The spark of inspiration for this short essay came from a conversation on our forum, and a misunderstanding regarding the concept of kharis that is currently spreading through some “Hellenic polytheist” online groups. Subsequently, I provided a list of quotes (here) from several scholarly sources explaining this concept, and now would like to meld those thoughts into a coherent statement regarding this essential concept.

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I participate in a Comparative Religion discussion group. Typically what happens is that a question is presented, and each person simply supplies a response from their religion’s perspective. There is an unwritten rule that no one’s religious opinion is debated, but questions can be asked for clarification or to get a larger perspective. This tends to workout well.

This weeks question was, “What does your religion classify as ‘doomsday’? How is the end brought about? Is there an end in your religion? What are your thoughts on YOUR religion’s definition?”

I thought this is interesting, so I’ll share my reply. You get the expanded version.
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Have you ever wondered about what it means to be happy? The United States Declaration of Independence states that all people have the right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” as a self-evident and unalienable right. What does that mean? What is happiness?
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