Baby worship in paganism

[ravan]

This is prompted by an otherwise valid rant on kinky/oversexualized behavior/dialog in general public spaces. While I don't believe that kids should be exposed to sexuality before they are ready (as determined by their parents and/or biology), I don't think that kids should be the "most sacred thing" in any religion.

Children are the most

Comments

[bellacrow]

you know, I do think there are some projection issues going both ways.

For parents, their kids are the most important things in their life. They do realize that their kids are not important to other people I believe.

But kid and family friendly advertised spaces should be exactly that. Which I know you agree with.

I also agree that kids dont need to be at everything either annd tht adult only spaces should be honored.

the two are not mutually exclusive in my book.

[ravan]

The "your religion is nothing, absolutely nothing without a generation to hand it off to" is so full of child worship that it makes me ill. I haven't spent 25 years studying/developing my religion to be told that it is all for nothing unless I have kids to indoctrinate in it. It's just insulting. My path is not for preteen children.

Even if I had kids, they'd be raised UU or generic pagan, and introduced to the actual specifics of my path once they were teens, if they were interested.

[ertla]

It's amazing how many people invalidate their own arguments, press numerous irrelevant buttons, and get themselves dismissed as irrelevant cranks, because they can't stick to the topic at hand, or more likely cannot imagine a middle path or compromoise solution.

The paragraph you quoted is pretty bad, and guaranteed to alienate anyone who's felt significant pressure to become a parent. It's also flat out unecessary to the rest of the argument.

To be really frank, I don't want to be involved with someone who apparantly thinks that the best way to motivate people not to demonstrate nipple torture in front of 8 year olds is to tell them that it's vitally important for religions to produce another generation of members, and that it's selfish of them not to put this goal ahead of all(?) other goals. I'm glad this author is not a self-appointed spokesperson for my religion.

[ravan]

Well said.

[just_the_ash]

This may seem like a strange time to ask, but do you mind being friended? We have two friends ("dreamingcrow" is the other), several interests, and apparently a fair bit of political shizzle in common.

[ravan]

No problem.

[weofodthignen]

Bah. If the only way you can tell you done good is to look at your kids, that's sad--but traditional. If the only way is to dictate to others that they must have kids, that's just twisted.

M

[meliny]

I hope you've let the author know you quoted him here. It seems only fair that if you take issue with his words, you tell him.

I never read the words you quoted to mean that each Pagan should procreate. The essay itself is about community and there's no disputing that as a community, we have a generation of children to hand our religion off to. What buttons has he pushed that offend you and your right to non-parenthood so much that you read his words as a personal affront rather than a statement of community?

[ebonypearl]

"there's no disputing that as a community, we have a generation of children to hand our religion off to."
Why do we need to "hand off" our religion to anyone else? What is it about religion that makes people think they have to share it or it's not valid? Why shouldn't each generation discover religion for themselves?

[meliny]

First, I didn't say anything about validity. I said that another generation already exists and is taking part in our religion. My children grew up sharing my religion because I was unwilling to (and disinterested in) set it aside for 25 years. My religion lives with me in my house. Its symbols are present in some of the decor and its meaning is present in my observations from honoring the cycles of the moon to recycling everything possible. Why shouldn't each generation discover religion for themselves? Why should each generation have to reinvent an age-old wheel?

[ebonypearl]

"I didn't say anything about validity."
Nor did I say you did. If you'll read what I wrote, you’ll see I used proper generic phrasing so the questions would be considered in the serious light intended. By taking my comments personally, you have removed the discussion from the realm of rationality where I placed it and made of them an emotional issue.
My questions were serious and, while you may have dismissed them as unimportant, I won’t.
How you raise your children - while interesting information - is irrelevant to the topic at hand.
Why do we need to "hand off" our religion to anyone else? is a pretty straight forward question. I completely and utterly fail to understand the urge to "hand off" those beliefs to anyone else as if those beliefs were unchanging one-size-fits-all material objects. People who are close to me will pick up on them, and take or leave what they will. That's family/community life. Inheritability should not be an important or even a defining characteristic of a religion.
What is it about religion that makes