From: utzoo!decvax!duke!unc!tim
Newsgroups: net.religion
Title: Re: Ritual and Polytheism
Article-I.D.: unc.5020
Posted: Tue Apr 19 17:34:51 1983
Received: Wed Apr 20 03:29:15 1983
References: mhb5b.295



To call ritual a culturally or socially motivated activity is to miss
its main point in many cases -- the transformation of consciousness.
It is true that the neurotic need for conformity can be served by group
ritual, but this does not reduce ritual to a social activity.

>From personal experience, I know that the power of ritual to transform
consciousness is at least equal to that of yoga (of any sort), sex,
love, and drugs. The major motivation for an active seeker to perform
ritual is the fact that it works. Nothing else.

It is tempting to divide rituals into two classes: social ritual, in
which the major motivation is to increase the strength of personal
bonds within a group, and (for want of a better phrase) ritual magic,
in which the major aim is to transform the consciousness of the
participant(s). However, it is doubtful that this division could be
applied in general, or that people would agree on their classifications.
Solitary rituals belong entirely to the latter class, but group rituals
usually partake of both natures to a greater or lesser extent.

One of my major objections to many Christian groups is that they abandon
ritual in their services, calling its power Satanic or at least pagan.
Got news for these people: power is power, neither good nor evil. It
cannot be judged -- only those who use it can.

Tim Maroney