Re: U-Turn Theory
Well, as a westerner, and a armchair theologian (I like to learn about all religions) I can say there is a very disturbing tendency to "borrow" from other religions to go on to whatever core Ideology they believe in. You have "Zen" everything, for instance.
One particularly insidious example is how the west treats Kali Ma. You have new agers, neo-pagans, Wiccans, etc. saying "Oh, Kali is a dominant form of the Goddess, great for protecting and empowering women" and they just take her in as a convenient symbol, out of very many on the one hand and in the other you have satanists, occultists, black magicians, etc. saying "Kali is the symbol of death and destruction, she is the black goddess" and incorporate her as a convenient symbol, out of very many. The problem is, is despite her being a dominant protective force and the system of creation and destruction (She is NOT a goddess of death, for sure) she is not limited to only these two views, or any one aspect, do to her very being.
When you take a Hindu Deity out of Hinduism, it loses the respect needed for it. Now, for people who follow her, like I do, she is the Isvari (I believe that is the right word for Ishvara in the feminine), the supreme being, as many would say Durga Ma is, or Sri Lalita-Tripurasundari, is, or whatever form of Devi Ma is deemed supreme and the others forms of the one Devi Ma, just the same as a Lord Shiva or a Lord Vishnu Bhakta would say of their Ishvara. Now then, beyond the fact Brahman can be expressed in many forms and many ways of showing himself, but you have to respect him, or her, in the form which is befitting to the Devi or Deva.
That is not to say a Neo-Pagan, or even a Satanist couldn't be good people, or that their paths wouldn't be personally enriching (I have had nothing but trouble with Satanists but I try my best not to paint with a broad brush, even more so to large groups of people) but they would have to respect the deity and NOT use him or her as a tool, as they do all too often. I have seen neo-pagans try earnestly to also be Hindu with all their might and keep their wiccian identities, to what effect I do not know (I could show a website that Is prominent on my mind to that effect, if you would care to see what it is like, if there is demand for that)
Now then, I hope I have covered this with tact and gentleness. Thank you all for your time ^_^;
Last edited by KaliBhakta; 27 September 2010 at 04:24 PM.
Reason: Minor typographical fix.
Salutation be to you O Narayani, O you who are the good of all good, O auspicious Devi, who accomplish every object, the giver of refuge, O three eyed Gauri!
-Devi Mahatmya Chapter 11, Verse 10.
Bookmarks