Deva Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I think at heart I am a polytheist or some kind of pantheist. I have never had any trouble with the idea that inanimate objects were somehow alive. That was what I thought as a child. Dolls seemed creepy to me because they were just too alive. I fit right into idol worship. No problem at all - some Christians even do it, but not the type of Christianity I was raised in where it was all of the devil. Now that I am adult I am glad to feel free to do whatever ceremonies and observances I want to. No, I don't pray to gods but I do some recitations of Buddhist sadhanas (practices) now and again. Its Tibetan and it is a lot like prayer but its directed to gurus and tantric deities, which can all be understood symbolically as representations of the enlightened mind. It just makes me feel better and satisfies the devotional side of my nature. The Christian god is too limited. There are so many tasks he seemingly just isn't up to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElrondHubbard Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I find to be a real critic of it, you have to start to try to tease it apart and look at all the different parts. In the case of traditional Christian religion, what you have is a weaving together of these various strands into a quilt-like mythology supporting an organized religion. The 'canon' of scripture as a single delivered truth, is itself a created myth, from many earlier layers of supporting myth structures for their own reasons in their own contexts, etc. Yeah, that has basically been my process. Historical approaches to mythology and religion are definitely helpful in understanding the evolution of Christianity - or any faith, for that matter. I think that having as broad an education as possible allows you to have much more complex insights into faith and the religious experience. As a bonus, you also get a fuller, richer experience of all aspects of your life. I'm lucky that I'm coming to all of this while I'm in college - studying all of this really interesting stuff is pretty much my job right now, and it doesn't get much better than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I find to be a real critic of it, you have to start to try to tease it apart and look at all the different parts. In the case of traditional Christian religion, what you have is a weaving together of these various strands into a quilt-like mythology supporting an organized religion. The 'canon' of scripture as a single delivered truth, is itself a created myth, from many earlier layers of supporting myth structures for their own reasons in their own contexts, etc. Yeah, that has basically been my process. Historical approaches to mythology and religion are definitely helpful in understanding the evolution of Christianity - or any faith, for that matter. I think that having as broad an education as possible allows you to have much more complex insights into faith and the religious experience. As a bonus, you also get a fuller, richer experience of all aspects of your life. I'm lucky that I'm coming to all of this while I'm in college - studying all of this really interesting stuff is pretty much my job right now, and it doesn't get much better than that. Wow, great to have you on the site. Someone of so like mind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotBlinded Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I find to be a real critic of it, you have to start to try to tease it apart and look at all the different parts. In the case of traditional Christian religion, what you have is a weaving together of these various strands into a quilt-like mythology supporting an organized religion. The 'canon' of scripture as a single delivered truth, is itself a created myth, from many earlier layers of supporting myth structures for their own reasons in their own contexts, etc. Yeah, that has basically been my process. Historical approaches to mythology and religion are definitely helpful in understanding the evolution of Christianity - or any faith, for that matter. I think that having as broad an education as possible allows you to have much more complex insights into faith and the religious experience. As a bonus, you also get a fuller, richer experience of all aspects of your life. I'm lucky that I'm coming to all of this while I'm in college - studying all of this really interesting stuff is pretty much my job right now, and it doesn't get much better than that. Wow, great to have you on the site. Someone of so like mind! I agree. Welcome Elrond. I had a flashback to my college years to when I started noticing things coming together in many areas of disciplines. Awww...those were fun times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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