mostly off-topic (was Re: Setting the record straight...)

[Guest guest]

> I find that many people interpret a statement of belief as an

implicit

> demand that others agree. To be fair, this is often because many

people

> have a hard time accepting that others belief differently and so

actually do

> expect some level of agreement whenever they express their own

beliefs. But

> that still doesn't mean that every expression of belief is also an

> insistence on agreement.

>

> For instance, I'm a pagan - one of the quintessential " enemies " of

the

> Christian Church and modern fundamentalists. I have absolutely no

need to

> convert anyone and no interest in having other views pushed on me.

>

> And when I read the passage, I recognized something similar

to my

> own beliefs. I, too, believe that through my relationship with the

DWTI

> (the Divine, Whatever That Is - a term I like to use in interfaith

> discussion) my food becomes better for me. Sometimes I understand

this as

> the DWTI working through the food, sometimes I just let it be a

form of

> positive thinking and placebo effect. But my spiritual

understanding is

> that reality has a consciousness and by my religious and spritual

actions, I

> can come into a closer relationship with that consciousness.

Christians

> would, of course, do this through their own practices which are

somewhat

> similar and somewhat different than my own. For instance, I too,

may pray,

> but I'd probably have a different aspect of the DWTI when I did so.

>

> Now the test: I have no intention of convincing anyone else about my

> beliefs. I am merely sharing them. I am sure that there are

plenty of

> others on this list who do not have these beliefs. Some may

believe that

> there is only one right god to pray to (and some of those people

might be

> Christian and some might not). There are others who believe that

*any*

> spiritual or religious experience is ridiculous and refuse to allow

room for

> me to merely even express that I have spiritual beliefs. All of

these

> people, Christian, Pagan, Buddhist, Atheist, Whatever, would be

doing the

> same thing: insisting that their beliefs about the spiritual are

more

> correct than my own.

>

> If just my expression of my own beliefs coupled with my clear

statements

> that I do not need or wish others to change their beliefs is enough

to get

> me labelled a " religious fanatic " then that's the other person's

problem.

>

> YR

:

This one and your previous post - both very interesting. I wonder if

there are noticeable differences between Pagans. For instance, one

Pagan may believe in the existence of an immortal soul, whereas

another won't believe it, and a third one may be indifferent to it.

Do you all Pagans hold the same beliefs (however strange it is to

talk about beliefs in terms of Paganism)?

José