1. How do you define deity? (Archtypes, individual entities, different facets of some greater unknowable divine, etc.)
individual entities with distinct personalities. After all they don't always get along w/ each other either.
2. Do all gods exist that have believers? Are gods created through belief, or do they exist outside belief?
Outside. It's in the mythology and I firmly believe if humans didn't exist anymore. My gods still would. They don't actually need people. They want them.
3. If you believe gods take interest in specific peoples lives -- why would they do that? How does that benefit the god?
I'm not sure of their methods to be honest. But there seems to be a certain criteria for them to even take interest. And if they take interest that doesn't gurentee that want you to worship them. Sacrifice is one of the criterias it seems for their interest. If you aren't willing they won't be interested.
4. How do you see the relationship between a god and a human?
People are slaves to the gods. I view my relationships this
I have a set of beliefs that I follow with the religion. The slavery thing is a part of it. But I love being that way with them personally. I can't say there are any beliefs within the religion I personally disagree with anyway.
Of course I have my own personal beliefs, but it's UPG. (Unsubstaniated Personal Gnosis) Not actually being canon within the context of the beliefs I follow. But at the same time I had a lot of UPG that conferred with history and what we know about the Aztecs through science. (I'm a Aztec reconstructionist btw.)
I don't know - I've met a few people who consider themselves the bitch of their personal deity. It's perhaps not as uncommon as you might think.
Don't understand at all why you would choose to follow that sort of path, but then again, the people I've met who are like that don't believe it was a choice.
As might be clear from my phrasing, I can't go along with that, but as long as people don't fuck my shit up, who am I to disagree with their interpretation of their own religious beliefs?
Oh, I've met a few. But comparing that few to the ... I don't know ... hundreds? of oppositional views I've seen either in person or online will keep my opinion that it's not a common view in pagan circles pretty firm.
I would imagine that most people with that view aren't going to shout about it too much. Being someone's 'slave' is usually seen as an extremely negative thing and most people can't be bothered with the ensuing fight.
Also, you need to factor in all the n00bs who are Pseudo-wiccan because they think they can burn a candle and get a god to do their maths homework for them and make that bitch Jenny regret stealing their boyfriend. I propose that these people should not be counted.
I found a lot of anti-slavery views when i conversed with them. Also, anti-sacrifice.(Although things like food and items could be counted as sacrifice too.) Like doing anything for a deity that required less selfishness was looked down upon. :-/ Apparently you're supposed to view yourself as a goddess or deity (which sounds very modernly Satanic to me.) on par with the gods or the gods are equal to you in some manner, or they are just forces of nature to use or all three. Personally, I detest that kind of treatment of deities because I don't think they exist to serve us to the point of wiping our asses, some people treat their gods THAT badly. It's definitely not part of many ancient views I have seen.
They also go crazy when i tell them how fearful I am of my deities. Like I guess powerful gods that treat people as inferiors is just frowned upon in many of the pagan circles I have seen. The weird thing is that I don't think that Gerald Gardner started Wicca in that manner. I think it's been too infiltrated by the New Agers.
A lot probably don't. Or the believe they themselves are the deity, too.
It's like this site says. I guess I don't mind people not being afraid of deities or worshiping themselves. My only problem is when they say it represents ancient historical belief, and it doesn't.
Actually I beg to differ. Not only did the Aztecs see themselves as slaves to their gods, the Sumerians did as well. Since the Sumerians pre-date anything Judeo-Christian and are the first civilization with one of the oldest and most influential religions in the world I would be careful with that assumption. In fact that Sumerian view is more pessimistic. People were in fact created to work for the gods, because the gods grew tired of doing things themselves.
I think you may not be looking at the right sources because the slavery thing is not originally Abrahamic and not limited to. And last I recall Judaism and Christianity along with Islam they do NOT view themselves as slaves to God or anything. There's no dogma I have ever seen of it.
individual entities with distinct personalities. After all they don't always get along w/ each other either.
2. Do all gods exist that have believers? Are gods created through belief, or do they exist outside belief?
Outside. It's in the mythology and I firmly believe if humans didn't exist anymore. My gods still would. They don't actually need people. They want them.
3. If you believe gods take interest in specific peoples lives -- why would they do that? How does that benefit the god?
I'm not sure of their methods to be honest. But there seems to be a certain criteria for them to even take interest. And if they take interest that doesn't gurentee that want you to worship them. Sacrifice is one of the criterias it seems for their interest. If you aren't willing they won't be interested.
4. How do you see the relationship between a god and a human?
People are slaves to the gods. I view my relationships this
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Do you follow some specific set of beliefs of have you come to this conclusion personally? Or some combination thereof.
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Of course I have my own personal beliefs, but it's UPG. (Unsubstaniated Personal Gnosis) Not actually being canon within the context of the beliefs I follow. But at the same time I had a lot of UPG that conferred with history and what we know about the Aztecs through science. (I'm a Aztec reconstructionist btw.)
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Don't understand at all why you would choose to follow that sort of path, but then again, the people I've met who are like that don't believe it was a choice.
As might be clear from my phrasing, I can't go along with that, but as long as people don't fuck my shit up, who am I to disagree with their interpretation of their own religious beliefs?
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Also, you need to factor in all the n00bs who are Pseudo-wiccan because they think they can burn a candle and get a god to do their maths homework for them and make that bitch Jenny regret stealing their boyfriend. I propose that these people should not be counted.
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They also go crazy when i tell them how fearful I am of my deities. Like I guess powerful gods that treat people as inferiors is just frowned upon in many of the pagan circles I have seen. The weird thing is that I don't think that Gerald Gardner started Wicca in that manner. I think it's been too infiltrated by the New Agers.
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It's like this site says. I guess I don't mind people not being afraid of deities or worshiping themselves. My only problem is when they say it represents ancient historical belief, and it doesn't.
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I think you may not be looking at the right sources because the slavery thing is not originally Abrahamic and not limited to. And last I recall Judaism and Christianity along with Islam they do NOT view themselves as slaves to God or anything. There's no dogma I have ever seen of it.
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