insulting religions

[IneedAgoldenNickname]

Hi, I've never posted on this topic before, I tend to hang out in aibu, but don't want to start a bun fight!

So, I am a liberal Christian. I firmly believe that everyone had to right to believe (or not) whatever they want, provided that belief doesn't hurt anyone else.

Earlier today I posted a lighthearted status on Facebook, which had led to me being called mindless, stupid, stuck up, thinking I'm better than everyone else. I've been told God is a c**t (sorry I hate that word so much I won't type it) and that the Bible is only God for loo roll!

I'm just really angry that people think its ok to insult me/my religion like that, when I haven't once preached or insulted others.

Obviously the easy solution would be to delete them off of Facebook, but they are people I get on with other wise.

Don't really know the point of my post, just hoping id feel better writing it down.

Ellie - fantastic post. Can't better that.

Wiccans associate themselves with pagan gods and goddess'.
They will generally be drawn to one pantheon or another. ie, the Greek pantheon: Zeus, Hera etc, or the Egyptian: Isis and Anubis, or the Celtic: Dagda and Danu. The common theme being the balance of power between the feminine/masculine as opposed to the patriarchal dominance of the Abrahamic faiths.
When Christianity came to these islands they built churches in the ancient groves where pagans had gathered for generations, and gradually they imposed christian festivals over the pagan ones, Ostara became Easter, (the spring equinox), Samhain (Halloween) became All Saints, Yule became Christmas etc.
I wouldn't worry in the slightest about being buried in a churchyard, it makes no difference to me whatsoever. We are truly children of the stars, since all of us, and every thing in and on this planet and every other planet are composed of the same atoms. Don't you find that amazing?

Sorry Ellie, slight cross post there. A friend turned up for a cuppa while I was halfway through typing my post.

Did Ostara have something to do with fertility, Sun? I'm thinking eggs?

Yes, as Lawrence Krauss so memorably put it, "Never mind Jesus, a star died so that you could live". Very poetic :)

The Hare is a fertility symbol so that takes care of the Easter bunny

It's the return of fertility to the earth (Persephone returning from the underworld so the land can becomes fertile again). It's the idea of potential, seeds and eggs. The hare has also been a symbol of the goddess Ostara (also known as Eostra)
Interestingly, it's also the time when the Christian church celebrates the annunciation (the day the angel Gabriel tells the virgin Mary she will bear a son. Its all about fertility and regrowth (from seeds/eggs)
You can easily see how these beliefs have evolved through the centuries.

Who do they think made the earth, sea, sky etc?

Amillion: the universe happened. It wasn't 'made' by an entity.

Eostra That has to be where oestrogen comes from?

Am I right in thinking that there is nothing that just happens?

Not sure I want to go down this route or not.

If anyone is interested in Eostre and the origins of Easter there is an interesting article about her here:

www.englatheod.org/eostre.htm

Most neopagans aren't that focussed on creation - many just see it as a random act of nature that resulted in the creation of life. There is no god who brings the world into being. Gods and goddesses are also part of that creation, rather than the cause of it. Each tradition has its own creation myths - many of them involve the sacrafice of the first being, with subsequent life forms being created from their body parts, but they are usually seen as just that - myths - and not taken literally.

Am I right in thinking that there is nothing that just happens?

No. The basis of quantum physics is that things do just happen without cause or reason. Radioactive decay is a good example.

Whether this could apply to the birth of the universe (which is what I think you're thinking of) is not really known. Physics can explain pretty well what happened from the first fraction of a nanosecond after the big bang but before that (if there even is a before) is not understood yet.

Amillion, please don't let gaining knowledge upset you. Do you know how I know the above? From a Christian physicist. It is completely possible to still be a believer and yet appreciate how the universe and our world actually works.

Try again!

www.englatheod.org/eostre.htm

Why only one universe? In Hindu cosmology there are any number of universes at any given time. The big bang is seen only as a stage in the process, with countless universes exiting before and countless to come.

eh? I am getting out of my depth now.

I don't really follow your reasoning, science - but the Multiverse is a valid hypothesis based on some observations.

My eh? was to sciencelover.

See, this is why I didnt know if I wanted to go down this route personally!
Havent much of a clue what anyone is talking about.
Doesnt matter, just dont expect me to contribute much!

It's OK, Amillion - it's not that complicated really.

Science has shown that not everything has to have a cause, and therefore there's no particular reason to suppose that the universe had to have had one either. Doesn't mean it didn't, just that we're not stuck thinking that it must have done.

For any lurkers who are interested and have an hour to spend, this is a superb lecture that explains how the universe could have come from nothing:

(Psst....it's not a Richard Dawkins lecture, don't worry - he just introduces it )

Ooops

It is a beautiful concept, and not incompatible with many current theories. I think the eastern traditions in general have a less difficult time managing science with spiritulity than we do in the west.

Ellie, it's going over my head, but what I do understand, I appreciate.

AMillion: how would you feel about going to (for example) a Hindu wedding? Or a Jewish funeral? Assuming that you had a friend or workmate who had invited you along because s/he liked you and wanted you to be there on an important occasion - would you go, would you decline, would you be shocked that your friend/workmate had even asked you?