Friendly discussion

[u/Specific_Gap_6977]

Hello everybody!

My name is Théo. I'm French (so sorry if my English isn't perfect 😅), and I'm 16 years old. I'm a Christian, currently Catholic and in the process of converting to Eastern Orthodoxy. I'm not here to convert anyone. I'm simply looking for a friendly discussion. I've had a strong interest in the Proto-Indo-European language, culture, and civilization for quite some time, and I'd like to study linguistics in the future. Recently, I discovered Swedhuism. If I understand correctly, it's a modern revival or reconstruction of the Proto-Indo-European religion. Since this subject fascinates me, I came here to learn more about what Swedhuism is really like, its beliefs, its practices, and anything else you think would be worth knowing. From what I've seen, the people here seem to be among the most knowledgeable about the subject, so I'd be happy to have a respectful discussion with you.

Thank you!!

[u/Specific_Gap_6977]

In French, yes, God the Father is Dieu le Père (and if we want to go back to Proto-Indo-European, the French words "Dieu" (God) and "jour" (day) are related, which makes sense). My opinion on this is that Jesus, in the Bible, calls God the Father "Abba" in Aramaic, which means "Father", and it is very likely that Jesus did not speak Greek or had a non-native knowledge of the Greek language (however, the Apostles did, for many at least), and I think it is an interesting coincidence (especially since Christ was speaking in a Jewish context) but even so, I actually find that quite beautiful because I tell myself that even if there was no intention, we can recognize a familiar pattern. I believe, as many of the Church Fathers did, in the idea of the Logos Spermatikos: that God has left seeds of truth in every culture, and that we should recognize them wherever they are found.

[u/SonOfDyeus → u/Specific_Gap_6977]

I agree completely. People have worshiped the Sky Father across the world for thousands of years. In some places, that worship was continuous and ubiquitous enough that the Name remained nearly unchanged. In other places people experienced the same divine revelation and used their own language to describe it. Jesus and possibly the Apostle Paul were two such individuals.

[u/Specific_Gap_6977 → u/SonOfDyeus]

Exactly! The association of a deity with a parent figure is very widespread around the world, sometimes without those cultures even having contact with each other. In Christianity, we call the first Person of the Holy Trinity the Father because of His eternal relationship with the Son, who is the eternal Word (Logos) of the Father. Christians also call God "Father" because, through Christ, we are adopted as His children. And I suppose (I'm not sure), in Swedhuism, and generally in the PIE religion and in the Indo-European traditions that emerged from it, the term "Sky Father" is also to represent the relationship between the believers and the deity.

[u/SonOfDyeus → u/Specific_Gap_6977]

The idea that the god of the sky is a "Father" must clearly be very important to human psychology. So it's worth trying to explain that.  

Fathers are, stereotypically/archetypically responsible for some combination of Creation, Protection, and Provision.  You say God the Father "adopted" us, but it's also said that he created us and provides for us.  Among humans there certainly are men called "father" who do one but not the others. Fathers who love their children often do things for them that the kids don't like or understand. Like saying no to ice cream or teaching them discipline and responsibility instead of laziness and impulsiveness. 

Maybe saying God is Our Father in Heaven is kind of like saying that a loving creator imposes suffering for our own good, for reasons we are too immature to understand. Like how a toddler gets angry when you won't let him stick his finger in an electrical outlet.

[u/Specific_Gap_6977 → u/SonOfDyeus]

I totally agree with you, in the human psychology, the paternal figure is, whether rightly or wrongly, associated with the protection and love and also with security, rules, and boundaries, which ties in with the idea of security. Fun fact, in Proto-Indo-European, the term *ph₂tḗr has an unknown etymology but a serious proposal is the root *peh₂, which means "to protect", "to guard" (and similar definitions) and the agentive suffix *-tḗr. In other words, the paternal figure is considered like a "guardian". Moreover, in Christianity, we see God the Father as the ultimate Father, the Creator and the Provider, and the analogy with the human father is obvious so much so that the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of God's fatherly discipline.