What is the closest organised religion to paganism? And info on Quakerism :-)

[starrynight]

Hi all, I know this is a really wierd thing to ask but I did that fab quiz on beliefnet and it said I was a pagan - having looked into it and read up that is definately in tune with my personal beliefs.

However, there don't seem to be any organised community meetings which is something that is very important for me. I want to go with my family to a meeting regularly (weekly would be ideal) and become part of a community.

So...the big question is - are there any organised religions that are similar to paganism that I could attend as a compromise? I have briefly looked at the quakers who don't seem to mind if you don't believe in the whole 'Jesus' thing so any quakers on here who could tell me more would be appreciated too.

Tall order guys I know you can do it!

Christianity asks for living human sacrifices.

didn't mean to kill the thread!

Starrynight's right, that is what I meant. The early Christian church adopted a lot of pagan rituals for its own purpose. When Christian missionaries went to China, the locals thought they were cannibals, because of the he body and blood of Christ in the communion.

ohhhhh this is getting interesting!! Happyhuggy I wouls say i'm a porbably a hedgewitch. I'm a solitary so don't subscribe to any particular pantheon just do my own thang!! but did do gorgeous naming ceremony for ds2 in local woods with people who were there at the birth. re Angels question. I talk to them and they are very happy with my chosen path as am I and therefore don't feel the need to subscribe to a male dominated GOD figure. I see the divine in everything and if you read the dead sea scrolls, the only one that appear to have been written at the time of Christ not 200 yrs after his death he says the same thing. if Christianity works for you then great but it work on a beleif system that excludes all othe faiths and condemsn them to hell. Which I have to take issue with. My faith accepts other faiths and see them as different paths all leading to the divine. Also I really take issue with the "child is born into darkness therefore needs to be christened to be purefied in case it dies" Crap. SOOOOOOO wrong..........stepping off soap box now! Just one thing to add - Surely if "god" created such a beautiful and diverse world for us with different cultures and communities why would he/she/it only accept on way of living?

but witchypoo that was what i was exactly trying to do - to debunk all the assumptions about christianity that you just made!! Where do I start? First - I said myself that my faith depends on seeing the Divine in All Living Things. If you read any Celtic Christian writers they will say the same thing. It is a very modern concoction of the Church that has divided Christianity from the Natural World. Secondly God is NOT a male dominant figure. Another concoction of the Church. The Holy Spirit in Greek and Hebrew original text of the bible is Female, showing God has both male and female sides. Neither is She/He dominant, but Omnipresent - in all things, the Loving force of creation. Neither does Christ condemn those of other Faiths to hell - he teaches people how to live and how to love - he does not talk about hell and damnation like that - only John, who never knew christ, talks like that. A christening is a symbol of blessing and light, just like a naming ceremony, but in the name of Christ. If you are talking about some old text written by Joe Victorian Bloggs please don't write off what for me is a very special ceremony - i wouldn't dare do that to a Pagan naming ceremony. I appreciate I'm probably on the wrong thread here - but it does frustrate me when people assume they can write off Christianity only knowing what the evangelical or right wing christians claim - that has nothing to do with christ.

I was brought up a Christian and agree with you on the evangelical and right wing issue as I find thier teachings very damaging and I certainly never meant to offend you but this posting sounds very different to you last one. I don't have a problem beleiving in Angels and not god. I do beleive in the divine but in my faith they are represented by a god and goddess as a way of symbolising the divine. I don't agree with alot of stuff in the bible but I'm glad thatr you have gone back to the roots of Christianity as that interests me alot. I didn't know that it was John who started the whole rot in hell thing but I did know that it wasn't Jesus. One of the reasons i rejected the Church is because it seemed to have very little to do with the teachings of christ BUT those teachings, I feel have been so distorted that it wasn't something I felt happy with and paganism made alot more sense to me. if that makes sense, its interesting talking about it though particulary to some one who has questioned and not just accepted. I was once told by a church that I questioned to much!!
I don't want to offend you or show disrespect to your faith but I am interested in it

and are you celebrating Lammas witchypoo?

if so have a fab day!

and also are you new or have you changed your name? there are a couple of other witches on here too - nice to meet you!

sorry if i didn't make myself clear before witchypoo.

arrggghh - have got to go out, will be back later though, i always have to leave just as something catches my attention!

What is the church doing to try to get back to Christ's teaching rather than continuing peddling the messages they have been doing? Or are the church happy to continue? I find this all very interesting - its a shame the church seems to have taken Christ's teaching and ruined it for many people.

BTW when I say church I suppose I mean the mainstream anglican/catholic church.

I agree starrynight - the church is really stuck up its own backside - i often have talks with my father about it - the church has` really become everything Christ warned againts - complacent, self righteous, judgemental, bigoted, etc. I can't believe the Pope has missionaries in Africa telling people not to wear condoms. I can't believe the Anglican Church is still so anit homosexual and doesn't allow women bishops. It is depressing. But there are voices of dissent within the church, and there always have been. The new archbishop is pretty good, if not radical enough. Maybe the church will die and a new community will emerge...

anit? anti!

I agree Ruty - I find the whole thing in Africa absolutely shocking and can't believe they are getting away with it! Did Christ ever tell people not to use contraception? (I am asking because I don't know BTW ) I actually know very little about the 'real' teachings of Christ (you may be able to tell!) as all i've ever heard are the sermons and RE lessons which contain the mainstream view - and has put me off totally!

christ did NOT tell people not to use contraception! It is a purely roman catholic notion that you can't use contraception - great for the liberation and equal rights of women don't you think? I have a moral problem with abortion, but still would not dream of dictating what another woman chooses to do. Christianity, like many religions, has been totally corrupted for Power. A terrible flaw of humankind.

Neither did Christ say homosexual love was wrong. There a bit in the Old Testament, but that is actually about promiscuity for gay and straight people. Nothing in the bible condemns monogomous love between homosexual people.

Yes it is Ruty. I am quite surprised by all this because my friend is married to a minister and the church they are part of is very 'traditional' and he spends a lot of time translating the bible from ancient Greek (or Hebrew can't remember) into English - however she still believes that only people who have accepted Christ as their saviour will go to heaven and everyone else is off to hell for the duration!

there are many academic texts suggest actually Christ had female disciples - one a former prostitute - but the men who wrote the bible decided just to call them woman followers - they didn't want women getting too big for their boots!

This is all a bit 'Da Vinci code' isn't it! lol.

that's interesting Starrynight. It depends if you take everything written by every gospel writer. John for example, does suggest something like that, but he definitely had his own agenda.

I find it quite difficult to understand, tbh. It seems at odds with the kind of person 'Jesus' was and the kind of 'god' that I believe in.

Do you go to a church Ruty? Or are you a solitary Christian?

And yes, her family firmly believe that. Which seems a shame to me.

I've got to go to get my DD from playscheme but will be back later to catch up - very intereting and informative discussion.

the da vinci code is a bit cheesy, but it lifts a lot from the old idea that Mary Magdalene was Christ's wife. I don't believe that as the argument is a bit thin, but the argument for female disciples, a few of them, is much stronger.