Tidying up offerings

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Resonox R
Resonox May 29, 2010 06:40:15
Replying to faerygirl

faerygirl wrote:
Oh and I had a thought. What about the wailing wall? Its stuffed to bursting point with prayersa dn offering and scraps of paper. Is it different because its a religion still in practice? Would it be different if it was in Britain and watched over by an angry farmer?
Rhiannon's reply is roughly what mine would be to that point....your own point that "it is a religion still in practice".. justifies The Wailing Wall being used as it is...
As no-one really knows the exact religion of the people who put stones where they are, so the leaving of offerings is for peoples' own benefits(I daresay there are people who go to modern churches and make a show of putting a generous wad in the collection plate, as if to say, "My offering is bigger than yours!"..strikes me as being like leaving a physical offering by a site ..pointless..if you consider the site spiritual)...and to repeat the oft-made point, these days people are just adapting the sites for their own purposes...even to the extent of laying claims to be following an ancient religion of which there is no evidence for. Even the Druids came long after the erection of many of these sites, and perhaps the pre-romanic druids did use them for their own benefit(much as the church did after them)..but again as to this we only have romanic propaganda against the druids as any kind of evidence...so it isn't an accurate portrayal.

N nigelswift
nigelswift May 29, 2010 07:07:14
Replying to Resonox

The Burra Charter underpins the "official" view of this issue -

3.2 Changes to a place should not distort the physical or other evidence it provides, nor be based on conjecture.

and the ASLaN Charter is the most prominent "unofficial" view of the issue (and has long been good enough for most people, including most pagans!) -

Please take care when visiting sacred sites to leave them as the next visitor would like to find them.

It always defeats me trying to understand how anyone can think leaving their own mark at a place after they leave and have gone home for a bacon sandwich can possibly be seen as fair on everyone else that comes along!

S Sanctuary
Sanctuary May 29, 2010 08:37:27
Replying to Resonox

Resonox wrote:
faerygirl wrote:
Oh and I had a thought. What about the wailing wall? Its stuffed to bursting point with prayersa dn offering and scraps of paper. Is it different because its a religion still in practice? Would it be different if it was in Britain and watched over by an angry farmer?
Rhiannon's reply is roughly what mine would be to that point....your own point that "it is a religion still in practice".. justifies The Wailing Wall being used as it is...
As no-one really knows the exact religion of the people who put stones where they are, so the leaving of offerings is for peoples' own benefits(I daresay there are people who go to modern churches and make a show of putting a generous wad in the collection plate, as if to say, "My offering is bigger than yours!"..strikes me as being like leaving a physical offering by a site ..pointless..if you consider the site spiritual)...and to repeat the oft-made point, these days people are just adapting the sites for their own purposes...even to the extent of laying claims to be following an ancient religion of which there is no evidence for. Even the Druids came long after the erection of many of these sites, and perhaps the pre-romanic druids did use them for their own benefit(much as the church did after them)..but again as to this we only have romanic propaganda against the druids as any kind of evidence...so it isn't an accurate portrayal.
It would seem more of an unproven belief than fact that stone circles etc are religeous sites when in fact we have no idea why they were built or what they were used for on completion whatsoever, other than what we are told or personally believe. They may have no connection with religeous beliefs at all and it is really all assumption is it not based on many aspects, none of which actually prove anything!

R revnox
revnox Jun 15, 2010 21:03:51
Replying to Resonox

Resonox wrote:
faerygirl wrote:
Oh and I had a thought. What about the wailing wall? Its stuffed to bursting point with prayersa dn offering and scraps of paper. Is it different because its a religion still in practice? Would it be different if it was in Britain and watched over by an angry farmer?
Rhiannon's reply is roughly what mine would be to that point....your own point that "it is a religion still in practice".. justifies The Wailing Wall being used as it is...
As no-one really knows the exact religion of the people who put stones where they are, so the leaving of offerings is for peoples' own benefits(I daresay there are people who go to modern churches and make a show of putting a generous wad in the collection plate, as if to say, "My offering is bigger than yours!"..strikes me as being like leaving a physical offering by a site ..pointless..if you consider the site spiritual)...and to repeat the oft-made point, these days people are just adapting the sites for their own purposes...even to the extent of laying claims to be following an ancient religion of which there is no evidence for. Even the Druids came long after the erection of many of these sites, and perhaps the pre-romanic druids did use them for their own benefit(much as the church did after them)..but again as to this we only have romanic propaganda against the druids as any kind of evidence...so it isn't an accurate portrayal.
I hate to say this....but well said sir! well said!