Applied Philosophy

There is a concept that I need to discuss that is central to the way in which I understand spirituality. This isn't a concept unique to Heathenry, but one that has developed organically for me as I've studied religions, cultures, and philosophies over the years. I'll warn you ahead of time, it's not a concept that is likely to make me popular.

Simply put, it boils down to: Religion is an applied philosophy.

Depending on where you are at in your life, this may sound obvious, or it may be confusing. What we're talking about is the way in which your beliefs interact with your actions and world-view.

Beliefs are simple enough things. We form thousands of them each day. We change and update these constantly, constantly taking in new information and revising old beliefs. Some of these are changed because the new beliefs seem more correct. On the other hand, some of these never change at all. Human nature makes us very stubborn where beliefs are concerned 

Over time, certain beliefs become important to us and collectively, they form a set of rules for how we view the world. This set of rules and paradigms becomes our philosophy, whether we like it or not. This is the lens through which we view and process the world. 

Religion is another step entirely. It's not enough to simply believe a thing to be true. Religion is the application of philosophy to one's actions and life choices. 

Now the part that will make me unpopular. 

Inherent to every religion is a philosophy and a set of rules and values that go along with it. Agreeing with the beliefs of a religion is not enough to claim it. You must both understand the philosophy of that religion and put it into practice in your daily life. You can claim to be a Christian, you can even "believe in Jesus," but unless you have embraced the philosophy and values of Christianity and applied the rules to your life, you are not a Christian. The same goes for any other faith, whether Buddhism, Islam, Shinto or yes, Heathenry. 

The majority of people in the United States are simply born into their religion. Many will on some level pick up on this concept, even if they don't have a word for it. In simplest terms, it will amount to "being a good Christian." 

For me, Applied Philosophy is a measure of one's spiritual and intellectual integrity. It is the application of philosophy that led me to a home in Heathenry, and it is through applied philosophy that I realized not that I should become Heathen, but that I always have been Heathen... that, however, is a story for another blog.