DS Religions

[retzev]

I used to know a guy who worshipped the Norse pantheon!  He did some ritual in the woods and it involved Thor somehow.

  lemme guess, he was into Norwegian Black Metal?

[ClaudeNorth]

I personally regard Atheism as a religion in everything but name.  Technically, Atheists have DEFINITIVE views on the nature of reality every bit as ironclad as the metaphysical propositions of many of the world's religious systems.

Agnosticism, on the other hand, seems more to me a way of looking at the world and thinking about things.  Technically, it is too open ended to be codified into a system.  Just my view.  I haven't checked the all high and mighty Wikipedia which is the New Bible of the Holy Church of the Information Superhighway to see what it says on these topics.

I realize that many folks use Atheism and Agnosticism interchangeably but from my own studies I regard them as creatures of two very different world-views.

Last night on "Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason," Moyers interviewed Margaret Atwood, who discussed the differences between atheists and agnostics.  She, too, classified atheism as a religion.  She explained that agnostics believe that an ultimate reality is neither knowable nor unknowable, and that because the existence of God cannot be proved or disproved, we cannot ever know (as opposed to believe in) God.  She noted that atheists declare emphatically that God does not exist, yet they cannot prove his non-existence any more than Christians can prove his existence.

The interview was quite interesting and made me like Atwood all the more.

[retzev]

But aren't theism and atheism both simply philosophies until distinct doctrines/systems of belief (aka religions) are built around them?

[Gothick]

My first hint that Atheism was a religion in everything but name was the antics of this professor at U. Penn in the early 1980s who actively worked on converting his grad students to Atheism.  He would start arguments about it and refuse to let it go.

The remarks about Heathenism and heavy metal are why I try to avoid discussing my religion in public, whenever possible,  Can people please try to have some respect for minority religions here?

I am going on vacation tomorrow for a week and I suspect it's just as well.

cheers, Gothick one of "those people out there" who follows a polytheistic religion

[retzev]

My first hint that Atheism was a religion in everything but name was the antics of this professor at U. Penn in the early 1980s who actively worked on converting his grad students to Atheism.  He would start arguments about it and refuse to let it go.

The remarks about Heathenism and heavy metal are why I try to avoid discussing my religion in public, whenever possible,  Can people please try to have some respect for minority religions here?

I am going on vacation tomorrow for a week and I suspect it's just as well.

cheers, Gothick one of "those people out there" who follows a polytheistic religion

Gothick,

My sincerest apologies if I offended you, I assure you no offense was intended.

My post concerning "Norwegian Black Metal" was in reference to the underground popularity of...well...Norwegian Black Metal bands that have made Norse mythology so popular as of late. I know these groups are partly responsible for giving these beliefs a bad name due to their (semi-)recent antics...but I guess this is something that believers of every stripe deal with.

Wiccans have had to put up with teen-age BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER fans, and Goth "coolies", etc, who have latched on to the latest thing and, in a sense, hi-jacked what is in reality a sincere and serious system of beliefs...Muslims are watching in horror as radicals, in the name of Islam, are declaring Jihad on the entirety of western civilization...Orthodox Christians have endured endless derision as their faith has been derided in the public square, mocked in popular culture (i.e. DS's own TRASK family )...Judaism hardly needs a mention...the list goes on and on.

I'm sorry.

I knew this was a dangerous topic... :-

[PennyDreadful]

Gothick dear, I must assume you know that I in no way meant the post as a slight against anyone.  I was merely trying to make it known that there are indeed people in the world who still believe in the Norse, Greek and Egyptian deities.  I think it's cool that there are people who still do believe.   Now, Wiccans on the other hand... I kid! I kid!

[Midnite]

I knew this was a dangerous topic...

The topic asks DS fans to state their religion if they choose to do so.  A discussion of various religions is off topic.

[BuzzH]

I knew this was a dangerous topic... :-

Hmm, probably so, which is why I've avoided commenting in general on this topic.  I think an interesting, and less dangerous, topic about religion would be "what religion do you think the characters on DS are?" I think David mentioned that Julia might be Jewish (I can buy that) and we all know the Collins family are Protestant, as is evidenced by the numerous uses of Ministers (rather than Priests or Rabbi's) when they marry.  But WHAT Protestant faith?  I feel that they are more than likely Episcipalion (sp?) as we kind of get the impressions, at least *I* do, that they are of English ancestory, and isn't the Ep. church a sort of "American version" of the Church of England?  Episcipaleons, let's hear from you!    (apologies at the, I'm sure, mispelling of the religion, but I'm too lazy to go get the dictionary!)   

Now, as for the Dupres family, THEY were Catholic I'm sure as they are French and using Saint's metals when they pray etc...Imagine the LOOK on Joshua's face when his only son and heir told him he was marrying a Catholic (no disrespect intended towards Catholics, but as the entire nation freaked over John Kennedy's election as President simply because he was Catholic, I imagine a close-minded guy like Joshua would have blanched at the thought.  )

What other religions do you think ppl in Collinsport were?

[retzev]

The topic asks DS fans to state their religion if they choose to do so.  A discussion of various religions is off topic.

Yep.

Well, putting this info together with the politics poll, it seems the average DS fan, or at least the average DSBoards cousin, is a Christian who leans to the left politically. Interesting 

[victoriawinters]

My suspicion based on vestments (plain and simple) and ceremony (i.e., not the Book of Common Prayer), it would seem more then likely the Collins were Congregational.  I further base this on region.  Pilgrims and/or Puritans would have colonized Massachusetts.  Episcopals came to Virginia and it wasn't until later that the Episcopal church was the official church of Massachusetts.  However, they absorbed the Congregationals.  It would seem unlikely they were Calvinist (i.e., Presbyterian).

No way that [spoiler]that the bans of marriage required for an Episcopal marriage could have been published three times for the wedding of Barnabas to Angelique.  It was a pretty shot gun wedding.[/spoiler]

The Congregationals were part of the English Puritan reform.  They further were instrumental in a good deal of progress ideas during the American Revolution.  Barnabas was clearly a forward thinker of liberty for his day.  I don't believe he had these thoughts in a vacuum.  He got them from somewhere.

As for my religion, I am a Christian who highly regards the Church of Sleeping in On Sunday Morning.

[BuzzH]

No way that [spoiler]that the bans of marriage required for an Episcopal marriage could have been published three times for the wedding of Barnabas to Angelique.  It was a pretty shot gun wedding.[/spoiler]

No kidding!  All that was missing was [spoiler]the baby, LOL!  I'm actually surprised that instead of her rather elaborate plans of having Josette and Jeremiah fall for each other and run off to get married, she didn't simply concoct something along the lines of a Rufee (sp?) aka the Date Rape Drug, slip it to Barnabas, have her way w/him and present him w/the news she was pregnant.  Hello!!??  Oldest trick in the book Angie, LOL!  'Course, in 1841 PT, although the circumstances were quite different of course, there was a shot gun wedding of sorts between Bramwell and a pregnant Catherine.  [/spoiler]

Barnabas was clearly a forward thinker of liberty for his day.  I don't believe he had these thoughts in a vacuum.  He got them from somewhere.

From his father no doubt believe it or not.  Remember [spoiler]Joshua was very much a believer in a Republic run government rather than one run by royalty.  Remember his scene w/Natalie when he was shocked she still 'affected a title' and remarked that "France has followed our example and become a Republic".  Love her retort--"Precisely why I live in Martinique!"  [/spoiler]

As for my religion, I am a Christian who highly regards the Church of Sleeping in On Sunday Morning.

Amen sister!  My religion is professional sports, football in the fall and winter, baseball in the spring summer.   

[jennifer]

Wow politics and religion are two subjects i don't discuss
and i now am 50 i am finding even more that i don't really give a damn
what others think or do as long as it isn't illegal

jennifer
Steve have a really good vacation and see you when you get back
I really needed mine

[CastleBee]

Atheist, here, not agnostic.  And my beliefs have been formed, in part, due to my youthful exposure to DS, among many other factors.  I cannot really believe there is a   loving god, or believe in any organized religion, after being exposed to the likes of Reverend Trask (and many years later, the DS91 version!), Tammy Faye's former husband (forget his first name), Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchananan, and Al Quaida, etc. ?  I don't mean to offend anyone or belittle your beliefs, but these are mine and my reasonings for my beliefs.  Again, I can mostly thank DS for making me think about such things.

This post got me thinking about the influence of the so-called Rev Trask (and subsequent all too real so-called infamous reverends).  All Trask and the real-life charlatans ever convinced me of was that evil does exist and that existence certainly doesn't preclude the clergy.  Yeah, that old "gift of free will" thing can be a burden OR a blessing - but I can't say I blame anyone for the way I choose to use it.

My feeling on the religion of the Collins family is that whatever they were they weren't overly devout about it.  Attendance at their church probably had more to do with social standing and obligations/expectations.  It could even be argued that a weak spiritual belief system contributed to some family members being so easily hoodwinked by Trask and his ilk.  I mean, Angelique and some of the other villians were pretty sure of their personal beliefs and he didn't seem to confuse them too much.

Just another quick DS and religion thought¢â‚¬¦wouldn't it be funny if a film or new version of DS were done and the new millennium Trask decendants had moved on to their own TV show in the world of televangelism?  How perfect would THAT be!

[BuzzH]

My feeling on the religion of the Collins family is that whatever they were they weren't overly devout about it.  Attendance at their church probably had more to do with social standing and obligations/expectations. 

Very true, somehow I don't see Barnabas and Jeremiah singing in the church choir, LOL!  At The Eagle, definately!     The family probably did attend church every Sunday, but as you say CastleBee, probably only for appearance sake, except for Abigail.  I think she went for real.  Funny though, when [spoiler]Barnabas and Josette were going to be married sooner than expected, they were going to be married in the Drawing Room of the Old House, not in the village church.[/spoiler]

Just another quick DS and religion thought¢â‚¬¦wouldn't it be funny if a film or new version of DS were done and the new millennium Trask decendants had moved on to their own TV show in the world of televangelism?  How perfect would THAT be!

Maybe something along the lines of the 700 Club!? 

[Nancy]

I'm a Presbyterian.  I'm not sure what I thought the Collins family was though I have the idea they were Episocopalian (spelling?) for some reason.  Not sure why.

The Trasks of the world are commonplace.  It's not representative of the flaws of Christianity as much as it is an example of when someone memorizes scripture and yet totally misses the message.  Or they use it as a ruse to scam people emotionally or literally.

nancy