pagans please share?

Question

hey guys what are some of the misconceptions that people have about your beliefs ?
feel free to put them all down and perhaps it would help others understand more
(((((HUGS)))))

( this is my third time posting this so hopefully it goes through )

Answer 1

1) That we worship the Devil or Satan.

There is, at least in Wicca, NO being equivalant to Satan. We honor the Divine in dualities, not mutually exclusive and opposing forces. The black/white distinction that Christianity makes is alien to the Wiccan paradigm, at least as I understand it.

2) That we worship idols.

Wiccans often use statuary on the altar as a focus for devotions (and, let's be honest, to make the altar look beautiful in honor of the Gods). But do we believe that the wood/ceramic/PVC object IS a God? Heavens, no.

3) That we worship "the creation rather than the Creator."

Wiccans, at least as I was taught, don't worship nature per se. We believe that the universe is the body of God/dess, and therefore that all things contain Divine energy and that the world itself is sacred.

There can be no separation from God/dess. All things not only proclaim Their glory, but ARE Their glory. It's therefore more accurate to say that we worship the Divine as manifest in nature; we worship the Creator, IN the Creation.

Answer 2

The big misconception that is propagated by many people regarding my faith is that we're neo-Nazis, because the Nazis used our symbols.
Many people at first fail to realize that those symbols are in some cases many many thousands of years old, and did not spontaneously spring into being in the 1930s and 1940s.
There are some groups like the so-called Anti Defamation League that are only recently starting to grudgingly insert disclaimers that maybe not all Asatruar are Nazis. The Southern Poverty Law Center is another one that likes to spread those lies.

Another misconception is that we're a bunch of Viking re-enactors. This misconception is actually propagated by a conservative population within our own community that likes to dress up in Viking era garb during religious events.

I obviously (by the wording above) don't really approve. This is the 21st Century, not the 9th. I don't deal well with nonsense, so if you're going to play-act like you're a Viking... join the Society for Creative Anachronisms. If you're going to honor the Gods, honor the Gods. I don't really think they want their adherents to make fools of themselves. That hurts the image, in my opinion.

I go as far as to wear a tabard and sash, and to use a spear and hammer in the blots to honor the Gods. But under the tabard, I'm generally wearing street clothes. Or a kilt. But I wear a kilt occasionally anyway. :)

Answer 3

Well, we have all touched on the devil worship thing. How many times have we all been told we are going to burn in hell for satan worship?! I think that is the biggest misconception that is out there. If people only understood that the devil wasnt even something that we didnt even reconize. It gets old, doesnt it?

And that we all worship the same things. A dear friend, bless her for trying, was reading a book trying to understand my beliefs, was reading about pagans but well, I truly follow my Irish roots and that tradition. She was reading Greek. But she was trying, i have to give her that much.

When people honestly ask, I honestly tell them. Others, when they ridicule me about being a witch or such, I usually just smile and turn. Or hop on my broom and fly away---with my cat--and pointed hat---hahhaha. I believe that we are blessed to be so intuned with everything around us. And I realize the more I know, the more I dont know. The more I too, need to learn to appreciate. And I hope to share that with others.

Answer 4

Personally, the biggest misconception I seem to encounter is that because I am a witch, people equate that with being Wiccan, when they are not the same thing.
I also encounter some very uneducated people who think I worship Satan.
Mostly, the people who have these misconceptions have never bothered to look into other faiths or study anything about their own either.
I am a Celtic witch.. I have very strong beliefs in my gods/goddesses and the spirits of the earth. I follow the path of my ancestors and I honor them. I love and cherish animals, trees, plants, stones, and all living things.. I don't have to kill something to appease my gods.. mine don't make that requirement.. that's strictly a middle-eastern concept.
I am required to be a generous hostess and to share wisdom where I can.
That's the best explanation I can give.

Answer 5

1. That we worship the devil or satan... despite it being a christian thing (for want of a better word)

2. Popular one on ebay is that all pagans (usually wiccans) are goths and use this in their product name/ description thing. That drives me nuts. Some pagans may be goths... but its not compulsory.

3. That we all get together, all naked and just randomly have sex with each other. The truth is, we don't see the naked body as a sin, and at certain rituals some people prefer to be skyclad instead of robed. It isn't compulsory and there is no pressure to be naked at all. As for sex? As long as its safe and consenting, I see no problem with it. But its not true about getting together for an orgie.

4. That we are witches, and wear pointy black hats and have black cats.... don't think I need to go into that one.

Can't think of any more tonight

Answer 6

Congrats on being listed, at last, as the top contributor in R&S. This posting justifies the rating because you are able to spur others to clarify their feelings and positions.

The person who asks a quesion sets parameters on the types of acceptable answers. For example, if you are asked "What time is the movie?" there are some answers that simply would not be appropriate, such as "France is full of Muslims" or "The President sucks soda straws."

R&S credit therefore goes to people like you who ask questions that evoke reasonably relevant replies. Given all the pagan answers to this quesion, you warrant praise.

Answer 7

Pangel, as an olde phart Witch and Pagan I have had to defend my spirituality and beliefs for many many, did I mention many years. There is nothing that can be said that can make people view us with an unbiased eye. Christians don't want to understand us and I have found that when people think I am a wonderful Christian they have a hard time justified their opinion against us. Oh well.

I hope this helps?

BB's

Answer 8

Pretty much everything said above, and I'll add one more. A lot of people seem to think all pagans are following the same belief system. Not true. There are nearly as many types of paganism as there are pagans.

Answer 9

Prariecrow has a good answer.

I'd like to add another major misconception:
that all Wiccans and Pagans believe the same things.....

Answer 10

We're popular tonight! LOL
We worship the devil.
We all do magic (I don't and what I call "magic" most others don't. It's a personal defintion)
That all witches are wiccans and that all pagans are witches


Oh I forgot about the created not the creator thing. That's so far off I don't know where to start.