Will They Ever Listen?

[Stine]

Thank you for the kind words. I too wish that more people were understanding. I grew up in a very small town in SC. I was raised in a United Methodist Church and a Southern Baptist Church. I went to a small private Christian school where most of us knew each other forever. I was very active in the United Methodist Church but people thought I was strange because I wore black most of the time. I still do since it's one of my favorite colors. I think that I was lucky that most of my classmates actually understood me and respected my differences. Some of the underclassman asked me, "Are you goth?" "Are you depressed all of the time." I think that I would have been ridiculed at a larger school or even in class with some of the younger kids and I'm very thankful that it didn't happen. My brother goes there now and they aren't as tolerant as they used to be. A couple of kids that my sister teaches there spout out their parents' crazy religious views about why we should hate certain people. Luckily my sister can inform him that hating people is wrong. It just scares me to know that parents do that but there's very little way to stop them.

I was also lucky that one of my history teachers in high school (he doesn't teach there anymore) actually taught us about many different religions and philosophies in a mostly unbiased way. I think that helped me to understand and be more sensitive about others' thoughts and beliefs. I doubt with the way that the world is that there will ever be a majority that tries to understand each others' beliefs. I'm not sure what we could do about it anyway. I just try to do my best to let people know that I try to understand them and love them for who they are.

 

[skreb]

And this is why, kids, organized religion (of any kind) is BAD.

i believe in a higher power , to me its a good being , no dogma to go along with it works for me .
i am a recovering catholic was told by nuns everytime i said a curse word a black spot will appear on my soul .
what a thing to tell a six year old no wonder why i stopped practicing the religion i was raised in

 

[Nevlc]

My fellow Christians forget the Lord their God, who walked earth and chose to keep His company with the very same people that are hated upon today, and had nothing but scorn for the very priesthood who was supposed to represent Him because they did the exact same damn thing most Christians are doing today: looking down their nose at the "sinner".

I know nothing of your religion, and I may not ever know. There are simply too many things to study, and I don't come upon any Wiccans or Pagans or really anybody of other religions to warrant having a closer look. I converted to Christianity nearly eight years ago from, well, nothing, as the result of few friends who tried to make an effort, and since then I have met precious few people who really know how to follow the faith. I don't even completely grasp it. The central tenets of Christianity are to love God and to love other people. It is terribly simple, and it is absolutely impossible to follow. Despite that, I don't see many Christians who try to make the effort even among themselves. Maybe its something I'm missing here. Maybe there's a good reason they all act like this. But somehow I don't think that's the case. I guess you could say I've been highly disappointed, but I want to stay aboard this ship because I know there's something being passed over by those who just want to look good or give themselves a "spiritual high" every Sunday morning.

That said, I keep hearing Wicca and Paganism being thrown around in conversation as I mill about during the day. I would like to know more about it after I have found what I've been searching for. Hell, I may end up reading more about it during my search anyways, or I may never get to it. Depends on how things roll. By default, I cannot agree with your faith and still hold on to my own, but it seethes me to see people downcast and trodden for whatever reason. I do have my demons in that area, but it's more an academic issue than a religious one, and I have been put in my place more than I care to remember. My gut feeling says to rise up, lop some heads, and pitch them at the village gates for all to see (figuratively, of course). However, what I have studied in my own faith and what experience has taught me is that your words will come back to haunt you, so you better watch what you say. I have also noticed that it's very easy to say things (in the case of my faith, for instance, it's very to say, "ZOMG I LOVE JESUS LOL!"). It's more difficult, and often highly unrewarding, to truly act it out. This, however, can have a deep, strong impact. It may not be immediate, but it can have a serious effect on those it needs to. You should do as you feel led, and do so with utmost conviction.

 

[Darkdante]

The media needs to paint a picture to sell more media. Doesn't necessarily mean it happened exactly as advertised, just means it sells more media and riles people up and gets them talking more when the story gets told that way.

I don't think religion is spread by "Marketing" as much as it is by it's followers devotion. Mostly you learn about relgion through devoted "believers" who spread the word of their religion. Wiccan is not a religion that I think does something like this? At least I've never heard about it myself in this way, like all the other more popular religions.

So will they ever listen? Sure. If Wiccans put enough effort into spreading the correct message, and that won't take as much dollars, as it will devotion.