|
|
|
|
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/3/2007 12:13:48 PM | Islam (continued):
When I say that I believe in Shari'a I'm saying that I believe in a system of law that ultimately derives authority from Qur'anic scripture; I'm not endorsing the legal system of any particular country.
You're correct in that Shari'a is most generally reflected in a combination of Hadith, Sunnah and Qur'anic laws. Without going into a detailed discussion of what each of these are, it should suffice to say that Sunnah trumps Hadith, and the Qur'an trumps Sunnah; ideally Shari'a is a reflection of the law of the Qur'an.
Most arguments are to the effect of if the law is to be dynamic, it must consider Hadith and Sunnah in addition to the Qur'an, but it cannot disagree with the Qur'an.
You made a very good point that I do not wish to minimize. The terms Shari'a and Qur'anic law are not interchangeable. Shari'a is a system of law devised by men meant to be in adherence to Qur'anic law, while Qur'anic law is a system of law given to man by God.
For the non-Muslim, it is probably important to remember that Qur'anic law is essentially the same as Mosaic law from the Torah. | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/3/2007 5:41:23 PM | Laws to me are nothing more than rules, the truest law of God is creation and creation is pyshics, energy, magnetism/ These are laws, what Islam, Bhuddism, Zen, Christianity, Judism and so on, are doorways of understanding and supplied to those who feel most comfortable with them. I find it interesting that the majority of this group are Christian, Islamic, and Pagan. With the odd athiest in it. What seems to irrate me about this is that each club knows what there contenence is, for that club. For me, I cannot seem to understand why anyone would pick a religion in the first place. Whats the point. Religious doctorine to me is nothing more than people trying to interpit an enlightened persons knowledge. None of us truly understand who these people are. If we did, we would be exactly like them. The point I am making is that religion to me is a starting point to deeper understandings of these teachings, there not laws as to say, they are guidelines to higher understanding. Unfortunately to many people only see this at face value. Its much deeper than that for me.
--The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs --
God is totally a giving and loving God, unconditionally. Even if you are evil. God allows you to experience this. If you are rightgeious then you will have that, God cannot differentiate. My Tenet is this, we live in a giant ball of pristine light, all enternity is in it. All life is in it. There are different levels of this light, we all dwell on these levels. What we consider to be good may be bad and what is bad may be good. Such as Love, if love is when you care about someone more than you care about yourself then vanity and ego are elimenated. You are second. This is God, God is second in his books but not ours. God is unconditional love, he allows us our own paths and supplies the experiences , fortunately we are made in his image therefore eventually you will come to the light, no matter who you are or what you done. If God is a fogiving God, then he is not concerned with sin. You are. God commands that you do not judge others therefore God does not judge. You judge yourself according to God essence which is the holy Ghost. Or spiritual energy the emmulates from the Godhead itself. We are out of balance with this, why. Because we are in the World of Sin as Christ stated and all Christ ever tried to impress upon us is that we must love and forgive (understand). There is no way out of here but one way. Death, and if you graduate you need not come back here anymore. The earliest forms of Jewdism, Christianity (Gnostic), Bhuddism, Zen and so on deal with reincarnation.
LUKE
. 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
9:19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.
If that isn't reincarnation what is.
Isn't it funny that in the bible we study one family line, and in Islam its the same. Does that not tell you something. | |
|
LBP
|
Joined: 12/27/2006
Msg: 53 | |
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/3/2007 8:05:54 PM | I dislike the term Athiest because it has the stigmatism of being without spiritualism. I don't believe in gods in the sense that say I christian or muslim would. I've been told that many of my beliefs are similar to buddhist though.
I tend to put faith in those things I know to be true though.
The universe is comprised of energy. Constantly moving and changing. Even when I die, the energy within me doesn't just dissapear. Its converted. It gives me comfort knowing that energy will never die.
The possibility that a person joins a greater collective of energy during this process is not out of the question for me either.
I also believe a great deal in balance. There are often negative consequences when there is no balance. I do believe in a kind of Karma. When you throw off balance by indulging in extremes, bad things happen.
I believe in my own ignorance because I don't really know the truth. Its why its hard to have faith in many of the religions. I don't know if what they are telling me is the truth so its difficult for me to have faith in something I don't know to be a truth. I'd feel like I was faking it. | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/4/2007 1:13:27 AM | ^^^^^^
It is interesting you say you don't believe in the sense that Muslims or Christians do.
Your description above is a beautiful one and for me encapsulates the Islamic position in the purest form - in fact it is virtually a restatement of the position of the Muslim Sufis of the Classical period.
It is also strikingly similar to Jewish Hassidic ideas.
Imho, this is because all religions and many philosophies share a common root that has diverged and deteriorated to greater or lesser degrees.
You only have to chart the 'progress' of Christianity: The Sermon on the Mount (one of the highest human philosophical achievements) to the Inquisition (one of the lowest).
Or, if you prefer, Muhammad to ibn Wahhab. Or Moses to Zionism.
Only an idiot would argue these things are actually the same and not a deterioration (and yes, we are blessed with many in this time that do actually argue just that 'love em) but sometimes it is hard to look at the grandfather and not the children - or the root and not the branches.
Especially when we have people with a vested interest in supporting the deteriorated over the original who are - understandably - scared of losing their investment. | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/4/2007 5:48:27 AM |
I dislike the term Athiest because it has the stigmatism of being without spiritualism. I don't believe in gods in the sense that say I christian or muslim would. I've been told that many of my beliefs are similar to buddhist though.
I tend to put faith in those things I know to be true though.
The universe is comprised of energy. Constantly moving and changing. Even when I die, the energy within me doesn't just dissapear. Its converted. It gives me comfort knowing that energy will never die.
The possibility that a person joins a greater collective of energy during this process is not out of the question for me either.
I also believe a great deal in balance. There are often negative consequences when there is no balance. I do believe in a kind of Karma. When you throw off balance by indulging in extremes, bad things happen.
I believe in my own ignorance because I don't really know the truth. Its why its hard to have faith in many of the religions. I don't know if what they are telling me is the truth so its difficult for me to have faith in something I don't know to be a truth. I'd feel like I was faking it.
Sounds positively Etherealist. ^_^
I'm kidding. I wouldn't presume to label anybody else unless they chose it for themselves. But I can relate to what you're saying. Kudos! :) | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 1:56:36 AM | I am Buddhist.
The Four Noble Truths
1 Life entails dissatisfaction--dukka
2 Dissatisfaction is a result of clinging, craving--trishna
3. There's an end to all dissatisfaction --nirvana
4. The way to the end of dissatisfaction is the path--maggha
The Eightfold Path
right speech
right action
right livelihood
right effort
right mindfulness
right concentration
right view
right thought
Every day I find small ways I can apply my religion, if some one is irritating at work I call to mind the concept of equilnamity,(loving everyone equally) and keep in mind the right speech element of the eightfold path.
We do not believe in a god, like many faiths do, but rather a form of what I call, a "spiritual ecosystem" All of your life, you accumulate karma, (actions) and that determines the state of your rebirth.
On a daily baisis, we must mediate to purify our minds from delusions,(a thought your mind is focusing on excessivily) The end goal of our daily practice is enlightenment.
Personally, I have a small table in my room that acts as my shrine.
I am still studying my religion, but the longer I am immersed in it, the stronger my conviction to it becomes
Buddhism is mental freedom.
I find religion endless facinating, and I wish to thank all of those that contributed to this forum, it has been, enlightening (: | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 2:32:17 AM | The FSM is a strawman - in fact it is far worse than this; it is a conscious deceit that is willingly perpetuated by those (such as Dawkins) who claim they are searching for truth.
I disagree, the FSM is not being put forth as an example of a religion vis a vis, Christianity. It was used as an example of how Creationists/ID proponents were using fallacious arguments to try to introduce theological concepts into science classes by twisting the accepted definitions (deceitfully - as defined by science AND courtrooms), of science to fit their agenda of bypassing the 1st amendment to the constitution of the US.
As far as that is concerned, it's an apt analogy.
http://www.venganza.org/about/open-letter/
But,in and of itself, FSM is not a "Belief System", ...it's merely an analogy of what happens when one frame of reference tries to assume the guise of another, ...to further a secondary agenda. | |
|
| |
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 4:03:01 AM | Ah, an actual Buddhist at last! ^_^
I've always held Buddhists in high regard, since holding a ideological tradition without a deity is in and of itself an impressive feat (at least, *I* think it is). It was the advice of a Buddhist that first made me question the Catholicism I'd been raised with.
Such a great thread, I must say. I have noticed, however, that christianity has had little representation thus far. Perhaps the christians on the board feel their faith is widespread enough that it needs no explanation? | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 5:25:49 AM | | I think Christianity in itself needs quite a lot of explanation. (Unless of course I'm talking to my brother who seems to make the whole concept seem a LOT more logical than most of the Christians that I talk to. But then...while he believes in God, he isn't a church goer, and he isn't trying to be perfect. Maybe that's the difference? ... ) but then... i'm not a christian :P | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 6:09:13 AM | --I think Christianity in itself needs quite a lot of explanation.--
Not really.
For instance.
The Four Noble Truths
1 Life entails dissatisfaction--dukka-----Christ calls this sin.
2 Dissatisfaction is a result of clinging, craving--trishna------desire
3. There's an end to all dissatisfaction --nirvana----On earth as it is in Heaven
4. The way to the end of dissatisfaction is the path--maggha-----Worshipping.
The Eightfold Path
right speech
right action
right livelihood
right effort
right mindfulness
right concentration
right view
right thought
Christ called this Righteousness, In the Islamic traditions they have there own terminology and as with all other beliefs. There is a thread of familiarity with all religious beliefs, Each belief is catered to the race and culture of the peoples who worship or study there spiritual masters. NO one is left out. Even in pagan worship and tribal shamans, it all boils down to a main theology.
You can pretty well see it all in there teachings, what we must learn is not to worship the messenger and not the message. There is no follow the leader to God (spiritual Ecosystem) it must be accomplished by you on a personal level. | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 9:39:46 AM | I have noticed, however, that christianity has had little representation thus far. Perhaps the christians on the board feel their faith is widespread enough that it needs no explanation?
I have a handful of theories regarding why we've seen basically nothing from Christians.
Despite the fact that this thread has remained unusually civil (and thanks one and all for helping in the spirit of the thread and keeping it that way) I'm sure the Christians are used to being jumped on and attacked every time they post anything on these boards. God knows I'm one of the people that does it; but I try to keep to the spirits of thread topics. This isn't a thread for bashing people's beliefs, merely for announcing them.
Still, I can respect their fear. I had it when I started this thread and I know that at any minute we could devolve into petty bickering and I thank God for every day that this thread stays on topic.
I think another problem is that many Christians don't understand their faiths. They go to church, they listen to their ministers, and they come to believe what they're fed; but they don't understand the reasons why they believe it or the underlying theologies behind their beliefs. Similarly, I don't think Christians in general have a very good understanding of how their particular sects differ from other sects; without that knowledge, writing a cohesive and intelligent post for this thread is almost impossible because they would blur the lines between what their sects believe and basic Christian theology. This would lead to questioning, and Christians really don't like being questioned; their faiths generally don't stand up very well to it.
Even though they're evangelical and they're supposed to proclaim their beliefs from the rooftops for all the world to see, I'm sure they don't consider it irrelevant that this thread was started by a Muslim. Christians can be very hateful and spiteful people and they generally don't play well with others outside their own faith.
I'm not bashing on Christians here... that's not the purpose of the thread. The question was posed 'why aren't they participating' and I'm sure that given enough time, they will. When they do, the richness of this thread will either become greater or it will digress into anarchy; my wish is for the former and not the latter.
So when they finally do post, I ask that we not assail them, attack them, criticize them, nor question them. There are other threads for that. | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 10:31:48 AM | I've passed this thread I don't know how many times, and I've tried and tried to think of something to contribute, but right now what I "believe" is the last thing I think I truly understand. Somewhere I see the flaw of saying to myself, this will be the only path I will take.
This hasn't crippled me and there are often times that I am faced with a dilema that goes against what I feel is right. I do my best to weight the outcomes and look within myself to see what is really holding me back. I also do my best to view the impact it will have on my future and the future of others. It's not like I'm controlling the tides of the oceans, but I do have to live with the consequences of my actions. Some times I have to decide if the "morally right" thing to do is the "right" thing to do
In a sense I feel confused, but I'm also free in a way that allows me to learn and absorb something as my own, even if it is temporary. I think people work the same way and we are essentially bound. To me people are essentially stuck in a valley, surrounded by hills that only get steeper and steeper as you travel up them. Everyone is trying to get to the top, no one gets there, but some go futher than others.
Death is something happens...it is scary, but not mortifying. I remember nothing before I was born and that does not scare me, so I guess the same is true when I die.
Did something greater than ourselves create this Universe...I can't say one way are the other. Because I don't know doesn't mean I will not assume yes. If there is something greater than ourselves, I don't think that we are the best of all creations. I think people are great, but I don't really see anything that makes us divine other than our ability to create the divine in our minds.
Religion scares me in a way. I think something is lost in the intentions of those that laid the groundwork. People had similar wants and needs then as they do now. I think it is still important that people unite under a common lifestyle, but this is tribe vs. tribe, but the tribes are just bigger and have more bells and whistles. I can accept that, but I fear that religion pulls peoples hearts and minds away from the here and now. We live here amongst one another right now, but so many religions seem to have people looking in the clouds or in a single book for an answer.
I think Holy books have a lot to contribute to the standard of living, but answers must be derived and reasoned out. I don't think a Holy Book is the absolute truth, because if it were true then others would submit to its authority. Here I see loaded gun because now all a group needs to do is claim that everyone who does not subscribe to this Authority is in denial. We're back to tribe vs. tribe, but now we've brought divinity into the equation.
So that's some of what I think in a nutshell...it's a bit vague and it's still a work in progress. | |
|
| |
| |
| |
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 3:09:14 PM | all religions have some good points and
i use them in my life;for example one good point about
buddhism and hinduism which ppl
on the pof site could use is their belief life is illusion[ actually
i would modify it to say its partly illusion]--poffers are always saying
how badly they've been hurt in love. but if life were
illusionary then we're actors on the stage,we have a good
cry,a good laugh,,,,,then we go home,and no need
to take work home | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 3:26:02 PM | More "tenets" please.
We often hear from those who subscribe to a belief system, more often than not, we hear from those who are too consumed with insisting that theirs is "the way", and their justification is to negate others "way".
In this thread, those who have been cognizant of the topic, have stated "tenets", and for the most part - from a personal perspective and not the "party line".
This is honest discourse.
State your tenets, ...and let's see how well your words and deeds live up to them? | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 8:17:32 PM | Yeah it evolves, and so do our tenets, hopefully, and so I want to slightly change my wording from:
My religion/spirituality is speculative mysticism which seeks singularity of vision and an omni culture because 'we' believe in the original state of oneness
Not singularity of vision, that doesn't sound accurate; I mean I believe universal experience that is expressed in all religion. But by analyzing myself and where I came from, its important for me to use who I am properly. So having been raised Catholic and rejecting it, mostly on the structure of authority, and many other reasons, I can't deny that Judeo-Christian symbolism has been conditioned into me. Might as well work with what I have and expand on it.
It's a naive and a romantic view of mine that there will be a universal theology, except for maybe the way science is often perceived-which is something I do think can lead to universal understanding. And its not entirely evolving forward, because the old ancient ways already knew a lot about how it works, we just explain it differently now, in the always turning cycle. But I still wouldn't dump anything into the recycling bin just yet, including my disheartening experience with Roman Catholicism.
Does anybody else take into account their past religious upbringing into their current religious tenets? I don't think this is off topic, because our internal frame of references from the past are always with us in some form.  | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 8:46:40 PM |
Does anybody else take into account their past religious upbringing into their current religious tenets? I don't think this is off topic, because our internal frame of references from the past are always with us in some form
I partly agree with this - I think most of my religious upbringing has become an understanding of what (some) people believe, rather than a direct or literal influence on my "what the Universe is and how it works" model.
That said, I do understand that Christian philosophy has influenced Western philosophy in general, and I hold true to a lot of those beliefs. One example would be the existence of the self. As I understand it, Augustine was really the first person to write "I" in the same way we mean it today - this concept was really derived from the idea of a personal salvation. I might have been misinformed - I'm certainly not an expert in the period's literature - but I have heard it acknowledged from people who had no other sympathies with religion in general or with Christianity in particular, as well as from more religious scholar types. | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 10:30:12 PM | I follow the Norse Way.....the pre-Christain faith of the Northern European peoples. This spiritual path was re-jumpstarted back in the early 1970's in three places....Iceland, Great Britain and here in the USA. The basis for our faith is a trust in our gods/goddesses, our remembering of our ancestors, our love for family and friends, and a zest for life. We don't live in anticipation for an afterlife of unending joy and peace......we work to make a better life for ourselves and our children. We also know that when it's our time to die, according the patterns woven by the three Norns(Fates), that (with any luck) we will spent our next life either being re-born here on Midgard w/i our bloodline or hanging out with our gods and goddesses up in Asgard....home of the Asier (the gods & goddesses we look to for guidance and hope). We have our stories.....they are just not all in one "holy book".......they have been passed down through the ages by word of mouth, with some being written by Christian monks, as were many stories of ancient peoples that were "assimilated" into the "One-true-way-of-the-White-Christ". I am both a Skald(Keeper of stories/bard/storyteller) and a legal Priest of Thor.......god of the weather, protector of Mortals, bane of the Jotens(Giants), and one hellova partier! LOL Thor is the "every-man's" god of the Norse....he is the first to swing into battle weilding his mighty Hammer, and first to raise a horn of mead at the feasting hall. Other gods include Odin(Father of the gods), Heimdall(Guardian of Bifrost), Frey(Lord of the Harvest), Baldur(God of LIGHT((Our version of Jesus)) ), and Vidar(Bane of Fenris). Some of the goddesses we pray to are Frigga(Mother goddess, Queen of Asgard), Jord(Spirit of the Earth), Sif(Wife of Thor), Freya(Goddess of magic, leader of the Valkyrie & twin sister to Frey), and Idunna(Keeper of the Golden Apples of Youth). For more info on this path, I suggest you do a search online for the term "Asatru", which means being "Tru" to the "Asa" gods/goddesses. I also reccomend reading as many books as you can on the topic....yes, some may not be very good, but there are more out there than many people realise. Take care.
Thorin the Skald
aka....Lowell Godfrey, Priest of Thor
Clergy, Sanctuary of the Stones | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 10:40:21 PM | Excellent post Thorin, thank you for bringing your beliefs to this thread.
I'm curious about a couple of things. After death, is there an alternative to being reborn or joining the Gods; you said 'with any luck' this made me think that there are other possibilities for after death.
I'm curious about the spiritual relationship between and man and your Gods. Were we created by these Gods? Where did they come from? Do they have a responsiblility to us and we to them? Are they supposed to be exemplars for us?
What is the importance of prayer in your faith? Is the purpose of prayer to glorify your Gods; do you ask for things from them in the prayers?
Are your Gods the same Gods that the Greeks and Romans worshipped when they were polytheists? Are the stories the same? Are there differences?
You say that you don't dream of an afterlife of joy and peace... does this mean that Asgard (is this equivalent to heaven?) is a place like this world, but somehow different? Is it not a place of joy and peace? What happens if your bloodline ends? | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 11:35:54 PM | OK....for starters, my comment on the afterlife being a place of "Joy & Peace" was that for some, this life is somehow less important than the next. For the Norse, there will be "Last Battle", called Raganarock, which means "Doom of the gods", where there is a huge fight between the forces of "Good" vs "Evil", and it may first appear that "Evil" wins, as many of the main gods die in the battle. However, after a thousand years of cleansing fire, a new Midgard(Earth) rises from the old one and the gods and goddesses return, as do Mortals. The trunk of Yggdrassil(The World Tree) is all that is left of that mighty Ash/Elm, and two people are waiting inside, having entered just before Raganarock begins.
The gods and goddess of the Norse are similar to those of many other ancient peoples.....with gods that represent the forces of Nature and the Elements. However, the Norse gods and goddesses may seem a bit rather harsh when compared to those of the Greeks or Romans.....but.....there is not as much "bickering" and "politics" shall we say as you find with those of the Southern Europeans. The Celtic gods/goddesses also are lacking those elements as well.....which is perhaps why some choose to combine the Norse and Celtic spiritual paths, as we are more alike.
The importance of prayer is not so much to glorify our gods and goddesses as much as it is to speak to them as friends and ones we can relate to on a "daily basis".....they go though many of the same pains, loss, joys, stirfe, and other "normal" things that we have to deal with in our daily lives....only, perhaps on a larger scale.....similar to the relationship between a child and parent. We ask only for their help when we are not able to do something ourselves.....BUT.....we do understand that at times, perhaps there is something else going on that may be more important that whatever it is that seems important to us at the time.....and we know that our gods and goddesses will always stand by us when the time is truely dire. I have experianced this first hand.....and was very happy that they stepped in when they did to help. Feel free to ask me off-forum for details if you wish....or perhaps one of these days I will post it here somewhere.....it's a long story.....but a good one, and one that bears re-telling.
The first man and woman were carved from two trees by Odin and his two brothers, Vili & Ve at the dawn of time.....just after Midgard was fromed from the body of the Joten Yimir. The "Creation" story of the Norse is yet another one that you can find in many books and here online. Again, I will post the one I tell another time here on PoF. Our gods were created when the Multiverse was born.....I use this term as we believe in 9 "Worlds", or planes/deminsions.....they are as follows:
Asgard....home of the Asier gods/goddess
Vanaheim....home of the Vanir gods/goddess(The Nature gods)
Alfheim....home of the Light Elves (Think LOTR by Tolkien)
Midgard.....better known as Earth, also known as Manaheim
Jotenheim.....land of the Jotens(Giants)
Drakkenheim.....land of the "Dark Elves" or Dwarves
Helheim.....land of the Dead......NOT the Christian "Hell".......more as a place where you go if you don't go to Asgard
Muspelheim.....land of Fire
Niffelheim.....land of Ice and Mist
In closing, I hope this answers your quesitons......thanks for asking!
Thorin | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 11:36:42 PM | As Thorin's and my beliefs spring from a common cultural trove, I'll gladly take a shot at answering these questions.
After death, is there an alternative to being reborn or joining the Gods; you said 'with any luck' this made me think that there are other possibilities for after death.
Reincarnation isn't a belief well attested to in the Germanic lore. We do have a couple isolated examples of it, eg. Helgi the Thrice-Born, but far more pervasive was the belief that the soul was a gestalt, and that certain components were shared and/or passed down the generations.
Beyond achieving Esegeard, the Anglo-Saxon cognate of the Old Norse AsgardhR, the elder lore also speaks of going to live in burial mounds, hills or mountains, that are basically the earthly parallel to the "halls" of one's ancestors.
Some folk with a strong love for kin and tribe would continue to watch over their folk from within such mounds or hills.
If you were exceptionally wicked in life, there is the Shore of Corpses and a hall of wyrms/serpents that stands thereon. All of the serpents heads are turned inward and they blow burning venom over all within. In early Anglo-Saxon poetry we find the word "Wyrmsele" (Serpent Hall) being used to gloss the Biblical Gehennna, while Old high German preserves "Wyrmgarten" (Serpent Garden) in the same context.
I'm curious about the spiritual relationship between and man and your Gods. Were we created by these Gods? Where did they come from? Do they have a responsiblility to us and we to them? Are they supposed to be exemplars for us?
According to the Eddas the first man and woman were created by the Woden-Will-Weoh, but we look to them more as the progenitors of our ethnic group and generally don't attempt to universalize our local beliefs as others have theirs. They are like the fathers and mothers of our folk.
The best way to understand the story of the evolution of the gods is to understand that in the beginning there was a void of all-potential, in which everything that could conceivably exist or evolve into existence, existed, all at once in the same moment. As a result of the inevitablity of random all-potential something at last "took" in the formless void after the eternal moment, and extreme polar opposites, ie. forms, began to arise and then recombine into more refined polar opposites as part of an a-conscious process that eventually brought physical existence into being. The end result of this process was the birth of spirit/consciousness, the deities, which then reflected on what ahd gone both and raised the evolution of existence to a new level and shaped Creation... a product, not on nature, but of consciouss and willful intent.
Are your Gods the same Gods that the Greeks and Romans worshipped when they were polytheists? Are the stories the same? Are there differences?
Our culture and the associated beliefs share a common cultural ancestor with the Greeks and Romans in the Indo-Europeans, but the basic Germanic answer to such questions as to whether or not the deities are all the same or whatever is that we don't know. All we have are the inspirations and revelations of men to judge by. So, maybe, maybe not. What we do know is that these are the names and the deities as we have long perceived them, and who are intimately interrelated to our own identity. And certainly the Germanic Tiw and Woden seem different enough from Mars or Ares... 'specially considering the Woden was just as strongly identified with Mercury as he was with Mars, and that Tiw's name is cognate to Jupiter and Zeus.
Really, whose to say say if they are the same or not? Whether there are one or many? Attempting to answer such questions for all men seems pretensious and even sacriligeous, and has always caused more strife, division and confusion than it ever has brought anyone closer to God. | |
|
| What Religion Are You And What Are The Fundamental Tenets Of Your Beliefs?
Posted: 1/5/2007 11:47:37 PM | Well said my friend. Good to see others who follow the Old Ways.
I am raising both of my sons in this path, and my eldest plans to carry on as a Skald and Priest of Thor when he becomes an adult. My youngest is leaning more towards Odin as his primary god. My eldest has had many dream-visions of traveling up to Asgard to visit the High Ones, where he is being taught many things. Funny thing is, he compares it to Summer Camp, as there are many children from Midgard there also, which is good, as it gives him yet another chance to make new friends.
Regarding being re-born......I know I have been around before in past lives.....as I remember them clearly.....and, I know things I have not had training for in this life. | |
|
|
| Page 3 of 6
|
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
|
Home
login 
