Wiccans and Atheists?

Question

I have begun to question religion once more. I am begining to find it difficult to see how a God/dess can fit within our universe. Religions seem always to be someone trying to expain the universe, and are always manmade. Science seems to have the right idea. Though, I still believe in dragons, magick, spirits, and reincarnation. I think it's time to go back to atheism.

What do the Wiccans think?

What do the Atheists think?

Is there such a thing as a religion with no god?

What is this Zen some people have been talking about?

Answer 1

Some people think of atheism as a religion. There is no need to subscribe to one particular religion if you believe in God. It's called spiritual but not religious. There are plenty of us who are like that.

Organized religion seems a bit out of place for me as well. There is just so much good and truth from all the religions that I can't and won't pick just one. I find I am much more comfortable believing what I believe in without the confines of belonging to a group and believing exactly what they believe.

Answer 2

Last first.... there are a few humanist churches out there that might meet your requirements.

As far as whether or not there is a God...or goddess, perhaps it is a way of explaining the universe. In my experience, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Too, though, science is beginning to show that our thoughts and expectations can influence the result (not mere observations, but the actual results) of expirements. There seems to be interaction between the observer and the observed.

Science is showing that a physical object can be in two places AT THE SAME TIME. Much of what was considered magic and miracle seems to be being produced in the laboratory.

I tend to believe in reincarnation; there seems to be some evidence pointing to that possibility. If it is real, this means that there exists some sort of reality beyond the physical that we experience on a daily basis. This is the basis for my opinion in deity. It may not necessarily be a being that "created everything", but there is likely a being in the universe much wiser than I.

I'm a Wiccan. I don't believe in an eternal torment called hell. I don't believe that we need some "salvation". I do believe that there is someone in the universe that knows quite a bit more than I.

Answer 3

Raymond Buckland a respected Wiccan author and high priest taught by Gerald gardner the father of modern Wicca says something I agree with wholely. He says that all religion is man's attempt to explain that whic cannot be explained.

If you diligently study Wiccan thought, you will find that we know the myths are just that myths. We do not know exactly how the world began or exactly what diety wants or needs. Myths like religion explain things we as humans cannot explain religion is walking by faith if we walked by sight it would not be religion but science, and even that has been proved wrong at times.

If you want to become athiest, that is your choice but it is a religion also and they beleive in no god from faith. We are told that a lot of scientists including Einstien study science long enough they began to beleive in some kind of creator. They don't know who this creator is or what religion they support.


As Wiccan I do not have to worry if I am reading holy writings correctly, I do not have to worry if I will go to a hell if I don't do things exactly right. I live to harm none the best of my ability and after that I just don't sweat the small stuff.

Answer 4

Check out Zen and A Course in Miracles. Watch out with the latter, though, because many new-agers and some fundamentalists have completely misinterpreted it. The Course's theology is completely non-dualistic and maintains that our original state is a single One that has nothing to do with form, individiuality, etc. And that 'god' had nothnig to do with the universe, world, people, etc. Zen says much of the same thing (except it doesn't get into how/why the universe exists). However, the fundamental aim of both is to NOT believe in their theologies but to use them as tools to get an EXPERIENCE. A direct experience is the only way...

Answer 5

Anything you do is the right thing. I don't believe in god either, but sometimes I pretend to for fun. Same with the goddess. I do believe in magick, though.

Both god and goddess are powerful concepts for us; like "good" and "evil" they are undefineable but the ideas themselves have power. Magick is a useful tool- either practially or psychologially. Indeed, the very idea of living in a spiritual world helps us to remember the richness of the entire system we live in, and that in many ways it is more complicated than we can simply explain with science.

Whatever you decide, I am happy for you. A crisis of faith means that you are still THINKING about the world you live in! It means that you still have potential for growth and change and greater understanding. This makes you a rare person, indeed.

There is religion without god. It just requires an awful lot of personal responsibility. Don't worry, you get used to it.

Amicule, deliciae, num is sum qui mentiar tibi?

-CORE

Answer 6

Dragons and reincarnation are a nice idea and you shouldn't worry about them not being real. Mr Pickwick isn't real, but that doesn't stop me enjoying the Dickens novel.

You need to follow this route yourself and reach your own conclusions. If you find a god or god that provides you with the answers, you have done well. If you can achieve peace without a god, as atheists do, then likewise. Good luck.

Oh, and what Girl Wonder said.

Answer 7

Wicca is one of the religions that fall into the category of Neo-Paganism. It is not a pagan religion. Pagan religions are those that existed prior to Christianity and Wicca is a new religion based on an amalgam of old beliefs. There is a common belief out there that all pagan/neopagan religions are nature based and for many this simply isnt true. Wicca however is one of the very few religions that are nature based. Wicca was popularized in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it Witchcraft and its adherents "the Wica". He said that the religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witchcraft mystery religion that had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian paganism of Europe. The veracity of Gardner's statements cannot be independently proven, however, and it is possible that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s. Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called "The One" or " The All".Most regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities are not "out there somewhere;" they are immanent in the world. Many regard various pagan Gods and Goddesses (Pan, Athena, Diana, Brigit, Zeus, Odin, etc.) as representing various aspects of the God and Goddess. The term "Wicca" normally implies that the person's religion is based upon Celtic spiritual concepts, deities, and seasonal days of celebration. Some Wiccans include beliefs, practices and symbols from ancient Pagan religions (e.g. Egyptian, Greek, various mystery religions, Roman, Sumerian) or upon Aboriginal religions (Native American Spirituality, Shamanism). Some Wiccans are actually agnostics, who take no position on the existence of a supreme being or beings. They look upon the Goddess and the God as archetypes, based on myth. It cannot be stressed enough that Wiccans have no supernatural being in their pantheon of deities who resembles the Christian Satan. Wicca is a natural religion, grounded in the earth. All living things (including stars, planets, humans, animals, plants, rocks) are regarded as having a spirit. Many Wiccan rituals deal with bringing harmony and healing to nature. Wiccans tend to share a great concern for the environment. Wiccans celebrate the sexual polarity of nature. For example, the fertilizing rain is one manifestation of the male principle; the nurturing earth symbolizes the female. Females are respected as equal to males. A priestess is often the most senior person among coven -- a local group of Wiccans. They aim for a female-male balance in most of their covens (local groups).

Answer 8

There are few religions without god/goddesses. Faith however begins in you, your power to believe starts in your spirit. Never in the teachings of others.
What you chose to believe is purely up to you.
Remember that you are a part of this world and the spiritual world.
Be blessed and be loved for who you are.
En Tis Blethec

Answer 9

God and Goddess are just what people find 'comfortable' in their lives. There is no 'true' system or we'd ALL be following it.

I refuse to 'guide you' into anything since that would be as bad as anyone else 'saving you' ...'starring themselves for you'...or doing something else just as silly. This is your 'Path' and no one else's.


This is what I did when things 'stopped making sense'.
I began to think about what was important for me.....

It was to honor my Ancestors........ to try to make sure they were not forgotten, and that they could somewhat 'live on through me'.

That does not mean I run around with Deer Antlers pasted on my forehead swinging a Neanderthal club at nearby Mosques.

What it does mean to me is that I try to live up to the things they felt were important in mind body and spirit. I will always attempt to bring honor ot my ancestors through thought, word, and deed.

Answer 10

Walk whatever path brings you to your journeys end. Sometimes that path will intersect with others or even travel in the same direction for a ways. At each junction it is your choice to keep going or change.