I took a deep breath and braced myself for a semi-humorous anti-religion smear - because though I love the website and visit it daily, any time an article pops up on any topic having to do with something touchy (politics, religion, etc) it not only tends to lean strongly in one direction or the other opinion-wise, but they also stir up a lot of bad feelings. That, and the trend lately seems to be for Numbered Lists of ‘Facts’ (usually more along the line of facts + opinions) to make the front page as the three main articles of the day.
The “7 ‘Ancient’ Forms” addressed were Yoga, Tarot, Satanism, Ouija boards, Ninjitsu, Friday the 13th (though I’m not sure how a superstition about a date qualifies as a Form of Mysticism comparable with a religion), and - drum roll please - The Viking Religion.
I laughed a little as I read - this was an extremely sarcastic article, in which the writer C. Coville (who’s profile declares “preachin' Jesus and blowing up meth labs”) did her best to compare the systems examined with things like Dungeons & Dragons and angry teenagers rebelling against the church. Though I did smile at times, there wasn’t much humor to be found. I nodded at the dates and facts she presented, having come across most of the same things on my own during my reading and research this past year, I couldn’t help but sense a strong dislike of ‘New Age’ systems. What surprised me (though it shouldn’t have, especially coming from a white, Christian woman in the US military, with the website like http://www.godgirlsguns.com) was the venom dished out against reconstructionist religions, especially Asatru - for example, the caption beneath a rather famous depiction of Odin calling him a hobo seemed a little much.
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| Really? |
Yoga may be a fairly recent system, but it can still improve overall health, flexibility and muscle tone. Tarot may have started as a deck for a card game, but that doesn’t mean that the intentionally redesigned version isn’t extremely useful if treated correctly, as I‘ve found for myself. (As a side note, her claim that Christian symbology were removed from the deck to make it seem pre-Christian is also close-minded - there’s plenty of Christian, not to mention Jewish, symbology mixed into the cards: the things that got mixed in, mostly from various Eastern traditions, was done so to make the images more all-encompassing.)
Satansim may have experienced a boom in the 1960’s, but that doesn’t mean that people didn’t worship Satan before then - or that today’s Satanism even involves what is considered the Christian Satan. While Ninjitsu may not be based in historical fact, that doesn’t mean that the different schools in existence today don’t provide a unique and interesting mix of martial arts and skill alongside honor systems and community. Though I have no real comment on Friday the 13th (seriously, why was this one even in the article?) the Viking Religion(s) that exist today emphasize community and family, honorable and righteous action, hard work, as well as valuing people regardless of age, gender and roles: does something need to be ancient for those principles to be appreciated?
I can understand if she was attacking the habit many people behind the systems addressed have of ascribing ancient roots to their rituals for the purpose of claiming some sort of authenticity - but most of what I saw was someone discounting any good offered by these ‘forms of mysticism’ because obviously, if something isn’t thousands of years old, it can’t be any good.
With a sigh, I scrolled down to the comments section, fully expecting a rage filled debate between religious and atheist readers. I was actually surprised for a second time. What greeted me was, for the most part, short and concise arguments and additional facts provided by people pointing out specific flaws in the article, or at least providing more background on things that got skipped over. Of course, there was the obligatory handful of comments from the gotta-feel-superior-for-being-atheists showcasing their disdain for religion in general, but I could only roll my eyes when I got to this still recent comment when I read the piece:
“I love articles like this. Just look how vehemently the douche bags defend whichever one of these pieces of bullshit they believe in. Yoga has some practical use I guess (still pretentious and douchey) but if you believe in Tarot, Ouija, Norse mythology or Satanism (or any religion/mystical belief) Please kill yourself, you'll be doing the rest of us a favor.”
-DirkGently42
Really? This guy wants people to kill themselves over religion? Any religion? That seems kind of sad, if not intolerant at the very least. I wonder how many of the other posters commenting felt the same way - that if you believed in anything aside from cold, rational facts and depended in any way on emotional or personal insight, that you were lesser or deserved such harsh words. I couldn’t help but laugh, however, when I saw that someone had replied to his comment with a quote from the Havamal:
Stz. 27: "The foolish man in company
Does best if he stays silent;
No one will know that he knows nothing,
Unless he talks too much;
But the man who knows nothing does not know
When he is talking too much."
Though my initial reaction to this article was one of slight disappointment, it was the comments that made me laugh - I guess people can be better than I might believe, given the chance, and it seems that more readers of Cracked embrace paganism than I originally thought. That, or there’s just some very well-read readers.
In the end, I guess the point I’m driving at is this - just because something is ancient doesn’t mean it’s more credible: and just because something is newer doesn’t mean it’s less valid. Taking ANYTHING at face value is dangerous and ill-advised: everything, especially any religious or pseudo-religious doctrine, should be taken with a grain of salt.
Keep what works, dispose of the rest - and allow others to determine what works for them. No one system works for every one - be it religion, atheism, or agnosticism.
Everyone has to find their own path - standing in yours and telling others that theirs is wrong is pointless.
All you can do is try to move forward.
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