Please enlighten us all with the research information describing Karma (using this direct term, less my point would be made) as predating Hindu practices. I would love to read about it as the information I have complied from both books/web sources and people of the actual tradition have all said differently.
At best I can see it argued as being part of Buddhist belief systems, at which point I will gladly amend that portion of the OT to say "Eastern Practices" in another reply.
And you are correct, practices have always borrowed from others. However, the terminology is not the same across the board as the original concept becomes fitted to the new path. Which was my point when saying "call it something else". The established traditions have indeed done just that. They found new words to describe old practices by other faiths.
Examples of such would be the terms Qi, Ki, Prana, Holy Spirit, Mana, Ashe, etc. All are, at the base, same ideas, however since each tradition holds a different view, there's a different name.
Now, naturally it can be argued that the different languages are what causes the separation, however none of the traditions from which these words have come are working on collaborating to call it a universal term nor do people of that tradition use the terms interchangeably as they are similar, but not same.
I'm not sure where I was unclear about the point of "call it something else if you plan to change it to suit your needs".
kache, i completely agree with you on this, it is something i have been bothered by time and time again, and often by people who do not even know where the original term originated, what its general meaning is, and often turn it into something so completely different you sit there and want to literally smack the stupid out of them.
I see where you are coming from kache and I do understad. People throw together aspects from different religions and call it one. However this is what I see. Im not hindi but I believe heavily In karma, not simply due to any religion, but simply because how I was raised. My whole family belives in a 'westernized' version of karma and none are of any real set religion.
If your American than you would know America's cultur is a mix of many different cultures around the world. Al types of people live in the good old US of A and there for a new generation has evolved. One that is unique and sets out on thier own, realizing that they do not need to comform to one set path. Instead taking and followin thier true selves by mixin them. Wicca is no longer a strict as one of its founders Gerald Gardner. Wicca is ever changing, ever evolving. There are those like us old guys who stick with the old paths like scott cunningham than therss the new generation, forge ing thier own path. Theres nothig wrong with that as long as they arnt stupid about it and pretend to know all, that thier path is rightouse.
All religions are the same. Simply put. There is a higher being of some sort and a drive to be better for yourself as welk as being true to yourself.
"All religions are the same. Simply put. There is a higher being of some sort and a drive to be better for yourself as welk as being true to yourself."
No. All religions are not the same. All religions come out certain needs that we as human beings have, however all religions are not the same. There are massively different thoughts between different religious beliefs, some of which do not acknowledge a higher deity but rather attempt to propel the individual into their own form of deity (this is Luciferian). Other religions acknowledge various deities, others acknowledge only one, and still others acknowledge a mix of both various deities and one main form of deity.
The thing about religions is, that as soon as we make generalizations, we immediately say something wrong. No religion is the same, and no religion believes the same thing.
Making a person into a worshiped figure is a higher being. And whorshipig many dierties is the same as a higher being. Religions are different but their basic core structure is the same.! I am sorry for your ignorance.
I agree that everyone has there onw path to follow and they should follow the path they believe in. But your all right in one way or another Karma is the main issue.
Although i agree i have to say im eclectic in religious view. This is mainly due to the fact when i started i did worship from other pantheons such as Isis and Athena. Now im 3 years almost four years down the line i can happily say i am proud of being eclectic. I think what annoys me is when some tells you, what you belive, paganism is so vast not all heathens are the same and not all kemetics are. Its this diversity that should make us better and more understanding of other people. However, on this site and in life i have seen quite a bit of religious bashing. I think as a site and a community we need to try to educate the new agers, we all were new at one point. I know it gets teadious answering the same questiins but at tne end of the day they come here for help they wouldnt get otherwise.
Paths are for ever changing. We call ourselves pagan when realistically we are neopagan. Neo is the latin word for new, so we are new pagans. Not all of the druid information is known today so how can we say we are druid? We are marely reconstructists compared to our ansestors. I am guilty of claiming such feats as tge next person.
