Can you give me an example of evidence that your Nordic god/goddess wouldn’t ever demand that you continue in a pregnancy? You say that there’s a lot of lore that’s merely entertainment, so I guess we should dismiss those writings.
Fair enough.
Sometimes 2+2 does not equal 4. There’s a whole branch of philosophical math where there’s more than one answer to a question. I was very good at that sort of math!
Sometimes it equals 9.LOL…You definitely get points for originality
but I have no idea what you are talking about. Perhaps you could elaborate?
Sometimes it equals 9.
That’s cool. Different strokes for different folks.
But you guys (Joe, Loka) don’t really believe this, right?
Beliefs in and of themselves can’t hurt anyone, that’s why the emphasis is on actions, more specifically, actions as a result of beliefs. You are perfectly free to believe that abortion is wrong, for instance. Where I would judge someone in this case is what course of action they adopt in response to that belief. In this case, do you protest peacefully in front of clinics, or do you blow them up and kill the doctors who provide abortions? I can’t see anyone having a problem with the first, but the second, the second option seems to me to be so anti-life as to be completely missing the point (besides being domestic terrorism).
Well, to be fair, some would say the same thing applies to monotheists. My experience has been that atheists generally think every theist (poly-, mono-, whatever) is crazy, they just tend to like my side more because I don’t go around trying to make everyone else believe in my particular brand of crazy.
It honestly seems to me that demons could be doing so much more to damn humanity en masse rather than spend time coddling an individual, that’s just a waste of effort. It reminds me of one of the initial scenes in Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, in which three demons are discussing what they have done to bring souls to Hell. Two of them boast about tempting a woman and a priest respectively, the third says that he merely caused all portable phones in the area to jam up for 45 minutes during lunch time, it doesn’t sound like he’s accomplished much, but a paragraph later it explains that the humans who were affected end up sinning all on their own, without prompting, based on how they reacted to the event (in anger, which they took out on anyone closest to them).
Well, if they are, they must be doing something right, because I’ve never been happier! Honestly, if they are demons who have the goal of leading me into a life of sin, they are failing at it. I’ve never drank, smoked, done drugs, had sex, gone to wild parties, or committed a crime (and they say we Pagans are all hedonists, HA!) and yet, if I recall correctly, I’m still going to end up in line for Hell (for eternity!) because I don’t happen to share your belief system (not to mention, according to you, everyone’s being punished because our first parents decided to have a theological discussion with a talking serpent).
Actually, if you’ll note, I also mentioned practice.
Hi, Loka. Could you please address this post? Thanks.
And this one?
I’m not sure what you think you “recall.” This has not been Catholic teaching since much longer than any of us on this forum have been alive (certainly by the 19th century it was accepted that “invincible ignorance” was not culpable, though admittedly the position was greatly broadened at Vatican II). If you “recall” conservative Protestant teaching, why assume that the people you are talking to on a Catholic forum share that teaching.
Since you have admirably and patiently spent a lot of time on this forum explaining neopaganism, you might profit from spending some of that time learning what we Christians–Catholics in particular–actually believe.
Well, I couldn’t either. We entirely share disbelief in what you think Christianity is. And from my perspective (and, I suspect, that of most of the Catholics on this forum–bear in mind that I’m not quite Catholic!), disbelief in a false version of God is in no way culpable, but indeed admirable.
Clearly what you mean by a “deity” and what we mean by God is, as I said above, very different
Edwin
Thank you for such a clear answer.
Of course not. But I do respect everyone’s right to believe whatever they want to believe…If someone wants to put their faith in something pagan I suppose he or she has their reasons, even if those reasons make no sense to me, which is why I said:
Arrggh. That mantra just drives me batty coming from thinking people.Of course not. But I do respect everyone’s right to believe whatever they want to believe…If someone wants to put their faith in something pagan I suppose he or she has their reasons, even if those reasons make no sense to me, which is why I said:
Different strokes for different folks…
"Arrggh…"LOL…I get your frustration but it is what it is…Best to just roll with the punches when there is no alternative…
Arrgggh squared."Arrggh…"LOL…I get your frustration but it is what it is…Best to just roll with the punches when there is no alternative…
I agree with what you have said of course. I just meant: if someone is 100% adamant on something, such as paganism, there is not much you can do to change their mind…
Well…I agree with what you have said of course. I just meant: if someone is 100% adamant on something, such as paganism, there is not much you can do to change their mind…
