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NeoNote — Tain't Mine

This is from an email exchange I had recently. Quoted with permission. My responses are in the Technopagan Green.


I read this thing you linked. Intriguing and helpful, in terms of understanding you. But it's just scratching the surface, isn't it? While I can understand why a child would think as you did regarding the Father/Mother thing, you understand at this point, right, that in terms of God, a Father presence does not logically demand a Mother presence?

Logic didn't have much to do with it. Before I came to terms, I tried in my head to build a very mechanistic model for the universe. It didn't work. It wasn't until I learned to embrace my passion instead of riding it that I started to understand. Passion AND Reason, two dynamic tensions that help shape the human experience. Finding our place in the World means finding the balance point among all the tensions that pull us in different directions.

I call my Gods Elder Relatives. I would no more seek to deny the Divine Feminine than I would deny my own Mother.

And when you say you heard a Divine voice - a feminine, and later a masculine - how did you hear that?

At the time it was a Voice. I'm not trying to be evasive. It depends.

I've seen a Goddess in the actions of a strong woman. I've felt the breath of a God in the first thunderstorm of the season. I've smelled Her sex at the birth of spring. I've heard His laugh in the roll of dice.

"The Lady's touch is life. The Lord's touch is love." That's one of my early ones.

Oh, and too, obviously you are polytheistic, though maybe I don't understand your reference to "godmask" properly, but would you - or any polytheist actually - have room for my God - Yahweh, in addition to your/their god(s)? I mean, do you exclude Yahweh as a God?

Do I have room for the Christian God? Yes. Do I worship him? No. Should it matter? No. My best answer, "Tain't mine."

And do you think that Jesus was a real person? If so, do you believe that He was crucified? And if so, do you believe He was raised from the dead? In other words, do you integrate Christian beliefs into your own belief system, or accept that belief system of others?

Again, "Tain't mine."

Christian beliefs matter to me about as much the mortgage that your third cousin twice-removed took out. The only reason I would need to integrate Christian beliefs is if I were trying to impress Christians with how good a Christian I was.

If I was going to impress, I would go with honor and character.

I'm not saying that Christianity is not important to Christians. I am saying that Christians shouldn't expect their beliefs to govern others.

Of course I chose this article for this week. It makes the point better.

It’s a symbol mismatch. They literally can’t understand why my beliefs can’t be made to revolve around their central “truth.” If we talked more on this subject, it would always come back to cramming my faith into theirs and making their messiah mine. To save frustration on both sides, there’s only one answer that considers both sides.

“Tain’t mine.”

Take it or leave it.

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