Gods and Godesses?

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  1. profile image0
    OllieTrolleyposted 10 years ago

    I was wondering about gods and goddesses. I've done a lot of research but this topic still escapes my grasp. Is there a certain god or goddess that should be worshipped? Can whichever god or goddess you worship, be changed according to needs? Example; someone who worships Artemis, godess of the moon, in the summer, can they then worship Hestia, goddess of the hearth, in the winter? Does it work like that? Sorry if I sound dumb, I'm new to all of this.

    1. EncephaloiDead profile image55
      EncephaloiDeadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      No problem, you can worship any god you want, they are all equally non-existent. smile

      1. profile image0
        MysticMoonlightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

        Hello Ollie. I don't think you sound dumb at all. In my opinion, asking for advice and help from others when you are unsure about something is wise. It shows courage as well.

        Kitty, modernalchemyst, and TLHeraldZ gave great advice and insight. They really hit the nail on the head and I couldn't agree more. Go with your gut, Ollie. Many blessings to you. smile

        1. profile image0
          OllieTrolleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Merry meet, I'm just new to this, and I worry about doing the wrong thing. I know this is a very flexible religion, but I've always done stuff the text book way, which isn't the best, because there is no exact way to study this religion. I have to find my own path... And it's very difficult, especially since I don't have any form of mentor. Anyways, thanks for taking time to glance at my question. Belessed be.

      2. jacobkuttyta profile image44
        jacobkuttytaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

        Jesus Christ is the Only way to God.

    2. TLHeraldZ profile image61
      TLHeraldZposted 10 years ago

      Each god and goddess have different needs that they represent. Most people have their MAIN deity or 2 that they worship BUT there are different ones for different needs. And it is definently ok to worship more than one! I pray to whomever is necessary for the need I am trying to obtain!

    3. modernalchemyst profile image87
      modernalchemystposted 10 years ago

      In my experience, different deities will come in and out of your life at different phases. Artemis was a source of comfort and companionship when I was younger and seeking freedom from an abusive situation. In my adult life, Jupiter, Thor and Thoth have been central to my practice. I've even felt pulled toward Ganesha in dreams, so I'm sure he has something to teach as well.

      It's different for everyone, but I think that generally you'll know when a god or goddess wants to work with you. You don't have to respond, but they usually have some gift to bring tot hat phase in your life. You may also connect with a deity who remains consistent throughout your life.

      1. kittythedreamer profile image75
        kittythedreamerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

        Very well said! I fully agree with modernalchemyst. This is how it works for me. I have been working with one particular god for the past couple of years, but generally they come in and out of my life which I assume as the phases in my life change. Some will stay for your entire life, while others might only be around for a month or so at a time. You can work with whatever gods you want...I wouldn't call it "worship" though because the old pagan gods (at least the ones I've come across) would rather have a working relationship with the practitioner rather than someone who grovels at their feet. smile Hope this helps and adds on to what has already been said.

        1. modernalchemyst profile image87
          modernalchemystposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          "I wouldn't call it "worship" though because the old pagan gods (at least the ones I've come across) would rather have a working relationship with the practitioner rather than someone who grovels at their feet. smile"

          Yes, this! I've found this especially true in my path, though I have somewhat eclectic leanings. Worship, IMO, is shortchanging the complex, mutually beneficial relationships we have with our deities. It is definitely more of a friendship, mutual respect, and mentor-student relationship than a blind servitude relationship.

          1. WiccanSage profile image90
            WiccanSageposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Unfortunately the word worship has come to be associated with groveling, bowing and scraping, like so many words in the language it has taken on negative connotations by the way people use it.

            I think "worship" applies in the sense of giving Them honor, reverence, respect, seeing the relationship as sacred.

    4. janesix profile image60
      janesixposted 10 years ago

      Why must a God be worshipped?

      What does "worshipping" even mean, really?

      If there is a creator, I see no reason to worship it.

      1. profile image0
        Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

        Are you a bible believer Jane?

        John 4:23
        "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him."

        John 4:24
        "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

        Hebrews 13:15
        "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."

        1. janesix profile image60
          janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          No

          1. profile image0
            Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            If you don't believe in the bible and you're not sure about the Creator.... I'm trying to remember what all your posts have been about... It seemed to me you were at odds with the Atheists, but I can't imagine over what.

            1. janesix profile image60
              janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this

              I see evidence for a designed universe. For lack of a better term, I call this universe creator "God".

              I have had experiences with God, that don't conform to the Bible or any other religion, yet have certain resemblances to different aspects of different religions.

              I think this creator has a lot to answer for, due to the horrible things that go on in the world, that HE apparently does nothing about.

              1. EncephaloiDead profile image55
                EncephaloiDeadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                And yet, under close scrutiny and observation by people who are specialists in their fields, they show there is no design to our universe. Please present your evidence for design.

                1. janesix profile image60
                  janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this
                  1. EncephaloiDead profile image55
                    EncephaloiDeadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                    Gobbledegook.

                    1. janesix profile image60
                      janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                      No, it is not.

                      The FACTS are evident. Go out and measure the moon and the Earth yourself if you doubt the scientist's measurements.

              2. profile image0
                Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                I see. What if He were holding you responsible for certain things? That would be interesting wouldn't it?  The bible compares us to clay pots. Makes sense right? We are the creations of a master creator. It says, "Who is the pot to question the potter?" It's not just that we don't have the right... it's that we don't have the perspective. What if we blame God for things that we, personally, were responsible for?
                What if God, put it on your heart, and provided the money for you to personally help a hungry child, or an orphan or a disabled vet and you turned your back on them? So what if we all do that on a daily basis? What if, like the bible says, we were indeed meant to be His hands and His feet and He provided thru us, but we hoarded what He gave us? What if we sat back, blaming a perfect, loving, Father, when in fact it was us that had failed?

                I'm just saying... we should be careful about things we may only have a linear perspective on. I encourage you to read the Bible. If God is who He says He is (and I have no doubt whatsoever), you will find Him there.

                1. janesix profile image60
                  janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I do have a personal responsibility for other human beings, as you said. I completely agree on that. We all do, and should (and I believe we do) get judged on our actions, behaviors, and even thoughts.

                  But to throw innocent people, especially children, into the fray with a pack of wolves, so to speak, just doesn't make much sense to me.

                  I don't BLAME God. I think there has to be more to it than I'm seeing.

                  1. profile image0
                    Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                    I think you're exactly right... there is more to it than what we know.
                    The word of God goes so much into my thinking, that it's nearly impossible not to reference it.
                    But, dozens of verses intertwine in my head to give me a solid rope to hold on to.
                    When you have these questions about God, I think of all the verses that give me faith.

                    "God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all" 1 John 1:5

                    "God is not the author of confusion" 1 Corinthians 14:33

                    "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Mt 19:14

                    "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Ps 139:13

                    "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing." Duet. 10:18

                    So you see... the God I know, both biblically and personally, has never failed.
                    Jesus came b/c he loves us. He died b/c he loves us. He woos us and reaches out to us and gives us chance after chance to meet him... b/c he loves us. I only know a loving God.

                    There are things we do not understand, but I will never doubt God's goodness. He is incapable of evil no matter how a non believer wants to interpret God's actions. None of us are really qualified to do so.

                    1. janesix profile image60
                      janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                      I don't think God is evil.

                      My most hopeful guess is that God is more like a parent. He sends us out into the world, knowing that we will have trials, but that we won't grow up without some pain. I mentioned in another thread that you could look at it like this: You knowingly procreate, and bring a child into the world, knowing full well that life is hard, but that things like puberty and giving birth are part of life and necessary.

                2. WiccanSage profile image90
                  WiccanSageposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I just want to chime in on one thing here to make it clear, from a non-Christian perspective:

                  It's not about questioning the potter. It's about questioning the people telling you who and what the potter is.

                  I don't doubt the Divine Presence in the universe.

                  I doubt the claims of what people tell me about the Divine Presence (for instance, I don't believe a God gave us the Bible, I don't believe it to be the word of any God, and I don't believe the people who tell me that it is are right about that)

                  I don't question the Divine; I question certain things other humans are telling me about the Divine.

                  Hope you  can see the difference there.

                  1. profile image0
                    Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                    Of course.
                    We differ completely on the divinity of the Bible. You see, if all I had was the Bible and no other soul to explain it to me, I would still rely on the spirit of God to reveal it to me.

        2. janesix profile image60
          janesixposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Why do you worship God?

          1. profile image0
            Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            B/c He's worthy.

            He's beautiful.
            He loves me.
            He created me and forgives me over and over.
            He provides for me.
            He has made a way for me to have eternal life.
            He is the prince and I am the wallflower and He chose me.
            He listens.
            He protects me.
            He never stops loving me, no matter how I fail Him and His love is unconditional.
            He heals and binds that which is broken.
            How can I not worship Him?
            If I did, the trees and the rocks would cry out.

            1. Paul Wingert profile image61
              Paul Wingertposted 8 years agoin reply to this

              Out of 4,000 gods, what make yours real while the others are made-up rubbish? Even though God acknowledges other gods in the OT. God does all these things that you claim just for you but lets 27,000 children die each day of starvation. The god described in the Bible is no better than an insecure psychopath mass murderer and no where in the Bible does it say he, or even Jesus, loves anyone!

          2. EncephaloiDead profile image55
            EncephaloiDeadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Indoctrination.

            1. profile image0
              Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

              Wasn't that a Rod Stewart song? Not a fan.

      2. WiccanSage profile image90
        WiccanSageposted 10 years agoin reply to this

        If you see no reason to worship a God, then don't. :-)

    5. profile image0
      OllieTrolleyposted 10 years ago

      This sorta helped, thanks guys. I think I understand it all a bit better. I've always been drawn to Artemis and Apollo, but there are others that I felt I should seek out others that I have felt call to me, in the winter usually its Hestia. but, Artemis and Apollo will always be my main two. Thanks again.

      1. kittythedreamer profile image75
        kittythedreamerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

        Go with your gut and work with those who call to you! smile Blessings.

        1. profile image0
          OllieTrolleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks kitty! (By the way, I really like your hubs and they helped me lot!)

    6. profile image56
      ROBERTOMUIRUposted 10 years ago

      If one is born a Muslim chances are high he or she will worship according to Muslim religion and the God they believe in. The same applies to Christians, Hindus and others. It can be a matter of fate but no one is tied to worship in the ways of a certain religion, even if you were born under it. I think one can change his or her fate regarding religion and worshiping of Gods.

    7. profile image0
      OllieTrolleyposted 10 years ago

      Can we all please stop...? I don't like conflict or people arguing. Please just stop posting stuff to this forum, I asked a question, it got answered, please stop fighting about religion. It's a topic I'm not fond of. I don't appreciate Beth quoting the bible, and telling people they're going to hell. Please. Stop. EncephaloiDead please go to, you the other half of the argument. Can't you guys just drop it? Make your own forums to share your own opinions, don't share them with someone who OBVIOUSLY doesn't believe in what you're saying, aka; me. I believe in my religion, feel free to leave if your going to argue that your way of thinking is the "right" way. I just wanted a simple Wiccan answer. I got it. No need to continue conversation or arguments.

      Just. Stop.

      Please.

      1. profile image0
        Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

        Hiya Ollie,
        Here's the thing... you asked about gods and goddesses... God is a god. Although now I realize that you intended to leave Him out, that wasn't clear in your first post.

        Please allow me to share with you, this is a public forum and as soon as you post here, it becomes open to all those who would like to take part in your conversation. It doesn't get to be claimed as personal property. Once you've posted, you have to allow the conversation to do what it will.

        I'm sorry that you've had issues with other religions or science, but I hope that you will be able to glean whatever it is your soul needs most from any and all posts on this thread. I hope you will try and relax and think of it as a roller coaster ride, as soon as you realize you're not in control of it, you might enjoy yourself more.

        1. profile image0
          OllieTrolleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Whatever. Fight if you want. It's a stupid thing to fight over. Knock yourselves out. I'm done. Never creating a forum again (hopeful). When you realized that it wasn't my intent  to talk about God, why didn't you leave? That would have been simple. Don't post on a damn forum, about Wiccans, preaching bible verses. It's annoying as hell. I don't believe in it. I used to. But I don't anymore. I didn't make sense to me. Deal with it and let it frickin GO. Your religion isn't the "right" religion to some people. Ok. We good? Good.

          Have fun arguing to no end about what's right when NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW THE TRUTH. You can claim to know, but you don't actually know.

          1. profile image0
            Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            So where are you from Ollie? What brought you to HPs? Have you been here a while? I haven't looked at your content yet... are you posting hubs mostly on the Wiccan stuff?

            1. profile image0
              OllieTrolleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

              I'm from America. I came to HP to discover other Wiccans. I've been here for 3 weeks (about). I have one hub, and it's Wiccan, I will mostly post Wiccan stuff.

              1. profile image0
                Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                Well, I like your nick name... it's cute and very imaginative.
                Ed and I have yet to agree on anything. I told him I still love him, but he doesn't believe me. lol
                I am working on it.
                Are you in school or what do you do with yourself when you're not on HPs?

                1. profile image0
                  OllieTrolleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks.

                  I'm in school currently.

                  Like, this very moment.

                  I'm sitting in Spanish class.

                  1. profile image0
                    Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                    lol.

                    Hola amigo. Que tal?
                    Bien, y tu?
                    Asi, asi.

                    8th grade spanish, I still got it.
                    I grew up in AZ... what grade are you in?
                    If your teacher catches you... don't give her my name.
                    I have work today, I can't go to detention.

                    1. profile image0
                      OllieTrolleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                      Haha.

                      Español llega muy fácilmente a mí por alguna razón. Además, estoy bien, gracias. Estoy un poco de mal humor porque no me gustan los temas como el cristianismo. Lo siento. Yo respeto sus opciones religiosas embargo.

                      My grandma lived in AZ!

                      .... She died last summer. May she rest in peace.

                      Anyways, I'm In a grade that I won't share because I tend not to give out information like that.

      2. WiccanSage profile image90
        WiccanSageposted 10 years agoin reply to this

        Hi hon; I got in on the discussion before seeing how upset it makes you.

        That's the thing about public forums-- they'll just run a course, you never know where they lead. But try to remember that dialogue and putting forth ideas freely is a privileged and a right we've worked hard to make happen, and even when there's disagreement communication is always a good thing because we all learn from it.

        But if it upsets you I won't participate in any more debates on your threads... and it's not a stupid question at all. It's actually a very wise question that we all have to ask ourselves at some point (are there Gods and how do we approach/relate to Them is like the question of the ages!).

        :-)

    8. WiccanSage profile image90
      WiccanSageposted 10 years ago

      Hi Ollie!

      My personal believe is that your personal experience with the Divine is not something anyone but They Themselves can guide you on.

      The only thing I don't tend to recommend is people who look for Gods and Goddesses off lists to throw them hap-hazardly into a ritual to borrow their energy or ask them for help. Example, someone wanting to cast a love spell throwing Aphrodite in and asking her help. It's like inviting the queen to your house and asking her to give you a hand in the kitchen with the dirty work.

      I think it's fine once you develop a relationship with the Gods to invite them in and ask for help, but they should always be approached with reverence and respect is all (not as genies in a bottle you take down when you need something, as some people will do).

      I'm a firm believer in using meditation, prayer, ritual and research to get to know your Gods and develop a relationship with Them.

      How many, or how often you honor them, how They appear to you, etc.-- well, that's between you and Them.

      1. profile image0
        OllieTrolleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

        I understand this. It's what I do. I prey everyday and send my thanks and respects.  Honor them. But I do ask for help sometimes.

    9. profile image0
      OllieTrolleyposted 8 years ago

      This is the most cringy thing I have ever read, I was such an insolent kid. Time to delete my account and every part of me >.>

      1. modernalchemyst profile image87
        modernalchemystposted 8 years agoin reply to this

        I hope you don't! Goodness, if I looked back at some of the stuff I posted when I was younger... Oh wait, I have and I cringed for days. Sometimes we're too harsh on ourselves in retrospect, and unlike the generations before us who can look back in rosy hindsight, we have a whole history of posts to remind us how far we've come. We're all at different phases in life, and we deal with conflict differently at different times. I remember learning a good deal from this thread if it makes any difference. smile

     
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