So, a confession of sorts, adapted from a comment I made in the midst of a debate on the relevance of religion: Culture, religion, language, literature are all related intimately with each other. Really, all religion, language, and literature is culture, even if not all culture is religion, language, or literature. And were still arguing formal logic and philosophy of religion, not theology. You dont have to actually believe, but you do have to know. And, more to the point, it helps to not hold any aspect of what you view in contempt or boredom. Ive held Wicca in contempt for years, and as a direct result, despite knowing neopagans, studying religion intently as a hobby and in academic studies for a very, very long time, I have remarkably little understanding of Wicca, Wiccans, and what draws people to it. Sure, I can brush off a breezy narrative about mostly white middle class teenage girls looking for something to make them special as they flee the religion of their parents and ennui, but that is less than a fraction of the true story. That is a thing I still have to work on, and remind myself every day that I cannot speak, write, or even think fairly about Wicca until I get better at getting over that. As a result, I also lose a vital window into how new religious movements work. Most importantly, I wound in a small way my ability to connect with fellow human beings because of my own emotional response - boredom - with a choice they have made.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:45:43 +0000
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