In the Wiccan Rede, it says "Harm None," what harms do we do each other?

Question

Blessings

Peace and Love

Answer 1

Actually, that is NOT what the Rede says. (we're only talking about the "short version")

It's not that simple.


I really do wish more Witches understood the Rede better, as it's alarming to me to watch *some* that I know go through bizarre and dishonest gyrations in order to justify their action as doing "no harm".


"An it harm none, do as you will"

(An = provided)

Like many things, this requires some explanation.

Notice that this is an "If, then" statement. If you've taken logic classes, you'll be familiar with that.

Here's another example of an "If, then":

If it rains today, then I'll make soup for dinner.

Given just that, what can we say about dinner it if doesn't rain today?

Nothing, really. I may make soup; I may make something else; I may not make dinner at all.

So the Rede says, basically, "If what you're thinking about doing will cause no harm that you can see, go ahead, don't spend any time pondering the ethics of it"

What does the Rede say about harmful actions? Nada. Zip. Not a word.

It does not address purposely harmful actions, nor does it address accidentally harmful actions.

We are left to decide for ourselves if we will intentionally do something harmful. And we know that we will have to deal with the consequences if we so choose.

Unintentional harm is different - it's kind of a grey area. I tend to think that this is an area in which thoughtlessness will produce thoughtlessness.

This is something that most newbies don't know about the Rede - that's because teachers generally don't tell them until they have reached a level of ethical caution that lets the teacher know that the student can understand fully the responsibility involved in doing purposely harmful things. Generally when a student is at this level, there is no real desire to do purposely harmful things, so it's not the threat of return that stops us, it's a desire not to purposely cause harm.

The point to the Rede also lies in knowing what belongs to you and what belongs to others. There are people who one cannot do anything to or with who will not choose to feel hurt. That is not the responsibility of anyone but the person choosing to feel hurt.

The word "will" is purposeful. It doesn't mean "want" or "have the urge to". That's because the Rede is specifically about what one does with intent.

The Rede doesn't actually say "Do no harm under any circumstances whatsoever"- we're not so naive that we think that we can avoid doing any harm ever.


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But to answer your question, what harm do we do each other? That varies from person to person, of course, as it does with all of humanity.

The GREATEST harm I think that people do who misunderstand what the Rede says (and doesn't say) is what I mentioned above - the self-justifying (and dishonest) mental gyrations they go through in order to "prove" that something they have done caused no harm when it did. This is VERY damaging to the self and to others. We all need to buck up and deal with our motivations honestly, and to handle the consequences of our actions like adults.

Answer 2

As unpopular as this answer will be, I'll tell you what harms I've witnessed at the hands of Wiccans for the five years I was one. None of these people use Y!A, and I know they do not represent a whole, but these events did happen and it turned me away from this "peaceful" religion.

1. Cheating. I very rarely met anyone who was faithful to their spouse. Some kind of nonsense about sex being sacred to the Goddess meant that they could have sex with anyone, and often the cheated on person was left in despire and anger.

2. Theft. Several people, including myself, had money stolen by the "good pagans"

3. Emotional harm. One girl started a campaign to get rid of her girlfriend's best friend, just because she didn't want anyone around the girl friend. It nearly ruined a 10 year friendship.

4. And an assortment of lies, betrayal, and general backstabbing among the members of the group I was with.

I've been Catholic for a long time now, and I've never seen this kind of behavior among the Catholics I know. As mentioned, I know this doesn't represent all Wiccans, but this is what I witnessed with my own eyes. To be fair, I have met some good pagans/wiccans on this site, who have helped me see that some nice people exist.

Answer 3

If harms are done then it is not on purpose. If something is done then the law of three will follow. Meaning what ever we do comes back on us three times as hard.

Also we are not a any more a Cult than Christians are.

Cult
1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

All of that is Christian






here here FaerieWhi...

Hey sister... I am Wiccan and I don't take things that are not mine. I don't hurt people and I have been with my partner for 4 years. I don't go running around looking for others. I have been with her for 4 years and I do not have any right to cheat on her
at all.
Also I know many many Wiccans that do not steal and in fact give more than I have ever seen anyone give. To this day a group I am in still gives people that were hit by Katrina that were not in LA and did not get help from the Government or Christians. If it was not for my group these people would starve..


I am not too lazy other wise I might have give a smart answer.. which i did not

Answer 4

* You ahve 2 good answers already and 2(one slipt in as I was typing. I am sorry she was hurt by pagans, but in my 54 years of life I have seen more good in pagans than Christians and yes even Catholics have harmed me and lied and cheasted and I have seen them cheat on spouses. the pagans I know are very faithful to their spouses. she just knew a bad few.) bad one. That Jeff guy is wrong. Anyway that is just evidence of what some people do that harms.

Harm non is a more difficult way than being a Christian, because if you are a Christian you can do anything to anyone then ask God to forgive you and not even have to make amends to the person you did wrong.

To live and harm none, we must always be aware of our actions and how they effect others.

The Wiccans I know are more honest and law abiding than the christians I know. If that offends anyone, don't blame me, blame the Christians I know. We know that whatever we do comes back to us threefold, so we live better lives so we get good back.We beleive in personal responsibility.*

Answer 5

Intolerance is one of the worst harms we could do to another person.

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Proved by the answer below mine. What worse harm can you wish on someone other then eternal damnation no matter how kind, generous, tolerant and loving they are.....simply because someone doesn't believe in something.

Answer 6

Many people that don't follow Christ are good people and treat each other well. ALL you'll be doing is harming your eternal destiny by following that cult. Remember, the path to hell is paved with good intentions.


to poster below me....you are so very wrong. You see, following and having faith in Christ has NOTHING to do with religion. Religions are manmade.