I've touched on the topic before, but this will be the definitive blog on the topic, and the one I refer people to in the future. What will be different about this one, is that I'm going to encourage everyone to ask questions if they have them. I gained a lot of new readers after getting featured.
And here we go. I'll start with a basic overview of key points, and then, if you want to know anything else, just ask in the comments, I'll answer.
(a lot of these are adapted from the beliefs of
The Henge of Keltria, since they are closest to my personal beliefs, but they phrase it better
)
~ I'm polytheistic. I personally chose the Celtic Pantheon. My personal view is that all Gods and Godesses are aspects of one unified higher power.
~ I see nature as embodiment of the Divine
~ I believe that Natural Law reflects the will of the Divine
~ I believe that all life is sacred and should neither be harmed nor taken without deliberation or regard.
~ I believe in the immortality of the spirit, by way of reincarnation and eventual complete enlightenment.
~ I believe that our purpose is to gain wisdom through experience.
~ I believe that learning is an ongoing process and should be encouraged at all ages.
~ I believe that morality should be a matter of personal conviction, based upon self respect and respect for others, not on fear of punishment in the afterlife
~ I believe that evil is not a matter of inheritance but of intent, therefore actions are not in themselves evil. Rather, it is through the intent behind actions that evil can manifest.
~ I believe in the relative nature of all things, that nothing is absolute, and that all things, even the Gods and Goddesses have their dark sides.
~ I believe that individuals have the right to pursue knowledge and wisdom through his or her chosen path, and no path is the only 'true' way.
~ I believe in a living religion able to adapt to a changing environment. I recognize that my beliefs may undergo change as my wisdom grows.
Comments (6)
Great post! I share many of your beliefs. I know many people believe in reincarnation. That belief I'm not crazy about, if only because I am absolutely not coming back to this crazy place again!
Are you by chance vegetarian? I am, which is why I wondered.
I think your beliefs say positive things about you. Thanks so much for sharing them!
Very interesting. I knew most of this tho, I've been around a while lol
@tulipsinspring - I get the feeling of not wanting to come back again.
And no, I'm not vegetarian, but it's a laudable choice(just not for me). And thank you for you kind words! I'm always glad to share my beliefs if it means people will see the truth of how beautiful Paganism really is, rather than the stereotypes and lies.
@AlterEgo909 - Yeah, this was more for the new people
My beliefs are pretty similar. Not a vegetarian, either, but of late I've been considering the idea more seriously.
not a pagan or a polytheist myself, but I am interested. I wonder, to what extent would you see Gods and Goddesses as having human characteristics?
Also you speak about evil as matter of intent. would you disagree with the idea that some acts are so destructive that they are evil regardless of the motivation behind them? for example, there are those who would say that the "ends justify the means" and commit acts of terror for the sake of their nation, religion or ideology.
@accidental_racist - I'm fuzzy on what you mean by human characteristics, but the concept of whether deities were human at one point and the concept of them is what we now know as deity, or whether they were always inherently energy, is something I've been mulling for a while. I'm completely fine with admitting I don't know everything, I don't even have some things figured out for myself yet.
Perhaps they were human and became one with the unified consciousness/energy/whatever you'd like to call it. Or perhaps they are just our way of translating aspects of our humanity. Neither option lessens the effect or realism for me. Even as archetypes we can still learn a lot from deities and pantheons in general.
I think I would agree, that there are some things that cannot be done with any intent but evil. I do not believe that "the end justifies the means." It's used a lot when talking about casualties of innocents, 'collateral damage.' It's never right to kill someone, with few exceptions, such as self defense. There are plenty of Pagans in the military, so we're not complete pacifists(well, some are). But murder is never right, and that's something that I would say is inherently evil, since you can't murder with good intentions(well, there are some people who think they are...think parents who kill their children to save them from hell, etc.).