BellaOnline Forums Family Christian Living I'd like your opinion

Hello, i am a pagan, a witch if you please, do you have anything you'd like to ask me or tlak to me about? :rolling:

Hmmm, What do you like about the Pagan belief?

hmmm, interesting starter... pardon me ladies as I chime in here.

I feel like there is less "us and them" to pagan beliefs. Not that there aren't pagans who rail against "the mundane" or other religions. Intolerance still swings both ways.

No pagan has ever woken me up early on a Saturday AM ringing my bell and handing me pamphlets, nor do they acost me while I am walking down the street, trying to get me to take a pre-annotated copy of a their religious doctrine while telling me my life just has to be a ruin because I am not like them.

I like how in Wicca my actions are MY actions, not chosen by someone else or according to their will or some unknown plan. The Law of Threes, which stipulates that whatever energy I put out will come back to me threefold, is something to give you pause, whether you are about to yell, or feel like striking out physically, or if you are just angry at nothing.

I chose paganism as an adult in my early thirties. My beliefs have not isolated me from any of my friends or family who practice other religions. I find I can still share holidays and such, and doing the little bit to educate people as to how I am celebrating something a bit different is usually a great sharing exchange and not an ideological conflict.

- Rae

besides a bunch of the holidays we celebrate now started out as being a pagan holiday. (hehe at my neighbor, a lady who is a "devout" christian who would never "soil" herself with anything that was not a christian holiday, as she celebrated halloween)Sorry I just had to add that in lol!

I'm glad you chimed in as Lady Moon hasn't returned since she asked the question.

I studied some alternative beliefs as an adult and then became a Christian believer about 10 years ago. I had very little religious training as a child so becoming a Christ follower was a wholehearted choice.

The people who wake you up to give you pamphlets, etc are among the minority even though they seem to be everywhere. I won't go into their beliefs. There are many variations of Christian belief and some that are not true biblical Chistian in their belief.

I'm sorry you seem to have been 'bullied' by someone's good intentions.
My belief comes from studying the Bible and striving to live as Jesus taught.
God created us all. It isn't my job to change anyone's belief although I do feel that I should share the joy I have and the light I have been given. (Not by force <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )
I deal with my own shortcomings everyday. I certainly don't feel compelled to set anyone else straight about theirs!
We are all in this life together. I believe Christians should be known by the love they show.

Lynne,

My second roommate my freshman year at college was Japanese American and practiced Christianity. She told fantastic stories of how her family was part Buddhist and part Christian and holiday celebrations at their house were a row of Buddhist uncles down one side of the table arguing with Christian aunties lined up down the other. We had some great discussions about faith and beliefs, especially after she was kicked out of the intervaristy christian fellowship group on campus for not praying exactly like they did, or some other vapid nonsense.

Growing up, I had a circle of friends, there were about six of us in three pairs of "bests." I was Jewish (i chose to be pagan as an adult), my best friend was Methodist, one girl was Baptist, another was Catholic, one said her mom said they were agnostics and one girl was Christian and went one town over to church. We had what we called a "Hannumas" party ever year and would have one big gift exchange at someone's house. Our mom's all thought it was great. We had to explain all the differences to each other, but nothing seemed to conflict. It was nice.

- Rae

You know, I remember back when I was in college.. I had joined a group called students for social responsibility and awareness (yes it was quite a mouthful!) It was a creat group! We had a hari krishna, a budhist, two wiccans, a jew, and then me, the unkown lol! One thing that really struck me as odd was that while our group was very open to everyone, the christian student group would put out flyers saying the devil is among us, and then point at US when they would talk about it. Seems they thought we were all living horrible drug infested lives (little did they know we were all DEATH on drugs! yuck!) Eventually the dean threatened to disban the christianity group if they didn't stop targeting hatful comments at other groups. So, I think that there are some really icky people in the christian religion who make sure they stand out, and sadly that gives the entire christian religion a BAD name. Ah well. Happiness to all is my motto <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

You're right. There are many individuals that can give their groups a bad name. I knew two people who practiced witchcraft that were kind of icky. In fact, the man tried to murder his wife! I have met Christians that possibly delayed my conversion by their attitude.

The thing is, we will all die someday and our choices now will effect what happens to us after we die. I believe that we all live eternally -- it is just where and how that is in question.

Personally, I don't believe in a literal eternal fiery hell. Here's a fascinating site by a theologian that examines the error of the "literal, eternal hell" doctrine. http://what-the-hell-is-hell.com/ and http://www.tentmaker.org/ are excellent sites. I have other sites out the wazoo if anyone is interested. (They are from a "Kingdom Theology" Christian slant. But I think they have some great articles and information on what the original language of the Bible really says as opposed to what's been taught traditionally...and largely unexamined by both laypeople and ministers alike.)

I grew up as a Pentecostal Christian, and went on to Bible College to study to be a minister. I'm still ordained and used to co-pastor a Charismatic church, actually. While Christianity is still my proverbial home base, my beliefs are pretty different than most fundamentalist/traditionalist. I believe all are children of God, and all paths eventually lead back to Source.

Rae The Law of Three sounds like the Biblical "sowing and reaping". Good stuff.

Anyone know the difference between paganism and wicca? I have a pagan friend but we tend to disuss New Age type stuff, not pagansim.

Namaste

The Pagan Pride Project has a great definition of paganism:

A Pagan or NeoPagan is someone who self-identifies as a Pagan, and whose spiritual or religious practice or belief fits into one or more of the following categories:

* Honoring, revering, or worshipping a Deity or Deities found in pre-Christian, classical, aboriginal, or tribal mythology; and/or
* Practicing religion or spirituality based upon shamanism, shamanic, or magickal practices; and/or
* Creating new religion based on past Pagan religions and/or futuristic views of society, community, and/or ecology; and/or
* Focusing religious or spiritual attention primarily on the Divine Feminine.

According to the above definitions, Wicca would be a form of paganism. I identify as pagan as opposed to Wiccan as I don't specifically follow a Wiccan tradition.

- Rae