|
Post by Pugnox on Dec 4, 2003 9:43:32 GMT -5
Sorry, it was getting very late... Or does my answer simply make you ANGRY?
|
|
|
Post by AWAR on Dec 4, 2003 11:38:02 GMT -5
Or does my answer simply make you ANGRY? Oh! No, I was wondering what you meant. I thought there might be some Wagnar fellow I haven't heard of
|
|
|
Post by Pugnox on Dec 4, 2003 14:30:14 GMT -5
This board has an addictive quality about it. I'm beginning to not sleep and to neglect my wife. Hope it dies down soon...
|
|
|
Post by Artemisia on Dec 4, 2003 14:35:10 GMT -5
This board has an addictive quality about it. I'm beginning to not sleep and to neglect my wife. Hope it dies down soon... Yup, same here. Must get back to studying or I'll fail my finals!
|
|
|
Post by AWAR on Dec 4, 2003 15:33:40 GMT -5
[SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE] You will live and breathe for this forum! [/SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE]
[evil laugh] HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! [/evil laugh]
;D
|
|
|
Post by Artemidoros on Dec 4, 2003 18:02:09 GMT -5
I was brought up as a Greek Orthodox. I must admit orthodoxy has shaped me to a great extent but I have no serious metaphysical anxieties and I am not the type who can be confined to the codes and beliefs of any religion. I always remember the words of Nicetas, a monk, during Catechism in my childhood: Your conscience is the word of God inside you. Well, my conscience and the Orthodox Church do not always manage to agree. I suppose nominally I am Christian but in essence I am just a hypocritical, anarchic, individualistic doubter of everything like most Greeks
|
|
|
Post by Air Raid! on Dec 5, 2003 11:17:33 GMT -5
I was baptised by the Palestinian-Greek Orthodox Church in Chile but i turned agnostic when i was 13.
See ya...
|
|
|
Post by rusalka on Dec 7, 2003 20:52:53 GMT -5
Have some so-called Muslims and some Catholics in my family. Essentially, someone who is not Greek Orthodox, Armenian Gregorian or Jewish is automatically considered "Muslim" if you were born in Turkey. That is because the "minority" issue is a sensitive one, and because the minorities are defined by religion and not by ethnicity, Turkey doesn't recognize most other options. Anyone who were not one of these groups were assimilated into the Islamic majority in the last years of the Empire or the first years of the Republic. But, for example, in reality most Caucasians who were exiled to Ottoman lands were heathens, with their indigenous traditions.
I voted Pagan for myself, although I detest the New-Agey connotation.
|
|
|
Post by AWAR on Dec 7, 2003 21:02:12 GMT -5
I voted Pagan for myself, although I detest the New-Agey connotation. New Age paganism is tailored for US citizens. I visited some pagan forums and chats, most of the members were either women or gays, very rude and every day the theme was where to buy the right requisites for 'rituals', bathing salts, candles and togas. Oh! I almost forgot, they were insulting christians all of the time Sort of like they were all post-traumatic christians or something. It's a shame that paganism is getting a bad name (again) because I think returning to pagan beliefs would do good to Europe. I fully support pagans, but new age religions are very 'commercial' if you catch my drift. I asked some guy what does he believe, and he responded: "I'm a agnostic-druid-discordian, I follow the faith of my Celtic and Phillipine forefathers".
|
|
|
Post by rusalka on Dec 7, 2003 21:25:50 GMT -5
New Age paganism is tailored for US citizens. I visited some pagan forums and chats, most of the members were either women or gays, very rude and every day the theme was where to buy the right requisites for 'rituals', bathing salts, candles and togas. Oh! I almost forgot, they were insulting christians all of the time Sort of like they were all post-traumatic christians or something. It's a shame that paganism is getting a bad name (again) because I think returning to pagan beliefs would do good to Europe. I fully support pagans, but new age religions are very 'commercial' if you catch my drift. I asked some guy what does he believe, and he responded: "I'm a agnostic-druid-discordian, I follow the faith of my Celtic and Phillipine forefathers". LOL! That sounds SO American! I don't mean to put American people as a whole, it's just the whole economic system that works this way. They belong in by purchasing goods, not by thinking or feeling a certain way. If you'd ask any "pagan" in the US (I'm talking about those kinds of pagans you mentioned) he or she would start counting the "tools" he or she had: - a silver athame (whatever that is, I mean what the hell is an "athame" anyway? what is the practical purpose? who cuts things with swords anymore?) - a wooden carved censer (oh, of course it HAS to be carved from a CERTAIN kind of wood. if you're worshipping Cernunnos it has to be ash, if you're worshipping Cerridwen it has to be rowan etc.) - "Lady" figure I bought from SacredSource (plastic) etc. Because of these people, when the word "pagan" is mentioned people think of the modern-day creation Wicca. What's more, they wouldn't give you the light of day unless you agreed with them that Wicca is actually a 30.000+ year old tradition that was handed down for generations of "witches" who fought against male patriarchy and who were burnt by MILLIONS during the -guess when- BURNING TIMES! (gasp!). or something. Maybe we should use the word "polytheistic", as I usually do. There are respected polytheistic religions in the world, the first one that comes to my mind, with its unquestionably Indo-European roots is Hinduism. It's not new-agey, it's not "fluffy", it's not silly; yet in the eyes of the three Abrahamic faiths it would be considered "pagan". There must be a way for modern day non-fluffy pagan or polytheist or whatever we like to call it, to be able to belong to a Western, Indo-European (or not) tradition. One such establishment is Hellenion, a group of reconstructionist hellenistic polytheists (without the more common "all gods are one god all goddess are one goddess and they're all one, and what's more, we are gods too!" nonsense). There are other such undertakings, which hopefully will make their mark. Graeco-Roman paganism has SO much to offer for the Western civilization. Just think of all the Greek philosophers. Who cares about some weirdos with wands? Or otherwise we'll all be wearing pentagrams and casting circles! p.s: post-traumatic Christians. You couldn't be more right! Yes, they were "opressed" by their Christian heritage and finally found the truth about magickal (I hate that k!) circles, drawing down the moon and running naked in their backyards. wow.
|
|
|
Post by ProdigalSon on Dec 8, 2003 12:03:28 GMT -5
Russian Orthodox Christian.
|
|
Praetor
Full Member
Graecus in Fennia
Posts: 246
|
Post by Praetor on Dec 10, 2003 12:44:32 GMT -5
I was baptized a (Greek) Orthodox Christian,raised as one.Nowdays I 'm practically agnostic but I still state(and voted) that I 'm C.O. for the sake of my Byzantine heritage.I am anti-cleric and anti-dogmatic though.
|
|
|
Post by Dienekes on Dec 10, 2003 17:14:54 GMT -5
I was baptized a (Greek) Orthodox Christian,raised as one.Nowdays I 'm practically agnostic but I still state(and voted) that I 'm C.O. for the sake of my Byzantine heritage.I am anti-cleric and anti-dogmatic though. I dislike the arrogance found among some bishops, the fanaticism of some monks, but in my opinion the vast majority of clerics are just ordinary people under the raso.
|
|
|
Post by rusalka on Dec 10, 2003 17:24:31 GMT -5
I dislike the arrogance found among some bishops, the fanaticism of some monks, but in my opinion the vast majority of clerics are just ordinary people under the raso. Being an art student and a lover of history and cultures in general, I've been to my share of churches in Turkey, most of the time on an assignment; and the people I've met there were all very kind and enthusiastic about helping me. Even though most of them were Greek born and raised (because the Orthodox religious school is still not operating in Turkey) they don't speak much Turkish and English, and I don't speak much Greek except "Kalimera", "Ya sou" and other trivial usage. I think an average priest is just like anyone. Some of them like their job, some not as much and they're just ordinary people. I personally don't have anything against any ordinary cleric. I cannot stand fanatic people in general, be it layman or religious leader.
|
|
|
Post by Kukul-Kan on Dec 10, 2003 17:38:51 GMT -5
I dislike the arrogance found among some bishops, the fanaticism of some monks, but in my opinion the vast majority of clerics are just ordinary people under the raso. I think it’s the same with Catholic priests even though I like the Orthodox view in chastity more (regular priests can get married but if they want to be bishops they have to stay unmarried right?). It also depends on the individual and the order in Catholicism. I cannot stand the Opus Dei nor the Legionaries of Christ because of their elitism and fanaticism but I like the more humanistic view the Franciscans and particularly the Jesuits have.
|
|