How to be a Polytheist Ally

[Jesster]

Religion doesn't come up a whole lot with my friends, but it has occasionally. I just try to be a good friend to my polytheistic friends like I am with anyone else important to me. I just treat everyone the same regardless of their religious beliefs. I don't think I'd be a good friend if I had to follow a checklist every time I talked with them, but I guess it's good to check my actions against it at least once. They seem to check out.

 

[DennisTate]

One of the beautiful things about living in this era is the diversity of cultures and peoples we have the opportunity to learn about. With exposure to diversity comes good and bad: some embrace this diversity and value pluralism, some want to shut their doors to it, and others become discriminatory and hateful towards peoples that are not like them.

Religious diversity is one facet of cultural diversity that bears a few moments of consideration. How do we become allies to diverse religious groups? An article written a couple of years ago by Anomalous Thracian focuses on the challenges that Polytheists face in particular. The full article is definitely worth a gander if you are not very familiar with Polytheism - see http://wildhunt.org/2015/05/guest-post-a-polytheist-primer.html - but below is a summary of their "10 Steps to Being a Good Ally to Polytheists"

1. Be a listener to Polytheists in your life. Polytheists often report that others do not listen to them, or attempt to re-frame what they self-report in a way the undermines, reduces, dismisses, pathologizes, or otherwise erases the experiences and identities of the Polytheists in question.
2. Be open-minded. It is important to understand that your comfort with another person’s religion, practices, experience or identity is not relevant when approaching the subject with compassion, respect, and the universally declared statements of human rights pertaining to religious practice and identity.
3. Be willing to talk to and about Polytheists in a positive way. On the topics of our religions and our experiences, please start with “listening” and “being open minded.” Do not attempt to tell us that we are “wrong,” “nutters,” “mentally ill,” “crazy,” “fundamentalists,” “fascists,” or that we need to be “culled from the herd.”
4. Be inclusive and invite Polytheist friends to things. Inclusivity is appreciated. Being shunned by Pagan and other religious or secular communities does happen, because sometimes Polytheists have different ways of being.
5. Do not assume that everyone is theistically (religiously) identified the way that you are. Do not assume, for example, that everyone who talks about religion is a monotheist. Please do not assume that “religion” means “monotheism.”
6. Anti-religion and anti-theistic jokes, comments, and statements are harmful. Anti-theism is not funny, and humor intended to suggest that those with religious and theistic views are ignorant, mentally ill, or culturally devolved is an expression of callous supremacy. Supremacy is not funny.
7. Confront your own prejudices and privileges even when it is uncomfortable to do so. There are many helpful guides online and at your local library. Look for books and websites that explore the topics of internalized systemic prejudice and privilege.
8. Defend your Polytheist friends against prejudice, discrimination and erasure. If you are looking to be an ally to Polytheist religionists, please show them that they are not alone, and you will defend their rights and their dignity.
9. Act in accordance with a belief that all people, regardless of religious identity or experience, should be treated with unconditional dignity and respect; even when that identity or experience are different from your own. Check your own intellectual entitlement at the door, and recognize that your understanding of another group’s identity or practices is not relevant to your affirmation that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
10. If you see Polytheist religions, traditions, or persons identified religiously and devotionally in this way being misrepresented in the media, report it.

Adapted from - http://wildhunt.org/2015/05/guest-post-a-polytheist-primer.html ​

Some of these could reasonably apply to being an ally to other religions as well. What ten things might you list as a guide for being a good ally for your religious (or irreligious) tradition?

Dr. Albert Einstein termed himself a "polytheist after the order of Spinoza" so just the fact that Einstein was one........ is valid reason to take this belief pattern quite seriously.

One near death experiencer by the name of Aurora Ray claims to have been shown that there are 14 Elohim.... seven female and seven male.......
They correspond with the Seven Spirits of G-d......
and she was shown that every human being on earth ultimately has one of the Elohim within them..... as their "Over Soul."

This theory is so good.......
that I personally cannot argue with it... even though I do tend to love debating?!

 

[DennisTate]

The only thing I'd disagree with is I think everything is up for ridicule. That has nothing to do with supremacy.

I think there are plenty of non-polytheists who have views that are ignorant, mentally ill and perhaps culturally devoid.

There's nothing special about polytheists that prevents them from express ideas that should be ridiculed. Folks can come up with some crazy ideas. Nothing personal about polytheists, that's just humans in general.

It I come up with some crazy view about reality, I hope someone takes the time to ridicule it as well.

Being as you asked.......
and invited sarcasm.... I believe that Dr. Albert Einstein being a polytheist........
who can be met in a higher dimension of space - time by a Christian........
means that ridiculing polytheists ..... .could get you into trouble with a greater
computer genius than the actor playing the role of Sheldon Cooper Ph. D. would probably tend to be if he became fascinated by programming......
and hacking.........
Heh...Heh.... Heh.......


Spirituality


Chapter 3.....

Our spiritual brother, Albert Einstein

A moment happened in the beginning of my experience where Albert Einstein, the famous scientist, came forward to speak with me. While at first I could not make out his face, by the 'feel' of his energy I knew exactly who he was as soon as he appeared.

To be perfectly honest, I really never had much of an interest in Einstein before, so I found it interesting that I was seeing him now, and what amazed me at the time was that he seemed to know exactly who I was" even though he died in 1955, 14 years before I was born.

He explained that he wanted to answer a few questions I was starting to have about some of the codes and scientific theories I was now seeing on the screen held behind me. He told me it was important for me to fully understand, so I could accomplish my destiny on Earth. I remember wondering how it was that he could speak of and claim to know of my destiny, when I myself did not have a clue?

As he spoke to me about space, time and relativity I was aware that Einstein had been (and still was) a great teacher who not only had been born to our world, but that he had also come to many other worlds' in God's Super Universe to help them advance in scientific and social understanding. As his energy stood before me, it was like being near an old friend who just happened to be tremendously brilliant, and what I found completely remarkable was how he was able to explain even the most complex notion in such an easy to understand way.

Not only was he incredibly kind, sincere and funny; he always seemed to be completely interested in my views. We started discussing sound and the use of music and harmonies for the purpose of transporting energy into a space. It surprised me that I actually started to believe I knew more about this particular subject than he seemed to "and when he showed me a supernaturally displayed diagram of what the Universe looks like before and after sound has entered it, I challenged him in our discussion about the use of tonal dissonance, which led to another discussion about the opening of some sort of time/space portal and the filling of space with atomic, neutrino type matter. I understood that this matter absorbed and recorded absolutely that happened within the space it filled. Without thinking, I began speaking about the use of positive and negative energy, and that if too much challenging energy fills a space, the atmosphere becomes tainted and is never as pure as before. We spoke about Nazi Germany and how the vile actions performed there, when Hitler was in power, forever altered the energies in that part of the world.

Ultimately, Einstein seemed highly interested (and even humored) by my assertions. And as he saw that I was shocked by my own sudden burst of self confidence, he congratulated me on what he called my "chutzpa" (hut-spa)" a word I had never heard before until then, which I later found out was a Yiddish term expressing, "sudden and unexpected boldness." ........(Christian Andreason)

I admire your courage Nakosis........!

 

[DennisTate]

I'd like to suggest a small addendum to point #8. It might seem unnecessary but IMO worth adding "even when they are not around". For some reason it can be easier for people to stand up to prejudice when the victims are around to hear it first-hand than when they are not.

This is still a great list, regardless. Well done!

I began a discussion over on another forum....
that is kind of dangerous if Mr. John Ramirez was accurate in all that he said.......
and I would love it if a whole bunch of Polytheists showed up to the eventual possible meetings that I may propose in the not too distant future........

i began this discussion as myself DennisTate.....
I want to start an online outreach to Satanists....

Can demons be given hope?

1. 
   No... the demons have zero hope!
   1 vote(s)
   25.0%
2. *
   Yes..... Elijah must "restore all things"
   2 vote(s)
   50.0%
3. 
   I am not sure but I will research this further.
   1 vote(s)
   25.0%
   

May I give a link to this other discussion?
Some forums get really sensitive about that.... but personally..... I am so into philosophy and theology that I don't see how anybody could compete with your forum?!

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

I began a discussion over on another forum....
that is kind of dangerous if Mr. John Ramirez was accurate in all that he said.......
and I would love it if a whole bunch of Polytheists showed up to the eventual possible meetings that I may propose in the not too distant future........

i began this discussion as myself DennisTate.....
I want to start an online outreach to Satanists....

If this is how you reach out to polytheists then you will get zero response. Engaging with us from a position of 'your beliefs are mistaken/evil/heretical/demonic/Satanic/naive (delete as appropriate) is pointless as we won't bite.

 

[Nakosis]

Being as you asked.......
and invited sarcasm.... I believe that Dr. Albert Einstein being a polytheist........
who can be met in a higher dimension of space - time by a Christian........
means that ridiculing polytheists ..... .could get you into trouble with a greater
computer genius than the actor playing the role of Sheldon Cooper Ph. D. would probably tend to be if he became fascinated by programming......
and hacking.........
Heh...Heh.... Heh.......


Spirituality


Chapter 3.....



I admire your courage Nakosis........!

Here's my point, which seemed to have been missed, bad ideas are bad ideas. If a person who happens to be a polytheist has a bad idea, like self torture to please God, I reserve the right to ridicule folks beating on themselves to please God. Some ideas need to be ridiculed because they are stupid. So not because of their religion, but because some idea about God or religion I see as stupid.

 

[DennisTate]

If this is how you reach out to polytheists then you will get zero response. Engaging with us from a position of 'your beliefs are mistaken/evil/heretical/demonic/Satanic/naive (delete as appropriate) is pointless as we won't bite.

Good point.......
I am kind of wondering if I might be a Christian Polytheist... due to my openess
to some of the ideas that I am facing regarding what our human soul or over soul really is?!

If... our human over soul is really a member of the 14 Elohim... seven male seven female..... and if near death experiencer Aurora Ray was correct...... about one of the Elohim incarnating into each and every human foetus then.........
Wow!!!!??




Spirituality

The Man on the Throne

There was a moment during my experience where I saw myself approaching what looked to be a gigantic, magnificent man, sitting on a alabaster throne. Thru a kind of veil that was partially covering him, I was able to detect that he had very stunning chiseled features. In fact, he was so perfect looking, he almost looked statuesque.

The man was wearing what appeared to be a gleaming white robe and I saw that he had the most fantastic muscular body. It was not large and gross, but truly beautiful and symmetrical. The man's arm was resting on a flat smooth surface that was part of the throne, and when he would move his hand (even the slightest amount) a musical, sparkling rainbow colored essence would fall out and away from within his robe, eventually creating a pool of Light around his feet on the floor.

Initially, the thought that came into my mind that I was seeing God! But then, as soon as I thought this, very quickly, it was revealed to me that this thought was only partially true.

It was immediately made known to me that the physical form I was observing was actually an astral version of "me" in Spirit form, as God saw me existing as already!

I heard inside my mind, "This is your Higher Self." As I looked deeply into this beings eyes, I saw my own reflection and realized that the "inner voice" I had been hearing my whole life (as the voice of my own conscience) had actually been guidance coming for this personage−−who still resides in Heaven in a greater degree of wholeness and Light than I do here on Earth. In fact, I realized that I had only taken a very small portion of my Higher Self's Light with me for my journey here this go round. By doing this I would be encouraged to dig deeper and develop my faith and intuition; and secondly, I do not see how my human brain really could have tolerated too much more Light, as I believe now it would caused my body and mind to short circuit." (Christian Andreason, chapter 2)

John 10:34

¶
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’?[fn]

“If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

“do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’


Psalms 82:6

I said, “You are gods,[fn]
And all of you are children of the Most High.'

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Good point.......
I am kind of wondering if I might be a Christian Polytheist... due to my openess
to some of the ideas that I am facing regarding what our human sou

Just to clarify; a polytheist recognises the existence of, and worships, more than one god. If this describes you then you're a polytheist.

 

[DennisTate]

Just to clarify; a polytheist recognises the existence of, and worships, more than one god. If this describes you then you're a polytheist.

Well... .I do believe in a Trinity of Divine Beings composed of fundamental energy......
but it seems that these being are having a family and causing humans and others to rise up and up and up and up... .until we become quite "godlike?"




The City of Light and the Near-Death Experience

Dr. George Ritchie's City of Light experience

George Ritchie saw an endless, brilliant, city of light and love:

"And then I saw, infinitely far off, far too distant to be visible with any kind of sight I knew of- a city. A glowing, seemingly endless city, bright enough to be seen over all the unimaginable distance between. The brightness seemed to shine from the very walls and streets of this place, and from beings which I could now discern moving about within it. In fact, the city and everything in it seemed to be made of light, even as the figure at my side was made of light.

"At this time I had not yet read the Book of Revelation. I could only gape in awe at this faraway spectacle, wondering how bright each building, each inhabitant, must be to be seen over so many light-years of distance. Could these radiant beings, I wondered, amazed, be those who had indeed kept Jesus the focus of their lives? Was I seeing at last ones who had looked for him in everything? Looked so well and so closely that they had been changed into his very likeness? Even as I asked the question, two of the bright figures seemed to detach themselves from the city and start toward us, hurling themselves across that infinity with the speed of light.



"Now this was surprising because this was the first realm in which the inhabitants could see the Christ and me. Even more amazing, they exuded light almost as brilliant as the Christmas the two beings approached us, I could also feel the love flowing from them toward us. The complete joy they showed at seeing the Christ was unmistakable.

"Seeing these beings and feeling the joy, peace and happiness which swelled up from them made me feel that here was the place of all places, the top realm of all realms. The beings who inhabited it were full of love. This, I was and am convinced, is heaven. As marvelous as I thought the previous realm was, after glimpsing this new realm we were seeing, I began to understand for the first time what Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 13 when he wrote: "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

"I do not infer that the wonderful souls of the fourth realm did not have love because they did but not to the degree that the souls of this realm had reached.

"But as fast as they came toward us, we drew away. Desperately I cried out to him not to leave me, to make me ready for that shining city, not to abandon me in this dark and narrow place." (Dr. George Ritchie)