For some additional commentary, please read my first post on this subject: Repent of Sin: Sin and Salvation in Hellenismos.

Many Hellenic Polytheists fervently wish to draw a distinction between the word ‘sin’ and Hellenic ethics because it is a term generally associated with Christian belief systems. They argue the concept of ‘sin’ is separate from issues of “right or wrong,” and will unfailingly avoid using the word “sinful” to refer to actions that violate Hellenic ethics, preferring terms such as “missing the mark” or “mistake,” which do not carry a Christian connotation. There are also Hellenic Polytheists who insist moral codes derive from societal mores or human laws, rather than Divinity. This line of thinking seems contrary to the Greek. There are human laws and social norms, all over the globe, that are indelibly linked to oppression, brutality, and prejudice.

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For some additional commentary, please read my first post on this subject: So Many Words: An Inquiry into the Meaning of Words.

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This main question, “What constitutes a recon?” was spawned on the Mind-N-Magick forum in response to a thread debating Norse Mythology and Ragnarok. The timing seemed very appropriate, as this is one of the main questions being discussed across a number of venues in association with Hellenismos and Hellenic Reconstruction. The questioner asked three queries within her post to help her understand what a Reconstructionist is.

1. Do recons need to know everyone who ruled (for example) Finland, and when?
2. Is a “true” recon always conservative?
3. Can one still be a recon and not hold a traditional view on that path?

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I have, in the past, described UPG (Unverified Personal Gnosis) as an essential aspect to religion as a whole, not just within Hellenismos. There are those who reject UPG as not being valid, especially within reconstructionist religions, but those people seem to forget that UPG is what called many of us to the Gods. It was UPG of the Gods’ will that we began to reconstruct the ancient Greek religion, and it is UPG that continues to motivate our actions.
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For some background, please read my first post on this subject: The Art of Thinking and Reasoning.

Imagine if you would that, you are at a restaurant and order a Coca-Cola. After a few moments, the server returns bringing you a root beer. You explain to her the mistake, you ordered a Coke. Instead of the person giving you what you ordered, she then goes into a monologue regarding all the similarities between Coca-Cola and this root beer and, because of those similarities, you should be open-minded enough to accept what she brought you was, in fact, a Coke.

Make sense? No? Hold on, we will keep going.
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If it is said, “Pegasus does not exist” what subject are we talking about?

George Bernard Shaw, the 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, stated “We must always think about things, and we must think about things as they are, not as they are said to be.” For reasoned thought, there are three principles that must be accepted. Read the rest of this entry »