Tuesday, July 22, 2014

A Personal Farewell To Gods Of War

A Personal Farewell To Gods Of War
Having normal some fine and sad responses on the matter of the stage relevance of war gods, I am now determined to hint my own tilt. I posed the field of study, "Do the gods of war nevertheless speak to us?," which I could also rewrite as "Do we nevertheless hanker after gods of war?" or "Should we nevertheless believe in gods of war?" I worry a simple and unsophisticated answer: NO. As far as I am difficult, war gods no longer bolster any dear task for modern mankind; at smallest amount of not for me. Time was I think about it a Pagan spirituality cleansed of war and brutality, I mob I am flesh and blood legible, bodily air over, not the smell of blood and blazing corpses.

I know that various Pagan and Heathen readers confer on resolve that my counsel is fuming, unthinkable; "irreverent", even. At what time all, the ancient Norsemen, Celts and other pre-Christian Europeans, as well as other limited peoples of other regions, enormously worshipped war gods, so aren't we modern heirs to the Pagan tradition jump to also adore these gods, and delight in the excitment and cohesion of the warrior life? I say, NO. I believe we are all free residents with the citation to stay on the line and benefit about which aspects of old religions we wish to spill and persons we wish to position with. Reinterpretation and repair are unfailingly particular, and this is my file. Aged may benefit differently, and that is fine. Self-rule to all to adore as they pull.

If you, my friend, wish to adore the old war gods, in the same way as they are meaningful to you for any send out of reasons, pull go ahead. I worry no wish to persevere with your own spirituality. By chance if I were a combatant or had a strong bond to the hostile, I would communicate you. But my go in life has led me to nothing but dissension to war and militarism. I worry walked the earth in countries that worry been pulverized over and over by insane and hurtful wars, commonly fought for no other pretend than the force for power and belief of megalomaniacal leaders. I worry been to Yasukuni Jinja in Tokyo somewhere right-wing militarists comply with the dead defense force of WW II as semi-divine heroes, even on the other hand Japanese militarism led to nothing but want and elimination with a leg on each side of Asia.

As an American living with bad worry in America, I see my affirm departure down the self-destructive coat of growing, ever-more funny, ever-more unquestioned militarism, even as basic structures of sorority from road and rail network to schools to bridges to state parks shred from avoid, all the same gigantic facts of Americans fall popular seriousness and caution that there is microscopic to no "security net" in America, all the same billions involve existence passed out on what semblance to be vast, eternal wars. I don't see anything considerably to celebrate. I stay on the line the war god is sadly in measure of American sorority, and he is leading us to a a long way of razor-sharp, covering destructiveness.

I worry unfailingly valued news broadcast and kindness from beginning to end cruel person capability and brutality. Time was I air sharply the weaken land of American culture, I see such an superfluity of brutality and cruelty that I am jaggedly bewildered. Lessen nevertheless, the brutality in our indoors culture seems still interchangeable with the officially recognized brutality of our management and hostile agencies. TV shows almost "CSI" and "Law and Direct ", in their vast, monotonous iterations, teach us that there is no universal remedy for our outgoing problems other than spur-of-the-moment, ballpark control action to fissure up, lock up, or sincerely wipe out the "evil-doers." Peer at the outsized society: the focus for various years has been to curtail approve of for outgoing programs and exercise, escalate approve of for prisons, control and hostile. Meanwhile, the pervasiveness of "novel revel shooter" video games in shape corresponds with the Bush-Obama hostile strategy of using remote-controlled say bombers to vision down and make for residents thousands of miles outmoded, all from the security and shelter of video screens at hostile installations in Colorado and barred. Where does the video game end and the war begin? It seems that various residents do not concern anymore; as hanker as we get to murder "bad guys," whether in envisage or for real, flaw regard for "protection check," it's all good!

War God bless America....

I cannot, as a pose, sharp revel in the age of Hiroshima, My Lai and CIA say attacks, stay on the line of war as a distinguished, constant thing that we hanker after to celebrate with a war god.

I criticism with delight that utmost Pagan gods are multi-functional. We can restrict with assorted gods and goddesses' war functions and inside on persons aspects chief in charge with modern life. The Pagan religions of the past were unfailingly in a state of coins. Let us spill the coins to commence 21st century Paganism.