Re: Is Modern Paganism reflective of past Paganism? - Your opinions
First of all I would like to point out that I am in no way an expert in ancient paganism, modern paganism or any culture at all for that matter, (except maybe the oneI am currently living in but there are so many versions of even that who can really be sure?) I am not in any way an anthropoligist so this is my opinion, which is what I think the OP asked for. I think thatthis is a fascinating topic and would love to read the end result of it, (whether or not my opinion is used.)
Question 1 : Do you think Modern Paganism is an accurate representation of our Ancestors Pagan beliefs?
No, I dont think that what most people do in this day and age arerepresentations of beliefs from anytime before the 1920's or there abouts. I don't know if the recreationists really have got anything right or not. I think ancient paganism served different needs than the modern version. Many of these problems also arise from a sense of global disconnect as well, whatpath a person "follows" differs from each person to the next. People "following" the same traditions even define those traditions differently. I think for the most part modern pagans arent pagans for the same reasons that their ancestors were, (pre christian or not.) People use religion for different reasons, before modern medicine, people needed an herbalist or at least someone who knew something about how different things worked in the human body to produce different results; like fever reduction, or anti emetic effects, or to induce vomiting to reduce exposure to poisons. A person who could do these things was nessecary, they arent anymore, so things have changed, the wholenature of science and religion in general has changed dramatically even in just the last 100 or so years. Modern pagans are Pagans because they want to be, their local community, for the most part has not shaped them into being so, they shape themselves into pagans; (witches, wicca, heathens, insert word of choice here.) What Ancient Pagans were doesnt exist anymore, so we arent them, we can look and try to act like we think they may have, but it isnt the same really. If what a person is looking for is to mimic ancient pagans than that is what they want, but they arent really practising a religion or magic or even honoring a god or spirit, they are mimicing another.
Question 2 : Do you think Archaeology can truly unearth the mysteries of past Pagans?
Yes, sort of, archaeology can bring us more knowlege of all things ancient, but i guess we are still looking attheevidence we find with a modern eye to determine what they mean. Unless we dig up a guy who can still talk with us, and be interviewed, all we have is what we see, in the dirt, and the caves, and wherever we dig. we can learn what some of the aesthetic is and some other things, but we dont really know what the painting over the bed really means do we? (I had a poster over my bed when I was younger, it was the backstreet boys and they werent a religion, i just liked looking at them, but someone from a few hundred years later my see it as a form of worship, or even religion right?) maybe they were telling a story, maybe they had a part of religion on the wall, and maybe they were pretty pictures. Thats sort of the point though isnt it, we don't know what we will find or how we will look at it, I think we can learn, and beyond that we conjecture, and we can't hope to do any more than that until we invent a time machine.
Question 3 : What is your opinion of using grave goods (items found buried with a person) to work out their Religion and practises?
I think its a means to an end, I know that people are massively uncomfortable with the destruction and disturbance of the dead, I'm not a huge fan myself, but I also ascribe to the belief that once we die we aren't using our bodies anymore. Once I'm dead, if something can be learned from me I am all for doing what you have to do to learn something useful. It is almost like a way to keep living after you're dead is'nt it? Once a person is burried and gone I think we can still learn, but I think we should have respect and care when we do so, and I think that most scholars do have both respect and care when doing these things, people are still people and bad things are done too, but we can learn a few things from burial rights, and I for one would like too.
Question 4 : Does connecting to our ancestors matter to you or not?
Interesting question, hard to answer, well for me anyway. I had been trying to determine who my anscestors were for some time a while ago, and I had very little success, I could not figure out how my family decended from a certain point, the records just didn't exist. there are all sorts of claime within my family of origins, but I could'nt verify or debunk any of them. So as for my own ancestors, I would love to know more about them, it would thrill me to no end. I also would like to know more about ancient peoples in general, I love history and I wish certain parts of it were more complete, is it likely to change the way I practise what I am? No that it will not, but it gives me things to think about.
Question 5 : What is your opinion on "Modern Paganism" such as Wicca?
I think it is what it is, people who are drawn to it just are, I don't have much opinion at all, because they are people. I like for people to be able to do what they want to do and what makes them happy, as long as other people are not impeded from doing that as well. So as long as it's a choice, I'm all for it. I just wish everybody had the same feelings, but that would make people not what they are, and people must always be people.
First of all I would like to point out that I am in no way an expert in ancient paganism, modern paganism or any culture at all for that matter, (except maybe the oneI am currently living in but there are so many versions of even that who can really be sure?) I am not in any way an anthropoligist so this is my opinion, which is what I think the OP asked for. I think thatthis is a fascinating topic and would love to read the end result of it, (whether or not my opinion is used.)
Question 1 : Do you think Modern Paganism is an accurate representation of our Ancestors Pagan beliefs?
No, I dont think that what most people do in this day and age arerepresentations of beliefs from anytime before the 1920's or there abouts. I don't know if the recreationists really have got anything right or not. I think ancient paganism served different needs than the modern version. Many of these problems also arise from a sense of global disconnect as well, whatpath a person "follows" differs from each person to the next. People "following" the same traditions even define those traditions differently. I think for the most part modern pagans arent pagans for the same reasons that their ancestors were, (pre christian or not.) People use religion for different reasons, before modern medicine, people needed an herbalist or at least someone who knew something about how different things worked in the human body to produce different results; like fever reduction, or anti emetic effects, or to induce vomiting to reduce exposure to poisons. A person who could do these things was nessecary, they arent anymore, so things have changed, the wholenature of science and religion in general has changed dramatically even in just the last 100 or so years. Modern pagans are Pagans because they want to be, their local community, for the most part has not shaped them into being so, they shape themselves into pagans; (witches, wicca, heathens, insert word of choice here.) What Ancient Pagans were doesnt exist anymore, so we arent them, we can look and try to act like we think they may have, but it isnt the same really. If what a person is looking for is to mimic ancient pagans than that is what they want, but they arent really practising a religion or magic or even honoring a god or spirit, they are mimicing another.
Question 2 : Do you think Archaeology can truly unearth the mysteries of past Pagans?
Yes, sort of, archaeology can bring us more knowlege of all things ancient, but i guess we are still looking attheevidence we find with a modern eye to determine what they mean. Unless we dig up a guy who can still talk with us, and be interviewed, all we have is what we see, in the dirt, and the caves, and wherever we dig. we can learn what some of the aesthetic is and some other things, but we dont really know what the painting over the bed really means do we? (I had a poster over my bed when I was younger, it was the backstreet boys and they werent a religion, i just liked looking at them, but someone from a few hundred years later my see it as a form of worship, or even religion right?) maybe they were telling a story, maybe they had a part of religion on the wall, and maybe they were pretty pictures. Thats sort of the point though isnt it, we don't know what we will find or how we will look at it, I think we can learn, and beyond that we conjecture, and we can't hope to do any more than that until we invent a time machine.
Question 3 : What is your opinion of using grave goods (items found buried with a person) to work out their Religion and practises?
I think its a means to an end, I know that people are massively uncomfortable with the destruction and disturbance of the dead, I'm not a huge fan myself, but I also ascribe to the belief that once we die we aren't using our bodies anymore. Once I'm dead, if something can be learned from me I am all for doing what you have to do to learn something useful. It is almost like a way to keep living after you're dead is'nt it? Once a person is burried and gone I think we can still learn, but I think we should have respect and care when we do so, and I think that most scholars do have both respect and care when doing these things, people are still people and bad things are done too, but we can learn a few things from burial rights, and I for one would like too.
Question 4 : Does connecting to our ancestors matter to you or not?
Interesting question, hard to answer, well for me anyway. I had been trying to determine who my anscestors were for some time a while ago, and I had very little success, I could not figure out how my family decended from a certain point, the records just didn't exist. there are all sorts of claime within my family of origins, but I could'nt verify or debunk any of them. So as for my own ancestors, I would love to know more about them, it would thrill me to no end. I also would like to know more about ancient peoples in general, I love history and I wish certain parts of it were more complete, is it likely to change the way I practise what I am? No that it will not, but it gives me things to think about.
Question 5 : What is your opinion on "Modern Paganism" such as Wicca?
I think it is what it is, people who are drawn to it just are, I don't have much opinion at all, because they are people. I like for people to be able to do what they want to do and what makes them happy, as long as other people are not impeded from doing that as well. So as long as it's a choice, I'm all for it. I just wish everybody had the same feelings, but that would make people not what they are, and people must always be people.
Comment