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11-23-24 06:13 PM
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Xeogaming Forums - Sunset Waterfall - Familial Religious Intolerance
  
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Katana
Posts: 3298/3649
I'm sorry for the intolerance you've been experiencing, Twilight. It's sad that any of you, or any one at all has experienced it. Of all the complaints I can muster about my family and upbringing, I will ALWAYS stand by their genuine nature of acceptance. Racism and religious intolerance were among the many shockers to me when I hit high school.

I'm very glad that you chose to seek a place you could go to and get it off your chest. That takes a lot in itself.
True Flight
Posts: 4631/5245
That's more like it. Thanks Elara

I'm not forcing religion on you. If it seems like that sorry. I've pretty much had the been there done that mindset my apologies miss ponie. But I have tons of books and every once in awhile in Church I say Blessed Be.... I've had many a weird look.

I have some pretty weird beliefs.
Twilight Sparkle
Posts: 60/63
^What she said.

And I apologize if my last post sounded b!***y, I've been having a rough patch the last couple of days and haven't been taking my meds like I should have. I shouldn't snap like that.
Elara
Posts: 7314/9736
I believe what she was trying to say is that she didn't choose it, it chose her. I have the same kinda idea... paganism just clicked for me.
Twilight Sparkle
Posts: 59/63
You're obviously not comprehending the point I was trying to make.
True Flight
Posts: 4630/5245
Hate to bust your bubble but since Wicca is a religion, nobody is BORN Wiccan, not anymore than someone is born a Christian or a Muslim. Some people may be raised within the Wiccan religion if their parents or families are Wiccan, but for most people being Wiccan is a spiritual choice that is made at some point in their lives. Really only with children being born and raised now do we truly see people who are being raised Wiccan.
Twilight Sparkle
Posts: 57/63
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that Christianity itself is boring, just that it bores ME. I've been to Churches with people speaking in tongues, and frankly, it disturbed me. Church itself makes me uneasy. I don't know why.

Of course, it could be because, as another Pagan recently told me, you don't become Wiccan, you're born one, whether you're raised it or not. So maybe my uneasiness in church is because of my natural afinity for Wicca. I don't know.

Rogue
Posts: 8025/11918
What a coincidence. A couple nights ago, when I had a mini geek-out about Greek mythology with my parents over dinner, I started talking about how traditional holidays we celebrate are Pagan-based. This sort of spawned from my recent re-watching of The Da Vinci Code, specifically the part where they mentioned Constantine becoming Christian to keep the Christians from wrecking everybody's shit and they adapted Pagan holidays to Christian ones to ease the transition. My mom, the SUPER CATHOLIC, was actually kind of interested.

Anyway, I feel your pain. Except it's not my choice of faith, but my lack of it that upsets my mother.

I'm agnostic (which is technically Pagan as well since Pagan is anything not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish).

It REALLY bothers my mom sometimes. When I was in high school and I'd already stopped going to church, she started saying things like "God bless you" when she meant good-bye (to which I'd answer, "The Force be with you, Mom").

Every now and then I find her crying because she worries for my dad and me not being the same religion as she is (my dad's deist), and since my boyfriend's been living with us for the past 4 years, in my room, this also becomes an issue for her spiritually.

For the most part, though, she seems to accept my belief that I don't know who or what is up there or if there is any god at all. Even when I was exploring Buddhism and Taoism (for school-related reasons), she became somewhat supportive and went to a temple and took part in the ceremony with me as part of my assignment for Non-Western Philosophy class. She did have a bit of an issue bowing to a statue of Buddha, but when I explained to her that Buddha's not a god, never declared himself so, and is just the founder of a philosophy, she felt more comfortable with being there.

Sorry to take the focus from you. All I can tell you is it's your faith and your life. Your mother loves you, and hopefully she'll come to accept your beliefs. I've had luck explaining to my mom (again, she really is ultra Catholic) what Wicca and Neo-Druidry were by pushing the fact that they are nature-worshiping, empowering religions that DO NOT sacrifice animals and so on.
True Flight
Posts: 4629/5245
I used to be wiccan too. I drifted back to Christianity because of the fact that I noticed that both were really alike. Believe it or not you open up in a circle of prayer, music for worship and communing with the Holy Ghost, and then passing out Bible verses and visions to one another. Only difference to me is that you're not walking from one side of a circle to another to another to another asking for spirits to come in.

Religion is just something that fills a void that someone needs anyway. It's not a requirement in the Christian life. A relationship with the Holy Trinity is though. It's a lot more simpler than Wicca. Where as if you do something bad you have to find out what you need to do to fix it or deal with the "karma" or just send a tiny prayer up for forgiveness and believe you've been forgiven.

I seriously don't care if you're Pagan, Wiccan, or even a Druid. Just don't say it so much easier than Christianity. Christianity doesn't have the methods of Wicca that I've seen.

And Christianity... boring?

My dear Twilight you have been going to the wrong places and talking to the wrong people about how it's boring. Non-denominational, Unitarian churches are some of the greatest examples to see the movement of the Holy Spirit. You have people falling out everywhere and speaking in tongues behind you. People chanting, dancing, praising and worshiping. People who are even in the demographic age of 23 to 27. Miracles happen where people who have messed up knees and backs are healed.
Elara
Posts: 7310/9736
Which is why I think it's funny that she prefers you to say Pagan over Wiccan.

Not all Wiccans use magick. And you can kinda pretend you don't know what a Wiccan is. Pagan is Pagan, there is no denying it.
Twilight Sparkle
Posts: 56/63
The funny thing is, is my mom actually practices healing magick, even though she doesn't recognise it as such. She rubs her hands, focuses her energy and tries to draw out pain. She also believes in a lot of New Agey stuff.

I guess her issue is the stigma of Witchcraft. Christianity doesn't like Paganism, so we're condemned to a supposed Hell for Witchery.

Elara
Posts: 7308/9736
I was Wiccan for a long time, then kinda drifted into a sort of general Paganism. I see myself as the same as those Christians that never go to church, but still believe.

It was about a decade before my mother found out what my religion was... and keep in mind that she IS one of those Christians that never goes to church. She condemned me to Hell on the spot and walked away. Though the next day she was asking me to "do that healing thing" I do to her back, so either she accepted it or forgot... either is possible.

I've always done healing and protection magick, even though I am not the most traditional. My dad knew for a few years before her since I used it on his sinuses... and he said he thought my choice was "stupid, but I accept it"

So yeah... you just have to be strong and accept that they will never really understand your path and who you are because of it. Ignorance is just something we have to deal with... though I would make it clear that she is never to slap you again. That just isn't cool.
Twilight Sparkle
Posts: 55/63
I need a place to rant, and since my computer is dead, I have to use the wii, and out of the places I can rant at, this is one of the few that allows relgious discussion.

Anywho.

I'm Wiccan. Wicca, for those who don't know, is a Neopagan religion focusing on Nature. Witchcraft is involved, but casting spells isn't a requirement. It's mostly just ceremony and communing with deities and spirits.

I'm a horrible Witch. I always forget Sabbats (holidays, basically) and haven't done a single full moon ceremony. Since Samhain (Witches' New Year) is coming up, I wanted to actually celebrate. So, I've decided to spend October preparing, making a wand and a besom, and preparing chants and my ceremony and such.

Now, my mom is Christian. She's not one of those Super Christians who are annoying and pushy with their religion, and she's actually very open to other religions. She just doesn't like Witchcraft.

Out of respect for her, since I live in her house, I don't cast spells, and I refer to myself as "Pagan" not "Wiccan."

This afternoon, I accidentally came out of the broomcloset to her. x.x I said "I'm Wiccan" instead of "I'm Pagan."

She slapped me on the arm, and told me to "stop being so childish."

Now, I was studying Wicca for months before I dedicated myself. I've been Wiccan almost a year. It's not something I'm doing for attention, and it's not a phase. I'm serious about this. Wicca and Paganism in general are the only religions to actually make me EXCITED to study and worship. Christianity bored me. Wicca is my path, and that's not going to change.

She later told me that she feels that I'm using religion as a way to keep people at bay with my weirdness, which I admit, I do seem to do with some of the weird things I do. But Wicca is not one of them.

I try to keep my religion to myself, unless I get really excited about something.

Idunno, I guess I might be being over-sensitive about this, but it really hurt me.

I guess my rant's over now. Thanks for reading it. ^^
Xeogaming Forums - Sunset Waterfall - Familial Religious Intolerance



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