[GoddessDanu]

"An' it harm none, do as thou wilt."

That is the one and only rule I follow in regards to my religion. As long as my actions do not harm anyone (including myself) then I pretty much do as I please.

There was a thread that was posted here yesterday from a birth mother worried that her biological daughter wasn't going to learn any kind of pagan spirituality from her Catholic parents. I think the reason the thread was pulled was because she didn't approach the subject with respect. It was clear that she didn't like Christians of any denomination and although as an American she is entitled to her opinion, we always must remember to respect each other when on these boards.

I was raised Catholic, wasn't happy with the teachings of the Catholic church, found Wicca and my true path, and have been a happy pagan for more than 15 years. My mother is still Catholic but we have a mutual respect for each other. As a pagan I believe that there is more than one way to deity and so if my mother chooses to be Catholic and it makes her spirit happy then who I am I to trash her religion? My brother is a born-again Christian and my sister considers herself a Christian-pagan! lol I have always told my family that as long as their religion makes them feel at peace then I am happy for them. I expect the same attitude in return.

For the pagans who post on this board, please remember that we are all creatures of the God and Goddess and we need to respect one another, no matter how angry a discussion gets us.

For the non-pagans who post on this board, all I ask is that you respect our religion as a valid one and try to understand that a lot of us have been discriminated against because of our religion. When you approach a pagan for a religious discussion, please come at them with the same love and respect you would like shown to you.

I hope this thread doesn't get pulled. I thought it was important for me to post this and to get a dialogue going on respect. We are (or will be) parents and it's important for us to model the behavior we want our children to have.

Blessed Be!

[crick]

Discussing religions, differences and expectations are always welcomed. If a thread is pulled, it means rules were broken in some way and it's not because of discussion topics most likely.

Please feel free to discuss the topic, just not the pulled thread. It's a good topic...respecting all differences in religion/beliefs.

[megaphonemo]

Goddess - as someone raised catholic - I love to read your posts and always consider these forums as a place to learn new things.... Keep them coming - maybe I will also soon be a christian-pagan!!!

Mega

[GoddessDanu]

Originally Posted by megaphonemo

maybe I will also soon be a christian-pagan!!!

I had to chuckle when I read that. I have no idea where my sister got that phrase. She believes in Jesus but she also believes in the Goddess. I told her if it makes her happy then she should never let anyone tell her that her beliefs were wrong.

And thank you for your kind words. I agree that we can all learn from each other.

[DannieAS]

I admit, I secretly lurk to read the prayers you put up daily. I also think that sometimes there is too much anger and pride and whatever else negative that impacts a good and honest discussion among different kinds of believers.

While not Catholic, I've also been pre-judged due to my specific denomination (Seventh-Day Adventist) because it is a) either misunderstood or b) there are many SDA's that are very rigid and not nice that make it difficult for us "progressives" (liberals).

Anyways I just wanted to post and say that we ALWAYS no matter who we are or what our deeply held beliefs are, should listen and respect others (unless there is a good reason not to....like they have harmed us physically or something extreme to that nature) or if one cannot do that, then with dignity and grace depart without spitefulness.

[GoddessDanu]

Hey Dannie!!

You know, we actually have a SDA TV channel here in Southern Oregon. It's like watching public access. All the shows are done by church members and no one has any of the professional recording/sound equipment the bigger TV studios have. DH and I don't have TV (long story) but when we did I used to watch the SDA channel every now and then. There are kid shows with puppets (I'll admit I only watched this because it was funny to see grown men singing and dancing with puppets) but I also used to love the cooking show. All the shows were directed towards church goers and there were Bible verses sprinkled throughout the shows but I learned how to use all kinds of cool alternative ingredients by watching the cooking show.

I guess the point is that even though I don't believe what Christians believe doesn't mean that I can't still enjoy things they enjoy and even learn a thing or two from them. I know how to make my own incense. It's one of my favorite things to do. Catholics use incense in church, why can't a Catholic learn to make their own incense from me? I send sage smudge sticks to my mother and she use them when she does a "limpieza" on her house. lol

[DannieAS]

hee hee...I love the cooking from our church. It's funny that back in the day when I was in early elementary school our healthful cooking was laughed at...but now, vegetarianism and vegan eating is "in" so our healthful cooking isn't so laughed at now! LOL of course living in CA there has never really been a problem finding veggie food to eat...now in TX...that's a different story