Heathen Patriot: Thoughts from a Heathen Libertarian
Exploring pre-Christian Germanic and contemporary Neopagan beliefs and practices, politics, culture, and from a different point of view. Welcome to the conservative/libertarian end of the Pagan / Heathen pool.
Different Gods, Different Expectations
In the wake of the awful tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, many Christian and Jewish religious leaders are asking themselves, and attempting to answer the question, “How could God allow such an evil thing to happen?”
The fact that such questions are even relevant points to a very pointed difference between the theological conception of the divine as envisioned by the Abrahamic faiths and that envisioned by Pagan faiths.
The Abrahamic God is, at least in the modern conception, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent (all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good). Theologians have been wrestling with the question of how a deity that shares all three of those traits could exist, because they seem to be contradictory in a world where evil exists.
Even a cursory examination of the philosophical hoops that need to be jumped through in order to answer the conundrum would be immense and beyond the scope of this article. Suffice to say that it is a question that is still not satisfactorily answered, as it keeps getting asked when the real presence of evil is presented in such an inescapable fashion as it was in Sandy Hook. “How could God allow such an evil thing to happen?” still remains relevant.
Our Heathen and Pagan Gods and Goddesses, on the other hand, make no such claims to those qualities, and thus escape blame (most of the time) when such evil events occur. Odin, for example, is regarded as extremely wise and possessing great knowledge spanning the Nine Worlds, but even He is not regarded as omniscient. He is ever questing for new knowledge, ever expanding his understanding of the universe, and thus, because there remain new things for him to learn, he can never be said to be all-knowing.
Thor, we know, is singularly powerful. His might is expressed in the thunderstorm and the life-bringing rain that accompanies it. He uses his strength in his many journeys into Jotunheim, where he slays the Giants (who themselves embody those forces of nature which are inimical to humanity) in order to help protect the worlds of men, the Gods, and their friends. However, even Thor will die in his final battle with the Midgard Serpent, and has suffered reversals in His struggle against the giants; he is mighty, but hardly all-powerful.
Too, our Gods and Goddesses are largely seen as being subject to the same foibles and temptations as we mere mortals. Zeus is known for his philandering ways, Hera, we are told, is subject to rages and petty vengeances against mortals for slights for which they had no real responsibility, and both Silenus and the Celtic Demetos was known to be regular drunkards. Sometimes famine or plague would strike a community, despite the most pious offerings to the Gods for relief. Still, for all their vices, the Gods are generally seen as being favorably disposed towards mankind, although they could hardly be said to be all-good.
This sets up a completely different question for Pagans in the wake of great tragedies. Since we do not normally expect our Gods to have complete and utter control over nature, but rather only an influence over it, we cannot hold them responsible for such tragedies. There are simply some things that Odin does not know and that Thor is not there to fight against. Our Gods are not perfect, but They are our partners in helping to make the world a better place, and we know that they are sorrowed by such events as we humans are. Just as a house-spirit won’t help clean a messy house, but will help keep a tidy one tidy, so too the Gods help those who help themselves.
As Pagans, we must ask “What can we do to help those affected by the tragedy, and help make sure that it’s less likely to happen again?” When we as a community (and not just as a Pagan community, but just as a community of people) start helping ourselves, that’s when our Gods are at their finest in helping us to do so.
(Originally posted at www.GOPagan.com)
Comments
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Monday, 17 December 2012
I don't believe that the Gods "don't have the power to help". They are not omniscient, but They don't have to be in order to help mankind with our usual needs and requests. That's a far cry from the expectation that They be able to do anything, at any time, without seeming effort, merely because They choose to order the universe thus.
That, I think is the difference between the Abrahamic view of God and the Pagan view of the Gods. Just because something is not omnipotent doesn't mean it's not vastly more powerful than humans, just because something is not omniscient doesn't mean we shouldn't ask for help when we need it, and just because something is not omnibenevolent doesn't mean it is not capable of great acts of goodness on behalf of humanity.· Selina Rifkin likes this comment. -
Wednesday, 19 December 2012I get that but it seems that you are in the same boat as the monotheists: Either the gods chose not to help you or they were unable to help you. Either scenario seems unsatisfactory.
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Wednesday, 19 December 2012
You omit the scenario where They are able to help you, and do so thanks to prayers and offerings. I find that a most satisfactory situation.
Whereas in the Abrahamic conception, God is never unable to help; he simply chooses not to. That's a boat they're in on their own because of the way they have chosen to define their deity. -
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Your correct. The problem of theodicy does not arise when our prayers are answered.
Some people may find it more emotionally satisfying to think that their god chooses not to answer their prayers, i.e., because it is part of the grand scheme of things, than to believe that their god is (relatively) impotent. I can see how the polytheistic answer can be more satisfying to others though. My point is just that the problem of theodicy is not avoided by either group. -
Monday, 17 December 2012
I agree, Joseph. John, I can only answer for myself. I don't pray to Gaia for help. (I don't really pray at all.) I give her praise and aim to remember my place as I participate in her. I don't look to religion for answers, but as a means to celebrate the mysteries of being. Even a funeral is a celebration of sorts; even senseless tragedy contains mystery on which to reflect. The problem of evil remains, but it's framed differently, not in terms of "what God allows" but in terms of why humans do these things.
· Selina Rifkin likes this comment. -
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
I feel exactly the same.
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While avoiding the priblem of theodicy, this raises another question: why are the pagan gods worthy of worship? If you pray to them for help, but they do not have the power to help, why do it? If you don't pray to them for help, how do you interact with them and why? I don't think we Psgsns can avoid the theodicy issue so easily.