On Integration and Participation

[Synnthetika]

So while at my monthly religious meeting, which is more scholarly than religious really, holidays were brought up. While the general consensus was that if you participated in a holiday not traditionally celebrated by the people by whom we are hoping to reconstruct our religion (the religion here being Asatru), as long as you are aware of the foundations, traditions, and ownership of the holiday and provide the correct respectfulness, it's okay.

Now, on face value, this might seem okay, but I wanted to delve into this further and felt this was an appropriate place to do so. Is it okay to participate in a Pan-pagan ceremony, providing you make no false oaths or whatnot? Is it okay to participate in a ceremony that is not of your religion, providing the same no swearing false oaths, etc. context, as long as you understand and respect the cultural context from which it is contained? Is it unethical to participate in a ceremony that is taken out of cultural context, regardless of your religious affiliation?  

[Czidnoma]

My thought is that it would depend entirely on the circumstances. Were you invited by a member/practitioner of the religion in question? Are you doing it to explore the cultural significance? Are you attempting to forge a connection with the religion, people, or gods?

Aside from that, I wonder myself. Barack Obama held and attended a seder at the White House last year, which the media had quite a fuss over, although it's been a tradition since Clinton's administration. So I wondered if Obama's actually attending the feast was an impropriety.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

I would rather avoid misrepresentation myself. Most of the festivities I have participated in have usually been generic enough that I don't even need to worry about it.  

[Synnthetika]

Brass Bell Doll

I would rather avoid misrepresentation myself. Most of the festivities I have participated in have usually been generic enough that I don't even need to worry about it.

That's exactly what I'm talking about though. What roots do those generic ceremonies have ties to? What influences do they use? Is is ethical to participate if, even in a generic watered-down pan-pagan ceremony, they may have been misrepresented?  

[Collowrath]

Synnthetika

Is it okay to participate in a Pan-pagan ceremony, providing you make no false oaths or whatnot?

Sure.

Quote:

Is it okay to participate in a ceremony that is not of your religion, providing the same no swearing false oaths, etc. context, as long as you understand and respect the cultural context from which it is contained?

Yes - provided you don't outstay your welcome. If you're invited, there definitely shouldn't be a problem provided that when the ceremony is over, you can drop it; as an example, you are invited to and attend a Vodun ceremony - that doesn't make you Vodun and you probably shouldn't go home and try to recreate the things you saw.

Quote:

Is it unethical to participate in a ceremony that is taken out of cultural context, regardless of your religious affiliation?

I'm not really sure. I would definitely see some silliness in it. Why would you want to participate in a ceremony you don't understand properly? I would, for sure, have an issue with picking up a ceremony from another culture and then deciding on your own arbitrary meanings for the elements. That would strike me as being dishonest.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

Synnthetika

Brass Bell Doll

I would rather avoid misrepresentation myself. Most of the festivities I have participated in have usually been generic enough that I don't even need to worry about it.

That's exactly what I'm talking about though. What roots do those generic ceremonies have ties to? What influences do they use? Is is ethical to participate if, even in a generic watered-down pan-pagan ceremony, they may have been misrepresented?

I feel there is a miscommunication here.

The group rituals I participate in are usually so generic that anyone is able to participate in their own personal context. For example, my friends and family didn't celebrate Beltain, we celebrated May Day and it's relationship to spring. I don't consider practices like roasting oysters to be an influence nor was there any misrepresentation present. If there had been misrepresentation, I would like to have avoided it.

Similarly, in the middle part of autumn we celebrate our ancestors. This isn't Samhain, nor Halloween nor anything else by a similar name. We celebrate solstices, but not Yule or Lithia. We celebrate equinoxes, but not Ostera or Mabon.

Parts of our celebrations are found in other religious practices- such as some of the foods we make, some of the dances we do, songs we sing or art forms we practice, but these aren't religious rites in and of themselves- they're part of our cultural heritage.

In rereading the question and the responses, I find my concern about misappropriation to be rooted more in people making non-religious traditions spiritual rites.  

[Synnthetika]

Brass Bell Doll

Synnthetika

Brass Bell Doll

I would rather avoid misrepresentation myself. Most of the festivities I have participated in have usually been generic enough that I don't even need to worry about it.

That's exactly what I'm talking about though. What roots do those generic ceremonies have ties to? What influences do they use? Is is ethical to participate if, even in a generic watered-down pan-pagan ceremony, they may have been misrepresented?

I feel there is a miscommunication here.

The group rituals I participate in are usually so generic that anyone is able to participate in their own personal context. For example, my friends and family didn't celebrate Beltain, we celebrated May Day and it's relationship to spring. I don't consider practices like roasting oysters to be an influence nor was there any misrepresentation present. If there had been misrepresentation, I would like to have avoided it.

Similarly, in the middle part of autumn we celebrate our ancestors. This isn't Samhain, nor Halloween nor anything else by a similar name. We celebrate solstices, but not Yule or Lithia. We celebrate equinoxes, but not Ostera or Mabon.

Parts of our celebrations are found in other religious practices- such as some of the foods we make, some of the dances we do, songs we sing or art forms we practice, but these aren't religious rites in and of themselves- they're part of our cultural heritage.

In rereading the question and the responses, I find my concern about misappropriation to be rooted more in people making non-religious traditions spiritual rites.

Okay, I understand where you are coming from now. Thanks!