puzzled by Durga

[Jainarayan]

... If God chooses to appear as Jesus or Odin to someone and that person wishes to remain Hindu, I don't see why they can't still be Hindu if that is what they wish for themselves. ...

I still wrestle with this to an extent though I largely agree with you. I can fully accept that I'm simply a "deity collector", however.

Though I don't follow Heathenry (it really was not for me) I still have an affinity for Thor, the only one of the Æsir that I do. I have an affinity for Green Tara (she may be Durga), Guan Yin and Chenrezig/Avalokiteshvara; and for Guan Yu and Xuan Wu of the Daoist pantheon.

But no Jesus, for the same reason I don't enshrine Paramhamsa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda, or any other saint though I revere them. They're not gods (imo).

I don't enshrine them with the Hindu deities, who are my first and foremost. Thor loves his ale and mead but is equally happy with any sincere offering. But I'm not sure it would be cool to enshrine them all together.

 

[SomeRandom]

I still wrestle with this to an extent though I largely agree with you. I can fully accept that I'm simply a "deity collector", however.

Though I don't follow Heathenry (it really was not for me) I still have an affinity for Thor, the only one of the Æsir that I do. I have an affinity for Green Tara (she may be Durga), Guan Yin and Chenrezig/Avalokiteshvara; and for Guan Yu and Xuan Wu of the Daoist pantheon.

But no Jesus, for the same reason I don't enshrine Paramhamsa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda, or any other saint though I revere them. They're not gods (imo).

I don't enshrine them with the Hindu deities, who are my first and foremost. Thor loves his ale and mead but is equally happy with any sincere offering. But I'm not sure it would be cool to enshrine them all together.

In my house our shrine contains everything from Jesus and Buddha to Malaysian statues to Guru Nanak to whatever else we've accumulated. Never thought it as odd to be honest.

 

[Jainarayan]

In my house our shrine contains everything from Jesus and Buddha to Malaysian statues to Guru Nanak to whatever else we've accumulated. Never thought it as odd to be honest.

I suppose as long as the deities don't clash, it would be ok. Not like having Loki and Heimdall together (they hate and kill each other at Ragnarök), or Ares and Athena together (Athena hates Ares for his bloodlust).

Truth to tell, I understand in (some) Taoist temples the altar is flanked by statues of Guan yu and Kartikeya... both being gods of righteous war.

I have a small statue of Green Tara that just keeps getting shuffled from place to place. But she is, after all, a goddess of compassion.