BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Pagan Harmonising with other Spiritual Paths

In this article I discussed some of my experiences with other Spiritual Paths. What have your experiences been like?

I was reared as a Southern Baptist and out of curiosity have researched and visited some other religions to see how they worshiped God and treated each other in different aspects. As I observed the people I come to realize that most of them had a mask for church so that members there could not see the actual real them. As my grandmother God bless her soul would call them a hypocrite, I never could understand how some people could live a life of Sin in the Christian world and on Sunday be the so called perfect Christian.... I just couldn't!!!! That is the reason I stopped going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays... I couldn't handle seeing them act like that any longer. Now I interact certain religions together and combine them as one (1), my daughter says it can not be done but I beg to differ, some people can do it and some people can't. What do you think? TessasMoon

All religions are transient form, the spirituality that gives them life is eternal.

I liken religion to a car. Some people just turn the key and it goes, if it goes wrong they take it to a mechanic (a priest or priestess). Other people like to lift the bonnet and tinker underneath, finding out how the systems work - which it seems you are doing. If it works for you, harms nothing, and helps you positively in living your life, this is a process right for you.

Hi Ian I enjoyed your article.

I think the only time I've had "encounters" were in situations where I was as adamant about sharing my view as they were theirs LOL.

Not too long ago I was introduced to someone as "Deanna - she's a new thought minister" and this person had a lot to tell me LOL. I just found a way to leave. In a situation like that, they don't want to hear my point of view - just change it LOL.

I think it's so cool you got to actually talk to a Satanist. I saw a documentary about them on tv once - but that was so long ago. I do remember though that they seemed to be more about honoring life than anything else.

Goodness me is the New Thought movement still going strong in the US? It was popular in the UK a century ago (Literally)and faded out in about the 1930s. It was a very useful way of connecting with the spiritual realms, and explaining how science and magick were parts of nature. I learned a lot from Williams Atkinsons' work with thought reading and vibrational techniques.

Yes, the Satanist I met was very into nature, honouring animals, and was training to work in a cr�che. Talking to some people from where I work doing the under fives child safety it sound like they met him at a conference on child protection where a particular Chidrens Centre, headed by someone of the same name and approximate age. was being studied as an example of good practice.

Aw... that's too bad. I love new thought. It's really old thought anyway

True Dat

Gawd, Please help me Ian I've been trying to do this all of my life... harmonizing.. gezze, I had to become a recluse because we live in a ' naughty but nice ' puritan culture across the pond.

Is The Iron Lady movie out yet ?

Heathrow was one heck of an airport... a little crowded these days.

Hi Ian, your article on Harmonising is wonderful and timeless. Thank you.

I so agree with your statement that "All religions are transient form, the spirituality that gives them life is eternal."

In reply to TexasMoon, I have found great joy and peace in combining Christianity, Lakhota, and Paganism in my belief system with the philosophy of Buddhism added in.

These separate religions have what I need to grow ever more spiritual and to be able to harmonize with people of other faiths.

Most of my closest friends are of a different faith than I am. Yet, I find I can have deeper conversations with them on spirituality for the same reason you point out in your article, Ian.

Hi Burt

I can empathise with how you feel re trying to harmonise with other spiritual paths in some parts of the US. The closest problem I had to that was when I was in Orlando with the family for 'Black Friday' and a man in the Florida Mall had a 'go' at my pentagram. I explained that the Bible wasn't written in English and, if he was a fundamentalist why had he not learned to read the book in its' original languages - especially as there were so many ways of learning to do just that? A few explanations of things like 'Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live' translating to 'you shouldn't allow a drug dealer to live', and many of the bits of the Bible mentioning 'God' actually referred to a Goddess. Plus, of course, the effect of Emperor Constantine and the council of Nicea. Left him looking rather dazed as he left to ask his priest a lot of 'interesting' questions.

The film is out and causing some controversy on this side of the Atlantic as Baroness Thatcher is still alive

Heathrow is still very busy but, I'm glad to say, still very polite and human. Still think they could do better with the baggage handling though!