Religion and Fire? Please read, puzzling question that's been bugging me....
Why is that so many religions align themselves with heat, with the sun, with fire, with the hottest of elements? There is never any balance to them, just constant heat and burning. Sunlight, the lake of fire, burning away of sins and impurity, the warmth of the love of god.....Breaking through the clouds and the night, constant hot sunshine. Both Heaven and Hell in modern thought are considered warm, or hot, places.
I understand the metaphor, and the necessity of sunlight for life, but won't you eventually get burned? I get annoyed with the constant siding of this one Element of Fire, this worship of the Sun. You know that's what it is. Worshipping the Sun, forgetting the Moon, or the clouds. Why do so many religions stick with heat? Why not align yourselves with all of the Elements, best you can? Moonlight won't burn you. The night restores you. Rain is of equal importance to life. Water can wash away sins, and people are baptized with water, not flames. But I constantly hear about the Sun, in modern Christian music, in Christian depictions, in religions all over the world.
I cherish the water, the night, the Moon. But there doesn't seem to be a thought for those things in modern religion. Why is this?
Why cannot god's presence be cooling, soothing, taking away the stress (notice when you're stressed you get warm? Your forehead nearly burns when you're angry) and worries of the day. Why cannot the clouds be covering the burn of the day-to-day strain? The rain washing away worries? Why cannot the restorative rays of the Moon be just as important as the scorchers the sun carries?
Just a question that bothers me. Why does religion need fire so much?
I understand the metaphor, and the necessity of sunlight for life, but won't you eventually get burned? I get annoyed with the constant siding of this one Element of Fire, this worship of the Sun. You know that's what it is. Worshipping the Sun, forgetting the Moon, or the clouds. Why do so many religions stick with heat? Why not align yourselves with all of the Elements, best you can? Moonlight won't burn you. The night restores you. Rain is of equal importance to life. Water can wash away sins, and people are baptized with water, not flames. But I constantly hear about the Sun, in modern Christian music, in Christian depictions, in religions all over the world.
I cherish the water, the night, the Moon. But there doesn't seem to be a thought for those things in modern religion. Why is this?
Why cannot god's presence be cooling, soothing, taking away the stress (notice when you're stressed you get warm? Your forehead nearly burns when you're angry) and worries of the day. Why cannot the clouds be covering the burn of the day-to-day strain? The rain washing away worries? Why cannot the restorative rays of the Moon be just as important as the scorchers the sun carries?
Just a question that bothers me. Why does religion need fire so much?
25 Comments
i don't have much of an answer for u but tradionaly light is seen as good and darkness as evil.
I agree with you, but like InvaderBeth said light is generally seen as good. Most religious must not use the Moon or rain for a base because they see it as dark or depressing. I don't really understand it either, but that's just the way it goes, I suppose
and most relions are from older times or came to be during such times and people still fallow them today even though the times has changed. and as times change so do the people, science, art, music, thoughts and many other things. i'm not saying there wrong to fallow there relions and what comes with it but i think they should be updated or shouldn't be taken to literal in what the books say for we know stuff now we didn't back then.
Because religion is a piece of a larger whole of reality and the human experience. It's also tied to morality, and core principles all should stand by. So of course it won't represent the other things.
What? If it wouldn't represent those 'other things,' then it wouldn't represent the Sun and heat.
Okay, that reply makes little sense...if something doesn't represent another thing, that doesn't mean it can't represent something related but with different symbolism.
You make it sound like having symbolism of the moon and rain is immoral, and the opposite of the principals all should stand by. How so?
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ok I m done
That's not really what I said.
I said that symbolizing something as...yielding as water just doesn't work for a thing meant to be unyielding. I view faith as something that should be something you don't yield, so...
I guess what the first answer was. And I guess it's also because people like warmth. Not intense heat, but just warmth, like a warm blanket or something. Also, a lot of people hate intense heat because it's easier to accumulate heat rather than gain it. For example, most of my friends and I hate warm weather but we love warmth. So I guess it could do with that.
I hope something I said up there made sense. I tend to not make sense a lot of times.
Very interesting subject. I understand your point of view as well. I think it is normal to have this type of questioning at this point in your life. Your asking the right questions and I honestly feel that you have a valuable future ahead of you. =) What ever you decide as your answer to your question I hope that you get what your looking for in it all. =)
I agree with you on some of your views and it is a very interesting question and I am sorry I really dont have an answer just understanding
Thanks. :) I figured people wouldn't really have an answer, as such, it's just something that keeps catching my attention.
anytime my friend =)
=) Btw your sparkling black story is on my fav's!!!!
its great!=)
I think it's just a coincidence really. Yes, there is alot of warmth, and sunshine, and whatever else there is, but answer me this; would you rather have a cold, hard heart? Or a warm, open one?
Also, would you rather it be sunny and bright and hopeful? Or dark and scary, you know?
And lastly (not meaning to be rude or anything) but the moon wouldn't be lit up if it wasn't for the sun.
Hmm, I never really thought about that. But with the Pagans and Wiccans who do worship Mother Nature (not the Devil) we usually use each of the elements in turn. I've never really seen fire used more often. But then again, I haven't really been doing much and don't know. So my opinion is kind of useless.
The moon's light is reflected off the sun (idk what that has 2 do with it, but it's true)
Yeah, before u got 2 the part about baptism, I was going 2 say 'what about baptism?' It's verry important, and noahs ark had water, etc. I think since the sun is so hot and bright and full of energy, it's a popluar comparison to God, because in the scriptures it says 'and his brightness and glory will be greater than the sun' (I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere but i don't remember where...)