The Christian / Wiccan Relationship.

[NaxreXIV]

I have no personal problems with the Wiccan religion -one of my best friends is Wiccan- and I am in no way saying that that Christian religion is bad, but can someone please explain to me why when a holy book says you should be tolerante of others, its followers interpretate it as persecution, reestablishment, and elimination of the minority's beliefs?

I'm not making this up, I've expierenced it first hand; I attend a Christian teen group every Thursday (to meet with friends and nothing more) and one week our pastor was saying that anyone who did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God was worshiping Satan and was going to Hell no matter what, specifically mentioning those of the Wiccan and Jewish religion. I asked to be excused from this, as I didn't want to hear anything like that from a member of the church, but he wouldn't let me, and started to scream at me that I had to accpet God or I would burn along side them. I'm not going to lie, I started to cry.

This is why I don't consider myself to be Roman Catholic anymore. Excuse me if me believing in free will and tolerance of religion and race and sexuality and all that offends you, but I honestly can't and won't stand by and let the religions of my friends by insulted, regardless of whether the religion I stand against is one of the most powerful or not.  

[Calypsophia]

NaxreXIV

I have no personal problems with the Wiccan religion -one of my best friends is Wiccan- and I am in no way saying that that Christian religion is bad, but can someone please explain to me why when a holy book says you should be tolerante of others, its followers interpretate it as persecution, reestablishment, and elimination of the minority's beliefs?

I'm not making this up, I've expierenced it first hand; I attend a Christian teen group every Thursday (to meet with friends and nothing more) and one week our pastor was saying that anyone who did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God was worshiping Satan and was going to Hell no matter what, specifically mentioning those of the Wiccan and Jewish religion. I asked to be excused from this, as I didn't want to hear anything like that from a member of the church, but he wouldn't let me, and started to scream at me that I had to accpet God or I would burn along side them. I'm not going to lie, I started to cry.

This is why I don't consider myself to be Roman Catholic anymore. Excuse me if me believing in free will and tolerance of religion and race and sexuality and all that offends you, but I honestly can't and won't stand by and let the religions of my friends by insulted, regardless of whether the religion I stand against is one of the most powerful or not.

huh, you should stay away from people like that. I probably know more about his faith than this pastor does. he's not paying attention to the parts in his belief system that really matter. I swear, it's always the way. people put more credence and importance in the stupid little stuff and totally ignore the message. for all his religious schooling, he's incredibly ignorant. and I've found the more ignorant the person is, the more pride they have and thus the more loud they are.  

[Christian Monroe]

Totaly off the original trail of thought, but the opening statement is completely incorrect. Most CLOSED MINDED, ARROGANT, HIPPACRITICAL christians think that witches worship satan on purpose. I was raised to not believe, but not to be open to it. I would love if every pagen or witch in this guild would convert to christianity, but I can't force you and I don't want to force you. It's your decision on your religion, not mine, not the next person to post, not the guild captin, not your best christian friend. Its good to be open, but not to judge. If you were a real christian, you wouldn't. Its not our place to judge others flaws, its God's and Jesus's. Thats all I have to say.  

[azrael the reaper_95210]

Pastors/ministors/whatever, despite their best intentions, make loud claims that THEY are right out of self-service, not out od as much truth. It is because, despite the fact that they work for god, they still work at their church, and thus they must do what they can to believe that THEIR church is more truthful than some other church, covering the same religion or not. They try to keep you in their church because it is good business for them and their church. Can not have you exploring others.......... they need the attendance numbers.......  

[Christian Monroe]

Attendence Numbers?! Are you serious? The administrators of the church don't get anything out of attendence numbers!!! The church is paid by tax payers like the schools and the Police and the Fire Fighters. The administrators want people to come to their church because they want other people to except Jesus into their hearts.  

[Card_King1]

Look, I know that because of the freedom granted by Constantine Christians have manage to abuse and pollute the face of Christ. First I would that every person come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. But I think that even though Christians have done some very stupid things in the past its time to move on. I know that we once had a Wiccan come to our youth group. She was very polite and afterward I had the opportunity to have a conversation with her. She said that she didn't want to come because of past experiences before but she said we were different. She was surprised at our kindness and respect and even said she would look more into Christianity because of our testimony. That is the way Christians should spread the word. (to the other Christians who have condemned a Wiccan or whoever) You have no right to do what you did. You are not judge. God is. Your job is to "always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you with meekness(kindness) and fear(respect) that is how a Christian should share the gospel. Jesus Himself Hung out with Prostitutes and Tax Collectors(cheats who were hated by the jews). Think about that before you ever tell someone they are going to Hell.

To the rest of you: I know we are bumbling idots sometimes I hope you have it in your heart to forgive our past screw-ups. and to forgive the ones who have done you wrong. we don't believe in karma but... God judges fairly and rightly and I assure you each Christian who wronged you will be judged by God accordingly. Especially for defacing His name. I would assure you to look into the life of Jesus of Nazareth. You will see the way a true Christian should act. I make no apologizes for what I believe but when I'm a fool then I know enough to apologize then.  

[fairywaif]

My older sister is Wiccan, so I think that you should be free to have the old beliefs. I think christianity excludes all other religions other than itself, even when they are branches.  

[Andromeda Zreng]

Christian Monroe

Attendence Numbers?! Are you serious? The administrators of the church don't get anything out of attendence numbers!!! The church is paid by tax payers like the schools and the Police and the Fire Fighters. The administrators want people to come to their church because they want other people to except Jesus into their hearts.

I'm sorry, but what church are you talking about?
I don't know what Christian church you're referring to, but I've never heard of a church that was funded by the government. The church is funded by the church. The government is funded by the government. It's called separation of church and state.

Also, it is not a Christian's position to condemn another human. We were born with free will. Probably 90% of all people who consider themselves Christians aren't. The "Christians" who ridicule and persecute others based on faith are completely out of their rights. Everyone has the right to believe what they will. It's in the Bible, like, everywhere.

 

[King Robert Silvermyst]

I do not think that the people of today should bash any religion for it's past, or for the actions of extreamists who blatantly use religion as an excuse, and in doing so defile thier own faith. And when I mean extreamists, I'm not limiting it to people who kill others. I also mean people who try to demoralize others who don't share thier beliefs. All in all, what it boils down to is people as individuals. Soem people are very close minded and think anything they don't believe in is wrong. Such as the belief that wiccans worship Satan. This is complete bull. Most Wiccans worship nature and nature-based deities. Most religions have thier faults. Is it thier God(s)/Goddess(es) that are to blame? NO! Humans in power who abuse thier power are to blame. The enslavement of the hebrews by the egyptians? That was Ramses the II, not Netjer. The slaughter of the Jews, Wiccans and Native Americans by Christians? Those were orders by the pope of those eras and followed by a quite a few if not many christians of those days. Jesus wasn't responsible for that, now was he? The bombing of the Twin Towers? Allah didn't order it to happen. You can't blame entire religions for the actions of the pompous, power-hungry and ignorant.  

[FREAKAman01]

420FienD420

To brad175- You are a fool. There are no absolutes. If you stand at the top of a ten story building and tell yourself that you will not fall, you will fall. But if you can bend your own reality and believe you will not fall, if you truly believe with all your might that you will not fall, I believe that you won't. But you can't believe that with all your existance, more than you believe that if you put one foot in front of the other, you will walk, more than if you believe that if you put your hand forward and grasp it around something like a waterbottle, it will remain in your hand and exhibit the 'water-bottleness' that it must. You have to believe it with all of your self.
And you ARE a hippocrit, and you DO pass judgement. You call us idiotic. You say that witchcraft is mentioned in the bible as a sin. Have you ever played BROKEN TELEPHONE? It's five minutes long. By the time it reaches the end of the line, what you said can be completely distorted.
How long has the bible been in existance?

You say you show only love towards us, yet you bash our faith.
It is not only a philosophy, it is a religion.
And I know for a FACT that in the Vatican II, something that few Catholics or other religions regard, sixteen documents written by the Pope, (and according to Papal Infallibility, the Pope cannot be wrong in religious matters) it says that Christians now accept the fact that their religion is not the only right religion, that there are other ways to salvation.
And you are more proud than any other person that I have met. Not even humble enough to listen to the ideas of others. I DID listen to your idea. I just proved you wrong.
With ideas presented in YOUR OWN religion.
Sorry.

to all else:
Wiccans are not supposed to try and convert (and neither are Christians, see, once again, Vatican II), or even really yell at Christians for being ignorant.
(I couldn't control myself, sometimes I get a little carried away.)
>.>
<.<
>.<
Besides,
God is too big to fit in one religion.

And there ARE CHRISTIANS THAT PERSECUTE BECAUSE OF FAITH.
I am in high-school currently, and I have already witnessed that.
I walk through the halls and hear
"BURN THE WITCH!"
I sit on the bus, and I can hear them talking about me.
But I don't care.
I AM different.
If I am persecuted for my faith, then I am just more proud for being able to maintain it against all odds. I am more proud to stand apart, even if it means standing alone.

the catholic faith has nothing to do with christianity and the pope is not
in any way inffalible. infact the pope is wrong a whole lot of the time.
And why do people who talk about these things always end up fighting?
now I'd also like to piont out that some of the papal writings teach that those who are not catholics are quote "dogs"... theres somthing wrong
with that. also we as christians are to "go and make disciples of all nations"
so you can't argue about that. also I must admit that many people don't
know how to properly act as Christians. no body should ever be hated or
bashed for doing something that somone else says is wrong because wether
it was or not the Bible says "there is none that are righteous in the eyes of
God, no not one"

everyone can believe what they want, everyone must make that choice.
sometimes christians go out in the world with the mentality that its
their job to convert the world... its not.. we are supposed to spread the
word, but the holy spirit is the only one who can change someones heart.

anyway the pope is not a better man than anyone, he is not inffalible,
he is not God or God's representative on earth, or any of that stuff.
all that was made up by the catholic religion, infact out of any religion
today, cathliscism has done the most damage to Christianity

we ARE ALL on the same playing field, NOBODY is better than anyone else.  

[mariez141]

well, to be honest, if there is a higher power (and it's just as possible that there's more than one) then there is, but what're the chances that we'll find out what exactly they are? it's my belief that whether or not there is a higher power or if there is some scientific origin, humans are never gonna know what it is.
think of it this way- religion (note that i mean style of worship, not the existence of a higher power itself) is man made
i consider myslf a roman catholic because that's what my family is, and i used to dilligently go to church, but the truth is, i'm not very religious anymore. like i said, because of all the different belief systems, it's highly unlikely that any single one is right.
believe what you believe, i don't personally believe in anything because frankly i don't and never will know what the true "higher power" is.
one of my friend's is wiccan, and i still love hanging out with her
and either way, both religions have not so good histories, so why should one take superiority over the other?  

[last angel served]

wicca has been wrongly prosecuted for hundreds of years! we dont worship satan! so Christan's get over it!  

[Kyakume]

Evil Karma Angel

Most Christians believe that Wiccans ((aka Witches)) worship Satan on PURPOSE.

Umm, just to let you know, us Wiccans can't worship Satan on purpose because we don't worship him at all. Please do not confuse our religion with Satanism. I find it offensive.