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| Author |
Message |
arwen
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Can Pagans and Christians be friends?
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Aug 29 17:55 UTC 1994 |
Through discussions with Christian friends I have come to this
question. Can Pagans and Christians be friends? What needs to
be talked about? What ground rules do we need to have frank discussions?
*One rule here!*
No proslytizing! None at all. If you think your way is the only way,
that is fine. Don't try to convert anyone. If you feel a need to be
converted....take it to private chat and have at it!
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| 142 responses total. |
arwen
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response 1 of 142:
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Aug 29 17:58 UTC 1994 |
I think that all people of all religions can be friends. It occurs to
be too late that I should have included all the other faiths such
as Jewish, Buddhist etc.
My ground rules ae that I will listen until somebody feels the need
to *witness* or *testify*! Then I tune out.
My views are that we all look at the same tree...we just look at it
from different sides!
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jltaylor
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response 2 of 142:
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Aug 29 22:47 UTC 1994 |
Good point arwen.
Since at least 99 percent of religions teach love, peace and tolleance,
er.. tollerance, it should be possible for people of differing faiths and
practices too get along in peace and harmony.
However, some people are just overwhelmed with lust, greed, or whatever
other vices they suffer from and go out and start wars blaming it on religious
differences. Other times prejudice is the big problem when people can't put
aside their differences and accept people for what they are and love them
anyways.
ok, i'm out of breath now.
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bnm
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response 3 of 142:
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Aug 29 23:37 UTC 1994 |
I think that it depends on the Christian. (I can't speak for
other denominations.) In general, Episcopalians, Unitarians,
and Unity are tolerant of pagans. I can't speak for local
Episcopal or Unity groups, but at one point there was (and
perhaps still is) a local Unitarian pagan group. That's not
to say individual members of the church may not be prejudiced,
just that if they hold true to their creed, they're more likely
to be hospitable.
However, I'm not sure that it's too safe to be friends with
a fundamentalist. If you accept King James as the gospel
(heh heh), that business about "...thou shalt not suffer a
witch to live..." would cast a bit of a pall on a friendship:
"Say, Bill (an imaginary fundie), what are you doing with that
charcoal starter, large pile of wood, and matches? Going to
have a cookout?"
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canis
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response 4 of 142:
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Aug 30 05:32 UTC 1994 |
Well I've thoguht much about stuff like this... I am a christian, yet I have
done many, 'unchristian' things. I have practiced buddhism and such, and I
see many paralles between the two. I am not christian, and yet not pagan, or
anything else. Yet I belive a supernatural being that guides us, and is made
up by us we wouldn't be here without it and it wouldn't be here without us.
It is what links us to the elements and at the same time sets us apart....
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brighn
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response 5 of 142:
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Aug 30 06:47 UTC 1994 |
Re 3: My opinion is, though, that you should keep lines open regardless
until they actually whip out the starter and matches. I've been surprised
by who has been, and who has not been, religiously tolerant. My father
is a United Methodist minister (the U-M church is fairly liberal, although
I was surprised by some of the stuff in their Book of Shadows, or whatever
it is they call it), and his opinion on my religion was relief: he'd
thought I was an atheist! (No offense against atheists -- he just doesn't
understand them, particularly.) While I seem to remember Jesus suggesting
witnessing here and there (and I may bewrong even about that), I don't
believe he ever suggested religious intolerance as acceptable.
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arwen
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response 6 of 142:
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Aug 30 17:58 UTC 1994 |
My own belief is that if Christians would live by the
words *attributed* to Christ.....this would be a better
world. Many Christians rely too much on the words of
Paul and many non-Christians think everything in the
Bible is the word of God. I was speaking to someone
who is recently "born-again" (fundamentalist) and
this person told me that they believed that you should
ask for God's guidance when reading and interpreting the
Bible. We also had an interesting discussion about
God and what I call the Divine Spark
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phaedrus
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response 7 of 142:
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Aug 30 20:51 UTC 1994 |
It makes me feel GREAT to read this. I hope one day, xtianity and other
religions can coexist peacfully...(I wish they could exist with each other
peacefully!!), but I really can't see it coming. Any belief that is so
bent on the destruction of other beliefs...that can't acceot any theology
beyond it's own... We have way to go. Peace and blessings. We should try to get
some of the followers of Christ to speak up here!!
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canis
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response 8 of 142:
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Aug 30 23:55 UTC 1994 |
It is strange that Christianty has caused such a stir, as it wasn't intended
to even be a new reglion.... Christ didn't set out to make a new regligion
he set out to be an example for god's creations....... Weird that it has caused
so many wars......
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arwen
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response 9 of 142:
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Aug 31 14:44 UTC 1994 |
Canis...yep...I think Christ is probably appalled! No wonder.
People taking verses out of a book and making entire theologies
out of them......Women should have long hair....men should have facial
hair to denote their manhood. The word homosexual being under
scrutiny for actual translation. Wash it homosexual or prostitute of????
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gerund
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response 10 of 142:
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Aug 31 17:04 UTC 1994 |
Ok.
Just to make some pints before I dissapear.
re #6- that RECENTLY born again dude is me... and it isn't
recent.
I've been a
Christian since February 12, 1977.
That's 17 years.
I was saying arwen... that i recently came back and embraced my
faith this past year... and am only now secure in it.
I was going to be a part of this convo... but my 'real' life is
calling me away from Grex for quite some time.
I will join in when I return... it will be a while... but not an eternity.
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kami
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response 11 of 142:
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Aug 31 20:59 UTC 1994 |
I'm very much looking forward to your contribution, Gerund.
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jltaylor
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response 12 of 142:
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Aug 31 22:53 UTC 1994 |
I'll take a pint :)
<sorrry, couldn't help myself>
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arwen
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response 13 of 142:
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Aug 31 23:32 UTC 1994 |
<smack Jeff> Gerund...you did tell me that...I forgot. Sorry!
Thanks for coming out of the closet! I will look for you
to come back soon!
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phaedrus
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response 14 of 142:
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Sep 1 12:17 UTC 1994 |
Looking forward to some education Gerund.
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arwen
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response 15 of 142:
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Sep 1 12:41 UTC 1994 |
I prefer to call it sharing....education sounds like pagans
are ignorant?!?!
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brighn
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response 16 of 142:
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Sep 1 20:20 UTC 1994 |
Connotations, darling. "Ignorant" literally means "lacking information."
If we already knew everything everyone else knew, there'd be no point in
talking, ergo, everyone is ignorant of something.
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arwen
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response 17 of 142:
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Sep 1 22:25 UTC 1994 |
Usage,dear! To me it means dumb! (Ignorant that is....cunning linguist, go
away!) smile
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phaedrus
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response 18 of 142:
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Sep 1 23:08 UTC 1994 |
Didn't mean to use it in a derogatory way Arwen, I am ignorant, but not
stupid. Stupidity asks to remain ignorant by not asking:)
There's a quote somewhere in here by Lazerus Long...hmmmmmm. Later.
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brighn
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response 19 of 142:
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Sep 2 05:43 UTC 1994 |
Of course it's usually used to mean dumb. No arguments here. I was
merely commenting on its etymology.
(dumb, meanwhile, originally meant mute, unable to talk; only stupid
has always meant stupid).
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arwen
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response 20 of 142:
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Sep 2 12:57 UTC 1994 |
Phaedrus and Brigh...'kay! I will accept that.
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brighn
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response 21 of 142:
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Sep 2 22:48 UTC 1994 |
(stup- btw roughly means dazed or mentally unaware, both in stupid and in
stupefy)
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gerund
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response 22 of 142:
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Sep 8 15:52 UTC 1994 |
Well... I'm back... not much in the way of a long goodbye.
what I have to say:
Misunderstanding misunderstanding Misunderstanding.
For the most part that describes it all.
I don't think it means I can't be friends with you, since for the most
part pagans are TRUE searchers... they never HAVE embraced one thing
but have searched out many things and embraced what lines up with
their experiences. At least that's how most pagans have come across
to me. I've ALWAYS started with the assumption that God needs to get US
to HIM and that if we start by looking for the truth... and i mean THE TRUTH
not some convienient religious mumbo jumbo... then God will guide us
into knowledge of HIm. I use Him because he's reached me this way....
Who am I to say you've not been reached another way... That's between you and
'God'.
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kami
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response 23 of 142:
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Sep 8 19:19 UTC 1994 |
hey! there're supposed poly/pan-theists who should be so accepting of other
people's views... Thanks as usual, Gerund. Although, recently I have met
some strict (?) polytheist who adamantly refute the notion that "all gods are
one god". Whatever, who am I to say.
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fireball
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response 24 of 142:
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Sep 9 00:58 UTC 1994 |
simple: I worship my diet(y/ies), you worship your dieti(y/ies)
you don't try and convert/kill/maim me, I don't try to conver/kill/maim
you...we're all happy, no?
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