Re: Witchcraft, Lycanthropy, Drugs & Disease (Review)
Infiniti

Tue Oct 13 15:19:40 1998
: Where I run into problems is when I mention that I don't *br*: follow the Wiccan Rede.  I have run into sooo many people *br*: who assume that if you don't follow the Rede, you must be *br*: the Anti-Christ.  You must be the most vile and monstrous *br*: person on the face of the planet, an evil, malevolent thing *br*: that curses at the first provocation.  No one ever thinks *br*: that a decent person could object to the Rede.*p*I don't follow the Rede.  I don't even remember most of it (I should ask Jehana about that...).  I follow the ways of my people, which can turn into a loooong, drawn out explaination of this that and the other.  I tent to tell people that my ways can be summed up, more or less, in the Ten Commandments.  You can usually watch the stages of shock and disgust wash over thier, faces.  Then the yelling begives... <G>*p*: Ah, but Witch and Wicca are just as bad, aren't they?  Wicce *br*: might have meant something positive, once upon a time.  *br*: (Though it's equally likely that it was always a pejorative *br*: term, meaning something like "the Twisted/Evil *br*: One.")  By the time that wicce became witch, it was *br*: definitely an insult.  Even "white" witches *br*: usually called themselves other things, like wise-woman, *br*: good-walker, cunning body, etc.  It was primarily their *br*: clients and critics who called them "witches".*p*Yes, but pagan is not a religion, Wicca is, now. I find it odd that, because of modern terming, I am lumped into the same group as Wicca, Shaman, Celt.  I have yet to see a term that lumps Christian, Jew & Muslim together.  Why would you, they are entirely different religions, as are Wicca, Celt, Shaman, and mine.  We ALL share similarities, but the use of the term pagan is more to have a wider base of people to quote to other, "are your people".  I find the term used more for propaganda purposes than anything, and I wont own up to the name.  I am me, I am not the pawn of someone's propaganda machine, nor will I be lumped in with other "pagans" when the other religions get tired of the anti-anyone-else/anti-Christian propaganda I've been seeing.  I write my own history, and my own destiny, not another pagan with a computer.  If pagan is to designate certain types of religious beliefs, simply call them by that religion like you would any other.  Don't seperate yourself, and "the other" religions are less likely to seperate you.*p*: Plus there's the problem of definition.  Some people do *br*: follow one clear-cut path, either ethnic *br*: (Celt/Asatruar/Strega), stylistic (Shaman/Witch), or *br*: religious (Wicca).  But in modern times we've see the rise *br*: of extremely eclectic paths, based loosely on these more *br*: specific threads.  What do we call them?*p*Human.  People.  I prefer their actual names, myself.  By todays use of the word, by "pagans", it means anyone not Christian.  I know of no Jew who would _allow_ you to call them pagan.  Many Christians are starting to change their ens of the term to mean anti-Christian.  And none of these can I find in a single dictionary!  I don't thing anyone living in a city has the ability to call themselves pagan, since the dictionary says that a pagan is a country dweller, amoungst the other things.*p*: What do we call *br*: someone who believes in the Triple Goddess of Wicca, *br*: celebrates the solstices and equinoxes (but not the Celtic *br*: Quarter Days), venerates the Great Goddess of feminist *br*: spirituality, fire-walks (but only at workshops), and *br*: doesn't cast spells?*p*Wiccan.  Wicca is more than spells.  Gardner himself said that not everyone will, or even can, caste spells.  When I was in Wicca (I have walked many paths), I was unable to do it without another present.  Chiristians used to believe in magic and spells at one time, some still do (hi Rori!).  The abaptation of spell-working back into their lives doesn't change that they follow God or Christ.  Religion is not magic, magic is not religion.  religion and magic can go together, however.  Celts are religious, but the Druids had the magic - still the same people.*p*: : We don't call Jews, *br*: : Christians, or Muslims by one lump term, why do it to *br*: : ourselves?  It also gives the less thinking of those other *br*: : religions something to spark another Burning Times with.  *br*: : "Go get the pagans!"*br*:*br*: Well, we call them monotheists, or Judeo-Christianity (for *br*: the Jews and the scads and scads of Christian *br*: denominations), or Western religions.  And the bigots don't *br*: need to have a word for us -- they already use *br*: "Devil-worshippers" just fine. <g>*p*Muslim is not a western religion.  Really, neither is Jew/Hebrew.  And technically, Christainity is Jewish, since it is a Jewish book and Christ is/was the King of the Jews - which would make Christianity a European Jewish denomination (Doug agrees with this, btw, but most Christians I mention it to glare at me <G>).*p*My faith is monotheistic, I follow only one diety, and am only supposed to.  The over all religion has many to choose from, but we are to be devoted to only one.  We pay some homage to the others if it is needed, and I do this to all the dieties out there, even Jehovah.  However, I am still saddled with the term pagan.*p*: Some days I think I would have preferred to live amongst the *br*: Celts, because of the personal freedoms women enjoyed.  But *br*: then I think of the incessant warfare and cattle-raiding *br*: that the Celts engaged in, of living with the constant *br*: danger that another tribe would show up and attack me.  And *br*: on those days, the Pax Romana doesn't sound so terrible.  *p*I don't think cattle-raiding and senceless warfare was quite as common as people think.  I could be wrong, but that sounds like a bunch of "scholars" making Celts look uncivalized, IMo.  Roman's had a good "mail" system going, too.  They weren't the US Post Office, but they did get the mail to you in a few months.  Imagine where we would be now if they hadn't stretched the Roman Empire boundries too far to continue this...*p*: As if deaths caused by Christianity are somehow *br*: qualitatively different from deaths caused by any other *br*: religion or philosophy...  I bet the Tibetans would have *br*: some issues with that, and the Martyrs of the Coliseum.  *p*I am want to believe they'd be wise enough and just ignore it, myself <G>*p*Michael
Re: Witchcraft, Lycanthropy, Drugs & Disease (Review)
Jenny
72
Tue Oct 13 12:51:02 1998