For me, GOD is so complex, it is impossible to understand all of the aspects. By using the concept of aspects, I have been able to study each one in more detail.
Posted on 08/18/2004 5:15:34 PM PDT by SJackson
How modern pagans are reviving the polytheistic religions of the ancient Greeks, Druids, Egyptians, and other civilizations.
This year, Andrea Berman will watch the Olympics for the first time in her life. But she doesn't care who will jump the highest, run the farthest or swim the fastest. She'll be watching the games—being held this year in Greece, their ancestral home—for any mention of Zeus, Athena or Apollo.
"I will watch it to see if anything even remotely resembles anything I would know as an ancient ritual and tradition," Berman said. "But I kind of have mixed feelings. On one hand it will be great to see ancient traditions represented. But on the other hand, I know what the country of Greece thinks of our religion and people there who want to do this do not have the religious freedom to do it."
"This" is worship the Greek gods. Berman is a Hellenic reconstructionist–a practitioner of the religion of ancient Greece. A spare bedroom in her Boston area apartment is decorated as a temple room with statues of Apollo, Pan, Artemis, Dionysus and Eros. And like all Hellenic reconstructionists, she knows the original Olympics were not just a massive sportsfest, but a religious rite central to the worship of Zeus, chief among the Greek gods.
Reconstructionists are a group of neo-pagans–people who look to pre-Christian cultures for their faith–different branches of which worship the gods of ancient Norse, Roman, Egyptian, and Druid peoples. And while scholars say their numbers are only a fraction of the neo-pagan community, they also say they are a vibrant illustration of the rejection of traditional religion in the United States. And, in a curious boomerang effect, they are part of a movement away from the more eclectic forms of neo-paganism, like Wicca, taken up by pagan pioneers in the 1960s and 1970s.
"Reconstructionist groups seem to be kind of in the middle," said Sean McCloud a professor of religion and modern culture at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. "On the one hand they want to embrace a coherent religion where they are not making things up. On the other hand, it is not the religion of their parents."
That is certainly true of Berman, a 26-year-old web developer who was raised in a non-religious home by a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. As a young teenager, she practiced Wicca. By college, she was into Celtic spirituality, but moved to the Greek gods literally overnight when, she recalled, a god appeared to her in a dream and said, "I am Apollo. You belong to me."
On a Saturday afternoon in July, Berman, known in her faith as Kyrene Ariadne, dressed in a long silky skirt of blue roses to join three likeminded worshippers and a guest to mark the Bouphonia, or Greek new year. The two men and three women assembled in the hall outside the temple room and chanted together from a prepared script:
"Hestia, tender of the hearth, first among gods, you sit at the center; steadily burns your flame."
In solemn single file, they moved into the room to form a circle about a center altar draped with a black cloth and set with a candle and brass bowl of burning frankincense. They poured water into a bowl to wash their hands and faces, then raised their palms to the sides of the their faces as they continued to chant hymns to Pan, Artemis and Zeus:
"I shall sing of Zeus, the best and the greatest of Gods, Far-seeing, mighty, fulfiller of designs who confides His tight-knit schemes to Themis and she sits leaning upon Him.
Have mercy, far-seeing Kronides, most glorious and great."
After the ceremony, which included the ritual disemboweling of a loaf of bread representing a sacrificial bull, the group shared a meal of hummus, pita, dolmatas and rice pudding around Berman's dining room table.
Berman, who wears a sun pendant as a symbol of Apollo, said venerating the Greek gods brings her a sense of peace and connection she has found nowhere else.
"I don't know how to describe it except to say that I felt like I was coming home," she said. "I know it is where I want to be."
No one knows exactly how many neo-pagan reconstructionists there are. There is no formal membership, no centralized authority like a church or a seminary, though several groups run clergy training programs. But Helen Berger, a religion sociologist and author of "Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States" (University of South Carolina Press, 2003), estimates there are between 200,000 and 400,000 neo-pagans in this country. Reconstructionists, she said, are a sliver of the whole picture.
Because their numbers are so small, the majority of reconstructionists are "sole practitioners," conducting rituals, ceremonies and study on their own. Because of their isolation, and because many are young enough to have been raised with computers, the internet serves as a pipeline to the broader reconstructionist community. There are numerous websites and chatrooms devoted to each of the reconstructionist faiths, outlining the customary worship of the various gods, the origins of festivals, and the proper preparation of rituals.
Jennifer Guimaraes, a 22-year-old Las Vegas homemaker and mother, says the internet is vital to her worship of the Greek gods. She and her boyfriend, also a Hellenic reconstructionist, founded Thiasos Dionysos, an online discussion group dedicated to the Greek god of wine and agriculture with about 60 regular participants. Members exchange information online, but worship on their own.
Guimaraes, who came to the Greek gods after a period practicing Wicca, says tapping into the ancient rituals of the past brings a sense of authenticity she has not found in other religions.
"Even though a lot of people consider it a dead religion, reconstructionists approach it in a way that it is not dead. It is personal. If you crave some sort of tradition, this is where people are going to look for it."
It isn't just the Greek gods that are enjoying revived interest. There are Egyptian, Norse, Roman, Celtic and Druidic reconstructionists as well, with small groups of six to thirty people meeting in places as varied as Texas, California, Florida and Illinois.
Paula Ashton is a 35-year-old executive assistant in Chicago and a member of the Kemetic Orthodox faith, a group that worships the Egyptian gods. Kemetic Orthodox recently made the leap from online community to a physical one with the opening of a temple in Joliet, Ill.
"It seems to me like I have personal relationship to my god," Ashton said of what draws her to her faith and the goddess known as Aset, or Isis. "She is looking out for me. Then I look at strangers and they, too, have a personal connection with their god, be it Jesus or whoever, and we are all connected. We are all part of this. It helps me understand strangers better. It helps me understand humanity better. It helps me get in touch with the rest of the world, it helps me be more compassionate."
In Walnut Creek, Calif. Stefn [CQ] Thorsman is "steersman," or chief executive, for the Troth, an organization of affiliated "kindreds," or small groups, and solo practitioners of Asatru, a form of Norse reconstructionism. Thorsman, a stand-up comedian, said one of the appeals of Norse polytheism is that it reveres the divine in all things, living and inanimate, male or female.
"Our gods and goddesses are closer to us," he said. "We don't grovel before them. We stand before them. We don't look to them for perfection. Just as there is male and female in all of nature there, there is male and female in the spirit world. Having a male, all-seeing, all-perfect, very angry and vindictive God just did not call to me."
In meetings, Asatruars study and discuss the gods of the Norse pantheon–Thor, Freya, Frigg and Odin among them. They celebrate a number of festivals, including the "freyfaxi," a harvest festival, and the "einherjar," a celebration of those killed in battle.
Offline reconstructionist groups are rare, though their numbers appear to be growing. Berman's group, called Hellenion, made the leap from cyberspace to temple space in 2001 when they founded as a religious non-profit and began holding monthly worship services. By the end of that year they numbered three "demoi," or congregations, though the largest was Berman's with seven members. There are now nine Hellenion groups in places as far away from Athens, Greece as Jackson, Miss., Lancaster, Penn, northeastern Ohio and Dallas, Tex.
Like most reconstructionists, Hellenion's members want to reproduce the ancient rituals as closely as possible. But this is a problem when it comes to animal sacrifice, which the Greeks performed routinely. At the ancient Olympics, 100 bulls were sacrificed to Zeus. But at July's Bouphonia, Hellenion members decorated a hollowed-out loaf of bread with two small brown cones inserted in one end to represent horns. The crusty loaf had been hollowed out and filled with barley to represent blood.
During the ceremony, Tim Anderson, a 19-year-old college student studying for the Hellenion clergy, lifted the bread over his head and pierced it with a knife. The barley fell into a bowl that he then raised over his head and presented to the gods as an offering and left on the altar as sacred to Demeter and Persephone. He then handed the gutted bread to Kyrene Ariadne and asked if she would "scry for divinations."
"For obvious reasons, we don't want to sacrifice a bull," Berman said later. "We have lots of arguments in our community about the purity of ritual, but this is one thing that people generally agree on–that doing animal sacrifice is outdated and has lost any original meaning it once had."
Berger, the religion sociologist, says this is where the reconstructionists, so dedicated to the past, are actually doing something quite original. While most say they are dedicated to the past, they are, like most neo-pagans, innovative and creative when it comes to the actual practice.
"It is more or less like post-modern architecture," said Berger, who once attended a reconstructionist ceremony in which a pineapple was sacrificed. "They are taking bits and pieces of things from different places and making something that is really contemporary."
Peering into the gutted "bull," Berman reported to the group that she saw the Greek letter lambda, and books on the temple room's shelves revealed it meant a sinister thing or event may be a blessing in disguise. Berman sees this as a positive sign. She expects interest in Hellenic reconstructionism to rise after the Olympics, as it did after this year's television broadcast of "The Odyssey" and the release of the movie "Troy," when the number of hits to Hellenion's website spiked.
That's fine with Berman, who hopes others will find their way to the Greek gods.
"Doing group worship is so much different than doing it alone," she said. "I feel like I am in touch with something. I feel like I am not the only one."
> Sorry, but my belief is based on evidence. It is all around us to see, but some are so predisposed to a naturalistic explanation for everything that they can't (won't) follow the evidence to where it leads.
Replace "naturalistic explanation" with "comforting supernatural explanation," and all of a sudden you've explained Creationists.
Wizard's First Rule:
"People can be made to believe any lie, either because they want it to be true or because they fear that it is.
Wizard's Second Rule:
"...the greatest harm can result from the best intentions."
Wizard's Third Rule:
"Passion rules reason."
Wizard's Fourth Rule:
"...magic in forgiveness..Magic to heal. In forgiveness you grant, and more so in the forgiveness you receive."
Wizard's Fifth Rule:
"Mind what people do, not only what they say, for deeds will betray a lie."
Wizard's Sixth Rule:
"...the only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason."
> Where are the real Greek gods when you really need them? I mean they were petty, deceitful, jealous, and egotistical...
Sounds like a fun bunch. In actual fact, many of the pre-Christian pagan faiths of Europe had such imperfect gods... and that was the point. The better myths showed the gods as flawed, and showed how those flaws bit 'em in the ass. This is especially true in the case of the Nordic gods, who were somewhat unique in being mortal and woundable. They were gods and lore that taught not by Commandment, but by Example.
> I thought politically correct pagans could only follow the religions of "indigenous pipples."
Think again. But then, being a non-New Age pagan is virtually the antithesis of political correctness.
> It's idiotic for people to want to "restore" ancient religion and then suddenly throw out animal sacrifice because for some reason it's "wrong."
Yeah! Gimme that old-time Judeo-Christianity, where non believers, Sunday workers, adulterers and those who carve birds are stoned to death!
> lighting an Olympic flame in the temple of z*us, which was inaugurated by Hitler
Uh... what? You DO know that the modern Olymics began in, what, 1896 or thereabouts? Are we to believe that Toddler Hitler ahd somethign to do with this?
Personally, the fact that there are multiple forms of religion on Earth, is the best confirmation that GOD has been trying to teach.
It is not how different each of the religions are, but what lessons all of them share in common. That is GOD's lesson, if you have the eyes to see.
It would appear that "neo" = "frickin".
Maybe this will add a little excitement to this thread.
"One man's theology is another man's belly laugh."
"God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash and in small bills."
"The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history."
""God split himself in a myriad parts that he might have friends." This may not be true, but it sounds good -- and is no sillier than any other theology."
"History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis...Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it."
and last but not least...
"Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child."
Just can't help myself when it comes to things like this, everyone gets up on their high horses and starts spouting off about how great their religion is and how it is the only true religion etc etc.
You guys take yourselves WAY too seriously, have fun, life's short, you're gonna find out soon enough as it is.
Be good to each other, how hard is it?
LMAO!
You Sir, just gave me the best quote I have ever seen on the subject.
After I stop laughing, I will save and archive that quotation.
I knew that you'd like it, but there are gonna be some people really mad at me.
For me, GOD is so complex, it is impossible to understand all of the aspects. By using the concept of aspects, I have been able to study each one in more detail.
As a kid, I liked reading stories about the Greek Gods, so if people want to worship them, I say go ahead. Just don't try that stuff in Muslim countries, or you'll get your hands chopped off or worse
GO FOR IT!
I would drop my Wicca beliefs in a second, if the Muslims supported it!
1 Corinthians 2:14
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
1 Corinthians 2:14
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
It's idiotic for people to want to "restore" ancient religion and then suddenly throw out animal sacrifice because for some reason it's "wrong."
Yeah! Gimme that old-time Judeo-Christianity, where non believers, Sunday workers, adulterers and those who carve birds are stoned to death!
All Torah Laws will be restored in the days of Mashiach (yaggi`a veyavo' beqarov beyameynu), including the ones that people don't like. Right and wrong are defined by the Creator of the Universe. If you don't believe in Him, then drop your groundless values and ideals and live like the ants. They don't worry themselves into conniptions trying to improve their society or make progress in their thinking. (And so far as I know, the chr*stians didn't stone anyone. Jews and Noachides, however, did and will, should the Halakhic situation demand it.)
> lighting an Olympic flame in the temple of z*us, which was inaugurated by Hitler
Uh... what? You DO know that the modern Olymics began in, what, 1896 or thereabouts? Are we to believe that Toddler Hitler ahd somethign to do with this?
Sorry, but there was no olympic flame until 1936, when Hitler (mach shemo) suggested the ritual to illustrate that the Germans were the modern heirs of the "aryan" Greeks. Don't know your history, do ya?
> All Torah Laws will be restored in the days of Mashiach (yaggi`a veyavo' beqarov beyameynu), including the ones that people don't like.
Uh, sure. Gonna carve up critters and examine their guts for signs from God, too?
> If you don't believe in Him, then drop your groundless values and ideals and live like the ants.
What the...? Are we speaking the same language?
>but there was no olympic flame until 1936, when Hitler (mach shemo) suggested the ritual to illustrate that the Germans were the modern heirs of the "aryan" Greeks.
IS that a fact?
http://www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicfirsts.asp
"1928: First Olympic Flame to be lit and burned throughout whole Olympic Games"
http://www.nbcolympics.com/ceremony/5035056/detail.html
"The first Olympic flame of the modern era was lit in Amsterdam in 1928."
http://www.amnumsoc.org/exhibits/FullCircle/
"Olympiad IX, Amsterdam, 1928 By 1928, the Olympic festival had settled into a familiar, amicable routine. It is fitting, then, that the Games of the IXth Olympiad were marked by an aura of peace and harmony; for the first time in 16 years, the Germans were once again invited to participate. The first Olympic flame was lit atop a tower next to the stadium; "
http://www.whom.co.uk/squelch/olympic_1992.htm
"The first Olympic flame was seen at Amsterdam - 1928 - and - since then - has burned throughout the duration of the Games. "
>Don't know your history, do ya?
Gosh, I guess not! And here I thought Amsterdam wasn't part of Nazi Germany, and that 1928 came *before* 1933. How wrong I was! Thanks for setting me right! Now, with the understanding the 1928 came after 1933, that Amsterdam is part of Germany, that black is white and freedom is slavery, your world view makes *so* much more sense.
The fact is that in 1936 a flame was lit in the temple of z*us and relayed to Germany to illustrate a link between the ancient Greeks and the Nazis (aryans, y'know). Every reference I have ever heard about the olympic flame is that it didn't begin in 1896 as is commonly supposed but in 1936 (though they seldom explain why). I heard this again recently during this olympics. My apologies for my error.
You sure are pissed off about something. Could it be that you don't like religious people who can't see the "self-evident truth" of your own secular philosophy?
Be as secular as you like, but kindly drop all moral hang-ups. You should be grateful that random, meaningless, self-existent universe brought you forth at all rather than trying to shape it according to your groundless ideals.
Do you believe the only way to salvation is through Christ?
> Seeing as how you were claiming that the flame was lit in 1896 I don't see what you are crowing about.
Hey, I was wrong. But I wasn't comparing the Olympics to the Nazis.
> You sure are pissed off about something.
I'd suggest finding a convenient mirror, and repeating that phrase there.
> your groundless ideals
Wow, do you actually believe that? How sad.
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