racism and paganism

[Whiterain]

The most common term for people who tie Pagan paths to ethnicity is 'folkish'. These people believe that a person's ancestry determines the gods they are allowed to worship; that the gods of other civilisations or pantheons will ignore them simply because they didn't come from that society's bloodlines to a great enough extent. There are racist Kemetic groups out there who argue that the Egyptian gods will only bless or listen to the prayers of black people. It is obviously as nonsensical as suggesting that may only pray to Thor or the Morrigan if you are white or any other kind of race-oriented path. The gods speak to whom they will and I'd honestly be shocked if something as ridiculously superficial as skin colour was a factor at all.

This is good. Take me for instance, I have experiences with numerous Gods and I would be considered a Mongrel & American towards many foreign parties, some of them do not appreciate Americans.

If I got wise with your run of the mill Norseman in the iron age talking about Odin they very well would lynch me or skewer me were I stand, comedic relief isn't my forte.

Same thing with many Greeks, it's also their sense of Nationalism and religious oppression, they may hold their beliefs very sacred and personal and as a sense of cultural and national identity.

I like their stance on community as well, they say a person that doesn't go out to the polis (city) and commune with everyone is an idiot, socializing was very important in their society. You were an idiot and an outcast if you weren't partying with your towns folk, or engaged in politics. But where were the Gods? Probably with the idiot.

Thank you, thank you.

Anyway, I very well may be a mockery in their cultures, as Gael-Vikingr, but after I killed a few Men, perhaps they would listen.

But that was then, this is now, it's not entirely the same predicament.

 

[Aupmanyav]

It's not offensive, it's a fact that they exist. It's not something we are proud of.

I think it will be impolite to disregard race and regional differences (all are/must be the same). We respect the differences. If it is a fact, we should accept it gracefully.

 

[Kirran]

I think it will be impolite to disregard race and regional differences (all are/must be the same). We respect the differences. If it is a fact, we should accept it gracefully.

I actually don't personally accept the existenceof rarace as anything more than a social construct. It goes against science.

I discovered yesterday that the human and chimp are so similar that if we were looking at fish which varied the same amount, we'd label them as one species of fish.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yes, different kind of fish, but still fish. So, what is the harm in accepting differences. India has always done that. If there were no South Indians, we would not have had Dosas, Uttapams and Vadas. Good that they are there. Each difference bring us something new and enriches us. If it was not for Muslims, we would not have had Tandoori and Biryanis, and cakes from Christians.

 

[Kirran]

Yes, different kind of fish, but still fish. So, what is the harm in accepting differences. India has always done that. If there were no South Indians, we would not have had Dosas, Uttapams and Vadas. Good that they are there. Each difference bring us something new and enriches us. If it was not for Muslims, we would not have had Tandoori and Biryanis, and cakes from Christians.

Certainly, I accept that there's cultural diversity. I just mean I don't accept that there are biologically discrete 'black people', 'white people', 'South Asian people' etc.

H. sapiens is among the least genetically diverse species we've ever discovered. The average set of chimps on a single side of a hill in West Africa are three times as genetically diverse as the global human population.

 

[James Field]

Yes, different kind of fish, but still fish. So, what is the harm in accepting differences. India has always done that. If there were no South Indians, we would not have had Dosas, Uttapams and Vadas. Good that they are there. Each difference bring us something new and enriches us. If it was not for Muslims, we would not have had Tandoori and Biryanis, and cakes from Christians.

Well there's nothing wrong with diversity, it's just that, in reality, a lot of these differences come down to where you're from as opposed to anything substantial.

 

[James Field]

I actually don't personally accept the existenceof rarace as anything more than a social construct. It goes against science.

I discovered yesterday that the human and chimp are so similar that if we were looking at fish which varied the same amount, we'd label them as one species of fish.

Could you show me where you read or heard this ? I'm not doubting you or challenging what you're saying, it just sounds interesting and I'd like to see

 

[Aupmanyav]

I accept. Biologically we all perhaps are East-Africans, chimps on the other side of the hill (Polygenism not being the favored scientific theory).

.. a lot of these differences come down to where you're from as opposed to anything substantial.

That carries a lot of weight in India. When we were arranging for the marriage of our son, we had a proposal on a matrimonial site. But the girl's father excused himself because they were Gaur Brahmins (indicating stay in East, Gaur is Bengal) and we were Kashmiri Saraswat Brahmins (indicating stay in West, Kurukshetra and Kashmir). Surely, the difference was substantial for him.

 

[Kirran]

Could you show me where you read or heard this ? I'm not doubting you or challenging what you're saying, it just sounds interesting and I'd like to see

I was actually told it by an evolutionary biology lecturer. I'll ask him where he got it from.