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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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Mess
post Nov 7 2007, 11:46 AM
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I can't add anything quite as prolific to this discussion as what's already been put here, but I'm going through something similar right now. Interesting how much discussion of Teutonic beliefs there is, as that was the first pagan system that truly appealed to me. Wicca didn't click, but I didn't give it a fair shot. Either way, now I'm inspecting a set of western beliefs more familiar to the practitioners of CM. I have to build everything from the ground up, essentially... math was a difficult subject for me because I don't like to "just accept" that a representation is a universal truth.

My real concern isn't the criticism of onlookers. It's about respect and appreciation for the deities in question. I'm not sure how Odin and Zeus would coexist, nevermind Thor and Zeus. Or further, as it applies with me, to consider deities powerful, but still inferior to Ain. I'm still struggling. Maybe this would be easier with a great deal more time spent in meditation and reflection.

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