Pagans Are Thankful for Religious Freedom

I take strong view in mentioning the word 'Pagan,' to desctibe all those religions which are not part of the so called 'organized religions,' or the religions of "The Book." Judaism, Christianity and Islam, not to forget, Sikkhism of India, all have basic book that carries all parts of their particular religious practices. All rigid all very dogmatic and restrictive to the practitioners.

Our hindu religion, whatever that may be has no such rigid book to follow. once, a man named Manu, wrote such a book and it was widely considered as the Hindu book of law. later, it was roundly condemned for its casteist views and the punishment, especially to those masses belonging to the fourth caste, that of shudras were very cruel. The fifth category, in Hindu religion did not even have a regular member status and forever condemned as a class of humans, nay, sub-humans who must not enter the walls of the towns, villages and cities of those ancient days. They were assigned the most dirty jobs for the hindu citizens of the towns, such as carring on their own heads human waste, carry the dead animals and in some regions the dead were carried to the burning pyre only by these neglected members of the Hindu religion.

The sixth caste or so to say, non-caste is of those people who could be roughly called aborigenes, the hill people, the ancient race, the original inhabitants of the land mass called, politically speaking, India.

These masses had or do have separate religious practices, just like American Indians or many of the African, south American, Mexican, canadian and north Pole inhabitants, a way of worship that is commonly called animism or pagan.

Pagan to the western religions. Many in India, even now have not forgotten their ancestors' pagan ways and still practice parts or whole traditions of such ancient methods. We are proud of our common ancestors. We don't demen their beliefs or call them ugly names like, you, westerners do. learn from us.

Sid Harth

Faith is a very glorified word for believing things that have no or little basis in reality. Believing things on faith would be fine if we didn't believe our faith was absolute truth and then fight with others about who's right and who's wrong. Faith might give us some reassurance about life after death, or that someone is watching out for us, but for the most part it plays out violently on the world stage and the victims are always the women, children and animals.

It is better for people with different beliefs to take steps to get along and I applaud the everyone willing to take steps outside their comfort zones and beyond the boundaries of their imagined self concepts. Yet the results of our belief systems have consistently deteriorated into war and I think that it is time to seriously question the efficacy of the very process of faith, take a quiet and long look at the falseness of belief and the importance of facing physical and elemental reality and lay our belief systems to rest. Perhaps we could have ritual funerals for Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc. and let Jesus, Mohammed, Moses and the rest of them finally rest in peace. I would imagine their souls are in graet torment at what we have done with them! Then we can get on with the real work of being our brothers' and sisters' keepers, take care of our Mother Earth and finally stop pretending to be something we are not.

Let the Pope and the head honcho of the Eastern Church and all the Ayatollahs and all the Rabbis and all the heads of state take their clothes off (their signs of high office), take a sweat together and realize they are humans who do not have any better grasp on the truth than the easter bunny and probably less than their pets.

I am currently doing some writing on these subjects and invite you to visit my website at www.professorpurplepants.com

I am shocked, amazed, and overwhelmingly pleased, not only to see a section such as this interfaith one, but to see a Pagan voice actually included in dialog!

I'm doubly pleased it is Starhawk who represents Pagans here at this time. Bravo to the Post! Reclaiming is a big part of my practice today.

Blessings, all!

"Self indulgent, self congratulatory manner". Yeah I understand that. I've been trying to find ways to contribute this holiday season. Any ideas everyone?

Baptist to Wicca. Seems to be a trend among people here. May I ask, what attracted you to incorporate Wiccan practices, particularly? Instead of switching to a more familiar denomination of Christianity that embraced more mysticism like Pentacostal?

SaraJoy

(If this is off topic let me know)

I too was a member of church of christians of baptists and worked in the salvation Army. Then I have returned to old tradition about which speaks Starhawk.

I am thankful, not only for religious freedom, but for a Pagan voice to be represented in this forum.

I grew up in a "normal" American home, where Thanksgiving was celebrated in a self-indulgent, self-congratulatory manner, as if we were somehow deserving of:

too much to eat

extra days of leisure

the comforts of spending time at home with family, etc.

As a Pagan, I cultivate gratitude each day, and seek to remain mindful of the differences between my relatively simple but safe and comfortable life and the lives of others--those in my neighborhood, who may be helped directly by my actions each day, and those who are impacted by the policies and actions of my government. However daunting it seems, I share responsibility for the damage caused by these, and must work for peace in my own way--personally...politically...magically...

As Starhawk notes in her post, gratitude can be used to deepen ones "commitment to end the violence of war and wage peace." As the violence seems unending, the commitment (and that which fuels it) must be, too.

I'm thankful for the opportunity I've had in the past year, through the Onondaga Land Rights and Our Common Future lecture series here in Syracuse, to learn more about the people who are my ancestors of the land and my neighbors today. The six nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy still have much to teach us, about peace, law, and how to live within our environment. I just hope we have the strength and will to listen.

And I'm thankful for this forum - while not to the extent of the native americans, pagans have been neglected in our society that tends to only acknowledge Abrahamic religions, limiting the interreligious discourse possible. I'm glad Starhawk was invited to join this discussion, and has had the courage to speak for us.

I was raised as a Baptist Christian, but as an adult I find myself more spiritual than "religious". In this construct, I find myself in appreciation of some Wiccan traditions (specifically, the real meaning of Samhain -- Happy New Year!), as well as chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra in an effort to find a deeper balance. This writing, as well as the accompanying comments, are proof positive that open-minded people of widely diverging spiritualities can still co-exist and even find something to learn from each other. May you all find peace and blessings in this Thanksgiving season and beyond.

Sara,

That was lovely.

MS Starhawk,

Thank you for telling me more how Wiccans approach Thanksgiving. I am a Christian - a real one, and I wont pretend that we agree on fundamental spiritual truths (as Bukko mentioned), but I understand that every Wiccan represents a person, (or rather, is a person, of course) and Jesus shows us how he will reveal himself to others is how we Christians love one another and show Jesus' love.

And I want to apologize for the mistakes we Christians have made treating Wiccans like they're some representation of evil. We dont do that with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or even New Agers. And it's interesting to note that Christians of the early church (Right after we believe Jesus rose from the dead and sent his Spirit to equip us to live) were surrounded MOSTLY by other religions that were pagan, and that most people practiced spirit and nature worship. In fact, their opportunity to show they had the love of God IN them was more often with pagans than with those who were not.

Thank you for sharing =)

Sara

And I'm thankful for Wiccans, just to be a counterbalance to all the overweening Christians. You've no doubt hard the folk song -- was it by Dar Williams? -- titled "The Christians and the Pagans"? Where a family with people in both camps sat down to a holiday dinner and somehow still got along? That's how it should be. Only it isn't. And it's not pagans telling Christians that they shouldn't do what they do, is it?