Renamed to Alternative

[earl]

Originally Posted by AletheiaRivers

PS - I have to add that, actually, I came here looking for a new "home forum" because I find I don't quite fit anywhere. I'm a mystic. I'm esoteric. I'm deeply interested in the perennial philosophy. I'm a pluralist (of course). I'm Christian but have Eastern leanings with a particular interest in Hinduism. I'm a "qualified monist" with a panentheist flavor.

I thought if I was going to fit in anywhere, I'd fit in on a comparative religion board. I've lurked for quite a while. Only signed up a little bit ago. However, I haven't posted much because, in all honesty, the mood here is a tad more confrontational than I care for.

Perhaps it's a sign that I should keep on a wandering ...

Hi Aletheiarivers-please make yourself to home! It would appear that your views are very similar to my own & I likewise can certainly relate to not feeling like I quite fit into established "categories," let alone churches anywhere around. I also like your idea for structuring of the "alternatives" forum! As to confrontations here, will say the moderators do a pretty good job of reigning folks in but yes it's too bad some can get so riled @ one another. think though that's somwhat inevitable whenever you enter into an overall forum that houses so much diversity in views-diversity appeals to me, but unfortunately can threaten others despite the "comparative" intent of this wonderful site. Have a good one, Earl

[AletheiaRivers]

Originally Posted by earl

It would appear that your views are very similar to my own

I've always felt like you and I saw the world thru the same lense. I've definitely come a long way since my TCPC early days.

[flowperson]

It has been said that there is nothing new under the sun, that we just keep repeating cyclical behaviors until we get it right.

This reorganization and renaming thing is really an exercise in futility over the longer view. What has been written and said here probably echoes the discussions that went on at Nicea in 325 ad between the followers of Arius and those who sought political and expediently compromised settlement which resulted in the trinitarian views.

The foundations of western civilization are based upon the concepts of identifying, labelling, and naming... and managing the interactions between such identifiable components such that they productively grow and flourish as one. Yes, this philosophy grew from the roots of agricultural foundations and primitive concepts of community that have been around for about ten thousand years and have served us all well in that time span, even if the system results in a lurching three steps forward, two steps back set of realities.

Brian, I do not envy your tasks in trying to corrall a bunch of horses who are born and live wild in many ways, but I am sure that you will do your best. My personal opinion is that nobody should be labelled until he/she is cold, lying on a stone slab, and is fitted with a toe tag. But the process of civilization and coherent wholeness requires, from time to time, separation and management of individual approaches in view of the longer term, greater good.

Names really do not matter in the long run and can and do engender emotional reactions. It's all just a civilized and systematic form of interaction, conflict, and resolution, but it is necessary. Do your best. We're all with you, and as I constantly tell my daughter's parrott..."It'll be OK".

flow....

[seattlegal]

Mystery Traditions?

[I, Brian]

Okay, just to recap on my current thinking before I move forward with hits:

NeoPaganism
New Age
Esoteric
Magick

Does that sound like a do-able set of distinctions?

[wil]

What do you see as your blurbs below each heading?

for example....



Christianity
Christian issues and discussions of Christianity.




Judaism
Judaism and the Jewish faith: issues and dicussions




Islam
Islam and Islamic issues: discussions of the Muslim Faith.

[taijasi]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

Okay, just to recap on my current thinking before I move forward with hits:

NeoPaganism
New Age
Esoteric
Magick

Does that sound like a do-able set of distinctions?

Sounds good to me - still under Alternative? Good questions from Wil, btw. Looks to me if I'm correct that only Mysticism is changing (category wise), into New Age. Granted, a die hard Eckhart follower might object, but my opinion is run with it! (umm, Forrest )

taijasi

[AletheiaRivers]

Originally Posted by taijasi

Sounds good to me - still under Alternative? Good questions from Wil, btw. Looks to me if I'm correct that only Mysticism is changing (category wise), into New Age. Granted, a die hard Eckhart follower might object, but my opinion is run with it! (umm, Forrest )

taijasi

Um yeah. Eckhart, Merton, de Mello ... they don't have anything to do with new age, but I guess that is in the eye of the beholder.

[wil]

Esoteric
Healing, crystals, theories, astrology, conspiracies,

This inlies the problem as I see it.

I indicated earlier that I felt mystical forms of Judaism and Islam sometimes feel more kinship...

I and I think others are looking for an area where Christians, followers of Jesus and Christ, can discuss the mystic, the apocryphal, the esoteric, compare with other thoughts, explore the Christian world...without upsetting those that appear to get upset by the discussion...

This discussion and New Thought doesn't fit under New Age....nor does it fit under the above listings for Esoteric...

Is it just me, am I off base by what I see the whole discussion was about.

[I, Brian]

I guess there's always going to be a problem with taxonomy on a board like this - sometimes certain influences and belief systems cross boundaries very easily, so it's difficult to really isolate them into a specific section.

The problem so far on the Alternative section is that the Esoteric and Mysticism boards have a lot of overlap - heck, Mysticism even mentions it's for discussions on Esoteric subjects.

I guess we take it one foot at a time - tidy up the Alternative section as it is, then see what other developments may be necessary there...

[I, Brian]

Okay, done a little tidying up in the Alternative section - renamed the boards and moved some threads around. Let's see if that makes for a footing we can move forward from.

[pohaikawahine]

ALOHA E I-BRIAN .... why is Quaballah included under Magik .... it seems to belong under the same category as mysticism .... it really seems out of place where it is right now .... mahalo nui, pohaikawahine

[I, Brian]

IT's because we now have the four boards:

Neopaganism
Esoteric
Magick
New Age

I tend to see the Qabbalah as pretty instrumental in a lot of magick practice outside Judaism, so for the time being at least it appeared most appropriate - for now.

At this stage, it's simply a case of setting up general boards of significant difference.

[wil]

Originally Posted by pohaikawahine

ALOHA E I-BRIAN .... why is Quaballah included under Magik .... it seems to belong under the same category as mysticism .... it really seems out of place where it is right now .... mahalo nui, pohaikawahine

agree...

seems sort of like marijuana leads to harder drugs... as long as it is an 'outcast', you end up hanging out with other 'outcasts' and affiliation leads to exploration...next thing you know...

that alternative mystical, metaphysical path is soooo dangerous....

[pohaikawahine]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

IT's because we now have the four boards:

Neopaganism
Esoteric
Magick
New Age

I tend to see the Qabbalah as pretty instrumental in a lot of magick practice outside Judaism, so for the time being at least it appeared most appropriate - for now.

At this stage, it's simply a case of setting up general boards of significant difference.

I, Brian - I just see it so differently that I think you may do a disservice to the essence of Kabbalah by placing it here .... but those are just my thoughts .... I'd be interested to know what Bananabrain and Dauer think on where it should be located .... I don't see any connection with Magick in Kabbalah at all ....aloha nui, pohaikawahine