Neopaganism Is The Worst

[Ed Anger]

Story time is closed for the year.

[crazy canuck]

I'd like all wiccans publicly whipped, have a cross burned into their forehead and then sent to a salt mine.

I've heard you say that before. I know a few Wiccans, and yes, they're pretty annoying in general, but your unbridled hatred is intriguing. I do wonder what's led to it... I sense a story here....

Ed has posted about this in the past.  It is a well known story.  But it has nothing to do with his personal life.  You see, he strongly believes the best salt is not that crap that is made from sea water but rather rock salt flavoured with the sweat of the labourer digging it from the ground.  He firmly believes that salt mines should be brought back into production but because such a move would be cost prohibative slave labour is required and what better way to obtain slaves then from an out of favour religious group.   

[Sheilbh]

It's a new ideology based in questionable (and downright wrong) history. Does it make it any less important (therefore effective) to the people who practice it? The point of religion is, in my opinion, to give people answers, guidance, and something to believe in. This is one way for people to do it. For many, the fact that it isn't mainstream - the very thing that seems to offend some of you - is probably a huge selling point.

Religion's a rigorous moral and intellectual framework with which you can order your life or it's nothing more than a cuddly wank.  Neo-paganism and general 'spirituality' tends to fall into the latter.

I knid of feel about this stuff like that Tim Minchin song 'Storm'

[Maximus]

Religion's a rigorous moral and intellectual framework with which you can order your life or it's nothing more than a cuddly wank.  Neo-paganism and general 'spirituality' tends to fall into the latter.

That seems to describe a very small subset of religions today.

[crazy canuck]

Religion's a rigorous moral and intellectual framework with which you can order your life or it's nothing more than a cuddly wank.  Neo-paganism and general 'spirituality' tends to fall into the latter.

That seems to describe a very small subset of religions today.

Which religions would you consider to be devoid of a rigorous moral and intellectual framework with which one can order their life.

[fhdz]

Why again are we excited about people rigorously ordering their lives on complete fiction instead of reanalyzing their moral values - and thus behavior - each time they encounter a new moral dilemma?

[Razgovory]

Religion's a rigorous moral and intellectual framework with which you can order your life or it's nothing more than a cuddly wank.  Neo-paganism and general 'spirituality' tends to fall into the latter.

That seems to describe a very small subset of religions today.

What are these majority religions that lack moral and intellectual framework?

[Sheilbh]

That seems to describe a very small subset of religions today.

I think it accounts for the vast majority of religions.

[Razgovory]

Why again are we excited about people rigorously ordering their lives on complete fiction instead of reanalyzing their moral values - and thus behavior - each time they encounter a new moral dilemma?

How far you have fallen.   Moral relativism.  Bleh.

[Razgovory]

It just seems like a weird thing to freak out over.

It's Spellus.  He freaked out over Gnosticism.

Gnostics were the Scientologists of their day.  You had to pay for each new level of enlightenment.

[fhdz]

How far you have fallen.   Moral relativism.  Bleh.

Moral relativism is the notion that all moral judgments are equally valid. I don't subscribe to that notion one bit. Please describe to me how what I said constitutes moral relativism.

[Maximus]

What are these majority religions that lack moral and intellectual framework?

I'll give you moral, that is after all their forte. Very few people base their religion in any sort of intellectual framework, however.  Anecdotally I would say neopagans tend to be more intellectual about their religion than people from mainstream religions. YMMV however.

[Razgovory]

I love how all of neo-paganism is lumped together as one belief system when in truth there are hundreds if not thousands of interpretations of the concept. It's like saying that every Christian is a fundy. No, only the loud ones are. I would guess that the same is true of neopagans. The loud ones are the oddballs, while the quiet ones just sort of go about their business.

It's a new ideology based in questionable (and downright wrong) history. Does it make it any less important (therefore effective) to the people who practice it? The point of religion is, in my opinion, to give people answers, guidance, and something to believe in. This is one way for people to do it. For many, the fact that it isn't mainstream - the very thing that seems to offend some of you - is probably a huge selling point.

It just seems like a weird thing to freak out over.

The thing is, neopagans often promote this sort of nebulousness.  Neopagan writing is often vague on details and thrives on blurred lines.  Most religions have rigid guidelines, while neopaganism is sorta like jelly.  They all get lumped together because metaphorically they are a lump.

[Razgovory]

How far you have fallen.   Moral relativism.  Bleh.

Moral relativism is the notion that all moral judgments are equally valid. I don't subscribe to that notion one bit. Please describe to me how what I said constitutes moral relativism.

Your statement implies constant changing of a moral outlook.  If I shoot someone, and feel good about it afterwords, do I redefine shooting people as "good"?

[Razgovory]

What are these majority religions that lack moral and intellectual framework?

I'll give you moral, that is after all their forte. Very few people base their religion in any sort of intellectual framework, however.  Anecdotally I would say neopagans tend to be more intellectual about their religion than people from mainstream religions. YMMV however.

Really?  How are you defining "intellectual framework", here?