In all my experience with Atheist antagonists on the internet-they always assume some basic things that they shouldn't.
#1. They think they are smarter than you. Atheists always assume that they are more able to understand scientific principles than any religious person. The reality is that Wiccans and Pagans don't disagree with modern science. They don't believe in things without reason or out of fear. Some atheists are so skeptic, they go out of their way to think of so-called "rational" or scientific explanations even when the odds of something happening in accordance with that are slim to none. As a result, Wiccans should be prepared to back up their anecdotal evidence with witnesses, journal entries and if possible-photographic evidence.
Also, don't be afraid to show the evidence for what we have discovered like Auras, natural earth rhythms and psychic activity. After all, even the government has used psychics.
#2. They think they are more sane than you. Atheists dismiss any hint of theism as pure delusion. Ironically they are willing to go to great lengths of evidence spinning to prove any possibility of scientific theory behind phenomena.
#3. They equate every religion with Christianity. Many Atheists will hurl accusations about how many wars and people have died in the name of religion. And expect you to drop to your knees in despair and admit that you are somehow responsible for the actions of other misguided believers. They will scoff at any attempt to then link them to Communist massacres perpetrated in the name of no religion-as if this is not the same thing. First off, don't let them get away with this argument. Wicca has started no wars. Second, you can successfully link the movement of Atheism to all sorts of heinous moments in history of which you can say-believe and non belief do not equate to a person's actions.
#4. They think you have no real evidence. Atheists frequently play this game. They come into your territory, ask you why you believe what you believe and then when you give them evidence-the say "That's not proof." Or, "You expect me to believe that? You're probably lying." At which point you say, "If you don't think I'm credible, why did you bother to ask?" Followed by, " It doesn't have to prove anything to anyone but me."
#5. They don't take into consideration that you scrutize and philosophize those things you believe. Atheists believe that all religions are based on the fear of death. I personally don't know exactly what happens after I die, but then it doesn't really matter. What matters to me is the nature of the universe. My religion is my best guess based on what I've witnessed.
I realize that not all Atheists act this way, but the number is growing. They are bullies, no better than the conservative Christian.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
In Defense of Wicca-Against Christianity Pt 3
The Relativist vs the Absolutist
Most Christians have a very absolute way of thinking. They believe that their way is the only way in thought, word and deed. They see the 10 Commandments and Biblical Principle as abosolute moral standard that all people should follow.
Some get very angry when you oppose their strict and narrow moral view. Some try to put their views into law. For these people, the absolute of their religion stems from their absolute omnipotent view of God.
The 1o Commandments have even been asserted to be the inspiration of the US Constitution. So let's do a comparison between them:
Commandment #1: I am the Lord thy God, who has brought you out of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me.
I've always found it interesting that this commandment can be interpreted to acknowledge the existence of other Gods. Christians deny that this is the case, but it is known that the Egyptians influenced the Hebrews and their faith. Regardless, this is a demand of faith and a requirement for an entire people. After all, this was the law set forth for all Hebrews escaping Egypt and slavery.
Amendment #1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This statement does not mirror the first commandment, it is simply the opposite. Our founding fathers-which came mostly from the theocracy of the United Kingdom did not come to the U.S to start that which they ran from-another theocracy!
Pagans on the other hand, don't see morality as an absolute set of strict ideals. It's not that we don't have strict definitions or things that are absolute or mostly absolute in this physical realm, but we simply see morality as a set of beliefs about human interaction that are formed by cause and effect, rather than divine command.
Christians have a black and white world-an us and them ideology. Whether it be sheep from wolves, sheep from wolves, believers and non-believers-all of this division made me think of one thing-thank the Gods I'm not a sheep.
Most Christians have a very absolute way of thinking. They believe that their way is the only way in thought, word and deed. They see the 10 Commandments and Biblical Principle as abosolute moral standard that all people should follow.
Some get very angry when you oppose their strict and narrow moral view. Some try to put their views into law. For these people, the absolute of their religion stems from their absolute omnipotent view of God.
The 1o Commandments have even been asserted to be the inspiration of the US Constitution. So let's do a comparison between them:
Commandment #1: I am the Lord thy God, who has brought you out of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me.
I've always found it interesting that this commandment can be interpreted to acknowledge the existence of other Gods. Christians deny that this is the case, but it is known that the Egyptians influenced the Hebrews and their faith. Regardless, this is a demand of faith and a requirement for an entire people. After all, this was the law set forth for all Hebrews escaping Egypt and slavery.
Amendment #1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This statement does not mirror the first commandment, it is simply the opposite. Our founding fathers-which came mostly from the theocracy of the United Kingdom did not come to the U.S to start that which they ran from-another theocracy!
Pagans on the other hand, don't see morality as an absolute set of strict ideals. It's not that we don't have strict definitions or things that are absolute or mostly absolute in this physical realm, but we simply see morality as a set of beliefs about human interaction that are formed by cause and effect, rather than divine command.
Christians have a black and white world-an us and them ideology. Whether it be sheep from wolves, sheep from wolves, believers and non-believers-all of this division made me think of one thing-thank the Gods I'm not a sheep.
In Defense of Wicca-Against Christianity Pt 2
Christians, when arguing against Pagan religions, say time and time again, "We worship the creator, not the creation." As if insinuating that Pagans are simply tree and dirt worshipers without a rhyme or reason or God associated with their faith.
The fact is that the Gods associated with Paganism are vast and exist on many different planes. First, the physical plane of existence for Gods is in fact Nature. We have Gods of trees, animals, water, weather, etc. Next, the mental plane of existence-you Pagans might recognize my little system here as the Aristotelian elements-these Gods cover such things as education, poetry, theater, comedy, art, skill, etc. Third we have the energy plane-or what some call the plane of motion-these Gods are the Gods of chaos, war, life, death, birth, prosperity, etc. Then, we have the emotional Gods of love, passion, anger, envy, desire, pleasure, etc. It's not a party without Dionysus. Lastly, we have the Gods themselves, abstract-Platonian, if you will. They live in spirit, not physical but abstract archetypes to aspect from, and liberate consciousness to achieve manifestation-Gods of magick, altered consciousness and those yet to be discovered.
The fact is that the Gods associated with Paganism are vast and exist on many different planes. First, the physical plane of existence for Gods is in fact Nature. We have Gods of trees, animals, water, weather, etc. Next, the mental plane of existence-you Pagans might recognize my little system here as the Aristotelian elements-these Gods cover such things as education, poetry, theater, comedy, art, skill, etc. Third we have the energy plane-or what some call the plane of motion-these Gods are the Gods of chaos, war, life, death, birth, prosperity, etc. Then, we have the emotional Gods of love, passion, anger, envy, desire, pleasure, etc. It's not a party without Dionysus. Lastly, we have the Gods themselves, abstract-Platonian, if you will. They live in spirit, not physical but abstract archetypes to aspect from, and liberate consciousness to achieve manifestation-Gods of magick, altered consciousness and those yet to be discovered.
Monday, October 27, 2008
In Defense of Wicca-Against Christianity Pt 1
Christianity is a dying. It's dying in the worst way. It's received a fatal blow in the stomach by the dull blade of logic and a culture of tolerance. While it slowly bleeds out, we see salt of the Westboro Baptist Church and child raping Catholic Priests being poured in the wound. The realization of death goes through stages:
1) Denial-Some Christians most definitely are still in this stage in regards to the death of their own religion. They deny that the percentage of Christians and Catholics especially are decreasing. Children are leaving Christianity for other religions or for no religion at all in droves from constricting and repressed religious view point. Christianity as a whole has alienated so many segments within our society. Women are still not given equal footing in many sects of Christianity. The LGBT community is still ostracized from most Christian churches. With most young people realizing the absurdity of the inequality of the sexes and sexual orientations, they are packing up and leaving for greener and more logical and more spiritually beneficial paths.
2) Anger-I would say this is the stage that wages the attacks on other religious communities like Wicca and Paganism. Many misinformation tactics have been used to make Pagan religions appear as sinister and dark instead of celebrating Nature and recognizing the Old Gods. From the new book 'Generation Hex' to the old standard websites of carm.org and jesus-is-lord.com, Christians have admitted to their spiritual warfare against Wicca especially. In my mind these are the desperate tactics of a dying religion.
3) Bargaining-If you haven't seen Way of the Master, you are lucky. These people are the epitomy of bargainers. They will try and manipulate anything you say and force it into the Christian way of thinking. They have what they call the Good Person Test. It is supposed to test to see if you are a good person by way of the 10 Commandments. I myself think the 10 commandments are complete bullocks. So the idea of comparing my actions to them to see if I am a good person is absolute rubbish. If you watch these WOTM people, headed by Kirk-the washed up actor-Cameron and his Aussie friend Ray try to bargain and sell Christianity to people like used car sales people. It's dispicable.
4) Depression-Depressed Christians start to become introverted. They shy away from the mainstream which they consider a lost cause, pull their kids out of school and live sheltered lives within small communities of other Christians. It's not necessarily about being safe as much as it is about not being proven wrong. Evolution makes more sense than Creationism-so Christians without being able to argue their point, simply take away the opposition.
5) Acceptance-Well some Christians will try to snuggle up to you and say they love and accept you. And some genuinely do. But some are just there to try and bargain with you or attack your religion.
1) Denial-Some Christians most definitely are still in this stage in regards to the death of their own religion. They deny that the percentage of Christians and Catholics especially are decreasing. Children are leaving Christianity for other religions or for no religion at all in droves from constricting and repressed religious view point. Christianity as a whole has alienated so many segments within our society. Women are still not given equal footing in many sects of Christianity. The LGBT community is still ostracized from most Christian churches. With most young people realizing the absurdity of the inequality of the sexes and sexual orientations, they are packing up and leaving for greener and more logical and more spiritually beneficial paths.
2) Anger-I would say this is the stage that wages the attacks on other religious communities like Wicca and Paganism. Many misinformation tactics have been used to make Pagan religions appear as sinister and dark instead of celebrating Nature and recognizing the Old Gods. From the new book 'Generation Hex' to the old standard websites of carm.org and jesus-is-lord.com, Christians have admitted to their spiritual warfare against Wicca especially. In my mind these are the desperate tactics of a dying religion.
3) Bargaining-If you haven't seen Way of the Master, you are lucky. These people are the epitomy of bargainers. They will try and manipulate anything you say and force it into the Christian way of thinking. They have what they call the Good Person Test. It is supposed to test to see if you are a good person by way of the 10 Commandments. I myself think the 10 commandments are complete bullocks. So the idea of comparing my actions to them to see if I am a good person is absolute rubbish. If you watch these WOTM people, headed by Kirk-the washed up actor-Cameron and his Aussie friend Ray try to bargain and sell Christianity to people like used car sales people. It's dispicable.
4) Depression-Depressed Christians start to become introverted. They shy away from the mainstream which they consider a lost cause, pull their kids out of school and live sheltered lives within small communities of other Christians. It's not necessarily about being safe as much as it is about not being proven wrong. Evolution makes more sense than Creationism-so Christians without being able to argue their point, simply take away the opposition.
5) Acceptance-Well some Christians will try to snuggle up to you and say they love and accept you. And some genuinely do. But some are just there to try and bargain with you or attack your religion.
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