over powerful forces.

Yeah.
How often would you guess this is a function of reaction to parent faiths in developing autonomy?

Frequently, but an over-reaction that seems to calcify a lot. There is a sense of "the only way to be in control is to never surrender or follow" which is also peculiarly USian (and perhaps Western? I don't know about different European country mindsets). It's also a function of the low value placed on community and relationship, I think.

Seems reasonable, especially in how the working world functions, individual achievement is given more glory than teamwork.  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

Quote:

and as for my believing i am Fae, i just believe it. me and a Druid friend of mine are currently researching trying to prove the existance of teh Tuatha'De Danaan as a real group of people who existed, and who's descendents live on today. we are very close to what science would call proof.

i don't know why the Morrighan would choose to adopt me, but i am telling you the truth. my Mother Goddess is the Morrighan, my prayers go out to her, she is who i turn to in time sof need, and she is always there for me.

as for the norse gods interacting with me, it is mainly because i put myself where i would be interacting with them. by getting involved in searches forknowledge that brought me to people who have deep spiritual connections with them. my relationships to Odin and Loki are not very special.

and the Itallians and Gaelic are two of many races of humans who were DIRECTLY descendant of teh Indo-European race.

 

[Ellisari]

Violet Song jat Shariff

Quote:

and as for my believing i am Fae, i just believe it. me and a Druid friend of mine are currently researching trying to prove the existance of teh Tuatha'De Danaan as a real group of people who existed, and who's descendents live on today. we are very close to what science would call proof.

i don't know why the Morrighan would choose to adopt me, but i am telling you the truth. my Mother Goddess is the Morrighan, my prayers go out to her, she is who i turn to in time sof need, and she is always there for me.

as for the norse gods interacting with me, it is mainly because i put myself where i would be interacting with them. by getting involved in searches forknowledge that brought me to people who have deep spiritual connections with them. my relationships to Odin and Loki are not very special.

and the Itallians and Gaelic are two of many races of humans who were DIRECTLY descendant of teh Indo-European race.

I lol'd. XD  

[Recursive Paradox]

Deoridhe

I think this is the "god as pokemon" phenomena, where really the desire for being pagan is not to be religious but to feel like one has control over powerful forces.

Your choice of words for these topics always makes my day better in every way, no matter what the context. XD

TeaDidikai

Deoridhe

TeaDidikai

Deoridhe

Oh yes. And a curious defensiveness when called on it, in my experience. I think this is the "god as pokemon" phenomena, where really the desire for being pagan is not to be religious but to feel like one has control over powerful forces.

Yeah.
How often would you guess this is a function of reaction to parent faiths in developing autonomy?

Frequently, but an over-reaction that seems to calcify a lot. There is a sense of "the only way to be in control is to never surrender or follow" which is also peculiarly USian (and perhaps Western? I don't know about different European country mindsets). It's also a function of the low value placed on community and relationship, I think.

Seems reasonable, especially in how the working world functions, individual achievement is given more glory than teamwork.

I wouldn't necessarily say that all instances of such an attitude (avoiding following or surrendering) would end in a lack of teamwork or community. I would imagine it would be based on the degree that one is adverse to following and that surrendering itself has a lot less of an impact on that overall.

I was about to use my path as an example but it may be a horrible one because it firmly admits that we are just very tiny plankton in a very large ocean filled with giant moon sized sharks. Such does not give much of a sense of control... sweatdrop  

[TeaDidikai]

Recursive Paradox

I wouldn't necessarily say that all instances of such an attitude (avoiding following or surrendering) would end in a lack of teamwork or community. I would imagine it would be based on the degree that one is adverse to following and that surrendering itself has a lot less of an impact on that overall.

I was about to use my path as an example but it may be a horrible one because it firmly admits that we are just very tiny plankton in a very large ocean filled with giant moon sized sharks. Such does not give much of a sense of control... sweatdrop

Don't think of it as all instances myself. Just a common cultural pattern.

I was talking with my friend about the differences between US's workforce and Japans, and mostly commenting on the differences in social structures in the workplace.  

[Recursive Paradox]

TeaDidikai

Recursive Paradox

I wouldn't necessarily say that all instances of such an attitude (avoiding following or surrendering) would end in a lack of teamwork or community. I would imagine it would be based on the degree that one is adverse to following and that surrendering itself has a lot less of an impact on that overall.

I was about to use my path as an example but it may be a horrible one because it firmly admits that we are just very tiny plankton in a very large ocean filled with giant moon sized sharks. Such does not give much of a sense of control... sweatdrop

Don't think of it as all instances myself. Just a common cultural pattern.

I was talking with my friend about the differences between US's workforce and Japans, and mostly commenting on the differences in social structures in the workplace.

Oh. Yeah that makes more sense. Do you think it's linked to the arrogant entitlement that infects a very notable portion of the American population?  

[TeaDidikai]

Recursive Paradox

Oh. Yeah that makes more sense. Do you think it's linked to the arrogant entitlement that infects a very notable portion of the American population?

My guess, my completely unsupported guess, is that it stems initially from the Puritan Work Ethic, which then infused itself into "The American Dream" as a reaction against a combination of modern Socialist/Communist ideologies and late Feudal European Land Rights.

I can't say these caused it, but I can say that I can see how there would be a cultural connection that started with the founding of this country and ingrained itself over several generations- reacting to different points in US history.  

[Nines19]

Namikikyo

Czidnoma

From a "Wiccan" at my high school reunion:

"So, you know, Godsmack's 'Voodoo' is really about a magic ritual."

I heard that one too, Along with the woman performing the ritual is actually a famous Wiccan and the singer is a Wiccan too. rolleyes

"See his belt buckle? That's the green man, So he's Wiccan."

I may be mistaken, but I think he may actually claim to be a "Celtic Wiccan". (Or it was on his Wiki page about six months ago, anyhow.)

...and that's how I had the "what Wicca is" talk with my sister.  

[Recursive Paradox]

TeaDidikai

Recursive Paradox

Oh. Yeah that makes more sense. Do you think it's linked to the arrogant entitlement that infects a very notable portion of the American population?

My guess, my completely unsupported guess, is that it stems initially from the Puritan Work Ethic, which then infused itself into "The American Dream" as a reaction against a combination of modern Socialist/Communist ideologies and late Feudal European Land Rights.

I can't say these caused it, but I can say that I can see how there would be a cultural connection that started with the founding of this country and ingrained itself over several generations- reacting to different points in US history.

Stuff like this makes me wonder why I didn't go into sociology after all. But then I remember my love affair with biology. I might be a bit poly about sciences. XD  

[Ainwyn]

Not said by a pagan, but still amusing. This was heard in my ancient religions class today:
"I heard on the History channel that Akhenaten was a hermaphrodite."...

The most amusing part was that she made this comment while we were looking at a carving of the Akhenaten and his family, which included three kids.  

[TeaDidikai]

Ainwyn

Not said by a pagan, but still amusing. This was heard in my ancient religions class today:
"I heard on the History channel that Akhenaten was a hermaphrodite."...

The most amusing part was that she made this comment while we were looking at a carving of the Akhenaten and his family, which included three kids.

The theory stems from how he was portrayed in art, at his own discretion.

Maybe it was Marfan's syndrome, maybe it was something else. Until we actually find the mummy and identify it, it's kinda a moot point.  

[Ainwyn]

TeaDidikai

Ainwyn

Not said by a pagan, but still amusing. This was heard in my ancient religions class today:
"I heard on the History channel that Akhenaten was a hermaphrodite."...

The most amusing part was that she made this comment while we were looking at a carving of the Akhenaten and his family, which included three kids.

The theory stems from how he was portrayed in art, at his own discretion.

Maybe it was Marfan's syndrome, maybe it was something else. Until we actually find the mummy and identify it, it's kinda a moot point.

That makes sense, I suppose. It was mostly just the fact that she was saying he was a "hermaphrodite" while he had his kids climbing all over him, seeing as being intersex makes you infertile, as far as I'm aware. It would make sense if it was something else though, if there was indeed a medical reason behind it. I'll have to go look up Marfan's syndrome!  

[TeaDidikai]

Ainwyn

That makes sense, I suppose. It was mostly just the fact that she was saying he was a "hermaphrodite" while he had his kids climbing all over him, seeing as being intersex makes you infertile, as far as I'm aware.

My understanding of the term "intersexed" is limited, and I'm open to correction by people who have a better handle on it than I do, but to the best of my knowledge the concept exists in a spectrum, in that different forms of ambiguous genitalia and other such conditions may not render a person infertile.