RE: Spritual Warfare
Posted by: asiddall <asiddall@...>
Something odd there...
Kurt,
I do certainly mean those "powers" as you put it, and not their human
followers/allies with whom we are at war. This is very much a war (perhaps
THE war), though few Christians seem to be willing to acknowledge it.
We have all spent far too much energy killing each other over alternate
beliefs (Christian and Pagan). I personally enjoy speaking with intelligent
people of all faiths (though conversation is a dying art in all faiths), and
have a great interest in poetry and mythology of past eras.
The sheer weight of history, belief, and art is so astounding to me, with
so many people seeking truth in this dark world. That said; I believe that
there are predators in the shadows that know more of truth and lies than we
can know of, and that we fool ourselves when we think ourselves wise.
-Aaron
P.S. Could you define Sinanist Pagan? I will look it up, but a practitioners
viewpoint would be far more informative. If this is deemed inappropriate for
this list I would be happy to write independantlywith you and whoever else
is interested in discussion.
--- Kurt McCoy <sheliakbob@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> As a Sinanist Pagan who happens to like
> DragonRaid, I really got to say something.
> "War?"
> While I respect your beliefs and your right to
> work
> toward furthering those beliefs with your brethren,
> I
> really must hope that you do realize that whatever
> you
> may believe about MY faith, I still have the right
> to
> practice it, to receive Constitutional protection
> for
> my beliefs, and to seek out the Divine in the manner
> that calls me, as you feel you have been Called.
> I have never lifted a finger to restrict or even
> belittle your faith. Please keep that in mind. Even
> if
> you do believe that I'm an Agent of Diabolical
> Powers,
> or some such.
> And really.
> "War"?
> I do, fervently, hope that you perceive this as a
> War against those entities and powers that you
> mention
> and not against the human practitioners of religions
> and faiths contrary to your own.
> I am not at War with you. I wish you nothing but
> peace and happiness, and applaud DragonRaid as an
> imaginative (and more importantly, fun) tool for
> presenting and teaching Christian ideals.
> Ideals that, in many regards, I actually share
> with
> you. (in my either "misguided" or Diabolically
> Cleverly Inspired sort of way. 🙂
>
> Oh. And my two cents worth--I think I'd avoid
> using
> Dwarves and Elves as player characters. Those beings
> DO have origins in pre-Christian belief systems--and
> represent supernatural powers in those systems. The
> very divisiveness of the issue on this list is a
> sure
> indicator of the difficulty many of your target
> audience would have with the concept. For DragonRaid
> to be successful in both its recreational and
> pedagogical missions, it should be acceptible and
> "harmless" to as wide a cross-section of Christian
> beliefs as possible. The goal should be to include
> as
> many and exclude as few as possible.
> Halflings are a somewhat different matter. They're
> really just congenitally short human beings. As an
> allegory, they should probably represent innocence
> and
> childhood.
> I'd use Elves as allegories for the hubris of
> knowledge and Lore--beings who believe that they are
> Wise enough to know and practice Truth, without the
> benefit of the Overlord's teacings--not evil, per
> se,
> but blinded by their confidence in their own wisdom.
> (heck, they'd make great teaching tools for dealing
> with Non-Christians such as myself--in allegorical
> form, of course.)
> Dwarves I'd use in much the same way as their
> folkloric origins, they are allegories for greed and
> the acquisition of material goods for their own
> sake.
> Again, not inherently "evil" but so focussed on
> gaining wealth that they have blinded themselves to
> the Truth of the Overlord's teachings and need to be
> led to more correct behavior.
> They'd be allegories of the driven Yuppies,
> people
> who have given their souls to their careers, as it
> were.
>
> In any regard, my best wishes are with you.
>
> Kurt McCoy
>
>
>
>
>
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