why so some fundies think that we pagans wait until halloween to do the things TD mentioned such as?

Question

human and animal acrifices, human breeding for the purpose of infant sacrifice, collecting blood in chalice of the sacrificed, chanting, demonic presence, ceremony of inaugurating young boys into priesthood, summoning Lucifer and his spirits to possess young boys who have been chosen to become high priests, marriage to the beast ritual, sexual abuse of children, sacrificial murder of young children.

clearly these things are way to fun to save for only once a year. we do them all the time!!!!

so my question is, what does it take to live in such willful religious ignorance?

Answer 1

There's an interesting thing that happens. I'm not sure how to explain it.

*Real* scholars acknowledge that virtually ALL descriptions of Satanic worship/witchcraft ritual that came out of the Inquisition---saying the Mass backwards, dancing naked with the Devil in the pale moonlight, etc---existed *only* in the minds of the inquistors themselves, and were simply assented to under torture, as in . . .

"Did you ____ ?" *sizzle*
"Oh, yes, yes, I did."
"And did you _____ ?" *crunch*
"Yes, yes, that too!"

. . . and so forth. Now, those same stories and images STILL persist in modern culture, with people believing in a nation/worldwide Satanic underground stealing "milk carton kids" (most of whom are actually products of custody disputes) for sexual abuse and sacrifice *despite* the FBI's repeatedly issued proclamations that there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever of any such thing happening or existing.

The cultural memes are so strong that they crop up in such varied fora as child abuse investigators (cf. the infamous McMartin trials, where an entire family and their livelihood was demonized and destroyed by investigators suggesting, and then believing wholesale, wild fabrications by children, no evidence for which was EVER discovered) and "repressed memory syndrome," which is ALL too frequently a remembered fear, dream, or hypnotist-implanted suggestion, NOT a real memory of a real event.

Fear persists, and fabricates its own bogeymen.

Recently, in southern Louisiana, a CHRISTIAN, PENTECOSTAL, FUNDAMENTALIST CHURCH decided, for reasons unknown, that they were going to "worship Satan." Well, that's a little weird, really, but not as weird as one might think . . . they're still staying within the same worldview and cosmology, after all. But what's weird, and tragic, is what happens next . . . and what *doesn't.*:

They don't contact the Church of Satan.

They don't contact the Temple of Set.

They don't seek out elders in or guidance from the local pagan community.

They apparently don't do any actual research.

What they DO is . . . every single "National Enquirer," "Jerry Springer," urban myth version of "Satanism" you ever heard of, right down to animal sacrifice and child sexual abuse. They may have even snuffed a baby or two---last I read of it, investigators weren't sure.

They BECAME the evil that in the real world, had existed only in their sick, twisted, *Christian* imaginations.

Weird, huh?

Answer 2

Oho, that question has been deleted. You really hit a nerve!! And yes, there ARE fundie pagans. No one with an attitude like that should be calling him/herself pagan at all. This is the sort of person you get because of the influx of disgruntled christians filtering into paganism. They bring their hates, their guilts, and fears along with them. Oh, and their unwillingness and fear of the "dark," only wanting to do "good" spells and never look inside themselves. They pretty much make me want to puke.

Answer 3

It's probably the most convenient time to work you into their calendar. Midsummer is too hot for such shenanigans, Yule has got too many other things going on (and besides, it's cold). Easter too. And Imbolc is just lame (celebrating what's not happening yet? Groundhogs, what?). So Samhain is the natural feast to pick on. Dark but not too cold, a perfect season for supernatural mischief. And since Christians are specifically avoiding all these nasty things themselves, it's up to you to validate their suspicions for them. Just do it on schedule, okay?

And be grateful you get even one day's attention. Many other belief systems (Hindus, Muslims, atheists, etc.) don't even rate that! Christians are much too busy sharing their own "wisdom" to bother learning yours!

Answer 4

If all that happens I'm hanging out with the wrong people. Last year we did a skit of Persephone, built an alter of the Dead (Honoring the dead people, not calling out ot them) and had a "feast"
Man, my friends are boring.

And Boar...My brain can't even wrap around that. That is mob mentality at its sickest I think.

Answer 5

religion for people is a carefully constructed framework for living life.....some people use religion to build defense mechanisms and some need to subscribe to some sort of evil that is not faced every day ..that way they can place themselves on the side of righteousness.... others use it as a spring board to be a better person....

Answer 6

they are projecting outward the darkness that they fear within themselves.