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Neopaganism/9611.godreal.ab

To: soc.religion.paganism
From: "Ashley Branchfeather" 
Subject: Re: William Blake's Pantheon
Date: 19 Nov 1996 19:24:51 -0600

Felis Uncia  wrote:

> : In article , "Ashley Branchfeather"
> :  wrote:
> 
> : > We're really just defining them. It's like, we didn't bake the cake, 
> : > but we do get to cut our own pieces.
> 
> A matter of opinion, I expect.  'Truth' in this case being nothing more 
> than one's individual opinion, as we've no empirical data on the subject.

Hmm... I adduce:

1. Some people worship deities straight out of popular works of fiction.

2. Examining historical religious beliefs show deities change over time, to
adapt to the changing circumstances of their worshippers. Some start out as
nature gods, others perhaps as tutelary deities, but they might up as
having a particular domains within a pantheon. Are they still the same
deity?

3. Many aspects of deities can be traced to particular sources: for
instance, while triple goddesses are old, the 'Maiden, Mother, Crone' idea
was an invention of Robert Graves (see other thread). It's now a defining
property of the Wiccan Goddess... for most Wiccans, anyway... which bring
us to

4. Different people have different ideas about nominally the same deity,
such as the Goddess of the various threads and branches of Wicca. If the
Goddess has an independent existence as a Goddess, how come no-one can
agree on Her properties? Indeed, some would say She's a fourfold goddess,
not a triple one. Some would say She 'contains' the God, others would say
the God and Goddess are  equal, or perhaps each contains the other. Surely
this is a matter of how you look at them? Ultimately, it's a matter of how
you look at the _entire sacred universe_ and which aspects of It you care
to deal with.

--
Ashley Branchfeather


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