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hearthstoneThere have been some divisions within the Hellenic recon community over the last...year or so? This isn't a bad thing at all, it means that folks are working on finding a specific way of worship that works for them, and giving more thought to what it really means to practice a reconstructionist faith.
The main division seems to be between those folks who want to stick quite strictly to a recreation of polis religion rather than individual cult activity, adhering as much as possible to what is known about ancient practice and with only minimal innovation, and those folks who have a more mystical or individual focus and/or a higher tolerance for or a greater perceived need for innovation.
Someone, I think, compared this to the main division within heathenry--folkish vs. non-folkish heathenry, and while there are some similarities, I'd hope that people aren't equating the two.
For one thing, heathenry also has the traditionalist vs. innovation division, and while there may be a very general tendency for the folkish to be traditionalist and the non-folkish to be woo-friendly, there are plenty of non-folkish traditionalists and even more folkish mystics.
For another, while the traditionalist/innovator division is the main one we see here in the US (because the majority of US Hellenics are not of Greek heritage, it has not been an issue), folkish Hellenism does exist--it's those people who resent non-Greeks practicing it at all. It may not be an issue that will be as pervasive within our community here, but it is out there.
The main division seems to be between those folks who want to stick quite strictly to a recreation of polis religion rather than individual cult activity, adhering as much as possible to what is known about ancient practice and with only minimal innovation, and those folks who have a more mystical or individual focus and/or a higher tolerance for or a greater perceived need for innovation.
Someone, I think, compared this to the main division within heathenry--folkish vs. non-folkish heathenry, and while there are some similarities, I'd hope that people aren't equating the two.
For one thing, heathenry also has the traditionalist vs. innovation division, and while there may be a very general tendency for the folkish to be traditionalist and the non-folkish to be woo-friendly, there are plenty of non-folkish traditionalists and even more folkish mystics.
For another, while the traditionalist/innovator division is the main one we see here in the US (because the majority of US Hellenics are not of Greek heritage, it has not been an issue), folkish Hellenism does exist--it's those people who resent non-Greeks practicing it at all. It may not be an issue that will be as pervasive within our community here, but it is out there.
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Date: 2004-08-27 05:57 pm (UTC)Yeah, it does seem like some folks see it as an either/or proposition, which is too bad. I do think that the mystic angle probably does add some complexity, and I think I have it easier than some other dual-faith folks who are mystics. :)