Picking and choosing

Bricolage is characteristic of "New Age" religion, which can seem like a shopping basket filled with bits and pieces from different philosophies and faiths - a can of Native American, a package of British folklore, a bag of Buddhism, several tinfoil sachets of made up stuff. My own faith, such as it is, is a melange of Zen, Ancient Mesopotamian religion, and Starhawk's brand of Wicca. Naturally, this eclecticism leads to questions about authenticity and dedication - how real is a faith that just takes the nice bits and ignores the nasty bits? However, Pagans and New Agers are far from the only ones to cherry-pick; there are plenty of familiar examples of Biblical commandments which go ignored while homosexuality is condemned. Less seriously, though, I was intrigued by a poll published in The Washington Post (4 May), in which 43% of respondents believed pets could go to heaven (even if their owners didn't!). That's at least as mushy a bit of cherrypicking as anything a crystal dolphin fancier could come up with. :-)

Pulch in bulch

( Venus, goddess of love, pinnacle of feminine beauty - big, big image )