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A Heathen's Path, About Me, burka, Christianity, dance moms, Freyja, Heathen, Hel, holy, modesty, Pagan, Paganism, pedo, pedo candy, Rants, Religion, Sacred, shame, stripper
Nothing major today, just been busy. Maybe I need a twitter account, because I get little snippets that would be fun to tweet every now and then. On the other hand, perhaps it’s a good thing not to have it as a filter between my brain and the rest of the world.
Anyways, I saw a couple women walking down the street in pretty much full burkas. I can’t say I’m a fan, because where as I’m sure a lot of people look and say “how holy, how virtuous, that they follow the laws of modesty in their religion,” I’m not one of those people. The thought came to me again that I find more sacred power in a stripper embracing her physical body and displaying it than I do a woman who believes that showing everything but her eyes/face/hands is sinful and ugly. Maybe that’s just the Heathen in me. I remember a while back reading about Pagan women who thought it was “sooo spiritual” to cover their hair like you see some Muslims, Jews, and Christians doing. They seemed to forget that the reason for covering hair in those religions is about modesty and not wanting to “incite” lust or celebrate what the Gods and Goddesses gave them.
Another thing is that show Dance Moms or whatever it’s called. Dear Gods that show is creepy. On so many levels. I like beauty pageants, I guess, though i pretty much never watch them. Dancing is cool too, I know a girl who teaches dance and my lover often shares videos of that Irish step dancing, and some of the stuff out there is pretty cool and certainly athletically challenging. That said, frankly it kinda weirds me out that they’d have little girls of that age group wearing outfits like they do. Not because I have a modesty complex, the above thought kinda proves I don’t. And I can’t say it’s because I have an issue with sex and sexuality. I think my biggest issue is that the entire thing seems like pedo candy or something. Idk, maybe it would be different if girls still got married at age 12 or something, but…idk. Apparently a guy can go to jail for having loli artwork but we can plaster little girls all over national tv in stuff that boggles the mind into how they even made it and how it stays on (and how the Hel they thought this should go on a kid). And that’s not even the worst part. The worst part is the moms. Dear Gods the Moms! By Freya’s bounteous beauty, those women are psychos! I’ve head of living vicariously through your kids, but holy crap. How someone on that show hasn’t killed someone else there is a mystery I can’t solve.
Have fun with that.
Son of Hel 
I have absolutely no problems with the niqab (which is the covering where only your eyes show, the burqa is full covering with mesh over the eyes). I rather like it at times, so much that I did a photo shoot with a friend who chooses to wear the niqab http://www.flickr.com/photos/spidergoddess/sets/72157605289691520/
If it is truly your choice, and it helps you to feel closer to your God/s, then I am alright with it. Who am I to say their way is wrong. I truly believe in the individual path.
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Oh, and yes, twitter is fun… you should have one…..
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As someone who also believes in the individual path, I don’t know that I’m really the one who has the right to say that their way is wrong. The problem is, though, (beyond the fact that many who follow that religion believe they have the right to dictate what is wrong) is the fact that deep down, such dress as you see traditional Muslim women wear is about shame. Shame of their bodies, shame at inciting lust and thus causing “sin,” and shame at innumerable other things. With that religion (all three of the Abrahamics, to an extent) if a man feels lust it’s the woman’s fault, so the woman should be modest because lust is sinful. And if a man is overwhelmed by lust and rapes a woman, it’s her fault too.
Idk, maybe I wouldn’t have as much a problem with it if i didn’t have a problem with the religion and its teachings. When I see an Indian woman dressed “modestly” I don’t feel anything about it. But that’s because such things aren’t based on “modesty” and “Shame” issues in the same way. But the fact is that within Muslim modesty it is so much about the shame and evil of beauty, when my own Asatruar ways teach that sex, sexuality, and physical beauty are expressions of our Gods and Goddesses and crafted by them…it kind of makes me feel ill.
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I do understand what you are are saying, and I agree that many have used that religion as a means of oppression again many, especially women. Having studies Islamic Law and Quaranic Exegesis in college, the Qu’ran has been so horribly misquoted and misunderstood. Do you know that there is no place in the Qu’ran where it says that a woman must cover herself in this fashion? The bible speaks of veiling, however…..
As a counterpoint, I have read feminist literature that states veiling as a choice is a feminist reaction to the objectification of women. I find that an interesting idea, something to ponder.
I do enjoy our discussions, btw. Thanks!
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I like discussing with you too, so thanks as well.
I haven’t read much of the Quran, Just bits and pieces. That said, I believe the Burka and stuff like that comes from “supplementary materials” for the Islamic religion. In some ways it’s a bit like Judaism. Technically, all the Jews have is the Torah (first five books of the “Bible”) but they also have the Talmudic literature that heavily influence practices (Greatly with the Orthodox, Some with the Conservative, and Not Much with the Reform). I can’t recall the names, but there is equivalents to the Talmud in Islam, things like the Sharia Law codes and a couple other sources which “expand” on the Words of the Prophet to “make clear the meaning.” These supplements are considered equal to the Quran itself, at least mostly, when it comes to “understanding Islam.”
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You are absolutely correct. In Islam there is the Hadith, which I feel should not even be considered. These are “quotes” of anything that is reputed to have been said by the Prophet. These are gathered from anyone and everyone who had ever encountered the Prophet and wanted to share what he said. As I see it, since they are living by hearsay, and elevating the words of the Prophet, this is a form of deification. True, he was a conduit for Spirit, thus we have the Qu’ran, but I don’t believe that everything that purportedly spewed from his mouth is Gospel in teaching….
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Sadly, Muslims do not agree with that, they do think everything he said was “gospel.” Right or wrong, sadly. Honestly, the way they treat him, he’s as much of a god as one can be without, well, being a god. 😛
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