On salvation vs. personal responsibility: do you even have the same concept of "sin" that Christians do? I ask this because most Pagans I've spoken to (mostly Witches and Druids, and a few Native American or African based faiths) do not, and thus the notion of salvation is essentially irrelevant to them. Right and wrong, yes. Good and evil, yes. "Sin" ... not exactly. In fact, I've highlighted this -- the need for / relevance of Salvation, which in turn depends on the concept of sin -- as the essential difference between Paganism and Christianity. The difference in mythology is a much smaller deal, I think.
If you do believe in a definition of sin (and its ramifications) that maps closely to the Christian one, I'd be interested in hearing about it and learning more about your particular path.
Given that bit of context, are you interested in hearing a Christian perspective on the personal responsibility issue you raised? (From a comparative-religions viewpoint, that is. I hope it's obvious that my goal is not conversion.)
On the watch-vs-participate thing regarding the theatre aspects of ceremony, I think you've hit on something I've been gnawing on in the back of my mind for several years. (I wonder whether that's the reason circle feels more "like church" to me than services for my own faith?) But when I notice the aspect of theatre isn't when I'm sitting as a member of the congregation; it's when I'm the officiant. (There's more that ties into what I want to say there, including having familiar rituals to fall back on vs. situations that call for improvisation, but what you said feels like an important piece of it.)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-01-12 04:17 pm (UTC)If you do believe in a definition of sin (and its ramifications) that maps closely to the Christian one, I'd be interested in hearing about it and learning more about your particular path.
Given that bit of context, are you interested in hearing a Christian perspective on the personal responsibility issue you raised? (From a comparative-religions viewpoint, that is. I hope it's obvious that my goal is not conversion.)
On the watch-vs-participate thing regarding the theatre aspects of ceremony, I think you've hit on something I've been gnawing on in the back of my mind for several years. (I wonder whether that's the reason circle feels more "like church" to me than services for my own faith?) But when I notice the aspect of theatre isn't when I'm sitting as a member of the congregation; it's when I'm the officiant. (There's more that ties into what I want to say there, including having familiar rituals to fall back on vs. situations that call for improvisation, but what you said feels like an important piece of it.)