Pagan vs Christian

[It Aint Necessarily So]

You are judging your life by what standards?

By my own. By the standards that determine what makes me happy, which were there to discover.

you convincing yourself you are good is not proof.

That's not what I said. I am happy. I am content.

Nor do I need to "prove" to anybody else that my has been and remains good by my standards. *I'm* satisfied with the course it has taken. Can you say the same?

 

[dybmh]

That pretty much makes the entire scripture irrelevant to those of us living in other times.

Not true.

 

[Quintessence]

Why do Christians (and Monotheists) have such a problem with those that worship pluralistically?

I'll leave them to answer that question, but I think the converse of this is also interesting - why do Pagans (and Polytheists) have such a problem with those that worship non-pluralistically?

I just can't imagine that kind of exclusion in one's relationships. To me it is kind of like saying you can have a mom, or a dad, or a friend, or a child, but not all of those things. You are only allowed one relationship and all the other relationships are fake, wrong, or false somehow. It's just nonsense to me.

 

[SalixIncendium]

why do Pagans (and Polytheists) have such a problem with those that worship non-pluralistically?

I can’t speak for all pagans or polytheists, but, in general, Hindus typically don’t.

 

[Quintessence]

I can’t speak for all pagans or polytheists, but, in general, Hindus typically don’t.

I interpret the question as why, on a personal level, doesn't this work for your lifeways. Both monotheists and non-monotheists practice plenty of acceptance and tolerance, but a particular lifeway just doesn't work for them. That can be interesting to explore.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Why do Christians (and Monotheists) have such a problem with those that worship pluralistically?

Such as Paganism and Hinduism?

I wonder why they automatically assume anyone and everyone who criticizes Christianity is an atheist.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Why do Christians (and Monotheists) have such a problem with those that worship pluralistically?

I'll leave them to answer that question, but I think the converse of this is also interesting - why do Pagans (and Polytheists) have such a problem with those that worship non-pluralistically?

I just can't imagine that kind of exclusion in one's relationships. To me it is kind of like saying you can have a mom, or a dad, or a friend, or a child, but not all of those things. You are only allowed one relationship and all the other relationships are fake, wrong, or false somehow. It's just nonsense to me.

What I went through and saw it was the Christians who had the problem. Neo-Pagans largely and mostly don't care. But Christians care so much they mock amd ridicule polytheism and the practices and beliefs of other religions during their own services when it's just Christians around.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Because they don’t want or need to.

No, it's because they CAN'T.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

I should have added, if one is sincerely searching for God then they have already found God.

I'll say it again, since you seem to have replied without reading my text. There are some people who simply don't perceive God. It doesn't matter how sincere they are.

 

[Jainarayan]

Why do Christians (and Monotheists) have such a problem with those that worship pluralistically?

Such as Paganism and Hinduism?

Three reasons:

1. Christians are bound by the commandment "Thou shalt not have other/strange gods before me". Nowhere does the Bible deny the existence of other gods. The usage of "false gods" is incorrect.
2. Christians are further bound by Jesus's comment "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me". But this is completely misinterpreted.
3. Christians are bound by the Great Commission, Jesus's order to his disciples to go make disciples of all nations.

Therefore, any religion or belief system that doesn't adhere to these three requirements is evil and false as they see it. Hindus see the nature of God as being completely unlike the Abrahamic concept. Brahman, usually popularly and not-entirely-correctly referred to as "God" manifests in uncountable ways, forms and names. In my personal beliefs, Brahman manifests even as Thor, Zeus, Xango, Yemaya, Perun, Taranis, Odin, Frigga, and every "pagan" or Pagan god/dess. I can go off-trail into why the Aztec gods are so bloodthirsty ... same reason Yahweh and Allah (or any god) are viewed as being, petty, bloodthirsty and vengeful: misunderstanding and misinterpretation.

"Whatever deity a devotee seeks to worship with faith, I steady the faith of such a devotee in that form." BG 7.21
" ... even those devotees who faithfully worship other gods also worship Me. But they do so by the wrong method." BG 9.23

So, Sri Krishna sanctions worship of other gods as long as they understand what proper worship is and is not. But this is repugnant to Christians and cannot be sanctioned.

 

[rocala]

By the by, my daughter was a Christo-Pagan, so the two can be reconciled. There is both a cross and a pentacle on her headstone.

That does seem to be true.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/not-doing-religion-by-the-book-1.4547318/jesus-christ-is-my-chief-druid-meet-the-anglican-priest-who-is-also-a-pagan-1.4549100

 

[rocala]

Why do Christians (and Monotheists) have such a problem with those that worship pluralistically?

Such as Paganism and Hinduism?

I believe that some Christians have attempted to accommodate Hinduism. I once came across an essay by a French Roman Catholic missionary to India (I think 19th century). He saw Hindu scriptures as acceptable. I think his basic understanding was that the multiple gods were but aspects of one God. I have heard of others though, from the last century.

As for Paganism, I think a lot of this is tapping into other emotions. The Christian church has been losing support everywhere while Paganism has blossomed. I guess we can forgive them for being a little bit jealous.

 

[Colt]

I'll say it again, since you seem to have replied without reading my text. There are some people who simply don't perceive God. It doesn't matter how sincere they are.

I did read your text but you have me on auto-disagree so not much else I can say.

 

[Eli G]

A group of gods or demigods is the same to the only God as an attempted coup d'état is to a president, a group of mutineers is to a captain, children who rebel against their father, students who provoke an act of disobedience in their school, ...

It would be easy to understand when one accepts that the original Source of life is singular, and the existence of everything else is due to it alone.

 

[Eli G]

No one needs a Bible to know what it is to rebel against authority.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

And none of the Pagan Gods did what Jesus did.

Why would they? They aren't condemning us for failing for live up to an impossible code of conduct, rules thaylt often and frequently don't cause harm to anyone.
You can name a few Celtic deities, but you seem to not understand there is no purpose, point, use or need for a savior among the Celts as their beliefs included reincarnation.

 

[Colt]

Why would they? They aren't condemning us for failing for live up to an impossible code of conduct, rules thaylt often and frequently don't cause harm to anyone.
You can name a few Celtic deities, but you seem to not understand there is no purpose, point, use or need for a savior among the Celts as their beliefs included reincarnation.

Jesus was only concerned with real sin; deliberate disloyalty to deity. You may be thinking of social taboos which werent really sins.

 

[Eli G]

Human beings can choose the god they want: the God of gods or one of his children who became gods and do them favors...

Everybody knows that those "gods" have never done free favors to any human, the Creator on His own side, made humans to be happy without those spirits having to give them anything additional.

Know that at the end those rebellious children of the Creator will cease to exist... and humans who followed them will dissapear with them.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

No one needs a Bible to know what it is to rebel against authority.

Could you elaborate on this?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Jesus was only concerned with real sin; deliberate disloyalty to deity. You may be thinking of social taboos which werent really sins.

Pagan gods widely aren't that vendictive against humans. It happens, but they mostly have greater concerns and usually don't punish unless an oath has been broken, and even then eternal punishment is usually not a thing.