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I'd have said No. The Christo knows that you have no other gods before the big G and nobody gets into see the father without getting past the Son first, and ain't done by tree hugging or leaving out saucers of milk for the pixies.
I know more than a few Christians that see nature as part of the Divine. I think the main point of contention would be if you understood nature to be a distinct entity rather than as an aspect of God.
And I wouldn't call respecting or revering nature "paganism". It's an umbrella term that is used for a large category of individual religions that are typically very distinct from Christianity.
I'm sure many pagans would be fine with it but how about Christians?
is it possible to believe in Jesus but also be a pagan, ie: enjoy and revere nature?
In certain areas of the United States, like Jonesboro Ark., pagans cannot even be citizens or run a business. Back in the late 1990s, a pagan couple tried to open a bookstore and were denied a lease because of their religious beliefs. I don't know what the situation is now, but I traveled that area and there were pathetic billboards that stated "Pagans Kill Babies" and other obnoxious slogans. The ignorant hayseeds in Craighead County equated paganism with satanism and the couple eventually had to leave town, fearing for their lives.
should a Christian revere nature as if it is an agent of the Divine?
how would that go down in Church.
trouble is, I like both religions - what to do?
The church would say it's fine to revere nature as a sort of billboard advertisement for the creative works of God, but you should not revere nature as an entity in itself. Not only would that be worshippping a false god but you would be flirting with evilution. And that, so a US representative assures us, is the path to pit of hell.
As to what to do about it - I'm the last person to ask.
Since Christianity is nothing but a pagan religion Constantine packaged into Christianity...they've existed quite well for some time. Just saying...
Precisely! Besides, in Roman times, Christianity was the pagan religion of the time, as it was contrary to popular culture. But modern christianity borrows heavily from older pagans.
Precisely! Besides, in Roman times, Christianity was the pagan religion of the time, as it was contrary to popular culture. But modern christianity borrows heavily from older pagans.
Syncretism can be traced all the way back to the Ugarits and Summerians...it's not surprising that Christianity assimilated Paganism...especially when we know "who" made Christianity the state religion at that time.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Originally Posted by Kenneth-Kaunda
The world Christo-Pagan is possibly an oxymoron?
I'm sure many pagans would be fine with it but how about Christians?
is it possible to believe in Jesus but also be a pagan, ie: enjoy and revere nature?
It depends on the type of Christianity. I would define mainstream Christianity as the belief that there is only one way to escape the clutches of Hell and establish a relationship with God ...... that is done by way of Jesus worship. Other gods or goddesses or principles may not be worshipped, in fact that's the biggest sin. One could enjoy nature, but not revere it.
However there have been branches of Christianity that didn't believe Jesus was the only way, but that he was a spiritual exemplar and teacher, a man who fulfilled the role of Christ. These branches were often called by the umbrella term Gnosticism, and they made up a fairly large percentage of Christians in the early days, before they were stamped out (often violently). I suppose for them, nature could be revered, even if not on the same level as the Christ.
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I'd have said No. The Christo knows that you have no other gods before the big G and nobody gets into see the father without getting past the Son first, and ain't done by tree hugging or leaving out saucers of milk for the pixies.
