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[naturalpaganmomma]

Many people, both old and young, turn to any number of faiths thinking that having a  preset number of "right answers" provided will bring them fulfilment: happiness, wisdom and some kind of meaning to life.

Ludicrous really. There are no "right answers". There are just many different answers to any and all possible questions.


The only key to lifelong fulfilment, the only place a "meaning to life" can be found is in knowing that you need to keep asking the questions. If you think you've found "the answer" to any of them, then you've voluntarily switched off your intellect. And you may as well be dead.

IMHO.

(Unless of course you're anything like me and the question is "Do you want a drink or a spliff?" In which case the only correct answer is another question -



 "Does a horse have an arse?".

Well said. I also had to look up spliff, BTW, because I'm a yank in the midwest U.S. LOL

But it is a common problem with any kind of religion (or way of life) that is considered to be outside the mainstream that is does tend to be rather on the commercial side. When I first looked into Wicca and Witchcraft I found all sorts of things that just didn't seem quite right. I wanted to know the "true way" (I hope you know what I mean by that) but time and again I was confronted by things that were seemingly just plain made up.

To complicate the whole process is the fact that hardly any written records were ever kept and traditions were handed down word of mouth. So how does one sort through it all? I've had so many arguments here about what's real and what is not, and it's only because I want to be sure. Like any one else, I hate being taken for a ride.

I had the same problem. I was looking for books to purchase for my kindle and I had to be very careful to read the synopsis of each one to make sure I was actually getting something of use to me, instead of a work of fiction. Looking up books about Celtic deities and religion, I was met with two choices. One was an actual informative text about the subject and the other was a work of fantasy, but you would not have been able to tell the difference without reading the synopses, which I guess should be a given anyway. I was just surprised to see so may works of fiction related to Wicca and paganism. I didn't realize there were so many.

[dark magus]

I was just surprised to see so may works of fiction related to Wicca and paganism. I didn't realize there were so many.

The shelves are rift with them.... have been for the past 30 odd years. Lots of money to be made from nieve readers.
 
Thing is, ANY religion is a man made thing. You need to remember that people do things for reasons. And most of the time, those reasons benifit themselves first.
Belief in a god only requires your faith. Your faith is defined by a truth you hold and share with your god.
You start adding all the where's, how's, when's etc. then you start dealing with religion and things defined by other people. And that, really has very little if anything to do with your truth.
 
 

[Scorched Eartha]

Look I was astonished a few years ago to discover that Christian fiction is a massive genre. Yes. There are whole publishing houses who specialise in love stories, detective stories, action/spy stories, even westerns which are written on specifically Christian themes and aimed at born again and fundamentalist Christian audiences. It's massive. A multimillion dollar industry. Especially in the US.

The thing with pagan fiction is that it slots so beautifully into the well established and eclectic "Fantasy Genre" that it sells far better and to a wider audience than just its faith base. But fiction based on religious doctrines and traditions in not new (Heard of The Pilgrim's Progress, anyone?)and is far from being limited to paganism. I know for a fact there are Islamic publishers who specifically market books to Islamic audiences. Isaac Bashevis Singer, until long after he began publishing, was considered primarily a Jewish writer for Jewish audiences. Mary McCarthy gave voice to Irish Catholicism.

It's hardly a flaw in Wicca or paganism, if Druids, dragons and damsels in distress are memes which have a great deal of cross cultural appeal.