Re: Constructed Religions

On Sun, 3 Jan 1999, Nik Taylor wrote:

> Padraic Brown wrote:
> > The religion itself was divided into several layers,
> > depending upon how involved any individual wished to be:
>
> In my current idea of the Faith has multiple levels as well, but mostly
> by age.  The first level is the Water Level, anyone born into the Faith
> is born into that Level.  For those born into it, the amniotic fluid is
> the Water.
And for those not born into it?  Is there some class of baptism?

> Upon becoming an adult, one is promoted to the Fire Level
> (or perhaps Ash Level), a rite of passage involving fire (or ash, I'm
> not sure which is positive).  Priestesses are promoted to the Air Level,
> a ritual involving the blowing of air upon the individual by a priest.
Are priests of the Air Level?  Or is there a male/female split somewhere?

> Exceptional persons, upon their death, are believed to go to the Spirit
> Level, a ritual carried out by the Goddess herself, involving her
> breathing her spirit upon the individual.  There is great speculation on
> who is promoted to that level, but there are a list of people who are
> believed to have returned in their Spirit Level forms to reveal their
> promotion.  They escape the cycle of reincarnation.  They are something
> like saints in Protestant (not Catholic) theology, holy individuals, who
> are respected and venerated, but not worshipped.
Are these levels obligatory for the faithful?  If I remember aright, the
movement along the various levels for these Germanics was completely at
the desire and / or need of each individual.  It provided for a very
strong and committed core with a decent (if somewhat ambivalent)
surrounding.

Padraic.

>
> --
> "Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many
> ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia." --
> Joseph Wood Krutch
> http://members.tripod.com/~Nik_Taylor/X-Files/
> ICQ #: 18656696
> AOL screen-name: NikTailor
>