Mel Gibson's Anti-Semetic Tirade

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by pgardn

I guess the big black pot jokes are out also.


I find it interesting that religions today still look at higher being(s) as having a sex. I mean there are some protozoans that have 13 sexes with very strict rules about sexual reproduction, quite confusing. And with as many organisms that reproduce asexually... I guess I thought stuff would be beyond that.

My bad. Using other living things in some sort of unity with humans is not a popular idea. Why cant people fit this in somehow. See this is what gets the atheists going... Man created God in his own image stuff.

Again, many of the world's religions don't view the supreme being as either male or female! In Wicca, the supreme being is usually referred to as "The One"...mankind can't comprehend anything about this being, so...neither male or female and no claim that we are "in his/her/it's image". Very (probably overly) simply stated, the One IS the universe(s)...the One created the universe(s) and it/they are a part of the One. For us to better comprehend, it is taught that certain elements of the One (elements that we would characterize as male and female) are worshiped...they are usually referred to as the Lord and the Lady or the God and the Goddess. They are part of the One...much like the Christian "holy trinity". In addition, many Wiccans/Witches pray to additional gods and goddesses (many associated with ancient Egyptian and Greek Deities) HOWEVER they are all believed to be part of the ONE. Because certain feminine characteristics are so highly revered, many covens and individual Wiccans/Witches favor the Goddess however there are also many who pray equally to both and some who favor the God. It is recognized that this "breakdown" is done to accommodate the human limits of comprehension...in Wicca, there is one supreme being and that being is the same supreme being worshipped by all the world's religions that recognize one supreme being...they just use different names and have created different mythologies.

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Again, many of the world's religions don't view the supreme being as either male or female! In Wicca, the supreme being is usually referred to as "The One"...mankind can't comprehend anything about this being, so...neither male or female and no claim that we are "in his/her/it's image". Very (probably overly) simply stated, the One IS the universe(s)...the One created the universe(s) and it/they are a part of the One. For us to better comprehend, it is taught that certain elements of the One (elements that we would characterize as male and female) are worshiped...they are usually referred to as the Lord and the Lady or the God and the Goddess. They are part of the One...much like the Christian "holy trinity". In addition, many Wiccans/Witches pray to additional gods and goddesses (many associated with ancient Egyptian and Greek Deities) HOWEVER they are all believed to be part of the ONE. Because certain feminine characteristics are so highly revered, many covens and individual Wiccans/Witches favor the Goddess however there are also many who pray equally to both and some who favor the God. It is recognized that this "breakdown" is done to accommodate the human limits of comprehension...in Wicca, there is one supreme being and that being is the same supreme being worshipped by all the world's religions that recognize one supreme being...they just use different names and have created different mythologies.

My bad for the plural on religion(s). For Christians on the whole:
Jesus is the Lord. Jesus was male. God's son. God is clearly implied to be male.

One and supreme are very in. Are there any large religions today in which the one is not "all that"? Many religions of the past had multiple God's and had no problem with that. I guess since we "know" more, one and supreme are definitely vogue. Just curious. Times change, religions try not to.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Again, many of the world's religions don't view the supreme being as either male or female! In Wicca, the supreme being is usually referred to as "The One"...mankind can't comprehend anything about this being, so...neither male or female and no claim that we are "in his/her/it's image". Very (probably overly) simply stated, the One IS the universe(s)...the One created the universe(s) and it/they are a part of the One. For us to better comprehend, it is taught that certain elements of the One (elements that we would characterize as male and female) are worshiped...they are usually referred to as the Lord and the Lady or the God and the Goddess. They are part of the One...much like the Christian "holy trinity". In addition, many Wiccans/Witches pray to additional gods and goddesses (many associated with ancient Egyptian and Greek Deities) HOWEVER they are all believed to be part of the ONE. Because certain feminine characteristics are so highly revered, many covens and individual Wiccans/Witches favor the Goddess however there are also many who pray equally to both and some who favor the God. It is recognized that this "breakdown" is done to accommodate the human limits of comprehension...in Wicca, there is one supreme being and that being is the same supreme being worshipped by all the world's religions that recognize one supreme being...they just use different names and have created different mythologies.

That is pretty much right on the money regarding the generally accepted view of Divinity in Wicca. You're a amart guy, Somer, but you know that already.

And yes, pgardn, you're correct in Christianity viewing God as male, and in Islam and Judaism for that matter-- remember, the three Western faiths all worship the EXACT SAME God, which is one reason I find it so fascinating that they fight each other all the time. But a lot of Americans have trouble wrapping their minds around that-- I have a dear friend in Florida, who, in the wake of 9/11 was flipping out at the prospect of Moslems invading and forcing her to pray to Allah, who she didn't believe in. I tried explaining to her that Allah is exactly the same entity as the Christian God-- that the main difference between Jews, Christians and Moslems is over who the prophet/messiah was, but she wouldn't buy it. Sigh.

[Danzig]

she sounds like my monster in law. i told her how holy days on the christian calendar ended up where they did, i thought she was going to have a heart attack. and then the whipped topping on the dessert--when i told her that easter is named for a goddess of springtime...i believe it's spelled oestre. but i could have that wrong.