Wicca

Valyn: I was not talking about everyone, obviously. I did read this thread before I posted, y'know. Hence the use of the word "some" in my original post. Yes, there have been quite a few very good posts about Wicca on this thread, and I don't feel the need to respond directly to those; the people who posted them said it just fine on their own. On the other hand, there have also been some highly inaccurate posts about Wicca, and those are the ones I felt compelled to reply to.

And I never said I was surprised by the fact that people can be ignorant and rude. I'm in high school; ignorance and rudeness are nothing new to me. I've also faced some prejudice for my chosen belief system first-hand. It doesn't surprise me any more; I'm kinda used to it. That doesn't mean I can't still be sad to see it, particularily when it's directly towards something I care about, y'know?

-mjeh

 

*feels obligated to reply, since the last two posts were directed to me*

*replies*

 

Oh, good job Valyn. What a constructive post!

 

Bithysith , thanks it's good to know I made a good start posting here.

DesignSith thanks for the link

Lyra

 

What is your view on Wiccanism? I ask because I have a friend considering conversion. I want to see people's opinoins.

Wow, if I had known that the PC police were going to come in here and attack anyone who gave an opinion counter to their own enlightened viewpoint then perhaps I wouldn't have said what I said

Then again it looks as if the orginal poster wanted opinions and damn it all that's what I gave him

So here's to me for sticking to my convictions <raises a pint of Guiness>!

 

Her

 

Her...quite right. Damn beer buzz

 

Wow, if I had known that the PC police were going to come in here and attack anyone who gave an opinion counter to their own enlightened viewpoint then perhaps I wouldn't have said what I said

The PC Police aren't here...however those who see blatant misconceptions about their religion being posted are somewhat annoyed by it.

In any event, your description seems to support my understanding- that Wicca is a kind of "paganism lite".

I'm still waiting for AJA to please clarify, I don't understand what he means by "paganism lite".

 

Interseting topic... a fav of mine... First off... Wicca is a legal religion in many countries and carries all the same rights as the other "major" religions and belife systems. " Spells" and such are many times prayers with props as a friend of mine say...
Personally... I am no Wiccian, although at one time I was. I am Energist. Many of the same concepts, but without the gods/goddesses. Wicca promotes a peaceful way of life in which you respect all around you. You hold all life dear.
As far as what is older?... The oldest know religious artifacts are of female figures... believed to be a depiction of " mother earth"... "the great mother"... " the female aspect"... Christianity has drawn many of it's customs for Paganism through out the ages.
And to AJA... the Hitler things... HITLER WAS CHRISTIAN... he requiered his troops to attend service before going into battle...
The best advice... keep and open mind and a strong heart. It will guild you well. I respect each persons right to believe in whatever god they chose...
May you find the peace you seek on whatever path you walk... be well.

 

The context of AJA's post seemed to indicate that he has problems with the fact that Wicca is essentially a new religious movement. He seems to allege that because other pagan/nature-based religions (which he lumps into one blanket category "Paganism") aren't as concerned with karma and non-violence as principles, that Wicca is just a eco-feminist construct, and not a whole religion.

OR, he may be suggesting that because Wicca conforms to 21st century ideals such as freedom and tolerance, that it is a watered down version of its ancient roots. Which is utterly ridiculous- it would be like criticizing Christianity for having moved beyond the barbarism of the Inquisition.

 

The best advice... keep and open mind and a strong heart. It will guild you well. I respect each persons right to believe in whatever god they chose...

As do I. Perhaps I have not made that quite clear. Although I view Wicca as a dark art, in and of itself quite dangerous to ones soul, I will defend anyone's right to practice that religion. The day that we make a religion globally illegal is the day that a free society has failed. I believe in our God or Goddess (as some of you see fit) given right to choose. Hence my response to a thread wherein someone asked for our opinions on this subject. I find it amazing that people preach tolerance, yet really when an opinion that doesn't match theirs shows up all that goes out the window. Choose freely and choose wisely my friends.

To quote Ozzy: "It's not how you play the game it's if you win or lose. Win or lose, you can choose, it's up to you!"

 

Wylding... Did I say something to offend you?... I gave my opinion to the topic posted, as well as trying to correct a few false ideas (eg, Hitler). I have no problem with pathes other than mine. On the same note,I find many Christian who have a problem respecting other beliefs. (eg, Muslim, Jewish, Bahai.) I find it is best not to judge a belief system by those who are followers of it, but by studing it with an open mine. There are ignorant and harmful ppl in all beliefs, fanatics in every walk of life, religious and non... Base it rather on how it rings for you. *smiles*

 

Calling Hitler Christian is like calling Bin Laden Muslim or Jack the Ripper a Free Mason.

 

Wylding... check your history... Hitler called himself a christian... Not that I would ever say he has a "devote practioner of the christian teaching"... He did required all his troopes to attend service.

But this board was about opinions on Wicca not Hitler and history.

 

LOL!

Good points. I'm well aware of what Hitler called himself. It's my point that every religion has evil people in it. Those people aren't necessarily adherents. They just happen to use the ideology as a political vehicle for their maddness.

Also, I'd like to point out that I wasn't the person who brought up Hitler I was just commenting.

 

Wylding... Ironically... that was my point to...lol... to funny...*smiles*... be well

 

Wow, if I had known that the PC police were going to come in here and attack anyone who gave an opinion counter to their own enlightened viewpoint then perhaps I wouldn't have said what I said.

You're entitled to your own view, of course. Even if I completely disagree, you're entitled to think whatever you want; I'm not arguing that, believe me. It's your right.

However, when I see someone whose opinion is clearly based on incomplete or inaccurate information, I believe that it is my right to provide that person with the truth. In this case, from what you have written, it is clear to me that (and I mean absolutely no offense) you do not fully understand the religion of Wicca.

Now, as you defend anyone's right to practice Wicca, I completely defend your right to view it whatever way you want. However, if you are going to judge something, you should have a complete and accurate understanding of whatever you're making a judgement on. Otherwise, your view is neither complete nor accurate.

I don't think I was taking the role of "PC police" in this thread, nor do I think anyone else was doing so. Feel however you want about Wiccans... just make your judgements on facts, not misconceptions.

-mjeh

p.s. I don't believe I will be returning to this discussion. I've given my opinion already, and that's what I came to do in the first place; I hang around much longer, I'm just gonna be repeating myself.

flying_fishi, I wish your friend the best of luck on her spiritual path, and I hope everything turns out well for both of you.

If anyone has any issues they wish to pursue with me further, send me a PM. Otherwise, uh... have a nice day, y'all.

 

However, when I see someone whose opinion is clearly based on incomplete or inaccurate information, I believe that it is my right to provide that person with the truth.

Big huge freaking WORD.

Now, I'm going to stick around. If anyone has any questions about Wicca not covered by the FAQ I linked before (you're welcome, Lyra!), I'll do my best to answer them, provided a tone of politeness is kept.

In the interest of fostering some understanding, of course.

Also, I can give you a link to a civil thread about this very topic on my usual SW message board, but I'm not sure how that would go over. If anyone's interested, PM me.

 

DesignSith: Do Wiccans actually believe in trolls, or similar creatures?

 

Thankyou Mara

 

Do Wiccans actually believe in trolls, or similar creatures?

Trolls? Well, I've never run across any that do... There are quite a few that believe in Faeries. I don't get it, but then I'm, a realist at heart. ::shrug::

 

When you say "Faeries", do you mean elves, or actual fairies?

I remember when I used to have an on-line friend that was Wiccan also. If I recall correctly, he believed in these sort of creatures, which I found really odd...If I recall correctly, he told me how he and his friends chased a "troll" (or something) through the forest...

 

If I recall correctly, the term "faeries" generally refers to many types of spiritual beings that some pagans believe in. Gnomes, Mermaids(undines), dragons(salamanders), and sprites(sylphs) being the most commonly mentioned.

 

I think Saint_of_Killers pretty much hit it. Basically, faeries are symbolic of natural traits - dragons have connections to fire, dryads to trees, etc. The whole religion is basically nature symbolism when you get down to it.

Even still, you get all kinds. And some people have just absorbed waaay too much of Tolkien and his cheesy fantasy decendants for their own good. I knew a guy once whose faith was entirely based on the White Wolf roleplaying game Changling. That's pretty extreme, though, and most of the pagans I know are a lot more circumspect about their sources.

For teenagers, though, it's important for them to read as much as possible; there's a lot of junk out there on the 'Wicca' shelf. The more they read, the better suited they'll be to weeding out the crap. All pagans differ in their recommended reading lists, but books by Scott Cunningham are often suggested for beginners. A friend of mine who's a High Priest suprised the hell out of me by suggestioning 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft,' but it's quite comprehensive.

 

There's a kick arse book I found when I was a teenager that virtually saved me from something very horrible (but that is a story from another time).

It's called something like "A teenagers guide to Religion" Basically it goes through and gives all the basics of every religion and everything a curious teenager is going to come across when looking and experimenting with different things. I particullarly value it for its warnings about just what will happen if people don't know what they are doing when they perfom magic or seances!

I'll see if I can find it on Amazon.com. I definitely recommend that book for anyone looking at Wicca, Paganism or even Christianity!

Kit