what would you do?

Question

I am doing this for a thesis for english. What would you say to a person who tells you that they are wiccan after you have tried to get them to read one of those little pamphlets that alot of Christians not just JW's had out on the street?

My thesis is on the way religions inter act with each other the good and the bad this is just one small part of a very large thesis I am writing.

To Frodo I am a pagan priestess maybe we can talk in im or something.

Answer 1

I'm Pagan, so, I'd shrug it off.

A person should not be forced to be another religion. They may have read it and chose otherwise, remember.

Freedom of Religion.

- 16 yo Pagan

Answer 2

I am also a Wiccan but I do applaud your thesis! Too many times there have been misunderstandings between people of different faiths. A good scenario would be the two people actually sitting down and talking to one another about what their beliefs are about and how being christian or wiccan has enriched their lives. When the DaVinci Code was released in theaters, there actually were people standing at the doors handing out pamphlets. That would have been an interesting thing to sit back and watch. Brightest blessings!

Answer 3

To answer this question, I first have to assume the personality and motivation of someone evangelizing with the aid of pamphlets. I don't know that I can do that very well.

Unless the person had herbs hung to dry from the ceiling, or perhaps was wearing a pentagram medallion, I'd be skeptical that they were Wiccan. So, I'd take their answer to be less a profession of faith, and more a response to my presence. I would take that as a cue that my attempt to spread the faith is often going to be hindered by approaching strangers where they take my presence as an intrusion. Perhaps I would attempt to evangelize some other way. Maybe the most popular method, and maybe most effective, is simply to invite people into events coordinated by your religious group. A person hesitant to sit at their doorstep and discuss theology with a stranger, when they were busy about the house, might be more willing to involve themself in a neutral setting, like a lunch or a game of bowling. If the evangelist can get a person to take that proactive step, they and their group have a chance to present themselves in their secular lifestyles, and to remove the stigma of religion. Afterwards, that person may very well take an active interest in the religious aspects of the group, having achieved a comfort level.

Answer 4

First, I wouldn't be passing out those little pamphlets. So, if that's the person who's supposed to say something, I wouldn't be there in the first place to say anything. Second, if I were just nearby, I wouldn't pay much attention, so again I probably wouldn't say anything. I think the most I would say to a wiccan in a situation similar to this would be, "That's a witch, right?" Maybe we could talk and I could find out why and what that all means. (I'm interested in finding out about people and their culture and traditions and stuff.)

Answer 5

I think you have to realize that a lot of us simply don't hand out pamphlets like that in public. You really won't see something like that out of, say, Catholics or Presbyterians.

Your thesis really needs to account for the fact that this really is the behaviour of a minority of christians.

Answer 6

I am always very interested in meeting new people and talking about their beliefs. I've studied paganism for a while now and enjoy finding fellow pagans. So if it were me I'd have to say "Lets grab some coffee and talk. I want to know how you came to be a pagan"

Answer 7

Well, it depends you who are.

If you are the close-minded Christian- the type who are 'religious' because it is the socially respectable thing to do- you might scream damnations and accusations of witchcraft at them or beg them to convert for the sake of their immortal souls. Hmph.

If you are an open-minded Christian, (one who believes in God and Jesus Christ, and do so not because of how it will benifit you in the eyes of society) you wouldn't have been shoving your religion into other people's faces in the first place.

The righ thing to do, if you're ANY kind of Christian, is destroy all the pamphlets, and learn to accept that not everyone CAN believe the same thing, and that God intended for each of us to find our own truths, and to figure out what we believe on our own terms. I honestly believe there will be Athiests in heaven. God is about love, not social hier-archy, or about scaring people, and giving them the wrong impression about Christianity.

Answer 8

Well I would be happy to talk with you. I am a Catholic and always listen to other religions. My faith encourages interfaith discussion. You will find that Jehovah Witnesses don't as they think they are the true religion and therefore everyone else must be false, and this demonstrates a lack of tolerance.

Answer 9

I would say "awesome! How long have you been Wiccan? How did you find out about it? Want to come to one of my circles?"

I get a little excited when meeting fellow pagans.

Answer 10

First, I would not try to get anyone to read one of those pamphlets, but that aside, if I were you I would simply say "Cool, peace be with you!" and leave it at that.