Panasonic pushes paganism?

[Tenofovir]

I for one, love the Japanese company Panasonic (Matshu-hita Electric Industrial Co) as the leading example of Japanese excellence and innovation. No other Japanese electronics company comes close. Sadly they’re now hyping the green energy technologies, just like everyone else. Such are fashions I suppose. That’s not the issue here however. Instead here’s a Panasonic ad with Sarah Brightman for Panasonic solar energy initiatives. The ad makes use of Stonehenge:

youtube.com/watch?v=NWQi_EtTNFw

"Local rituals, dating back to prehistoric times…"

Implies that local rituals carried out by groups of pagans ? Wiccans on the site really do accurately reflect the ancient rites held at these stones to the time they were first constructed in antiquity. But as far as I understand it, it is not clear who built Stonehenge, when and for what purpose. To say that a modern neo-pagan revival and attendant rituals date back to ancient times seems incorrect or at least inaccurate.

What do you think?

 

[lauraabarlow]

Wow…very worldly-and the children in the end-whew! The actual underlying message I am getting from this is to harness the natural energy from the earth for technologies (solar power) to not deplete the earth’s resources and leaving nothing for future generations-the go green message. It is not a bad thing being that it is used in a helpful manner-to not lose sight of keeping our focus on Jesus. If we shift our focus from God to pagen or worshipping the earth-that is a bad thing-and unfortunately, many of today’s society and messages seem to put too much emphasis on “mother earth”. So I am in the middle with this going green thing-I think while it’s a good thing, it has also been taken out of proportion with losing sight of what is really important, and that is God being the ultimate provider, not mother earth.

 

[philial]

As far as Stonehenge is concerned, no one knows what happened there! The last people to use it prior to the modern re-invention of pagan worship, who were the Druids, were wiped out by the Romans as they had such power over the people. What is known is that they carried out human sacrifices - something today’s old hippies don’t wish to discuss much!

The so-called rites carried out today are dependant on the neo-paganism of victorian romanticism, and the ‘free love’ hippidom of the 60’s.

The construction of Stonehenge is a bit of a mystery, but seems to have been over a spread of centuries, by various ancient Brits &, later, Celts.

As far as paganisn itself is concerned - not the embarrassing modern stuff, but the original thing - I understand that without a revelation from God, people were seeking Him, and responed to Him in His Creation. And on that basis it doesn’t concern me too much.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

As far as I know, every ancient culture (including the Semitic cultures, mind you) revered the sun. And why wouldn’t they? Without the sun, all life on Earth would perish.

If anything, it’s more of a mystery to me why we don’t revere the sun still today. It is a physical representation of God’s life-giving love, but we kinda treat it like “just some yellow ball in the sky.”

I don’t find anything offensive about the video.

 

[philial]

As far as I know, every ancient culture (including the Semitic cultures, mind you) revered the sun. And why wouldn’t they? Without the sun, all life on Earth would perish.

If anything, it’s more of a mystery to me why we don’t revere the sun still today. It is a physical representation of God’s life-giving love, but we kinda treat it like “just some yellow ball in the sky.”

I don’t find anything offensive about the video.

Agreed. In fact, I fully recall the joyful experience of watching the Sun-rise over the Malvern Hills whilst saying the Magnificat. God smiling through the works of His Hands!

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Agreed. In fact, I fully recall the joyful experience of watching the Sun-rise over the Malvern Hills whilst saying the Magnificat. God smiling through the works of His Hands!

Right, so it would have been possible for God to create life on Earth without the Sun, wouldn’t it? I don’t see why not. But he chose to make it.

So I figure our natural inclinations about it are quite right, 1) that it can be beautiful, 2) that it is a tool that preserves life, including the plant and animal life that we need, 3) that it can be used as a source of energy (solar power).

So, I don’t think you should treat it as an idol but as a reminder of God.

That said… my favorite weather is still rain.

 

[Lokabrenna]

As far as Stonehenge is concerned, no one knows what happened there!

Last I heard, the consensus is that it was essentially a graveyard, re-purposed as a temple.

As for the ad itself, seems to me all it’s pushing is renewable energy.

 

[Tenofovir]

Yes the ad is for renewable energy of the sort that companies these days have to make to appear to be green or forward looking (at least in some vague sense). (most likely lots of CO2 was produced making the ad and Panasonic could just do it’s renewable thing without telling everyone).

My point rather was that according to the ad the rituals which may now occur at Stonehenge - I heard that Pagan groups do meet up now and again there - or Druid groups / I would gather they’re similar - have a line of continuity for 1000s of years as mentioned by Sarah Brightman. But such seems inaccurate.

Perhaps Pany is not pushing Pagan religions as such but the text creates an impression of Sun worshiping religion where there may not have been one. The point is quite subtle. But ads need not necessarily be correct. Still perhaps their renewable energy initiatives aren’t that accurate either.

 

[colliric]

Most of the time a company advertises such nonsense is because they want the public to know their brand is up-to-date. This is more about them competing with Sony than it is about actually being eco-frendly or even appealing for more sales.

 

[MugenOne]

Since acquiring Sanyo, Panasonic has becoming one of the leading green tech companies.

 

[philial]

Right, so it would have been possible for God to create life on Earth without the Sun, wouldn’t it? I don’t see why not. But he chose to make it.

So I figure our natural inclinations about it are quite right, 1) that it can be beautiful, 2) that it is a tool that preserves life, including the plant and animal life that we need, 3) that it can be used as a source of energy (solar power).

So, I don’t think you should treat it as an idol but as a reminder of God.

That said… my favorite weather is still rain.

Fortunately, what you think is not important, which leaves me free to follow the spirit of St Francis : remeber ’ brother Sun and sister Moon? - pagan-hearted, perhaps, but our souls belong to Christ. ))