Religious Knowledge Thread

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I'd consult TC on Wiccan questions.

What do you mean, about them following Christian rules? You mean the bit about them going to the Christian hell?

[Insidious Rex]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
What do you mean, about them following Christian rules? You mean the bit about them going to the Christian hell?

yeah. doesnt really make sense to me. maybe it was a metaphor?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

It struck me as meaning that if they betrayed the Goddess, then she would send them to the Christian hell.

BTW, I put a link in my first post about the matter entitled "laws of Wicca", if that's what you meant about where I got it from.

But wasn't Gardner a member of a sort of pseudo-Christian magic cult before he founded Wicca? I would think that maybe he would have meant the Christian hell, if he said so. Too bad the old bugger's not around, or we could ask him.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Here's another question, to any who may know:

I read some references to the Knights Templar as occultic, so I've been doing some research on it on google. I keep running into the term "Thelemic", though when I looked it up on dictionary.com, they didn't have an entry for it. Does anyone know what "Thelemic" means?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Another question for Wiccans:

A friend of mine said that he had heard that if someone practiced witchcraft, then they were not really Wiccan! Thoughts, comments, etc.?

[Insidious Rex]

Witchcraft certainly doesnt = Wiccan. Its kinda like saying Christianity does not = lutheran. sort of....

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I agree, there are different "forms" of magic. But he's saying that if someone practices any form, they are a fake Wiccan! This certainly doesn't line up with my research at all...

[Insidious Rex]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
I agree, there are different "forms" of magic. But he's saying that if someone practices any form, they are a fake Wiccan! This certainly doesn't line up with my research at all...

Yeah sounds like he has no idea what he's talking about.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Strange thing is, he's a really intelligent person... But then again, I don't think he believes in supernatural power. He does tai'chi, I think it is, but he says that's just a form of science, I think...But still doesn't make much sense...

[GrayMouser]

Apropos my own post a while back about Holy Communion, I notice the Pope just announced that non-Catholics would not be allowed to take Communion from Catholic priests ( unless there are exceptional circumstances, presumely something like imminent death).

I assume this has to do with the Catholic doctrine of transubstantation, whereby through a miraculous power handed down through the Apostolic Succession, the bread and wine are actually transformed into the body and blood of Christ.

Most Protestants hold this to be merely symbolic.

As a former Anglican, I like their attitude: while our priests are in the line of Apostolic Succession, what happens in Communion is not transubstantation, but it's not just symbolic either- it's a Mystery, so just accept it and don't waste a lot of time worrying about it.

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by GrayMouser
Apropos my own post a while back about Holy Communion, I notice the Pope just announced that non-Catholics would not be allowed to take Communion from Catholic priests ( unless there are exceptional circumstances, presumely something like imminent death).

I assume this has to do with the Catholic doctrine of transubstantation, whereby through a miraculous power handed down through the Apostolic Succession, the bread and wine are actually transformed into the body and blood of Christ.

Most Protestants hold this to be merely symbolic.

As a former Anglican, I like their attitude: while our priests are in the line of Apostolic Succession, what happens in Communion is not transubstantation, but it's not just symbolic either- it's a Mystery, so just accept it and don't waste a lot of time worrying about it.

I'm pretty sure that only Catholics (Eastern and Western) and Orthodox Christians can receive the Eucharist from a Catholic priest. The Orthodox Christians regard Holy Communion as the Body and Blood of Christ just as Catholics do.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Speaking of Orthodox, does anyone know what those hats the Orthodox priests wear are called?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Aha! After a bit of research, I found out. Not that anyone else is interested, but it's a kamelavkion.

Also, the Catholic priest's "scarf thingy" is a stole.

I have a penchant for liturgical vestments.

I know, I'm wierd.

EDIT: Mispelled, it's kamelavkion, not kamelkavion.

[Bombadillo]

I'm late on this topic a bit. But the kidnappers of Elezabeth Smart were pagans I think. And is Satanism considere pagan? If so, that's practiced today also.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

No, Satanism isn't considered Paganism, to the best of my knowledge. It's more of an offshoot of Christianity, and maybe Judaism (do Jews believe in Satan/Beelzebub/similar name?)

I heard that they were Muslim and that they were either Mormon or Jehovah Witness (don't remember which). Guess we can add Pagan to that list.

[BeardofPants]

I've heard that it was mormon, and given the fact that it happened in Utah...

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Yeah, Mormon is what I leaning towards, as well. Also, I think the Mormons at least used to believe in polygamy.

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Yeah, Mormon is what I leaning towards, as well. Also, I think the Mormons at least used to believe in polygamy.

I saw a show recently on Mormons and it was about this guy who had 3 wives and was getting ready to marry his fourth. Very interesting but for me kind of weird too.

[Jonathan]

Originally posted by afro-elf
Anyone can be converted to Judiasm. Sammy Davis Jr. for example who was Black.

You can CHOOSE not to practice Judiasm.

Palestinians have a Israel passport.

There are Ethiopian Jews who have difficulty getting Israeli citizen ship.



"For the purposes of this Law, "Jew" means a person who was born of a Jewish mother or has converted to Judaism"

Here is an example.

What if you have a woman who is ethnically Russian and religiously a Jew.
She later converts to Christianity or Islam. Later, she has a child.


Or a women Greek Christian woman converts to Judasism then later converts to Islam. She has a child while she is practicing Jew. The kid is not ethnically a Jew. So is the kid Jewish?

What happens here in this case?

I am posing this question as a serious query not soley as a polemic.

From what I know, Ethiopian Jews have no problem getting Israelian citizenship. The Israeli government has several times paid for the transport of tens of thousands Ethiopean Jews, just to let them become Israelians.

Anyway, the definition of what is a Jew can be hard sometimes. But the Jews look upon themselves as both a religious and an ethnic group. You can't say that the Jews are not an ethnic group, because in a genetic point of view, they are. If you compare the DNA from an black Ethiopian Jew with the DNA from an Eastern European Jew, you find that they are very close related. They're much closer relatives than they are with the other Eastern Europeans or the Ethiopeans.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Does anyone here know if the practice of Eastern or East Indian religions/philosophies/lifestyles (Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Taoism, etc.), whether ancient or modern, contained any form of sacrifice?