In the early years of America, all over Europe and most of the rest of the world, there was a "witch" craze. Everyone swore if you did something out of the ordinary, you were a witch. No questions asked. Thus, sealing your fate as a condemned sinner of the Church and of God and you would confess and repent and return to God, or you would die. It was that simple. Of course, we know now that these people were innocents. Some confessed to witchcraft (after being tortured), but those who stood up to the system were viciously murdered, beaten, stoned, hanged, burned at the stake, and Giles Corey was crushed to death. For many, many years, because of such prejudices against the Old Ways, Pagans were forced to hide their faith in fear of being killed.
It’s roughly four hundred years later, and history could be repeating itself. There are crusades against the Pagan or Earth-based religions. A former witch-who is now a "born-again" Christian even has her own beginnings of a Christian denomination devoted to dousing the inner flames of witches, by trying to destroy their way of life. A show called the 700 club that airs on the ABC Family channel made a public mockery of the entire Pagan community. They related the sudden teen interest in Paganism to the success of the Harry Potter series (the story of a young wizard going to a school for wizards and witches and living in a magical world full of adventure). It’s true; Harry Potter books do have a certain Pagan-particularly Wiccan-element to them. Some would say just enough to spark an interest in the Craft. However, Harry Potter is nothing to what Paganism or Wicca is really about. Harry Potter is a work of FICTION. Maybe more conservatives should consider this fact before they begin to get the Bibles and the Crosses out to ward off the "evil" of a "satanic" piece of literature. Harry Potter is being banned because of people like this! A children’s book is being banned! What happened to the fairy tales from when most of us were young? Are they now going to say that because Cinderella had a fairy godmother that the tale is evil? What about Snow White? Her stepmother was the most evil, vile woman in the fairy tale world (with the exception of Hansel and Gretel’s stepmother). Are these tales evil because they have magical or evil elements? If there were no evil to be fought, no supernatural element to give the heroes that extra hand up on the bad guys-where would the entertainment be? It would be just like watching the news, or reading a non-fiction book. Fairy tales teach children to love reading because it carries them away to another world. Somewhere where anything is possible. But that’s off the subject. Or is it?
Just because one religion is different from another, does that make the other religions evil? Apparently the Christian Churches think so. Anything but Christianity is the "wrong road." You are "lost" if you do not believe in their God. Where are they right? Archaeological evidence shows that a form of Paganism is much older than the Christian religion. Pagan cave carvings date back to the cave men, where as the oldest Christian archaeological find is much younger. And much of Christianity remains a mystery today. Constant disputes over this part or that of the Bible. And where was the Garden of Eden? Did Jesus ever really exist? And if he did, did he really perform such miracles as is written?
The Greek Philosopher Plato and many of his colleges are well known for telling tales-with just enough truth in them so they seem real-to make a point. Something of moral value that teaches a lesson. We call these fables today. Who is to say that Christianity is not the biggest, most carefully thought out fable? It may not sound like it, but I do have respect for all religions. The fact is, though, that I am Pagan. I do not take kindly to someone publicly trashing my choice of faith, because it is not their way.
Have these "Christians" stopped to think that the reason more teenagers are becoming intrigued by the Old Ways is because there is no threat of Hell or eternal damnation or being tormented by the Devil for all of eternity. In fact, there is no mention of Satan or the Devil or Lucifer or any of his other names at all in the Pagan Religions.
In my hardly professional opinion, it is psychologically damaging to a child to tell them that they will go to hell when they die if they do something wrong. A child as he or she grows up needs to have freedom to develop their own ideals, ideas, morals, and ethics to become an individual. Teaching a child of Hell all the fire and brimstone that goes along with "sinning" teaches children to fear death, and death is part of life. It should not be feared, but rather respected.
I grew up in a Christian home, attended to a Christian church, participated in Sunday School, Youth Group and all those other things you do in church. As I got older, I found that it just wasn’t for me. I have nothing against the Christian faith, it is a beautiful religion that cares for the well being of everyone, but the reality is, history has proven they tend to be too zealous. Take a careful look at the crusades. The victims of the crusaders had only two choices: convert to Christianity or die. Wanting to save the world is fine and very noble, but saying that the world is going to hell if they do not believe the same way you do is wrong. Even the best intentions can warrant the worst outcomes. Some can become so zealous in their efforts to save the world and lead them all to Jesus Christ that they turn people off to the faith entirely. Spirituality is a basic need of all people, no matter what it may be. If one religion is forced upon you-you would be less likely to understand anything of it, respect it, or care anything about it.
The show aired on ABC Family was innocent enough. Good intentions-bad outcome. What these ‘reporters’ did not mention, though, is that Witchcraft/Wicca/Paganism is a very peaceful, loving religion. There was no mention of the Wiccan Rede and how it expressly forbids doing harm to others including yourself. And that anything you send out, comes back threefold. Christianity even adopted this theory. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." There are undoubtedly many differences in the Pagan and Christian religions. The most obvious being the worship of deities. The Christians have God, and the Pagans have the God and Goddess (also called the Lord and Lady). Christians attend Church in Congregations, Pagans cast Circles and participate in Covens or as Solitaries.
The Pagan community has caused and certainly has not intended harm to the Christian community. Yet, a Pagan’s way of life is coming under persecution because they believe something different from the Christian faith. Paganism is not "evil," Satanism is evil (which by some "coincidence"-Satan is a creation of the Christian Church). Perhaps if Christians were more willing to educate themselves outside their own religion, they would come to- if not accept or respect, at least be tolerant of other faiths and paths. There is nothing wrong with being a Pagan, a Wiccan, a Witch, a Druid, a Shaman, a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Catholic, a Rastefarian, a Baptist, a Jewish, a Methodist, a Unitarian, a Pentecostal, a Non-Denominational, an Atheist, an Agnostic, or any other religion someone chooses to be. Thinking of one choice of religion as being the "right" one is not only narrow-minded, it’s wrong. It goes against every right guaranteed not by some judge or 200 hundred year old piece of paper, but by nature.
Being a Wiccan does not make someone evil, nor does being a Christian. It makes the person unique in their ideas and morals and ethics, and calling themselves one religion or another gives them support from a group of their peers who believe something similar. Everyone is different. No one believes the same things the same way. That’s what makes the human race beautiful; its diversity. Diversity should be respected and encouraged, not frowned upon.
Thanks to RianaMoon (Taegan) for sharing this, written by...
~The Basement~
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