{"id":174,"date":"2011-12-19T18:56:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T18:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2011\/12\/with-you-always\/"},"modified":"2011-12-19T18:56:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T18:56:00","slug":"with-you-always","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2011\/12\/with-you-always.html","title":{"rendered":"With You Always?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
<\/a><\/div>\n

Those of us who grew up in Christianity were taught that God is always watching you. Part of that was to deter you from doing what you weren\u2019t supposed to do, but part was the comfort of knowing you\u2019re never completely alone: \u201cGod is with you always.\u201d Of course that only applied to Christians: Southern Baptist Convention President Bailey Smith caused a commotion in 1980 when he dogmatically proclaimed \u201cGod Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thought that \u201cGod is only a prayer away\u201d is a pleasant one, and many people carry this thought with them when they become Pagans\u2026 to such an extent that their concept of \u201cThe Goddess\u201d is little more than Yahweh\u2019s slightly more pleasant sister. But when you study the beliefs and practices of our pre-Christian ancestors you find many goddesses and gods: polytheism, not duotheism and not female-oriented monotheism. One of the key attributes of polytheistic gods and goddesses is that they are not omniscient and omnipresent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Isis is not with you always. She has many areas of responsibility and many followers around the world. She may or may not be able to be in many places at once but she is not in all places at once. That has some serious implications for our relations with our goddesses and gods. <\/p>\n

Do you really need Thoth\u2019s help on that math test? Can you get over a headache without Brighid? Do you need <\/i>divine assistance right now? Whatever the gods and goddesses are they are not our servants and they have better things to do than to tend to our whims. Sometimes they share their plans (or parts of them) and sometimes they don\u2019t, but whatever their goals this much is clear \u2013 your happiness is not at the top of their lists. If they lift you up it is not so you can have a nice life but so you can help with the work of the greater good.<\/p>\n

Yes, they occasionally bail us out of trouble\u2026 and sometimes they don\u2019t. Yes, they occasionally give us a hand up\u2026 and sometimes they give us a kick in the ass and tell us to get our act together. <\/p>\n

They may not hang around forever. Some people have life-long relationships with gods or goddesses, but read the accounts of contemporary polytheists and you\u2019ll find numerous cases of deities coming and going. Sometimes they lose patience with a lack of commitment or a forgotten commitment. Sometimes they only enter your life to teach you one thing or to get you to do one thing for them and then they move on. Sometimes they leave for reasons they don\u2019t explain.<\/p>\n

Think you\u2019d be better off with Jesus? Read the writings of Mother Teresa that were made public after her death. She referred to Jesus as \u201cthe Absent One<\/a>.\u201d She felt him call her to work with the poor, then shortly after she began he left. She never experienced him in her life again. There are plenty of Christians with similar stories \u2013 just because they like to say \u201cGod is with you always\u201d doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s what they\u2019ve experienced.<\/p>\n

Want your favorite goddess or god to stick around? Put some work into the relationship \u2013 same as with any other relationship. Spend time in mediation and prayer. Make appropriate offerings. Learn their stories. Live your life according to the examples they set. <\/p>\n

Any ethical relationship should be mutually beneficial. If you\u2019re going to ask for favors or teaching or opportunities you should expect to give something in return.<\/p>\n

What does a god or goddess want from you, or with you? Why don\u2019t you ask him or her? And then listen for the answer. <\/p>\n

If you find yourself in a dire situation, ask for help. You may have ancestors who will hear you. Some deities are merciful. Others are opportunistic. And you may find you have skills and resources you didn\u2019t know you had. <\/p>\n

But if you assume a god or goddess is always there you may be very disappointed.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those of us who grew up in Christianity were taught that God is always watching you. Part of that was to deter you from doing what you weren\u2019t supposed to do, but part was the comfort of knowing you\u2019re never completely alone: \u201cGod is with you always.\u201d Of course that only applied to Christians: Southern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nWith You Always?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Those of us who grew up in Christianity were taught that God is always watching you. 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