Institutionalization of Religion

[jimsim3]

Hi..For me as a Pagan " Gaian" I don,t see it as a Religion. Religion is the belief of mans power over man ,and for that reason it doesn't work. We practice balance or are in tuned and sometimes equal with natures forces. Where as Religion is basically enslaved to its narrative. Paganism is dynamic. Nature loving and it's forever changing. that the whole point of being pagan. to adapted and question. and know our mother earth for life...makes life

[forkfullofpie]

gods! the 500 character limit is so annoying. can barely get out a complete paragraph...

(mini-rant over)

namaste

lq

[forkfullofpie]

the institutionalization of wicca is inevitable, and not necessarily a negative development. critical mass in terms of recognition and population for eclectic non-lineaged wicca has been hit which makes the split between BTW and eclecticism increasingly irrelevant. at this point trad wicca is itself more institutionalized and authoritarian then eclectic wicca but is balanced by the limitations imposed by its own exclusivity. so not too much of a 'dilemma'... yet.

namaste,

lq

[BlueFireWitch]

It's kind of a double edged sword. At one end, there is freedom for more to convert as they will. On the other, the belief system becomes more deluded to the point where anything goes.

[forkfullofpie]

agreed. both deluded and diluted. it could go two ways, though; either eclectic wicca becomes so broad as to become meaningless - akin to generic paganism, or a resulting trend of 'authenticity' is born to combat the spiritual sprawl - which would require trad wicca to become more open. it has been my experience that the second generation of wicca still wants freedom from trad conformity, but would prefer more structure then DIY eclectic practice provides.

namaste,

lq

[DahStranger]

As far as your polygamy comment goes:If people are going to dump aspects of the religion, why not just get rid of the whole thing? Religion is nice for personal spirituality, but driving it any further leads to things like mass murder.

[BlueFireWitch]

Like any religion, there are beliefs and codes that people find to be essential to what their religion stands for and ones that they find to be non-essential. As long as someone's staying true to the "essense" of their religion, it wouldn't be a problem. The issue is who decides what that essense is and isn't.

[DahStranger]

I do not get what you are saying, but I will try to interpret, and respond. It seems like you are saying that there are main tenets of a religion, and it can be a true form of religion(true Christian), if they keep in accordance to those. That defines the "essence" of religion.

I think those concepts are minor, and most of the work is anyone's game. I guess it all comes down to which parts you want to follow.

[DahStranger]

(continued)

There is one part of a religious text that says to be merciful, while another will speak of brutality. It is not possible to follow all of this, so I guess people should stick to the good parts.

Once again, by the essence, I am not sure what you mean, but I guess it means the core message.I would personally define the essence as the basic rules I.E. Halal and Ramadan for Islam.

[BlueFireWitch]

Basically, the essence of a religion is interpreted by it's authorities. Not necessarily by religious text, as not all religions have a central religious text. Some do so from social change and logic.

[Mysticdreamlight]

Religion is in and of itself not a bad thing, Stranger; it becomes destructive when the adherents become fanatical in their dogma.

[BlueFireWitch]

Stay tuned for pt 2.

[valaquenta62]

Another Mormon group that's very interesting is the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka The Community of Christ. As I understand it the group was founded by Josepsh Smith's son, Joseph Smith III. I beleive that they predate the FLDS, having been founded in 1860. Their headquarters is in Independence, MO, the location of their only temple.

[BlueFireWitch]

You're correct about the Community of Christ. They never left MO after Smith died some of the church leaders squabbled over who should lead the church. Another good example.

[YoNoIDrunk9]

U moved,blink,talk just like the young lady from NeuroSoup DMTGirl....U remind ,somewhere i think in the end of the video

[Manaborn619]

There should be no right or wrong in how you follow your own path. The only wrong way to go is to let someone else decide for you. Take advice from someone if you feel the need to, but follow your own path, lest ye be corrupted like the rest of them.

[Manaborn619]

If you ask me, it is always dangerous when people feel that religious authority is needed. When a small group of people get the position to alter what a religion is on a level where it alters it for everyone who believes, then naturally there will be corruption. Christianity and Islam are 2 great examples of this.

The important thing is for the people who believe to take such power away from the "authority" and instead follow the faith in their own way.

[whitewolfheathen]

All Churces are institutions no matter what religion they are.  When ever you have a congregation you have an institution.