To those of the Christian faith...and others...?

Question

I welcome your comments, thoughts, opinions. Many wars have been waged based on religious beliefs, of many different religions except Wicca or Pagan. (That I know of...) Why celebrate a God who asks you to wage war, kill others?

I hope that my question does not offend anyone, just curious.

If you know of wars waged over the wiccan or pagan faith...I am open to education and will consider all you have to say.

Wow, forgot about the Romans...thnks. I will research a little before asking such questions.


Good thing I am Wiccan!

Answer 1

Butterfly, yes Pagans DID do the things that Alex accuses them of doing. BUT let's just look at the History in it's entirety and NOT out of context. First, the Roman Pagans worshipped the Roman Pantheon. do not confuse the Roman Panthemon with ALL the Gods and Goddesses of ALL Pagans. Secondly, It was the ROMAN pagans, not ALL the Pagans of the entire World.

Now let's look at numbers. By MOST estimates not more than 10,00 to 30,00 Christians were killed during those times. Christianity was NEW and there simply weren'tr ALL that many of them to begin with. NOW, let's LOOK at the numbers of NON-Christians that have been killed by Christians who WERE using the Cross as their banner and as justification for commiting their acts of killing. 50,000 to 150,000 Muslims in the Crusades, 10,00 to 100,000 Witches, Jews, Gypsies, HJeretics, and other "misfits" during the burning times. 3,000,000 Amerindians in South America by the Conquistadoers, Another 3,000,000 by the colonists then newly formed Unitied States citizens as a part of "Manifest Destiny", a movement with Christian undertones, 1,500,000 aborigines in Australia, New Zealand and the REST of the Pacific region, Again done by Europeans under the guise of movements with Christian undertones.

NOw let's LOOK at the time periods involved. The Romans did their killing from about AD 40 to about AD 400, the time of Constatine. Until around 1000 AD the Christians regrouped, built thmeselves stronger (with the help of the Witches, surviving Durids, and other Pagans who were selflessly tryng to do good themselves. THEN the christians saw the development of Islam, percieved a threat and began the Cursades. At the same time, they saw that groups from within Christianiyt were beginning to fragment off and follow their OWN form of Christianity and wen t after those folks (the Cathars and other heretics), They saw the the JEWS were becoming strong and went after them, Then along came the MARVELOUS invention of the INQUISITION. they went into the killing in the name of Christ with renewed vigor and dragged in just about anyone that they thought that they could subjugate, including many of their OWN, it should be noted. Jews were ropunded up, Heretics were rounded up, Witches were rounded up and even little, crabby old ladies were rounded up. ALL were tossed on the bonfires or led to the gallows. THEN GOOD old Martin Luther decided to form his OWN brand of Christianity, and the "burning Times" wre in FULL swing. German Christians ended up executing entire villages for Witchcraft and heresy. Over 20,000 were killed in a period of about 40 years time, just in Germany alone! The Inqisition was not just confined to the Roman Catholic Chruches but also included Lutherans, Calvinists and Angelicans (Church of England) and a whole bunch of other fringe protestant groups. During those times good old Chris Colombo got lost in the big ocean and crunched his boats on the shores of the Americas. One of the NICEST imports that accompanied him was of course that wonderful Spanish Inquistion and the killing took of in the GRANDEST of styles. Entire Cities, grander than any city of Europe in the age were totally devestated and their populations killed, enslaved or drivne off into the wilderness to eek out a living anyway they could. Yo would be intersted to note that it was the Conquistadores who invented the concept of "weapons of mass destruction" courtesy of smallpox infested blankets that the "missionaries" so generously "gave" to the Indians. Small pox was responsible for the deaths of milllions of American Indians both in North and South America. An idea which the Engish carried to the Pacific and hand delivered to the Aborigines of New zealand and Australia. Now wasn't that NICE of them to do?

So NOW, folks. still want to complain about how WICKEDLY EVIL the Pagans were to you poor innocent Christians? the sacles were MORE than balanced by the end of the FIRST Crusade. Why did it have to continue beyond that? now you say that you are enlightened and no longer behave that way? This very YEAR, more than 100 Witches were killed in Africa, additional hundreds are displaced into "Witch Villages" which are essentially CONCENTRATION camps for Witches. Iraq is littered with the bodies of Muslims while Bush, Cheney and company are WAVING the banner of the Cross all over the place. Oh right, We're there to eliminate terrorism. Terrorism in a place where Al Qaeda didn't exist at all except for ONE sick member of the group who was there for medical treatement. Terrorism didn't exist in Iraq until Bush and Co. sent in our bravest and brightest young men on a quest for "weapons of Mass destruction", then to free Iraqis, then to prevent civil war, now to eliminate Al Qaeda. What's going to be his NEXT lame excuse? We ALL know why he's there, his OWN GREED. BUT he's USING the gullible Religious Right as an outward way to legitimize his greed and they are FALLING for it hook, line, sinker, rod, arm and fisherman. And he's laughing about the "wacko fundys" being dumb enough to back him up (oops, darn pesky open mikes).

So COME on now, don't FALL for the old Christian play of "we were persecuted long before YOU were" crud. It's just a ploy to get the REST of us to feel sorry for thenm while they plot to eliminate the rest of us.

NOt ALL of them, mind you, mostly a vocal minority of them. But enough to do some serious damage if they're allowed to run amock and have free reign.

Brightest Blessings,
Raji the Green Witch

Answer 2

I believe that you should study more into the Christian faith before you accuse our God of promoting war and death. God knows everything that was, that is, and that will be.

Revelation 1:8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The prophecies that were wrote in the Holy Bible, were what God could see would happen. God gave all of us a choice. We can choose between the holy and the unholy. We can choose to make war or keep peace. God did not say, okay in 2007 you will need to go over and kill people in Iraq. God knew that there would be wars and what those wars would be fought for, but he did not instruct Christians to make war. God does not want us to kill each other, but through Him, bring down those who follow anything and anyone but Him.

II Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Answer 3

As a pagan and a Witch, my opinion is that religious wars are fought, essentially, when men of differing religious beliefs, have a fight that starts with "My god is bigger, badder and stronger than your god, and my god is right , so I get to kill all of you who disagree!"

Thus, war.

Look at the MIddle East, look at Ireland, etc, ad nauseum.

We probably don't know enough from archeology to say for total sure that cultures under matrilineal Goddesses and Gods were any more peaceful, but my personal opinioin is that probalby they were, for a couple of reasons. First, when you have a polytheistic culture, no one has the one and only truth. I thnk that makes it less likely to fight over religion , but not to say that this didn't happen. Lots of wars are fought for other reasons too,, like land. But antoher reason I happen to think that cultures with the Goddess in charge would be less likely to have bloody wars is that a woman creates human life from her own flesh, and raises that human person for many many years, and that is HARD WORK. It is hideously outrageous for us as mothers to think of a single bullet or knife to the throat ending the creation we have lovingly brought into this world. That is why I think that ending life so callously and quickly as wars do, is so out of synch with the thinking that must have dominated Goddess loving peoples.

just my opinion...


Bright Blessings,
Ladu Morgana )0(

Answer 4

God doesn't ask us to wage war, where do people get this stuff. The Bible is so clear--treat others as you would like to be treated. Through history evil men have used every excuse to wage war.

Answer 5

I believe that waging war in the name of any god, goddess or God (capitialized for the Judeo-Christians) is purely the advent of a man or group in a position of religious or politcal power that wants to force his/their will on others.

Answer 6

Wars have been waged on the desire of man to rule others, to take what is not theirs.

No religion exempt, but the heart of the religion torn out and perverted to justify man's desires.

Answer 7

You should invest in a good history book. It looks like you are confused about the causes and justifications of war, the history of Paganism, and the history of Wicca.

Answer 8

no war in the name of pagan gods? last time i checked, the Romans ( you know these nice fellows who used to feed their lions with christian meat) were pagans....no i`m not trying to defend Christianity but the sword of justice needs to cut both ways...

Answer 9

Hello sweet butterflimoon.. :)

The wars were over land, greed, lust and power..in the name of Religion..not because of religion..

I do not believe in violence whatsoever, I live as Jesus showed me, with Love, Peace, Joy, Gentleness, Kindness and Forgiveness.. :)


In Jesus Most Precious Name..
With Love..your Friend..In Christ.. :)

Answer 10

Peaceful Wiccan here. No wars in my religion.
BB

Answer 11

You make one mistake: The pagans did engage in war - and plenty of it.

As for the Wiccans, I have no idea...