Dear tumblr magicians, pagans, and esoteric types,
If you have the question, “Can I mix X belief with Y faith?”
The answer is yes. Yes you can. You don’t need my permission or anyone else’s. You don’t need anyone’s approval. And you can change your mind later if you want.
Believe what you want. It is the assholes who try to tell you there is only one truth.
Incorrect.
Religions have rules. They do not disappear just because you wish really hard.
I knew I would peeve many a fool with that post and I had resolved myself not to respond to them. But then Solon had to put her two-cents in, and I enjoy nothing more than annoying a fascist.
Who here has a degree in Comparative Religion? No one else? Good. Let’s begin.
The modern discipline of Comparative Religion, like many of the social sciences, is only about a hundred years old. Though young, one would think that those involved would have come up with a definition for what they are studying. They have not. Because even saying what a religion is turns out to be a tricky business.
You can say that a religion involves an outside extra-human agency—a deity. This is, of course, untrue. As many Buddhists and Taoists and others have no deity (though some Buddhists and Taoists do, much to the annoyance of the others), and yet they are considered religions.
Are religions organizations with certain symbols and mythology that promulgate and explain the faith? Maybe. But you can still visit Lenin’s tomb, and old style communism fits all that criteria. Maybe communism is a religion?
One thing that has been observed is that religions change all the time. Usually, just because people want them to. All Christians started out as Jews until they decided they didn’t want that baggage anymore and they up and changed the rules. When Joseph Smith founded his faith, current Christianity did not allow for polygamous marriage. But the Mormons had too many women, so hey, we just change the rules. Or did they change the rules back?
With 99% certainty, the one thing I can say that religions don’t have, are rules. Sorry for all you folks who get so frightened and need rules to make them feel safe, there are none.
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.