International Pagan Values Month--coming to Terms

[xi_o_teaz]

I've seen a few people posting about the International Pagan Values Month, including a very thought-provoking post by my good friend, sannion here. Despite my overall aversion to Philosophical discussions anymore, I feel myself somewhat drawn to this topic

Comments

[catsidhe]

I think the “Good {insert religion here}” thing is about active morality. When you look at the spirituality of most Abrahamics, there is an emphasis on religious services and private religious practice as a passive act: you do what God tells you to do because God and His representatives told you that this is the way to honour Him. Even prayer is passively asking God to do something, but there is no real expectation that it will then happen. Mysterious Ways, and all that. All religions, I think, have actively spiritual branches. Gnostics, Sufi, and Qabbalists all have a more active take on the feedback between religious practice and practical effect.

Canonically, Abrahamics are supposed to rely on Faith above Gnosis for their religious inspiration. Each of them has it written in their books that it is better to believe without proof, that this is a purer form of belief. This is not universally adhered to in practice, because it's hard for even a religion to turn off everyone's brains completely, and human brains work on evidence, even if retconned. So to that extent, Christians, Muslims and Jews are supposed to believe because it's Just True, OK? Where pagans perforce must figure out what they believe through personal experience.

[xi_o_teaz]

Good points all around. There is still much swimming around in my head as I think on this...

All religions, I think, have actively spiritual branches. Gnostics, Sufi, and Qabbalists all have a more active take on the feedback between religious practice and practical effect.

Yes. They are Western versions of Mysicism. The West--in particular--has always been particularly harsh toward Mystical approaches to God, unless done within very minuscule versions. Even then, there are countless stories of Christian Mystics who were prosecuted. You don't find this in the East nearly as often, I don't think. You find more emphasis upon Mystical approaches in general (in many ways, Buddhism focuses as much upon Mysticism as popular 20th century American Christianity focused upon Devotional practices). I'm not sure I have a point right now, but I'm still thinking on this topic...

Thanks for continuing to provide thought-provoking dialogue, something missing far too often from LJ anymore, it seems.