On A Pagan's View of Syncretism: Bah humbug to amorphous spamtheism
Baha'is believe that all religions are in essence one. The Baha'i Faith is not a syncretic religion. It was not created by some committee that borrowed from here and there. It is a religion revealed by Baha'u'llah who taught that God is one. To Baha'is the God of the Christians the same as the God of the Buddhists. (Buddhists believe in God, you may ask? Yes, the God concept is part of Buddhism, too, a good subject for another post.)
Including a brief mention of the Baha'i Faith, here is a discussion by a Pagan that rejects the "amorphous spamtheism that bedevils modern Paganism." (Isn't that a great line?) "The Gods are not interchangeable, and magical systems do not all harmonise with each other," the writer asserts. Indeed, different traditions don't mix. Traditions are humankind's creation. But God has always been God, and we are God's creation. God is one. -gw
Another factor at play may be the shoplifting instinct. Christianity, that most light-fingered of religions, claims to build upon the ground work of Judaism. Islam later claimed ownership of both Abraham and Jesus, adding to the list their own prophet. The Baha'is in their turn claim the previous three mystics as their own and add on a new prophet in the form of Baha'u'llah. The Mormon prophet Joseph Smith tried desperately to work Biblical figures in to the history of America, to make it into the Promised Land. The British Israelites likewise created fantasies tying up British history with the Thirteenth Tribe of Israel. Many religions take a magpie approach, grabbing anything shiny and attractive from other creeds to add to their own hoard. Modern Pagans are no different. Why settle for just druidism, or just Greek Gods, when you can grab a handful of everything and throw it into the cauldron? I am not suggesting we have to be ultra-purists, but I would prefer that those who do borrow ideas from other cultures do so with a deep knowledge and understanding of what they are taking ~ ensuring that it fits well with what they already have. Half-arsed attempts at cobbling together conflicting ideas and skills only results in Frankenstein-style disasters. The Gods are not interchangeable, and magical systems do not all harmonise with each other ~ the sooner we get away from the amorphous spamtheism that bedevils modern Paganism the better. Bah! Humbug!
Old Dotty Clutteredbucket, "The Supernatural Swapshop," in Fallen Faeries make good friends: home of the green
1 comment:
Hm, I'm not sure if I totally agree.
"The Gods are not interchangeable, and magical systems do not all harmonise with each other"
Why not, exactly? Of course, in a polytheistic tradition, the Gods all relate to other Gods in the same tradition. However, the belief of the individual believer should be taken into context. For many, the Gods serve as names. Aphrodite and Freya, for example, are both love/fertility goddesses. While they are from different cultures, they represent the same sphere of influence. And let's be honest, religious traditions are never so cut and dry. People migrate and bring their traditions with them. Religions rarely just appear out of no-where with new everything. They evolve and emerge over time.
~ the sooner we get away from the amorphous spamtheism that bedevils modern Paganism the better. Bah! Humbug!
Really, if following this path is beneficial to the individual believer (if it feels right and fits the individual well), then what is the harm?
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