Mandy asks…
Is there a moral religion without the belief in a literal deity?
Similar to Buddhism, is there a religion that follows these standards?
It can’t require the belief in a literal deity, but more so a theoretical one, that being mother nature(similar to Wicca?).
It can’t require the belief in consciousness after death.
It understands spiritual enlightenment as the greatest goal and achievement.
It recognizes wisdom and peace as a practice.
It has high moral standards.
Not looking to partake in said religion, just doing some religious studies.
weight loss cardiff answers:
Mackenzie is incorrect. Not all wiccans believe that the gods are literal beings nor does polytheism in general require that the gods be literal beings. Wicca is not about the worship of gods in the same manner that the Abrahamic faiths are. There is nothing at all in Wiccan dogma that states that wiccans must seek to have a personal relationship with a personal god. That is peculiarly an evangelical born-again concept and relates to born again christians and their relationship with Jesus. How that applies to Wicca which is a religion totally separate from Christianity I have no idea. In other words, if Mackenzie chooses to believe she can foster a close relationship with an old woman in a grey cloak by chanting to Hecate thru ritual that’s her prerogative, but if others chose to honor an ancient and useful archetype and psychologically align our purpose with its useful symbolism through our ritual it’s still well within the guidelines of Wicca.
I challenge Mackenzie and her ilk to show the wiccan dogma which says otherwise or which states that her way is the better way or approved way or for that matter the majority way since most wiccans have never even be counted in a census let alone polled. Lets leave the public snide comments about another individual’s beliefs and practices to the Christians and concentrate on our own spiritual well being instead of gainsaying another’s by declaring that it only hovers around the ultimate truth of our own perspective. Enough said.
William asks…
What is the difference between a deity and a god?
Some use the two words interchangeably, but the fact that some cultures refer to their “gods” as deities refer than gods clearly makes me think there’s a difference. Take Tibet. Deities is how they refer to what would otherwise be called gods.
weight loss cardiff answers:
I think there is a slight difference, though the words are often synonymous. A god is a deity, whereas a deity may not necessarily be a god. A deity is often defined as a supernatural being; having divine powers or a divine nature.
Take the Greek myths for example. Zeus is a god, the supreme ruler on Mount Olympus. However, the nymphs of natural phenomena, while nature goddesses in their own right, were not typically (or always) seen or referred to as goddesses, but rather, they were the personification or manifestation of that area of nature. Calypso, who held Odysseus captive for seven years, is usually referred to as a nymph rather than a goddess, though she is immortal and possessed divine powers. One might also consider a demigod such as Achilles as a deity. He was not a god, but because his mother was a nymph, he was semi-divine.
I think a lot of it also largely depended on the cult or worship. Gods usually had their own cult centers or areas of worship (Apollo in Delphi, for example), or a system of practices to pay homage. Minor deities, such as nymphs, were not often venerated as gods or goddesses, so usually did not.
Joseph asks…
(Mythology) How can a deity be both human and divine?
Could you explain this to me? Hamilton once said that in Greek myths, deities were human for the first time. So how can a deity be both human and divine? Also if possible, could you please explain if there’s a paradox in the Greek system of belief, and if it provides a useful way of understanding the world. Thank you.
weight loss cardiff answers:
In Egyptian mythology the tradition of Divine Kingship was very important. The God-Kings were the intermediaries between the gods/goddesses and the people of ancient Egypt. The kings were able to make claim to their kingships through divine association. The kings’ names reveal this bond, as well as reliefs that show the kings in communication with deities. By the Fifth Dynasty we find the kings calling themselves the sons of Ra. Btw, the Egyptians had an established religion long before the Greeks. The site below actually gives some good information on the subject.
Http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/divinepharaoh.htm
Powered by Yahoo! Answers