The accusation of the YSEE being anti-American, racist, or bigoted is one I have heard too many times, and it needs to be addressed. These inflammatory comments have been circulating for years among American “Hellenic Polytheists” and just needs to end. This is little more than an attempt to disenfranchise the leading edge of our movement, and the one organization representing the Hellenic tradition that commands real numbers.
I’d like to start this blog post by stating that I am by no means an expert on children, or Hellenismos. What I am is a Mother that is a Hellenic Reconstructionist, and starting my child on the Path.
I’d like to further state that my religion is the starting point for him…his moral compass, if you will. What he chooses as his path as he gets older is up to him. I encourage questions, discussion and comparison/contrast with other religions. I welcome critical thinking skills, and I love to engage him in discussion about Christianity, the Gods, and ethics vs. dogma.
There is a virus infecting the Polytheistic Reconstructionist world, and that virus’ name is Pseudo-intellectualism. The goal of any reconstruction of a polytheistic religion is to create a modern but authentic practice with, as its foundation, the accurate and genuine representation of cultural and historical examples of ancient religiosity. Reconstructionism makes use of the work being done in the fields of historical literary research, anthropology, religious history, archeology, forensic anthropology, and many other sciences, while pseudo-intellectualism makes use of rhetorical sleight-of-hand and ambiguities of language in order to deceive and support misleading reasoning. The pseudo-intellectual is not concerned with truth, but instead seeks power.
While my personal home practice is what it is…personal…I have no issues sharing some of what I do. Others may not be comfortable sharing their practice, and I support that. The Gods are with us all the time, and I don’t see a huge need to share every experience in order to prove to others that I am a practicing Hellene.
So….I haven’t been inspired to write much lately…conflict, insults and general nastiness all around can make one rather introspective. This would include me….there is no fingerpointing going on here today.
I wanted to talk about myself. No one else…just me, myself and I….and I hope that perhaps there will be a better understanding of what I believe and I why I believe it. I know that there are many who feel that I am a female robot programmed by Tim to echo whatever he says, and I suppose I can see why some would see it that way. Having read his books before they were published to correct the grossest spelling errors and whatnot ….I’ve read those three books at least 7 times each. He’s been a friend for years, and a mentor for most of those years as well. It is not surprising to me to know that I sound like him. It is rather hurtful not to be seen as an individual, but I cannot change what people believe, and I won’t even make an attempt to do that. What I will do is speak to you from my heart, and I pray to the Gods and petition Hermes to let me be heard.
Many Hellenic Polytheists fervently wish to draw a distinction between the word ’sin’ and Hellenic ethics because it is a term generally associated with Christian belief systems. They argue the concept of ’sin’ is separate from issues of “right or wrong,” and will unfailingly avoid using the word “sinful” to refer to actions that violate Hellenic ethics, preferring terms such as “missing the mark” or “mistake,” which do not carry a Christian connotation. There are also Hellenic Polytheists who insist moral codes derive from societal mores or human laws, rather than Divinity. This line of thinking seems contrary to the Greek. There are human laws and social norms, all over the globe, that are indelibly linked to oppression, brutality, and prejudice.
Hellenismos.us provides this Hellenic Polytheism Digest to recognize the various conversations on the Internet regarding Hellenismos and Hellenic Polytheism. This Hellenic Polytheism Digest serves as a monthly digest cataloging blogs and forum conversations we found interesting during June 2008. There is no specific statement for or against any post or conversation listed. We simply feel each will be of interest and needs special attention.
A definition states the meaning of a word or phrase by describing its characteristics, and two types of definitions can generally be identified. A descriptive dictionary definition provides the meaning in common use, while a stipulative definition is the meaning an individual or group wants to convey for their own purposes. Therefore, a stipulative definition could possibly assign a completely new and different meaning to a word and not conform to its common use. A descriptive definition can be shown to be right or wrong, but a stipulative definition cannot because the individual or group specificly creates the meaning.
