Both Voudoun and Santeria are a bit confused due tot he fact that many practices were mingled with catholic practices to hide them from persecution, despite what Urban Dictionary states.

The big distinction of voudoun is (as somebody stated before) the gods ride you. Basically you get possessed by a god and become that god. And no this isn't just the priestesses. In the rituals, many often its a random person who gets possessed and starts speaking as their god, making demands until they pass out. This tends to make voudoun deities more closer to their worshippers, having flaws like us rather than some distant unknowable force.

Santeria is very much of an animistic one, focusing on spirits and ghosts. In Latin America, many of the divines were replaced by the catholic saints. There are some who don't do this, but they are in the minority, with prayers in Santeria calling out Santa Maria (Mother Mary) more than anything.

My grandmother and great grandmother were both practitioners, and I've learned some stuff from them. Both considered themselves Christian so the whole "theres no mingling" is ignorant.

Anything below a century is still a few decades when you are comparing religions. Its still just within a life time. Though I'll try to pick my words better next time.

Wicca is only a few decades old, created by Gerald Gardner who crafted it with some influences from other older practices. Some even say with slight help from Alistair Crowley.

That is not to say that Wicca is any less valid than any other religion, as they all had to start somewhere.

Jesus was a Jew. His followers became Christians because they followed him, early Christians were barely different from Jews and the differences came over time.

Muslims have a similar route though they followed a different prophet and they came after Christ. All three follow the Abrahamic god. The Quran even calls Jews and Christians brothers in faith. The Quran has many of the stories of the Bible, including stories of Jesus, and they believe in Armageddon with Jesus coming back and throwing up swords.

All three are classified under Abrahamic followers of the Judeo-Christian God. Yes, they are connected. Didn't know this was contention.

Have you even read the bible? Just off the top of my head I can remember the Bible saying that a woman cannot have any opinions on her own that are not first approved by her husband or father. A woman is not even allowed to speak in Church. Hell if a woman is raped, all the man has to do is pay money and he can marry her regardless of her desires. Women, in the bible are anything but equal to men. Hell if you want I could search up a lot more than this.



This has nothing to do with Islam. This is stuff that terrorists tell kids to believe what they do is right. Similar to priests telling men that Native Americans or Africans were less than human and cursed by god in order to justify any cruelty done to them.

I don't even like the muslim faith and I know that Terrorism does not equal Islam.



The Crusades, Witch hunts, Westboro baptist church. The Crusades were several wars against the muslims, where thousands of muslims and jews were killed because they were considered heathens.



So could I.

What is faith?

Baby don't smite me. Don't smite me. No more.

Possibly due to a few singles is paltry compared to what is needed and can be provided by the government?

Have you looked into it to see whether he already donates to the cause?

Or did you just feel like putting a pointless topic bashing a mans hobby of relaxing at a strip club?

If you notice, many crossroad nations where many races unite and where there's been a high level of miscegenation have a high tendency to produce very beautiful people. Brazil, Puerto Rico, Afghanistan and so on for example.

Many mixed breed people tend to be very attractive to the original races so maybe it's natures way of telling us to mix it up.

I doubt any film could capture the afterlife. Christian heaven is meant to be sublime and perfect something we cannot comprehend, Hell would be something probably easier to do but it would be extremely horrible. So to wonder whether any film gets it right or not is pointless.

The movie, What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams had an interesting take on Heaven that I particularly liked.

Paganism is a word created by old Christians to differentiate pre-Christian European religions from Abrahamic faiths. And broadly can be used to describe any non Christian, Jewish, Islamic faith.

As Satanism is an Abrahamic faith like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, then it's not pagan.

Lord of the Rings as it's the precursor to most modern fantasy and a lot of scifi.

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today."

http://desmant.deviantart.com/

^ Mine.

Very true. ^_^

I did not mean that. Simply that Christmas is another Winter Festival in long line of Winter Festivals and that attributing it as evil because it borrowed things from another religion or festival is foolish and undermines the good things brought about by such traditions. Christmas itself is not the same tradition as the others, it is firmly a Christian tradition and to say God would hate it is just annoying. Sorry if I offended.

That fact that the majority of people who celebrate it are Christian. And that the name derives from "Christ's Mass". While the winter part is basically derived from the many winter based festivals out there, Christmas itself is now Christian.

But all traditions and such change over the course of time. Who knows how the winter festivals will be celebrated centuries from now.

I was merely pointing out that while celebrating it during this time is taken from old traditions such as Saturnalia, Yule, and Celtic things like Samhain and the Winter Solstice; A majority of the Western world's winter festival is Christmas, which is Christian and as such its probably not a holiday that God hates.

I do not understand the point of separating physical and spiritual. It's all natural.

Self defense is one of the most natural reactions to being harmed and is justified to ensure ones well being.

It would be smart though to just go to the law first. However, if it is apparent that those will not work or that you are in serious trouble then there is really no justifiable reason why you shouldn't act in self defense, especially if its the last option.

Women are just as bad as men. It really comes down to the individual person.

While many people do have their nativity scene and such out on Christmas. Many more celebrate it more as tradition without any pretense of worshiping anybody.

It is a day that easily brings people together, causes joy and happiness between family members, especially parent and child.

And for those that are religious, they pray to God, they spend this day of happiness and giving in the name of God and Jesus.

Regardless of it's roots, the tradition of this Holiday now is firmly in the hands of another God than the one it started in.

Yule