Christo-Paganism, Syncretic Faiths, Mysticism and You

[rmcdra]

yeah technically I'm pagan since I don't believe God to technically be the Creator and I do believe there is a distinction between the Gods of the OT and NT but I don't consider myself Pagan.

I consider myself a part of the Christian community. I'm a Christian before I'm a Gnostic, though the pastor at my Gnostic Church thinks I'm too stuck on labels though.  

[DruidWitch82]

I'm a Gnostic as well. It really is compatible with syncretism, as opposed to mainstream Christianity. But I don't worry about labels nearly as much as I used to.  

[rmcdra]

insanedramatic

I'm a Gnostic as well. It really is compatible with syncretism, as opposed to mainstream Christianity. But I don't worry about labels nearly as much as I used to.

Sweet to meet another Gnostic. So have you had an experience with God yet or are you still seeking?  

[DruidWitch82]

I'm always seeking. However, I have had several moments in my life where I felt the presence of the Divine in my life. Interestingly enough, those moments tend to have nothing to do with planned ritual, planned daily practice, or even anything closely Gnostic related.  

[A Sentimental Heart]

I was thinking, someone correct me if it's completely wrong, but could the Holy Trinity be compared to The One, God, and the Goddess?  

[TatteredAngel]

I keep almost-responding to this, and then not doing it because I'm not all that focused and coherent, but heck with it, when will I be?

There's no way I could keep Christianity and some Christian traditions out of my syncretic practice. I went to Sunday school, I have grown up in predominately Christian places, and my very first forays into really figuring out religion involved reading the Bible so I could understand what my Christian friends were saying (turns out, some things, I still haven't a clue where they come from).

Like anything, I see what makes sense, and what is a respectful incorporation of elements of a religion I am not part of.

One thing I do is sing old-time Christian music. Some of the best spiritual songs I know are Christian, and while I take some of the things they say with a hefty grain of salt when it comes to my own practice, I sing them or listen to them in order to gain focus, comfort, and sometimes just out of joy-- the way they're supposed to be sung.  

[Gho the Girl]

TheBelikov

I was thinking, someone correct me if it's completely wrong, but could the Holy Trinity be compared to The One, God, and the Goddess?

I don't think so. Could you provide an explanation of what each of those are and why you find them comparable?  

[TeaDidikai]

Gho the Girl

TheBelikov

I was thinking, someone correct me if it's completely wrong, but could the Holy Trinity be compared to The One, God, and the Goddess?

I don't think so. Could you provide an explanation of what each of those are and why you find them comparable?

Well, you can compare them- in the sense that you can compare just about anything. How accurate or meaningful that comparison would be is the question.

The next question would be "What One, God and Goddess?"  

[Collowrath]

TeaDidikai

The next question would be "What One, God and Goddess?"

This was going to be my contribution. xp At any rate, I'm pleasantly awaiting the answer.  

[Bastemhet]

I'm confused. In Christianity isn't it so that God is absolute, the One, exclusively?

Furthermore how does one ameliorate differing world views in which conceptions of god/s might be mutually exclusive, e.g. monotheism v. hard polytheism? Or even hard v. soft polytheism?  

[Collowrath]

Sophist

I'm confused. In Christianity isn't it so that God is absolute, the One, exclusively?

Perhaps, so long as you aren't Trinitarian, monolatrist, etc.

Quote:

Furthermore how does one ameliorate differing world views in which conceptions of god/s might be mutually exclusive, e.g. monotheism v. hard polytheism? Or even hard v. soft polytheism?

As for monotheism vs. hard polytheism, I'm thinking that presents somewhat of a false dichotomy - both of those contain viewpoints within them that reconcile both. For instance, monolatry, wherein there are many Gods, but only one deserves worship. This is consistent with the Jewish thought presented in the Old Testament.

There is also kathenotheism, which is a hard-polytheist viewpoint wherein each individual God is worshiped distinctly and separately following different standards, methods, etc. This is a viewpoint present within some Dual-Faith traditions (but by no means the only one), expressed by membership in two distinct faiths; for instance, worshiping a pagan God in the way He asks, and the Christian one in His way, often without much thought as to how you could reconcile them into one religion (because that isn't necessary).  

[Bastemhet]

Collowrath

Sophist

I'm confused. In Christianity isn't it so that God is absolute, the One, exclusively?

Perhaps, so long as you aren't Trinitarian, monolatrist, etc.

Is there a universal church stance on which is the more accurate?

Collowrath

Quote:

Furthermore how does one ameliorate differing world views in which conceptions of god/s might be mutually exclusive, e.g. monotheism v. hard polytheism? Or even hard v. soft polytheism?

As for monotheism vs. hard polytheism, I'm thinking that presents somewhat of a false dichotomy - both of those contain viewpoints within them that reconcile both. For instance, monolatry, wherein there are many Gods, but only one deserves worship. This is consistent with the Jewish thought presented in the Old Testament.

I thought monolatry is the idea that there is one creator god and all differentiation (be it in the form of other gods or anything else present in creation) are just manifestations of this One source? Isn't what you're describing henotheism?

Quote:

There is also kathenotheism, which is a hard-polytheist viewpoint wherein each individual God is worshiped distinctly and separately following different standards, methods, etc. This is a viewpoint present within some Dual-Faith traditions (but by no means the only one), expressed by membership in two distinct faiths; for instance, worshiping a pagan God in the way He asks, and the Christian one in His way, often without much thought as to how you could reconcile them into one religion (because that isn't necessary).

Why is it not necessary to reconcile two distinct view points that conflict with each other on the nature of deity?  

[Collowrath]

Sophist

Collowrath

Sophist

I'm confused. In Christianity isn't it so that God is absolute, the One, exclusively?

Perhaps, so long as you aren't Trinitarian, monolatrist, etc.

Is there a universal church stance on which is the more accurate?

Plenty of churches offer their own stance on which is more accurate.

Quote:

thought monolatry is the idea that there is one creator god and all differentiation (be it in the form of other gods or anything else present in creation) are just manifestations of this One source? Isn't what you're describing henotheism?

Monolatry and kathenotheism are subgroups of henotheism. Essentially, henotheism is the worship of one god while not ruling out the existence of others, while monolatry is the belief in many gods (they DO exist, rather than they MIGHT), while only consistently worshiping one.

Monolatry doesn't necessitate that there is one creator god, but that is a common expression, afaik.

Quote:

Why is it not necessary to reconcile two distinct view points that conflict with each other on the nature of deity?

Essentially, because one viewpoint or another has already settled the question. For instance, you're a hard polytheist - you know as a matter of fact that there are dozens and dozens of gods, of which the Christian God is just one. If other Christians disagree, they're simply wrong.  

[A Sentimental Heart]

TeaDidikai

Gho the Girl

TheBelikov

I was thinking, someone correct me if it's completely wrong, but could the Holy Trinity be compared to The One, God, and the Goddess?

I don't think so. Could you provide an explanation of what each of those are and why you find them comparable?

Well, you can compare them- in the sense that you can compare just about anything. How accurate or meaningful that comparison would be is the question.

The next question would be "What One, God and Goddess?"

Some Wiccans I've met worship "The One" a/the "God" and a/the "Goddess". (The One as an ultimate being who created the God/s and Goddess/es who in turn created everything else).
The Father of the Trinity could correspond with "The One", the Son or Jesus could correspond with a/the God, and The Holy Spirit as a feminine aspect could correspond with a/the Goddess.
I've just recently met Christian Wiccans who follow the similarities.  

[A Sentimental Heart]

Awhile ago I challenged a well-established pastor and found an ongoing debate on whether or not the Holy Trinity should be worshiped separately among Christians. I went out a talked to multiple other people (not just pastors) in various churches in my town and found mixed and often unsure replies. And I'm not sure, but I thought I heard something that Mary should be worshiped. Not sure if that was Catholic or something else...