@Thraxas #95073
Exactly! This is why I feel it’s important for Progressive non-literalist minds to reclaim the world’s faiths. Although these faiths may waiver in attendance in various places, they’re not going away any time soon so it would be better to reform them.
I feel that it is important to use the concept of the “Demiurge” as a non-literal archetype as a means to weed out the bigoted, detrimental teachings from the god stuff as well as get it in folk’s skulls that scripture doesn’t have to be 100% literal history in order to teach higher truths or ethical lessons.
The Demiurge doesn’t have to be an exclusively Gnostic thing, it can simply mean “Falsehood and false piety in the name of a false version of The Divine”.
Thus, it makes it not only easier to ignore the oppressive, repressive teachings but make the cherry-picking a noble endeavor rather than something stupid. Those who only cherry-pick the nice stuff will be seen as enlightened souls who are “separating the wheat from the chaff”.
Anything that is overly sexist or bigoted, sexually repressive, tyrannical, against proven science, against human rights, etc. shall be regarded a Demiurgic and thus… DIABOLIC! The Demiurgists shall be seen as outcasts and complete losers!
Much of the awfulness on Earth is done in the name of Religion but if Religion is reclaimed and reformed by better minds and the “Demiurge” concept used to help curb fundieness then Religion could be come a great force for good. This is why it’s imperative that Religion & State stay separate… not just for the secular’s sake but for the sake of Religious faith and spirituality. As long as a Faith has no political power whatsoever, it can stay relatively sane and humane.
Finally, there needs to be a spirit of ecumenicalism and the understanding that all faiths are simply different paths to the same goal.
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In regards to Hinduism, the Vedas were written in a time when men and women were roughly equal in status and many of the Rishis (super-adept seers) who “received” the Vedas (or ‘who first composed the Vedas’ for those less inclined to spirituality, here. I need to be sensitive) were of both sexes and genders.
Likewise, the Early Church in the 1st & 2nd Centuries was very popular with women and the poor and women were often leaders, preachers and deacons. Also, most of the misogynist stuff written by Paul was in Pauline epistles that weren’t really written by him and were added later. The few verses in the legit Epistles of Paul that appear sexist may also have been added into the text later. The stuff about women keeping silent in the church was plopped in the middle of a bit describing… approvingly… how women would “prophesy” in the church (which involves plenty of talking).