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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 7:22 pm
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This is a repost from M&R, and it was requested that I put a copy here for those a little uncomfortable in M&R. I do ask, that if you are comfortable posting in M&R, to do so in both places. I like discussion, yo.
I'm fairly used to people saying that my religion is dead -- and in a way it is. I am not an Ancient Greek, nor do I pretend to be. Those gods are my gods, but I can only see the culture from the outside, from history. Thankfully, I have a lot to go on, at least for specific areas. If I wanted to reconstruct the popular religion of Athens, I'd be golden.
But I don't live in Greece of any time period. I live in the modern world, so when I look at a text, it isn't always from an ancient point of view. I am a shameless fangirl of Ginette Paris and her feminist and archetypal look into greek mythology. Her particular insights have seriously influenced my view of several gods and goddess -- she doesn't pull any punches and addresses the good with the bad, to steal several cliches. While she doesn't influence all of my interpretations of my mythology (I love reading it, and evaluating, and generally being a geek), it is one that I keep coming back to.
Now, the Hellenic community is incredibly diverse. There are some that only see what the ancient greeks wrote, and there are some that are wholly modern. Most are inbetween.
What is the role of modern or even personal interpretations of your mythology in your religious practice? How is this viewed by your community? How do you know if the way interpret even older sources is "accurate", if such a thing exists?
For those of you without a specific mythology, how do you see modern interpretations of mythology, of any sort?
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 4:29 pm
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:12 pm
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Something that I must point out to you is...All religions have myths as far as I'm aware. (Creation myth anyone? Aka genesis?) Just because your religion is not as popular as say Christianity doesn't mean anything, a myth is still a myth..Also, religion is purely up for interpretation, so anything you want to believe is truly yours to choose. As for interpreting 'accurately' there's no such thing, the message is truly different for different groups. Also, each of these myths were made for a specific audience at a specific time. So while we can look back and still interpret them, we're not necessarily the target audience. If that makes any sense. Good myths will have meaning outside of the culture and time period. If they are supposed to convey a specific message, it will be quite clear.
I don't really have a specific mythology, I don't feel I need one. My God and Goddess are only named that. I don't follow any specific rules from any one religion, I have my own code of conduct and that's enough for me. Religion is something that is made by man for man, so I will choose what works for me.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:39 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:21 am
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:03 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:28 pm
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