Are the God and Goddess "Good"

[Milamber]

Hello all. I am a new member of this community who would like to sound out the general polpulance out there on a couple of points, just to try and get some feedback on the ideas/thoughts/beliefs floating around out there.

My first question is this - would you call the Lord and Lady "good". This follows on somewhat from the discussion about White/Black Magic (and I agree with the general trend of that post that there is no white/black, only Magic itself)


I have seen some references to the Lord and Lady as being "Good" and wanted some thoughts - granted, this depends on your definition of the word good (as opposed to bad/evil?)

I look forward to hearing any views on this you may have.

BB

 

[Feathers in Hair]

A very good question, Milamber!

I think it would depend on the practitioner. Personally, I only celebrate the attributes that I aspire to, or aspire to understand, in Diety. I wouldn't say all of the ones that I cheer on are usually known for their positive natures- for instance, I worship Sekhmet for her ability to channel righteous and healthy anger, while others might see her as being a 'bad' goddess. I know a lot of people run into that with the goddess Kali, too.

So I suppose my Lords and Ladies are 'good,' if only because I choose to see them that way.

Does that make any sense? I haven't slept in awhile, so I'm not sure. *worried smile*

 

[Unedited]

No, the God and the Goddess are not "good," because that would imply the godly exsistance of evil. Good and evil are of men. The God and the Goddess are not good, nor evil, they just are.

Patron deities are different from the God and the Goddess. They often have many human qualities so that people can better connect with them. They are like middle men, a way for humans to connect to the God and the Goddess. They do not exsist outside our minds.

Of course those are merely my own beliefs. This is the way I make sense of the world.

 

[Halcyon]

I was a Wiccan, once upon a time, i always (and still do) thought of the Goddess as containing all things.

Like Feathers said she's worships Sekhmet, the daughter of Ra - the living form of his wrath. But did you know that Sekhmet and Hather - a Goddess of love and caring, are actually the same deity, flip sides of a coin if you wish. I deity cannot be just good or just bad in my opinion.

 

[Milamber]

Interesting - I too have my Patron deity, the one who I feel the closest connection to. I would not consider him (Hades) to be either good or evil, nor would I consider any of the forces of nature themselves to be good or evil - I was interested in the vew points of others, especially in the way the beliefs differ with the idea of a "Good" god from other faiths.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Heheee, I have not yet found a patron diety yet yet, so I'm trying not to be jealous!

 

[Milamber]

I was neither expecting nr searching for one - until he made is presence known one Samhaine. Made it bloody difficult to concentrate him him standing there watching me.

 

[fabbers]

i dont know if there is a definate answer for that question.

 

[kreeden]

I have always like the concept of duality . I like both Feather's and Unedited's reply . { could be handing out more frubals if it allowed me } .

 

[Sagira]

I think that 'good' and 'bad' is just a matter of perspective. After all, what's good for one person, may be bad for another.

IE:
A man gets fired. He looses his only means of income to support his family. Usually, we would think this as being bad.
But wait, a man gets hired in his place, giving him a higher paying job then what he once had. This is good, isn't it?

IE2:
A lion hunts down a zibra (do they even eat those? lol) for its meal. Good for the lion, bad for the zibra.

 

[Sagira]

So, I should have included, Gods and Goddess can not be 'good' or 'bad', in general. It depends on the person's view of them, doesn't it?

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I would agree completely. It's both a matter of neutrality and of perspective.

 

[Prima]

My first question is this - would you call the Lord and Lady "good".

Yes, yes, and yes! That's my personal view, though, so let me tell you why I think so:

The Goddess and God are above all things natural. While they might have powers we do not understand, they are not perverted. We see them in all things - nature itself, other people, animals, etc. I believe nature is good - beautiful and right. (This is the same things the Romantics believed in - they preferred wild nature to calm, tame gardens) They certainly could not be bad - they never harm anyone for fun. I don't consider good to be as narrow as many Christians believe it to be: doing good for others, sharing, etc. Anger is natural, anger is good!

I think it's very easy for humans to pervert nature and the Lady's gifts, though. Like anger - it's good until we let it get out of control!

If Hades just popped out of nowhere, I might wet myself Though that doesn't leave any room for uncertainty, does it?!

 

[niamhwitch]

I dont think the God and Goddess (Spirit) are either "good" or "bad" they just "are". I view Spirit as just this massive form of energy that is in and all around us. We are all a part of Spirit and Spirit is a part of all of us. Thus we are all connected through Spirit. (which spawns the law of return imo, although I do not believe that it is sent back "threefold") I strongly believe in the balance of the universe and a balance in all things (maybe coming from the fact that I'm a Libra, LOL!). Spirit (to me) is both bad and good, and is also neither at the same time... just like it is both masculine (Lord) and feminine (Lady) and also neither. Its everything and nothing. Nature is the ultimate representation of Spirit (the Lord and Lady) and shows exactly how Spirit works. Beautiful, kind, and serene, but also thunderous, terrible, and distructive.
Now that I have said what I think, I'll look through the thread and see what others have said....

No, the God and the Goddess are not "good," because that would imply the godly exsistance of evil. Good and evil are of men. The God and the Goddess are not good, nor evil, they just are.

Ah, looks like someone was having the same idea as me.

Patron deities are different from the God and the Goddess. They often have many human qualities so that people can better connect with them. They are like middle men, a way for humans to connect to the God and the Goddess. They do not exsist outside our minds.

Oh I definately agree!

Interesting - I too have my Patron deity, the one who I feel the closest connection to.

I also have a patron deity as well as a matron deity. My patron God is Cernunnos as the Horned One. To me The Horned One always represented sexual nature, precreation, fertility, and fatherhood. My matron Goddess is Rhiannon. I could not for the life of me tell you why she is my matron Goddess, she just is. I feel so connected to her for some reason. I even plan on naming my first daughter Rhiannon. ;-)

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I agree with those who said it can go either way.
Alot of people I know view my worship of nocturnal/dark patron gods as being evil. But they see this as evil because of a misunderstanding. They were made to think that just because something is "dark", it is evil.
The perception of good and evil can also be determined by misunderstandings, being misinformed, or just making an assumption based on what society teaches.
Someone could see hunting as bad because the person thinks the hunter is killing just to kill, a misunderstanding; somone told the person that hunters kill just to kill, being misinformed, or the peron could have been raised in a community were a group like PETA is based, and the person will assume hunting to be bad because everyone else does.
Some Crusaders would have seen the Crusades as being good because the Muslims were by the devil, a misunderstanding; those in authority told the Crusaders that killing Muslims was doing gods will, which is being misinformed; some Crusaders would have seen it a good because the church expected it of them.
There are also more factors that can determine someones perception of good and evil. But trying to classify what is good and evil would be like trying to say what is moral. It just depends on the person, the society, the time-frame, and many other things.

 

[Goddess]

This is a good question. Like Unedited said, they are not "good" or 'bad". They are. But they are loving. Just not for many people. For some people, they dont believe the existence of the Lady and the Lord. So, to them, they are not loving. But to the people who choose to worship and bond with them, they are "good" and "loving". Same with the Kallah, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Father, and the "main" God: God! Some people dont see him as loving or good. But some people who dont choose him do, just because they know he is for those who worship him. Nothing is wrong with the Lady and the Lord, they are the Earth, the Sun, Moon, and Nature. Nature can be angry, nature can be lovely. I hope that further explains along with the other well told advice and help. Blessed Be, and Good luck.