Thoughts on pagan and christian paths

[Fideal]

I was reading through some of my folklore books today, and came across an old favorite, Thomas the Rhymer. After reading these stanzas:

' O see not ye yon narrow road,
So thick beset wi thorns and briers?
That is the path of righteousness,
Tho after it but few enquires.

'And see not ye that braid braid road,
That lies across yon lillie leven?
That is the path of wickedness,
Tho some call it the road to heaven.

'And see not ye that bonny road,
Which winds about the fernie brae?
That is the road to fair Elfland,
Whe[re] you and I this night maun gae.


I got thinking about the differences between pagan and christian paths. At least for me (being an irish reconstructionist) I don't so much see the gods as 'all powerful beings" but as just very powerful spirits or faeries, tied to the earth. So while Christianity deals with more cosmical things I guess you could say, and the dichotomy between good and evil (i.e. hell and heaven), paganism tends to be the 'middle way' persay, dealing more directly with the earth, and sort of gray, or inbetweeness of things. It doesn't lead to heaven, nor to hell, but to a different earthly (or otherworldly) place thats just..well, in between.

Does this make sense? I understand in a sort of abstract way in my head, but it's difficult to put into words.

[Aine of the Fae]

Actually that makes a lot of sense :D

[Galaxia]

Ω

[Athena-Nadine]

I got thinking about the differences between pagan and christian paths. At least for me (being an irish reconstructionist) I don't so much see the gods as 'all powerful beings" but as just very powerful spirits or faeries, tied to the earth.
You know, I think this is one of the the things that the majority of people who are Christian or who were brought up that way have the hardest time understanding. Until the Abrahamic god, none of the gods were ever considered omnipotent or omniscient.

[Pol]

Those are basically my beliefs. Spirits, faeries, gods, goddesses, they're all of this earth. My Christian God is something else entirely.

[Athena-Nadine]

Those are basically my beliefs. Spirits, faeries, gods, goddesses, they're all of this earth. My Christian God is something else entirely.
Well, the difference is that I don't see any god as all-powerful or all-knowing, not even the Christian god (who began as a tribal Jewish god and was just one among more than one). That's the difference that many have so much difficulty with.

[Pol]

I'm inbetween right now, on just how powerful I think God is.
I go through phases.

[Athena-Nadine]

I'm inbetween right now, on just how powerful I think God is.
I go through phases.
*...nods...* It took a while for me to come to the concept of deity that I hold now, mostly because it became more difficult to hold on to faith as I became an adult. I had to reconcile a great many things that happened in my life while finding my way back to my religion.

[charmedkisses1]

I never thought the earth gods were omnipotent, myself...

[Aine of the Fae]

I'm inbetween right now, on just how powerful I think God is.
I go through phases.

I know exactly what you mean....

[charmedkisses1]

I know the Christian God exists. I've seen Him heal people that should be dead, so that's no question how powerful he is to me. I just question the other ones alot... :hrmm: