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 Deity And Respect For Culture, Is there such a thing as "cultural theft"?
Khenti_Amenti
post Oct 22 2007, 03:43 AM
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In more serious Pagan circles the discusion is often in the lines with "Man can not manipulate Gods and thinking so is hubris. Taking Divine names out of cultural context (ie Zeus out of Greek Religion) is Cultural theft and disrespectful". All this ofcaurse with total disregard for differing paradigms and Ontologies.

It is seen as "using" Divine names in Magickal work is a disrespect towards the Deities in question (as opose to general belief most Pagan Religions do not deal in Magick).
I will not go in to paradigms here since what cnstitutes a God differs even within Religions (proper) but it should be clear, i think, that a Golden Dawn member vibrating "Zeus" has another world view than a Hellenist worshipping Zeus.

1. What is your view?
Whether or not you have a paradigm that allows for Divine names from different Cultures, do you feel it could somehow be seen as disrespectful towards that Culture or followers of a Reconstructive Religion conected to it?

2. When you invoke a Divine name in Ritual, have you studied that God and how he / she was actually percieved in ancient times in an academic manner (not even Victorian Orders such as GD and O.T.O. has their understanding of ancient Gods, Cults and Culture right acording to more modern academic studies)?

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Khenti_Amenti
post Oct 23 2007, 04:36 AM
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I mainly think of the fact that all Religions are by their own nature Syncretic themselves.
At some point in history every Religion was inspired by surrounding Religions and incorporated certain features.

Nobody seems averse to historical Syncretisms like Greco / Egypyptian, Romano / Celtic, Germano /Gaelic and so on.
Other Religions are deliberately Syncretized, Thelema and Brazilian Umbanda being examples.

Heck, the whole Golden Dawn system is one big Syncretism after all, adding Kabbala to Hermetics to Tarot and so on.

Yet suddely it seemsīs expected to come to a full halt.

Personally i feel the term "Cultural theft" indicates ownership.
And what about me?
If i founded a new Religion incorporating Odin and the Runes, iīm allready "Norse" as far as ancestry go (in my case Scandinavian)?
So who would i have stolen it from?

I do not necessarily think one should call things by "taken" names though.
One does not practice Hellenismos or Asatru simply because some parts of Greek or Norse culture are incorporated.

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