who you thought shared similar religious views as yours, told you that they are pagan and have been practicing witchcraft all of their lives, and just never told you because they didn't know how you'd react?
how would you feel about being friends with this person with different religious views, practices and rituals?
2007-05-22 07:01:16 · 43 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
i'm pagan : )
2007-05-22 07:04:58 · update #1
i'm just a private person and don't normally share my beliefs with people because i don't feel i need to, but then sometimes i wonder if i should.
2007-05-22 07:06:26 · update #2
As long as you didn't try to get me too do the same thing we could be friends for the rest of our lives. I would pray that God would come into your life but i would love you just the same or maybe even more so.
2007-05-22 07:09:59 · answer #1 · answered by Dean D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Now don't take this the wrong way - but spiritual sensitivity should have twigged that something was different.
Anyone of us (christian or not) runs around with half a dozen or more incompatible philosophies in their head.
Now no concerns going forward - but if they've been lying to you for the past while, then you have to examine why they would want to cover up their true beliefs.
To put it into context of 2000 years ago - Jesus ate and drank with those the religious elite considered sinners as well as with the religious elite. Yet the people he saved his rebuke for were not those the modern church would call "sinners" but for those that would be considered "the good people".
This friend has felt comfortable enough now to "come clean" (for want of a better phrase). Don't reject.
Finally - many non-Catholic christians would consider your last statement "this person with different religious views, practices and rituals" to be descriptive of the Catholic church.
2007-05-22 07:12:06 · answer #2 · answered by awayforabit 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The question, does not make sense. If they were close friends, they would have known. There are a lot of instances which happen just like this, but a close relationship with a christian will create a discernment, which will let them know that the other is practicing witchcraft. I like to do this in reverse, I have been around atheist, who denied to my face that Jesus, or God was not real to them, or did not exist. After a while, when they begin to get close to me they would find out that I go to church, pray, fast, or tithe. This makes things a lot more humorous, because, they can't understand why someone would fast, much less give 10 percent of their income to the church. Every day, or thing we do brings curiosity an atheist. God does not make sense to them. I am happy to say that the two which, outright denied Jesus Christ could be their Lord, now has given, their lives to Jesus. Praise, and Glory to God.
2007-05-22 07:19:21 · answer #3 · answered by findinggodsmissions@yahoogroups 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on a couple of things: how religious are you? (if you are a devout Catholic/Christian, witchcraft is against all you have learned. Makes it tough to stay friends). how "good" is a "good friend?" (Is this the only "flaw" you see? If so, is it really that big a deal, does it affect you negatively in any way - i.e., does this friend want your cat for a sacrifice?)
It's something that you have to sit down with yourself and be honest about. Make a list of pros and cons, and see which is bigger. See if you can get around some of the cons. It might be good to ask your friend to explain some of the facets of her religion and maybe you'll find out that it's not such a big deal (or not) but at least you'll be making the decision from an informed perspective.
Good luck!
2007-05-22 07:11:23 · answer #4 · answered by azmouse98 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's sort of like she is coming out of the closet regarding her religious beliefs, which she hid because she was afraid of how people (or you) would react. Gay people do the same thing. Anyone with a secret they feel may cause others (if they found out) to like them less has gone through the same thing at some point.
A true friend would accept your differences and still love you and want to be friends with you. A narrow-minded person on the other hand may not accept your differenes, and you may lose a friend, but not a very good friend anyway, if she's so shallow, IMO.
2007-05-22 07:24:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
One of the nicest things about being a catholic is that its not an extremist religion. There is no rule that says "only consort with other christians"
Had you got a problem before this revalation?
After a few years of friendship you must have an idea about the moral standing of this person, are they a good person?
If you're a real friend of this person then you will understand that they have a different religious belief to you and just put that detail aside. After all did he/she mind that you're a catholic?
2007-05-22 07:13:21 · answer #6 · answered by Mr D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Friends though normally are seeked by those who wants to be of the same interests, the same social group, the same belief and philosophies in life, real friends that set no standards for being together are sometimes felt to be the strongest among friendly relationship.
As long as it does not affect our friendship in some troubling ways, I would not really be affected by finding out that he practices differently from what I thought he should be doing.
I may even be curious to know about it.
2007-05-22 07:13:19 · answer #7 · answered by Rallie Florencio C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I read your question which referred me to this one, so my answer will encompass both queries. First, neither you nor anyone else is obligated to divulge to people what is private in your life; to omit to reveal is not lying. If you informed your friend that you were Catholic while you were not, that would be untrue, but, if your friend inferred that you were Christian when you were not, then she/he reached a conclusion erroneously. As you suggested in your second question, it is really no one's affair as to the origins of your sister or the fact of your musical ability should you prefer not to expound upon them. I am an agnostic who has explored many occult disciplines which others might consider satanic; I rarely discuss my esoteric interests simply for the reason that I imagine I shall be misunderstood and perhaps shunned for my unusual ideas and practises, and I suspect that you may feel similar reluctance to discuss your beliefs. If your friendship with the person mentioned is endangered by her discovering your paganism, if she is a true friend, she will accept you as you are.
2007-05-22 15:26:27 · answer #8 · answered by Lynci 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd be sad that my friend didn't feel that he or she could have told me earlier. I'd ask what I had said/done to make him/her fear my reaction.
Depending on circumstances, I might feel a bit mad that I had been lied to, but I wouldn't be upset about the pagan/witchcraft part. My only concern would be to be sure my friend wasn't playing around with anything that even smacks of evil. (True pagans do not follow the devil, but that doesn't mean that there isn't dark stuff out there.)
2007-05-22 07:06:36 · answer #9 · answered by Church Music Girl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why would it matter?
Were you friends simply because you shared a faith? Probably not.
Unless the pagan individual actually attended masses with you and your friendship was faithbased, and only faithbased, then of course their could be issues.
And what kind of friend was the Christian/Catholic, if the the pagan was afraid to divulge their true faith?
Is lying the issue?
2007-05-22 07:09:06 · answer #10 · answered by Sapere Aude 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋