Comments on: Respect for the Dead and the Living http://druidjournal.net/2006/11/27/respect-for-the-dead-and-the-living/ Spiritual Guidance by Word, Card, and Star Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:51:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Bernulf http://druidjournal.net/2006/11/27/respect-for-the-dead-and-the-living/comment-page-1/#comment-357 Bernulf Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:41:41 +0000 http://druidjournal.net/2006/11/27/respect-for-the-dead-and-the-living/#comment-357 Consensus! I'll be looking forward to your later posts, especially your development of how Christianity might one day return to its shamanic roots :D As for how it's been twisted, I think this is a matter of political involvement - but then that's an outsider's perspective. Consensus! I’ll be looking forward to your later posts, especially your development of how Christianity might one day return to its shamanic roots :D

As for how it’s been twisted, I think this is a matter of political involvement – but then that’s an outsider’s perspective.

]]> By: Jeff Lilly http://druidjournal.net/2006/11/27/respect-for-the-dead-and-the-living/comment-page-1/#comment-355 Jeff Lilly Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:33:13 +0000 http://druidjournal.net/2006/11/27/respect-for-the-dead-and-the-living/#comment-355 I think we're basically in agreement, and I think you've shown me that Jesus's example was more shamanistic than I'd supposed before -- thank you! It's a shame, as you say, that Christianity has been so twisted. The museum incident strongly reinforced some conclusions I'd already drawn based on linguistics, and yes, a basic need for shamanism is one of them. And if I'm right about my suspicions, Christianity will fully return to those roots one day. But of course, those are topics for later posts. :-) I think we’re basically in agreement, and I think you’ve shown me that Jesus’s example was more shamanistic than I’d supposed before — thank you! It’s a shame, as you say, that Christianity has been so twisted.

The museum incident strongly reinforced some conclusions I’d already drawn based on linguistics, and yes, a basic need for shamanism is one of them. And if I’m right about my suspicions, Christianity will fully return to those roots one day. But of course, those are topics for later posts. :-)

]]> By: Bernulf http://druidjournal.net/2006/11/27/respect-for-the-dead-and-the-living/comment-page-1/#comment-352 Bernulf Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:15:13 +0000 http://druidjournal.net/2006/11/27/respect-for-the-dead-and-the-living/#comment-352 I'm not sure that Jesus' Eastern influences negate the similarity to shamanism of many of his actions; and I think it's important to remember that shamans differ from one culture to another in function and expression, and it's difficult to adopt a definition to which all shamans would fit. It could be argued that, since there are no references to the prophets using a drum, that they weren't really like most other shamans...yet there are no references to Odin and drums, either, and quite a few regard him as an almost archetypal shaman. None of this is to say that Jesus was actually a shaman - this hasn't been my contention - but I do think that all of these things point out shamanic roots and elements within Christianity from its earliest times. You raise a pretty good point in your belief that there is a fundamental need for humans to have shamanic elements as a part of our lives - is this one of the conclusions you've drawn from the museum incident? I’m not sure that Jesus’ Eastern influences negate the similarity to shamanism of many of his actions; and I think it’s important to remember that shamans differ from one culture to another in function and expression, and it’s difficult to adopt a definition to which all shamans would fit. It could be argued that, since there are no references to the prophets using a drum, that they weren’t really like most other shamans…yet there are no references to Odin and drums, either, and quite a few regard him as an almost archetypal shaman.

None of this is to say that Jesus was actually a shaman – this hasn’t been my contention – but I do think that all of these things point out shamanic roots and elements within Christianity from its earliest times. You raise a pretty good point in your belief that there is a fundamental need for humans to have shamanic elements as a part of our lives – is this one of the conclusions you’ve drawn from the museum incident?

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