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Anyone Here a Wiccan or Pagan?; Discussion about Wicca/Paganism
Topic Started: May 23 2006, 04:50 PM (382 Views)
BlueMolly2009
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Last night, in a chat I was in we started talking about Wicca/Paganism, and the discussion was very informative.
I was wondering who here practices Wicca and/or Paganism? If you have other religious beliefs, what are your thoughts about it?

I'm not practicing, but I'm very interested in it, since I have several friends who are practicing Wiccan/Pagans.
One thing I truly know is that they are NOT I repeat are NOT devil worshippers. They believe in nature from what I gather.

i did find this interesting website: http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm

Let's keep this civil okay, because I know religious talk can get touchy at times. :)
Molly
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Yesh, there's me - born again pagan! ^_^
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BlueMolly2009
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MaccaByrd
May 23 2006, 12:00 PM
Yesh, there's me - born again pagan! ^_^

:lol: Fiona. I forgot you are Pagan. :)
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While I no longer am a Wiccan and remain an agnostic, I still feel it is one of the nicest religions in the world. :) You?
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Merry
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No, but I know of one or two online, but they're not here. (Wiccans)

I've known a few from different places I've worked at too, but I'm just not interested.


I have more of a faith in God and a Higher being of some kind.


:) Merry


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BlueMolly2006
May 23 2006, 04:50 PM
One thing I truly know is that they are NOT I repeat are NOT devil worshippers. They believe in nature from what I gather.

In fact, they don't even believe in the devil and Hell, much less plan on going there!
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BlueMolly2009
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MaccaByrd
May 23 2006, 12:05 PM
While I no longer am a Wiccan and remain an agnostic, I still feel it is one of the nicest religions in the world. :) You?

Same here, Fiona. It seems like one of the better religions out there. I love how they embrace nature and it's just seems like a peaceful relgion from what I've learned.
There are so many misconceptions about Wicca/Paganism that it bugs me.

Wiccans are not devil worshippers
They don't fly on brooms or cast evil spells
They don't eat children

The cool thing that I've learned is that they believe in both a God and Goddess, and it's a very female oriented religion.
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Bill
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I have to say, I find it all a bit of a wank.

It seems to me (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that most practitioners of Wicca are more interested in the rituals than the message behind them. And that's the same as the problems with most other organised religions.
From everything I've seen, Wicca is more of a 'scene' than a faith.

Just my observations.
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Emilee
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I was born a Catholic, but Im afraid I question it every day. So I guess you could say im agnostic. I won't go into any further details at the risk of offending anyone.
I wished I could save her in some sort of time machine.
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JeffLynnesBeard
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I find it interesting that the rise of people claiming to practise Wicca coincided with the popularity of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Draw your own conclusions from that. :P
...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
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FamousGroupie
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May 24 2006, 12:58 PM
I was born a Catholic, but Im afraid I question it every day. So I guess you could say im agnostic. I won't go into any further details at the risk of offending anyone.

Emilee, I was also born Catholic, and remain so, although I too question the teachings of the Church. It is a good thing that you do question, keep that going.

Think about this: Catholic (or Christian) Fundamentalism has a lot to answer for. What is one of the most common excuses for going on a shooting spree, or joining a cult or any other slightly unsavoury pursuits?

God or the Devil made them do it.

Blind faith can be very dangerous.


As for Wicca, I personally think it is a load of bunkum.
I don't believe in Bondi. I don't believe in rugby league. I believe in Yoko, John Lennon, the Lost Weekend and me.
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Can you please say why you think so, Clare? Why it is not just as legitimate as Christianity or Buddhism? Perhaps, like many, you have the idea that Wicca is just a phase that teenagers go through as they wear black nail polish and pentagrams around their necks? I think it's only fair that you say why you feel this way.
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Bill
May 24 2006, 02:33 AM
I have to say, I find it all a bit of a wank.

It seems to me (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that most practitioners of Wicca are more interested in the rituals than the message behind them. And that's the same as the problems with most other organised religions.
From everything I've seen, Wicca is more of a 'scene' than a faith.

Just my observations.

I believe that those are just the people you see. Most Wiccans as far back as history goes do not brag about their chosen faith. Of course the ones who make a 'scene' of it are the ones who are most visible to you and others, and therefore the ones you will use to judge Wiccans as a whole by.

Wiccans are neo-pagans and I wish people understood this better.
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Bill
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Yes, but what does it all mean? Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism all have guiding principles. Sure, people pervert them, but they all have a vision for how to make the world a better place. I'm no expert, but I don't see any of that in Wicca. I only see rituals that represent..... well, not much. Not as far as I can see anyway. If anyone can educate me, then please do.

I'm not knocking it. Whatever floats your boat. But my reaction to what I've seen has been a resounding "so what?"
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maccascruff
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I am an agnostic and a total non believer. I believe I will go to my grave that way.

As for Wiccans, the ones I know are really into all the rituals.
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Bill
May 24 2006, 02:32 PM
Yes, but what does it all mean? Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism all have guiding principles. Sure, people pervert them, but they all have a vision for how to make the world a better place. I'm no expert, but I don't see any of that in Wicca. I only see rituals that represent..... well, not much. Not as far as I can see anyway. If anyone can educate me, then please do.

I'm not knocking it. Whatever floats your boat. But my reaction to what I've seen has been a resounding "so what?"

I don't know what most religions' goals are for making the world a better place... other than to convert nonbelievers. :P I'm sure that they all have the same basic goodwill behind them and that includes Wicca.

Wiccans believe in the power of prayer. Yes, they call them spells but I am afraid to use that word considering the context it is usely used in. They believe that nature deserves some respect and that the basic medicine we need can be found there. I figure that if there is a god, he/she/it/them would be most likely to reside in nature - you can't get much more primative than that!

Either way, they believe in balance but not in black magic or hell. I like the positive aspect. While Christian have a goal to get into heaven, a lot of Wiccans see life as a cycle and that the Lord and the Lady (I also like the gender of their god) put us here without rules but to do no harm. You might say that a Wiccan's goals are not what their 'gods' require of them but only what they set for themselves.
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Bill
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And that's the problem I have with it. I like some of the things you've said there.
But if, as you say, Wicca places no requirements on people other than the goals the set for themselves, then surely that's a self-defeating thing. That would mean the rituals mean nothing because people get to do whatever they want to anyway. Who (or what) answers the prayers, and why? What answers and advice does it offer?

You see, as faith systems go, Wicca or paganism sounds a bit too easy for me. It fulfills the basic human need to believe in something and be a part of something, without expecting anything back from the believer. One size fits all, it's anything you want it to be. Clayton's religion.
It doesn't work for me.
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Well, that's what I like about it. ^_^ It's the rules in other religions that drove me nuts. The Golden Rule very much applies to Wicca and I suppose they believe a higher power will come to the aid of certain rituals.

Like I said, I believe in nature, I believe in goodness, I don't believe in a one-gender god... yet I am unable to consider myself a Wiccan. There must be a reason for that. There are certain things which make you a particular religion and I don't think I fit into denominations of any religion because I just don't have the belief system.
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I don't want to change your mind, Bill, and I am glad to have a respectful discussion about it. ^_^

-

Pagan:
One who has no religion.
One who is not a Christian.
One who believes in more than one god.
One who is inspired by various pre-christian European beliefs.
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yeahimcute
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I'm supposed to be a Christian..but uhmm.. :blush:
*once again your eyes make it hard to ask you why
so I sit here knuckles tied
hands against the wheel
your head against the glass
and you mean so much to me
*
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FamousGroupie
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MaccaByrd
May 24 2006, 11:53 PM
Can you please say why you think so, Clare? Why it is not just as legitimate as Christianity or Buddhism? Perhaps, like many, you have the idea that Wicca is just a phase that teenagers go through as they wear black nail polish and pentagrams around their necks? I think it's only fair that you say why you feel this way.

It might just be my Catholic ideals talking Fiona. I don't personally know a lot of Wiccans, so I guess it was a little short sighted of me to make such a sweeping generalisation. I apologise for that.

Wicca has its merits. I just don't personally believe them. But then a lot of people don't believe in my faith either.

I grew up thinking that there was something rather sinister about the Wiccan religion (although that could be my Priest's doing), and that anyone who practiced it was a little odd and should be avoided.

I know better know, obviously, but there's always that little bit of suspicion....

Sorry, I probably haven't explained myself very well, and have offended a few people into the bargain!
I don't believe in Bondi. I don't believe in rugby league. I believe in Yoko, John Lennon, the Lost Weekend and me.
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Bag O' Nails
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I found a comparison chart on this website quite revealing about the differences:

http://www.religionfacts.com/wicca/comparison.htm
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paulscat
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Wicca is a "real" religion... it's even recognized as such by the US military... but it's just one type of Paganism. I'm not Wiccan but some of my best friends are and they're not in it for the "glamour"... they are as sincere in their beliefs as any other deeply spiritual people and the rituals they partake in are meaningful to them. I have been a guest at a few Wiccan rituals and there was nothing scary or "weird" about them. And the food afterward was always yummy :-)

I'm an eclectic pantheist. Anyone who would like more info about the flavor of Paganism that I subscribe to can visit my website...

http://catanna.com/paganism101.htm

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they all have a vision for how to make the world a better place. I'm no expert, but I don't see any of that in Wicca.

Those who follow a Pagan path see the earth as sacred so environmental issues are important to us. I think that qualifies as working to "make the world a better place."

BlueMolly, thank you for posting a link to religioustolerance.org. That is a wonderful site!

CatAnna
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