Guest guest Posted January 6, 2000 Report Share Posted January 6, 2000 Phoebe, > What all of them did >have in common was a tradition of personal piety. Every house had its altar >and its personal gods, who were honored daily. > >Temples and shrines were served by the clergy, and people could (and did) go >to them for prayer, to beg for things, to be healed, to study. They did not >go there every Sunday from 11-12 o'clock and then forget about it the rest of >the week; nor were they punished for not going. They prayed at home, though. > The priests and priestesses were not mediating between the ordinary man and >woman and the deities. At public festivals -- of which there were many, and >most of them pretty joyous -- the clergy served the public directly. But >they didn't INTERPRET the gods to everyone. People went to the gods >themselves, anticipating answers. > This sent a tingle of recognition up my spine. Your description fits *perfectly* with contemporary Hinduism-- as practiced in India even now. People going every morning to the temple to pray is a common sight; daily worship at the personal altars is also common. No rules, no punishments. The fact that priests and priestesses don't mediate, but serve... beautifully put. Best, - Anand ------------------------------------------------ Krishnan S. Anand Northwestern University, ton, IL. USA k-anand@... Tel: (847)467-2128 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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