Bias vs Hypocracy
Aug. 17th, 2004 06:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdehnersAs happens often in my life, my communications skills get me in trouble. I don't necessarilly go looking for it but it does seem to like "looking me up"< G >!
This particular trouble is actually a recurring one with Neopagans. After a while, someone will accuse me of being biased toward my religion and believing that It's "Way" is better than that of other "Ways". I'll ALWAYS admit this is so....for me. I'll also point out that they feel the same about their particular "Way". They'll deny it "to the Heavens" and they'll never admit it, but it's True. For one, NO ONE Follows a Way they feel isn't the Best...at least for them. Also, with my Neopagan listmates they ALWAYS explain EVERYONE'S Theology "as really ____". That's NORMAL! Everyone sees things through their Faith's Lens, otherwise it's not really Part of them...just something they put on, like a hat....
It's the Hypocracy that gets me. Of course none of the Neopagans say anything when one of them is discribing things through their Beleif-system because they all share it. Christianity, Heathenry,etc are always "looked down" on because they don't accept their Faith's "take" on things and their Followers DARE to think that their Way is Better(at least for them< G >!!!
Not that long ago my local Neopagan group that we go camping with wanted to "Use" Norse God/desses in Ritual so that I "would feel included". I thanked them for the thought, but explained why not only could I not participate but that the Rite itself was Insulting to my Beleifs. Only one person "got it" after more than a 15 min discussion on why calling Individual Regin "Aspects" of either Thier God or Goddess could be seen as an Insult. The rest took it as simply "the Heathen thinks he's too good to Circle with us"....
I still have friends who are Neopagan and actually respect both them AND their Faith. The reason? They don't Pretend that Their Way is anything other than What It IS. They Know it isn't Ancient. Heck, they know it isn't as old as some of the members of the community< G >! And that's great. It works for them AND they don't Pretend that their Way is something it's not....just as I try to do with Mine...
Troth,
Pat
This particular trouble is actually a recurring one with Neopagans. After a while, someone will accuse me of being biased toward my religion and believing that It's "Way" is better than that of other "Ways". I'll ALWAYS admit this is so....for me. I'll also point out that they feel the same about their particular "Way". They'll deny it "to the Heavens" and they'll never admit it, but it's True. For one, NO ONE Follows a Way they feel isn't the Best...at least for them. Also, with my Neopagan listmates they ALWAYS explain EVERYONE'S Theology "as really ____". That's NORMAL! Everyone sees things through their Faith's Lens, otherwise it's not really Part of them...just something they put on, like a hat....
It's the Hypocracy that gets me. Of course none of the Neopagans say anything when one of them is discribing things through their Beleif-system because they all share it. Christianity, Heathenry,etc are always "looked down" on because they don't accept their Faith's "take" on things and their Followers DARE to think that their Way is Better(at least for them< G >!!!
Not that long ago my local Neopagan group that we go camping with wanted to "Use" Norse God/desses in Ritual so that I "would feel included". I thanked them for the thought, but explained why not only could I not participate but that the Rite itself was Insulting to my Beleifs. Only one person "got it" after more than a 15 min discussion on why calling Individual Regin "Aspects" of either Thier God or Goddess could be seen as an Insult. The rest took it as simply "the Heathen thinks he's too good to Circle with us"....
I still have friends who are Neopagan and actually respect both them AND their Faith. The reason? They don't Pretend that Their Way is anything other than What It IS. They Know it isn't Ancient. Heck, they know it isn't as old as some of the members of the community< G >! And that's great. It works for them AND they don't Pretend that their Way is something it's not....just as I try to do with Mine...
Troth,
Pat
