Do you ever feel persecuted against, just because you are wiccan??

Question

Like, are you or have you been the subject of harassment by christians/others just because you are not like them?

I once heard that somebodys big pentacle got smashed outside the front of their house at yule!

Answer 1

I have not be persecuted for my faith, unless you call my best friends husband telling my constantly that I'm going to burn in Hell because I've turned my back on God (this coming from a man who cheats on his wife and has lead a some what questionable life--I don't want to get into their marriage,thats a long story). And me losing a friend that I'd had since I was 4 because if I couldn't give up my life of false worship she couldn't ever talk to me again. I guess I could say I've been shunned for my faith.

I don't go around boasting to everyone I know about my faith. I don't hand pentacles or pentagrams on my walls or have bumper stickers on my car or wear pentagram or pentacled jewelry. I wear my Isis charm (Blessed Be Great Mother!) or my Ahnk. But Christians normally mistake Isis as an Angel charm or my Ahnk as a cross.... I do correct them on this.

I wish that people would be more kind to each other and realize that each person's spiritual journey is their own. To quote the movie Dogma "It doesn't matter what you have faith in, what is important is that you have faith"

Answer 2

I agree pretty much with most here. I don't advertise that I am but am not afraid to be either. I don't allow for others, Christians as well, to step on my toes because of my beliefs. I am a Solitary practicer and am comfortable with that. When I do get those strange looks, I give them right back! There have been more practicers moving to my area these days and as long as they're not hurting others, all is good. In this town I've seen the Catholic/Luthern religions party like crazy, and on church grounds. I have never disrespected my religion like this. So, who are they to talk? I am sorry to hear what happened in Yule. Now, that is pure evil, and who is it that did this? Hmmmmm!

Answer 3

No, I've never felt persecuted..but I don't advertise my religion or attempt to recruit anyone, nor do I ask for donations or pass the plate. I do promote communing with nature and live and let live as well as taking care of our environment. I'm sorry to hear about the smashing of the Pentacle. It's unfortunate that more people don't believe in the golden rule.

Blessed Be

Answer 4

I am an Asatruar - (Germanic heathenry. Hail Odinn and all that jazz.) I've been told to remove my Thor's Hammer at work while others were wandering around wearing crosses. (I did not, by the way)

I've had multiple issues with people mistaking me for a white supremacist because of my tattoos, which are all religious symbols. They were hijacked by the white supremacists and I mean to reclaim them in the name of the Elder Gods.

I caught a neighbor messing with my raven symbol on my door. He quickly learned to never, ever f**k with someone directly descended from the Vikingr - even if she's female.

My feet are currently resting on a box that was left on my doorstep. It is full of Jack Chick tracts, a bible and other transparent conversion attempts.

Do I feel persecuted? Nope. Not at all. I just feel like those kinds of people are jerks. I've found most people to be very accepting of my faith when they are educated about it. We don't proselytize, so I only say something if I am asked about my tats or my Hammer amulet.

You can only be persecuted if you allow it to happen. If you are strong in your faith and stand tall and proud in the name of whoever you worship, you will find most people leave you alone about it. If you shrink and whine when someone acts aggressively towards you because of your faith, well, you're screwed. The ones who persist in their harassment even when you do stand up to them are extremists and are not representative of the rest of the practitioners of that religion.

~Morg~

Answer 5

I was not a practicing wiccan but I actually had my clearance put on hold while in the military for 5 weeks because they thought I was a witch and some guy thought I was going to turn him into a frog. This was back in the early 90s, now it is an organized religion, they even have "chaplains" for them

Answer 6

I once did, shortly after I became Wiccan. My mother and many of her friends are born-again Christians. When my mom found out that I was Wiccan and studying magick, she was positive I was possessed. She called her friends to come over to the house where they took turns holding me down, praying over me, trying to exorcise the devil. I fought against them for three hours before they finally let me go. And because I fought them for so long, that convince them I was possessed. I was thinking to myself, "Mom, you were once a nurse. Don't you remember adrenaline???"

Other than that incident that occurred more than ten years ago, I've never felt persecution. Judgement, sure. Naivety and ignorance, sure. But never again persecution.

And before you ask, no I don't hate Christians or even blame them for the actions of specific people. I once did. I detested Christianity and resented anyone who would speak to me of God or Jesus or praying for me. I've grown in my own faith and come to realize that all paths lead to God. Some just take a little longer than others.

Answer 7

I don't usually tell people about that unless i'm more or less sure on how they react. Other then that i don't really listern to what people have to say, if they judge you because of what you believe in then that's there problem not yours.

I think it's about time people grew up and realised theres more to people then what they believe in.

I try and be understanding of people no matter what they believe in and if people believe in different things then that doesn't effect how i look at them as friends and i don't think it should.

I try and look at things from all points of view even tho i may not believe in certain things myself and i hope i don't judge someone because of what they believe.

Although there are quite a lot of times that i just wanna shout at the TV when they mention things about the occult and get it completely wrong. You would think that people who work in TV would want to get things right, but half the time i don't think they even try and in some cases i think that help people to think badly against people who believe in that sort of thing.

Answer 8

I am a mystic I suppose, and have loads of wiccan friends and often go to Circles myself. I don't get any personal grief, but I do get fed up of the constantly smug and biased television programmes that are so obviously Christian in background dismissing any pagan originated beliefs as just amusing and silly!

Answer 9

Though I don't persecute anyone for their religion ever I don't view wicca as a religious sect nor do I take wiccans as a group seriously.

This being said, I would never "dislike" them for what they believe nor damage the property of a wiccan or attempt to belittle or denigrate them as some lesser entity.

If we all agreed on everything the bulk of us would be unnecessary and everybody needs respect when it comes to what they believe.

Answer 10

I've been remarkably lucky, but maybe some of that is becaue I keep my faith relatively low key. Still, among those who know at work and in my spare time, as many people have been intrigued/supportive as have been weirded out by it, and nobody has tried to exorcise me, thank Goddess!

I don't count idiotic statements here on Y!A about Wicca, because really... what faiths among us don't get the idiotic statements? That's kind of like saying when [Name Faith] goes into the rain, they get wet, and it's not fair :-) EVERYONE gets wet in the rain, and everyone gets picked on in Y!A The trick (IMHO) is to train your focus to the people whose answers are valid.