how do you feel about hiding your religion from your parents?

Question

my parents think i am a christian too , just because my mom took me some other sundays to different churches , and i took the oath because of course i didnt want her to be nagging like a month or more about this , but the reality is that im into wicca , i have done some good research about it , and i feel as this is the perfect path for me , but as wiccans should have their altars and tools then i cant have it to hte view of my family and my trust toward them has very much declined , since everytimei say something to them that is different from their point of view , they get soooo mad i always prefer to keep things for myself.but is very difficult at the same time to keep this for myself since im all alone in this.what do you think i should do with this situation

Answer 1

Many people 'closet' themsleves from their parents for a number of reasons: religion, sexuality, politics, friends... many have been where you are.

You know your parents better than I. If you distrust them, it is likely for good reason. If you think honesty will do you only harm, then accept that for now you need to stay hidden, but know that when you are older and have your own place you can do as is right.

For an altar and tools, I would stick to very simple household items for the moment, things that would not seem out of the ordinary to have. This may be less desirable than specialty items, but it may avoid some headaches from the parents.

Answer 2

Well if Wiccan is the right path for you like you say then you need to be 100 percent positive that it is because you should tell you tell you parents when they confront you about this. Don't be ashamed to tell them how you feel about it and let them know that you have done your research on it and that you are going to be who you are going to be. if they have a problem with it don't argue with them just simply say that you are sorry that they have a problem with that but your mind is made up and that you are not going to change it. Don't argue with them when the yell and say whatever it is that they say even if it is rude or hurt full. Always be the better person and know when to walk away from the situation. But YES i do think you should stand up for what YOU believe and if your parents can see that you are really passionate about it maybe they will understand.... just maybe.

Answer 3

The problem with Christianity is not the religion, not certainly with God but with ourselves. I was not enthusiastic as a Catholic so I joined a more spiritually minded Church, the Church of Christ. My parents were very upset and they really put me through a great ordeal. I'm glad I stood up to it and it made me stronger and now they agree with many of my beliefs. The question I would ask you is are you just rebelling against your parents and/or church beliefs? Do you not believe in God at all or are you disillusioned wiht current church teachings and doctrines? Wiccan is not like another religion, it is a belief in self and in nature and the universe. There is no core belief and though it may be exciting to explore different avenues there's no foundation in it. Is that what you're looking for? God is the one you can always turn to but perhaps you haven't found the right congregation. What do you think?

Answer 4

I have two kind of different point of views on this one. If you've researched Wicca entirely, you would have come across that whole section related to secrecy. It's not that you have to hide it, but Wicca really is more based on a solitary practice. There are "churches" or coven groups you can join, but the whole thing about it is that only the people who need to know are the ones who need to know. It causes alot of headaches because people don't understand it. I hope you do understand the whole religion as well before saying you "are a witch." It is something that you really do need to commit yourself to and not do it half a**. Your parents, being of the christian faith have probably been told that Wicca is evil because you are considered a "witch", but like I said, people don't understand, and they fear what they don't understand. If you feel like coming forward to them about your feelings, point out that they are your parents and family and they should be understanding of how you feel. Explain to them the difference in the beliefs of Wicca as opposed to other forms of magick. If you want to keep it more secretive, try looking up a forum for other people who practice Wicca in your area, and get to know what they're all about. As long as it's in a safe place, and they really understand it as well, go to a meeting sometime and see what it's like so you're not alone. Check to see if you have any Unitarian Meeting Houses in the area, alot of the attendees happen to be Wiccan (in my area at least (New England)) as well as a mix of other faiths. If this works out, convince your parents to come with you (I don't know how old you are). If you want your parents to understand it, and respect your belief system, it is your job to educate them if they want to learn. They should love you enough to do that. Please check out some of the "Living Wicca" books by Scott Cunningham as well, these have lots of knowledge, tools, and resources to learn from. Good luck and blessed be.

Answer 5

I'm not relgious spirtual but no real religion at about 16 my parents couldn't force me to go to church so I would stay at home and we would fight.

My brother on the other is wiccian, and passive he hates fighting with my parents so he has a protable altar, which he puts up on certin days and just takes it down when he will be gone and isn't using it. He says that until he can afford his own place he is sure that the goddess will undesrtand and doesn't want to cause discord in the home.

Answer 6

The best you can do is to try to tell them how you feel. No yelling or tantrums... I wouldn't expect them to embrace the path you have chosen. Most people do not have any idea of Wicca and equate it with satanism. Since you live in their home the altar and tools may be unacceptable to them. You may have to wait to be on your own to have that. You can follow the Wiccan Way in your heart without disrespecting your parents. Remember to keep your words soft. and remember your beliefs are ultimately your own.

Answer 7

Freedom of religion is one of your rights. If your parents disagree with your spiritual path, ask them to forgive you. As Christians, they should be able to grant you that. I don't believe hiding who you are is ever the right way to go. I know adults that hide things from parents (religion, smoking, point of view) and I've never quite been able to understand it. I am who I am, with my parents and everyone else. Being your own person is part of being an adult. Be who you are and let your parents have their own feelings. Good luck :)

Answer 8

the fact is that we do not have to believe in any one around us one thing that we do is that we think that some specific religion is more important than the other so we only worship that god but in places like india there are all kind of religion such as the jews, christians, hindus, musliams, siks, buddhists are many more but the difference is that all the people wheather it is a muslim or a christian or a hindu they all workship all the gods like hindus go to church and muslims go to mosque. WITH U THE PROBLEM IS THAT U DON'T WANT TO SHOW YOUR PARENTS WHAT YOUR RELIGION IS. THINK LIKE THIS IF U WERE BORN AS A MUSLIM WHAT WOULD U DO WHAT IF U HAVE BEEN BORN WITH A ATHEIEST PARENTS YOU WILL BE ATHEIST BECAUSE YOU BELEIVE WHAT YOUR PARENTS TELL WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG AND WHAT THEY TEACH YOU. First of all you have to know what the meaning of religion is accourding to wikipedia ::: A religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people, often codified as prayer, ritual, and religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and mystic experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. I think that definition is wrong. The actual fact is that there is no such thing as god, God is some thing that is created by the people. When they saw rain they were happy and for some time when they missed the rain they look at the sky and said why is not raining. then they started to say rain come on fall we need u then they started to pray to the sky and one day suddenly it rained. So they started to workship the rain. (actually they in the above sentence means the early men). Then they started to pary to the sun to the moon to the stars to the fire and they created icons then comes the old stories that say things that was impossible. I think we people are so stupid to read what that dumb people said and believe in them rather than trying some thing smart. Now religion has become a really disaster it is causing war and stuff like that which will atlast cause the distruction of the human beings. Religion has been defined in a wide variety of ways. Most definitions attempt to find a balance somewhere between overly sharp definition and meaningless generalities. Some sources have tried to use formalistic, doctrinal definitions while others have emphasized experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuational and ethical factors.

Sociologists and anthropologists tend to see religion as an abstract set of ideas, values, or experiences developed as part of a cultural matrix. For example, in Lindbeck's Nature of Doctrine, religion does not refer to belief in "God" or a transcendent Absolute. Instead, Lindbeck defines religion as, "a kind of cultural and/or linguistic framework or medium that shapes the entirety of life and thought… it is similar to an idiom that makes possible the description of realities, the formulation of beliefs, and the experiencing of inner attitudes, feelings, and sentiments.”[4] According to this definition, religion refers to one's primary worldview and how this dictates one's thoughts and actions.

Other religious scholars have put forward a definition of religion that avoids the reductionism of the various sociological and psychological disciplines that reduce religion to its component factors. Religion may be defined as the presence of a belief in the sacred or the holy. For example Rudolf Otto's "The Idea of the Holy," formulated in 1917, defines the essence of religious awareness as awe, a unique blend of fear and fascination before the divine. Friedrich Schleiermacher in the late 18th century defined religion as a "feeling of absolute dependence." In keeping with the Latin etymology of the word, religious believers have often seen other religions as superstition. Likewise, some atheists, agnostics, deists, and skeptics regard religious belief as superstition. (Edmund Burke, the Irish orator, once said, "Superstition is the religion of feeble minds.")

Religious practices are most likely to be labeled "superstitious" by outsiders when they include belief in extraordinary events (miracles), an afterlife, supernatural interventions, apparitions or the efficacy of prayer, charms, incantations, the meaningfulness of omens, and prognostications.

Greek and Roman pagans, who modeled their relations with the gods on political and social terms scorned the man who constantly trembled with fear at the thought of the gods, as a slave feared a cruel and capricious master. "Such fear of the gods (deisidaimonia) was what the Romans meant by 'superstition' (Veyne 1987, p 211). For Christians just such fears might be worn proudly as a name: Desdemona.

The Roman Catholic Church considers superstition to be sinful in the sense that it denotes a lack of trust in the divine providence of God and, as such, is a violation of the first of the Ten Commandments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states superstition "in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion"

Answer 9

If you feel you need to hide this from your parents,then I don't think you are totally comfortable with it yourself.
You need to have a talk with them and explain your feelings.They may be upset but it's better than hiding or lying to them.Honesty is always the best policy. You always get found out someway or another,so hiding is not the answer.
Communication is the key to your problem.Talk to them calmly and quietly and be totally upfront about your feelings.
Good Luck.

Answer 10

As a Wiccan, I believe you should wait to practice until you've reached an age of self-responsibility