Deity

**Samhain** · 05-22-2004, 08:21 PM

If you have the concept of deity in your religious or spiritual beliefs how do you relate to it?
Do you believe that deity is much more powerful than any life form and needs to be worshiped.
Do you work hand in hand with deity on an equal footing, like they are a friend or a family member.
Or do you control deity, summon it and expect it to do your bidding?

S

**kilted2000** · 05-23-2004, 05:24 AM

As a Celtic Pagan I believe that the Gods are our First Ancestors.

**rain_in_summer** · 05-23-2004, 10:36 AM

For me God is more IT than HE or SHE.
Not a person, an energy, a spirit. It's life itself.
So I "worship" it just by feeling/saying "It's so wonderful to be alive.", "I love being alive.", "Isn't nature beautiful?", by loving (and caring for) nature, by dancing in the rain... I couldn't pray to God as a person I guess. It feels fake to do that somehow. If I pray I pray to everything and everyone. It's difficult to explain. An example: If I'm in a difficult situation, I'm likely to say "Gimme strength to get through that.", but I don't mean I want God in heaven to give it to me "directly", if you know what I mean, as I don't believe God has the power to actually DO something, it only IS.

**Samhain** · 05-23-2004, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilted2000

As a Celtic Pagan I believe that the Gods are our First Ancestors.

ok so does that mean you feel like you work with them hand in hand then, or that they're more powerful than us?

how do you see them?

s

**Samhain** · 05-23-2004, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rain_in_summer

For me God is more IT than HE or SHE.
Not a person, an energy, a spirit. It's life itself.
So I "worship" it just by feeling/saying "It's so wonderful to be alive.", "I love being alive.", "Isn't nature beautiful?", by loving (and caring for) nature, by dancing in the rain... I couldn't pray to God as a person I guess. It feels fake to do that somehow. If I pray I pray to everything and everyone. It's difficult to explain. An example: If I'm in a difficult situation, I'm likely to say "Gimme strength to get through that.", but I don't mean I want God in heaven to give it to me "directly", if you know what I mean, as I don't believe God has the power to actually DO something, it only IS.

i'm sure there are a lot of us that would wish to have your kind of insights, keep hold of them and treasure them

blessings

s

**HappyHaHaGirl** · 05-23-2004, 09:49 PM

I think that God is in Nature....we're totally neglecting it and the world is falling into complete chaos, and we're asking "where's God??" You clear cut him and polluted him with toxic waste! Why would he stand up for you now! The only way to save ourselves is to save the environment, because it's all we have.

**Samhain** · 05-23-2004, 10:26 PM

i agree with you, the earth at the moment is a victim to humanity.
when someones a victim it ever becomes damaged or fights back, and we're in trouble ethier way

s

**themnax** · 05-24-2004, 12:35 PM

the unknowable has its existence and i have mine. i feel more at peace with it and with myself when i don't impose names on it or try to immagine anything specific about it. only that neither of us are infallable, wish to cause harm, or earn resentment. obviously there's a lot more of infinity then there is of me.

**Sage-Phoenix** · 05-24-2004, 10:07 PM

I don't believe in a diety in the conventional sense. Or rather I don't know whether such an entity exists and can't say I'm particually fussed eithier way.

The Goddess element of wiccan and other 'pagan' religions really appeals to me (I'm of feminist persuation) and can't deny there is something powerful keeping the world ticking over. It's just that I've never felt a deep conviction that there is/are diety/ies.

Apparently I'm a spiritual person, even so I'm most definetly an agnostic. Which probably doesn't make any sense but there you go.

TTFN

Sage

**Samhain** · 05-24-2004, 10:18 PM

hi sage
a lot of people just believe in the energies out there that seem powerful but not describable, and when pagans say they believe in deity not all of them believe that the gods are actually out there as beings, so what you say makes perfect sense, and isn't it all part of the mystery that we know soemthing is there but are not sure what?

i completely agree with you about the goddess she has been neglected for far too long and even if one doesn't believe shes out there as such, it is still a powerful exercise to meditate on her in all her different aspects.

are you familar with the author 'starhawk' i think she would really speak to you.

blessings
s