Tarot vs. Religion

[Alissa]

however... they say if you follow any other "god", your "going to hell"... so what i was thinking, does this mean, that ... in the eyes of hindus, are muslims going to hell for believing in their "god" and not hindu "gods".????

I am not a Hindu scholar, but have studied the religion, and I can say no where in Hinduism's teachings does it prosletize, or to pass judgment of the God/s/ess/es which someone worships. It is a religion that encourage worship of God or Goddess however you may interact with them, personally.

The Hindu pantheon is comprised of thousands of Gods and Goddesses and even those Gods that are not "Hindu" are still respected by this faith, who believes that every path that leads to Divinity is the same path, regardless.

It is a religion that does not actively convert, nor does it preach an afterlife punishment for worship of "false idols".

My own belief... all the Gods are One God, and All the Goddesses are One Goddess, and we are each of us microcosms of that same Divinity.

To Hindus, this means that *any* authentic path you take to God will lead you to your own "salvation" as the Christians say.

Why do some religions say, "My way or the highway?" This is my belief. Some people are at diferent stages of personal evolution. They are ready, or not ready, for certain Mysteries of existence. Those who are less "prepared" as an individual soul may need a religion that "makes sense" to them, simple answers to hard questions.

To me, trying to talk Spirituality with certain Christians, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, or anyone who is stuck in their own religious box, is tantamount to trying to explain calculus to a 5 year old. It's beyond their capapabilities, at this time, to understand. They aren't "there" yet. They need black and white answers that take the guesswork out of Spirituality, a nice road map to get them from birth to salvation, with a minimal effort.

So why get upset when a 5 year old doesnt get it? Why try to change their minds? When they are ready, they will ask their own questions, and search for their own authentic answers, not the ones that were accepted but went unquestioned.

Namaste~

 

[Diana]

The Hindus are not better than the Christians, the Muslims, the Jews.... you name it, you'll find extremist madmen.

http://www.freedomhouse.org/religion/publications/India/summary.htm

For years now I've been reading horrific stuff about Hindu extremist violence in India... all in the name of their gods.

If only religion were the Opium of the People, as Karl Marx said (this expression is wrongly attributed to Lenin). At least then it would make people dopey and sleepy.

Organised religion has created some of the worst scum that have existed and exist and will exist.

And getting all excited about Tarot shows just how petty and stupid they are. If ever a religious nutcase tries to get all het up about my Tarot deck, I will squash him like a worm.

 

[HOLMES]

on the other side of the coin

hasnt' religion created some really good people ?
that is like saying tarot readers have been some of the worst frauds around or pychics readers have been one of the worst fraud arounds,

i know a very religious girl in high school who never judged me, listened to all my talks about the bible, course in miracles, and tarot cards. i listened her to her talks as well.
it was very interesting,

i had a person come up to me who i thought was going to call me infidel, but he said i sincerly believe your people are one of the lost tribes of isreal. (us native canadian the lost tribe of isreal who knew )

any how my point yes religion has created some of the worst scum, and it has created some of the best people as well.

 

[Alissa]

The Hindus are not better than the Christians, the Muslims, the Jews.... you name it, you'll find extremist madmen.

Nor did I imply they were superior, or "better," just that the faith *in and of itself* does not pass judgment on the worship of Gods outside their own accepted religion.

And there are extremists in every movement, be it religious, political or social. I agree, they're the ones to watch out for.

 

[contrascarpe]

Hi all -

I grew up Catholic in a small Massachusetts town. I was exposed to Tarot at an early age (around 7) because my parents were cool and encouraged free-thinking to my brother and me. Since my brother was 9 years older than me, I was exposed to things that alot of my peers were not, so I was never prejudiced about alot of things and kept an open mind.

Personally I have never been the victim of bashing by conservative Christians but I have seen it occur. A few years ago a local newpaper had a great article about Wicca and Tarot but a few days later the letters to the editor were swamped by small-minded people. The only reaction I have seen so far was from an uncle of mine. I told him at Christmas that I was getting serious about Tarot again and I thought it would interest him since he was an artist. He became obviously uncomfortable with the situation. My Mom later told me she thought it was because when he was young he had a female friend who was raised by parents in a satanic cult, and he probably associates the two.

That being said, I am not a practicing Catholic anymore - as Thea Lynx said previously, there are just too many issues for me to get into. I have not given up completely on my faith, but I am finding my spiritual path going in different directions.

One quick funny story about Catholic non-tolerance. I grew in a very "holy" four block radius. Across the street from me was a Catholic Church locally dubbed the "Irish Church". Across the street on the other side was yet another Catholic Church known as the "French Church". Finally on the other side of that Church was my Parochial School, affliated with the French Church. Well, being of French descent, I was part of that congregation and for six years went to the school there. Of course we had to have religion class every day and we were constantly told that it was a sin to attend the Irish Church, even though it was the same faith. How is that for non-tolerance? Of course my Dad couldn't resist going to the Church closest to us so I guess I sinned every Sunday, hehe (not to mention that the pastor was better and the Church itself was more beautiful).

Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I guess the bottom line is that I grew up not being afraid to be myself. I am not afraid to openly read tarot books or thumb through cards. I am not afraid to tell people my love for the art. I have had male friends over the years who laughed at me, but this was never religious - it was always macho crap or just a non-belief in things spiritual. Things like that (and religious non-tolerance) only fuel my fire to delve into it deeper and become more open about it.

Dan

 

[Macavity]

I lost a good online friend (who become a real-life friend) to these people As a fairly devout believer from a Catholic/Orthodox background, my friend started to take part in an online "Bible Study" group. Gradually we began to notice her opinions becomming more and more extreme. She took a big dislike to my personal (and lay) interests in Ancient Egypt and Hieroglyphics, as the "Work of the Devil" and "Idolatory". Hmmm... Good job I wasn't yet into Tarot then? But I knew I was on the way out, when she started to question WHY I believed in evolution: Which was "obviously a lie" spread by academics... <sigh>

Most of the hatred on this Calvinist Baptist site (or rather of it's of leader) seems to be devoted to another brand of... Arminian(?) Baptists. They seem to be too DUMB to figure that Catholics (like my friend) aren't part of their Protestant Reformation! Mind you, she seems not to realise that this might lead to her excommunication? I don't think her brother, a priest, would be too keen either! But we have all learned to leave well alone. It's saddening (and maddening) nonetheless.

Wierd People.

Macavity

 

[DewDrop]

The "insensitive" christians!

I myself is a christian so no affence to all the christians in the world!
When that is said id like to explaine my point of vju.

When a person finds something that makes him feel realy good, he will atomatically think that this is realy good for everyone, and that the opposit is the "evil".

I belive that "Dead star" meet a christian that belive that his "citrus icecram" that he loves is the best for everyone, and that "chocolate" must be tasting like the devil!

But hey, what about the belives of science; Everyone is different from eachother?

What makes me happy doesn´t nessesarily make u happy, isnt that right?

 

[Indigo Rose]

The truth in all of this is that humans are egocentric. No matter what our belief systems are everyone thinks their own ideas are correct. It is only by choosing to evolve and open our minds, that we can begin to respect other people's beliefs. Every religion has extremists, who hurt others in the pursuit of their own beliefs. For me the path I choose is to live what I believe: Love and be Loved.....all else is TRULY secondary.

Blessings,
Indigo Rose

 

[Aura Wolf]

It's been so interesting to read all your views about this. I can't possibly reply to them all separately but I will say it amazes me how widespread this can be. The world is misinformed about a lot of things in my opinion, and tarot may be the least of them all. People are definitely very egocentric at times, and believe their way can be the only right way. Just as they believe they are better than other species, more powerful and smart, they believe that what they think can't be wrong. I am a strong believer in my own faith myself, but the difference is that I take pleasure in that fact, rather than trying to prove other faiths wrong. It's just a pointless waste of time to do that, really. I'm all for open discussion but again, I think we should all be created equal and our beliefs treated the same.

By the way, I also loved Bowling for Columbine. Michael Moore is a smart man (and despite the tragedy in this world he gave me a good chuckle).

Thanks for all the replies, wow! It's really interesting. I hope we can keep this thread going for a while.

 

[nocturnaldreamr]

By the way, I also loved Bowling for Columbine

......as did i! i saw that movie about a month ago, and whoa.. it was shocking and really choked me up... to the point where you're about to cry, but no tears come.


this thread is so very interesting. it's sorta like religion class all over again. in religion we would get into huge analytical babblings about the world and the religious aspect of it's people.

i have been called an athiest before by many people, but the definition for it isn't me. athiestism (if thats how to spell that word to put it in that grammar-ed way) is, from what i learned, when you oppose all religions and don't believe in any of them..
i think i am agnostic. i don't follow any religions, but i don't oppose them either. whats right for other's isn't nessecarily right for me. i am happy the way i am living. i feel i have to learn through experiences and aquire my own theories, philosophies and knowledge, before i decide (if i do) what spiritual path to take......as for now, im free spirited and jumping in mud puddles...
=o)