Patrick, you and I already relate well, so this isn't directed at you personally.. this is for educating the "masses":
1. I don't worship Satan, no matter how christians try to push that off on me. Satan is a jewish concept- Ha Satan means "the challenger" and the jews don't see him as an enemy of god, nor as a fallen angel. They see him as being in god's employ.. the greeks were the ones who brought the good versus evil concept there when they conquered jerusalem in the time between "Testaments". the Isaiah 14 passage is about Hallel (Lucifer is a mistranslation), a babylonian king who tormented the jewish people for many years, and his eventual downfall. That being said, I don't worship any such being. I don't worship by the middle-eastern monotheistic way of thinking anyway.
2. Hell is also a greek concept. Jews don't believe in it. If Jesus did exist, he wouldn't have believed in it. So, I'm not destined for that non-location.
3. There is no historical evidence for the existence of Jesus, so I am not concerned about worshipping a non-existent messiah or ELSE. Stop trying to proselytize me, which is actually a violation of community guidelines.
4. I don't have a problem with what anyone else believes, as long as it doesn't cause harm to others. which brings me to
5. I do not kill animals or children to sacrifice to my deities. They don't require that of me.. blood sacrifice is required by the middle eastern deity.. not mine.
6. I don't "worship" in the sense of greater than/less than. I work hand in hand on an even playing field with "deity".
7. We don't proselytize.. if you don't believe what I believe.. then that's okay. My path works for me. If yours is working for you, terrific. We can agree to disagree without insult and degradation. I am happy to receive an opposing view on something, as long as it's well-written and respectful.
8. I am a witch. I am NOT Wiccan, although I have nothing against the wiccan belief system. I am animist, pantheistic, ancestral in my beliefs. I believe one is born a witch (although the power of making and changing requires rites of passage: initiation into a coven of other witches where possible, doing it for oneself where one finds it impossible to find others).
Witchcraft and Wicca are not the same thing (they're close, but so are Druidry, Shamanism, Tao, Voudoun and most indigenous 'sorceries'. We all recognise an ability to be in more places than one simultaneously, to move between one reality and another, to affect change in mutuality with life itself in whatever form it chooses to present itself, and at the behest of the Déithe, and according to fate, destiny, geis, expertise or random factors perhaps quite beyond any of the aforementioned).
9. I take responsibility for my choices/decisions/actions. I do not pass it off on a deity or antithesis of deity, nor do I feel guilt in having transgressed against a deity. I understand that I will make mistakes.. it's how I learn from them that helps me grow spiritually. I also understand that I am connected to every other being on the web of life (aka wyrd), and that my actions/decisions/choices affect everyone else. This is why I make them carefully and pay close attention to polishing the mirror of my soul.
2007-10-04 07:47:49
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answer #1
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answered by Kallan 7
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Yes, I question my beliefs. It's how I got to where I am now spiritually and it's served me well. When I have questions, I seek honest answers. I do not simply seek the answer that will make me feel better: that negates the point of questioning. Questioning is what led me to leave Christianity after long debate. If you continue to question your pagan beliefs and cannot find reason to believe in pagan gods, then perhaps your path doesn't lie within paganism. On another note, please stop telling people you're of the Gardnerian Tradition. That is absolutely an initiatiory Tradition ONLY. You have to be trained and initated by a Gardnerian teacher. There is absolutely no such thing as "self-initiation" as a Gardnerian. I don't know why you would call yourself that, but it projects that image that you're a fraud. You are absolutely not a self-initiated Gardnerian. There's nothing wrong with being a non-initiated, non Tradition-based Wiccan. There is lots of things wrong with claiming labels you have not earned. You want to strengthen your faith? Be honest about it.
2016-05-20 23:46:17
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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I don't worship Satan, nor any devils. I don't cast spells as I am not a Witch. Pagan does Not = Witch. I don't participate in orgies - have never even heard of Pagans or Witches or Heathens having one - it's a lie started by the Catholic Church. I do not own a besom (broom for ritual work). I do however own a nice selection of knives, swords, a staff/walking stick... I don't wear a bunch of pagan jewelry, as a matter of fact I only one one pentacle and I don't wear it often anymore. I'm not dripping with crystals (a lot of people seem to think Pagan also means New Ager - I'm not that either). Though I do like some of the "softer" music, I would much rather be listening to Metal. I don't wear black all the time, but I do enjoy wearing black. I do, however, have very pale skin, but not because I wanted it that way - it's because I can't stay out in the sun and the heat too long, I get sick lol Can't do tanning beds either.
Of course, this is me personally. You will run into some Pagans that do some, if not all, of the things I've listed above. I've actually seen some wear so much jewelry, that if you threw them in the river, they'd drown under the weight of it all.
2007-10-04 07:52:14
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answer #3
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answered by River 5
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I am not a witch
I am not a wiccan
I don't worship the devil
My gods are SEPARATE. They are no aspects of anyone but themselves.
I don't stand out. You know more pagans then you know. I look like anyone else. Most people don't even recognize my necklace which is a dead give away that I am Heathen. Pagans are normal people, leading normal lives raising normal kids in normal neighborhoods. The only black thing I own, is a little black dress ;)
I am not a damn viking. *eye roll* you would be just down right amazed on that one.
And everything Mike said. Yeah, I'm lazy today. Hehe. My faith is about home, hearth, kin and history. It's about embracing the philosophy of our ancestors and rebuilding what we lost. It is a lifestyle and a religion.
Hail the Gods
edit: Honey, I haven't even BEGUN to offend your sensibilities.
2007-10-04 11:46:22
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answer #4
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answered by ~Heathen Princess~ 7
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I won't go into what Christians often accuse us of as that's the topic for most answers. The misconceptions I'd like to clarify are directed to people that truly don't know about Paganism but are open-minded.
Our gods actually exist - if not to you, they definitely do to us.
We Pagans are just as moral as the next person.
We cannot be put into one big category - we all have different opinions on all the political issues just as any other group would have.
Paganism isn't just one big religion - there are many, many branches each with many, many leaves!! Some of these branches are very different - yet they are all united by being a nature religion.
Ahem, Wicca and Witchcraft are two different things! You can be one or both, but like a tall red-head, you can be tall or red-headed!
Great question, BTW!
2007-10-04 08:11:47
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answer #5
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answered by Heathen Mage 3
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Oh boy, let's see. Where to start. I'm not evil, don't believe in the devil, I would never intentionally cause harm to people or animals. There are Pagans in every type of job out there. Intolerance causes many Pagans to have to be silent about their beliefs. The same intolerance can cause them to lose their jobs, children etc. Oh I'm a normal person, not into wearing black all the time. I don't do human or animal sacrifice and would never even consider it. I don't worship objects. I will use some objects for focus if I need it. I don't hate christians, I don't hate anyone. I will on occasion speak my mind about something. I get frustrated when people assume they know what I believe, worship or do in my practice.
That's all I can think of at this moment.
2007-10-04 07:54:37
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answer #6
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answered by Janet L 6
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Well, for one thing, there are many different varieties of Pagans. Some are reconstructionist, that is based on pre-Christian practices. Some are New Age. Some use magic or witchcraft, some don't. Some are hard polytheists, some are pantheists, some view the gods as archetypes. Most practices revere nature and honor ancestors. Some are entirely pacifistic, some contain a warrior culture. Some are entirely female, Dianic Wicca for example.
Pretty much, each Pagan has to be taken on an individual level, because there is a lot of personal growth and tolerance in our religions.
2007-10-04 07:39:40
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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Pagan – A person who does not adhere to the socio-religious rules and regulations I believe in, but not necessarily against my religion. This term could be used neutrally or condemningly. A non-believer.
Heathen – A pagan who directly or indirectly performs acts that cause offence to my sentiments or ideology or whose actions are perceived to be detrimental to the society or religion of mine or a person who is overtly hostile to my social setup and religion.
Wiccan – A person, who could be either a pagan or a heathen or none and who performs actions which are perceived to be sorcery or witchcraft from the point of view of my faith and ideology.
Hence, if I am a Christian, I would call a shaman a Wiccan and a non-Christian pagan. Romans were pagans before they converted to Christianity, but only a Christian would say so; for a non-Christian, they are still pagans. A person who worships Idols would be a heathen for a Christian or a Muslim. Similarly, a Christian or Muslim who eats beef would be a pagan as well as a heathen for a Hindu or Sikh.
It’s just the angle from which you want to look at it.
2007-10-04 14:28:28
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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I am Wicca, I do NOT worship a Devil of any kind nor do I believe in one. I do not do blood sacrifices of any kind. I am a healer and the Deity is a many faceted being (Like the Christian God!) I believe there are many faces to the Deity and that which ever face I look to in worship is the area I need the most. I don't believe a devil is the reason for anything I don't do right, I hold myself responsible. I will not use my gifts to harm anyone or thing. Nor will I force my will on others. I am willing to teach my beliefs to those who truly are interested, but I also honor the beliefs of others because I believe there is more than one path to salvation! I also prefer to live my faith rather than shout it out for it is the deed, not the spoken word that rings out the loudest and is often "heard" by those who watch while they ignore those upon pulpits or soap-boxes! Hope this helps!
2007-10-04 07:41:22
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answer #9
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answered by Rev. Kaldea 5
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As a Wiccan, I have just as personal and intimate a relationship with my Deities as any Christian does with Jesus. Anyone who thinks that only Christianity involves a relationship with God is badly mistaken.
I also take issue with the idea that Wiccans worship the creation rather than the Creator. As I was taught, the universe is the living body of the God and the Goddess, and therefore everything is infused with Divine power. It is more accurate to say that we worship the Creator IN the creation.
2007-10-04 08:22:42
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answer #10
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answered by prairiecrow 7
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Despite what some would think, heathenry is not just some romanticized notion of "How to be a Viking."
Modern heathenry (also known as Asatru, Odinism, and other names) is an attempt to reconstruct the indigenous faith of the Northern European peoples in a way that makes practical sense in today's world.
While we certainly have our share of Viking wannabes and yes, white supremacist idiots, by and large, most heathens are mainstream individuals living normal lives. For example, I know heathens who are lawyers, doctors, soldiers, and teachers.
What draws us together is an earnest desire for deep, meaningful connection to:
- the gods and goddesses of our early forefathers
- our departed ancestors who live on through us
- our living kin: our families and fellow heathens
- this goodly earth and all the spirits (both seen and unseen) that dwell upon it
We attempt to live up to the noblest values of our amazing cultural heritage. Our life choices are made based on considerations of courage, honor, loyalty, industriousness, hospitality, truthfulness, personal responsibility and generosity. We strive to increase our luck and good reputation by doing worthy deeds.
We don't have to put others down to raise ourselves up.
We DO NOT worship the Christian devil. That's utter nonsense. Our native faith predates the Christian era. Most of us don't even honor Loki, Hela, or the other disruptive or disreputable powers in our own pantheon. We recognize they exist of course but don't worship them. That being the case, why would we worship the evil entity of some foreign tribe?
2007-10-04 09:39:52
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answer #11
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answered by Mike H. 4
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