Proud of Pagans
Religious Tolerance and Acceptance of Pagans, By Non-Pagans!
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So, you have clicked on this "Proud of Pagans" link, and now you are wondering, what the heck is this all about....
Simply put Pagans, Witches, and Wiccans, are a religious minority that is sometimes misunderstood by the public at large. Pagans are often discriminated against at work, by family members, or the average stranger walking down the street. This dicrimination comes in many forms, from family members disowning their pagan relative, to harassment at work or school. Many Pagans choose to hide their religion from the general public, but this should not be necessary in a country were we have freedom of religion! Just as gay rights activists, and African-American activists have supporters from outside their comunity, so do Pagans, and this page provides Non-Pagans with a cool graphic and link to add to their web page, to get the message of religious tolerance and acceptance out there...
So, just what is that message?
Like I said, there are many misconceptions about Pagans, Witches, and Wiccans, because mainly it is wrongly associated with Satanism, and due to the Hollywood sensationalization of Witchcraft.
- Pagans DO NOT worship any entity called "Satan" or the "Devil", nor do we believe in their existence. They are a part of the Christian/Jewish pantheon, if you will, and do not exist in Pre-Christian beliefs, such as Paganism.
- Pagans do not use "Black Magick", nor do they use "White Magick" for that matter. Magick is magick, it is the intent or purpose that makes it ethical or unethical. In our religious beliefs, we have rules governing the use of Magick. I'm not going to lie and say that all Pagans follow the rules, but the majority do, and the ones that don't, well, our rules also describe a form of karmic punishment for Magickal and Mundane wrong doings. For more on Pagan/Wiccan Ethics Click Here!
- Pagans do not sacrifice animals, people, babies, or fetuses. Yes, the ancient religions we base our beliefs around sacrificed people and animals. We are not denying that, but modern Paganism is just that modernized (or civilized), and those practices just are not part of Paganism today. If it was, I wouldn't be Pagan! We do however make sacrifices of fruit, wine, or bread that are left outdoors for the animals to consume.
- We are not trying to undermine any other religion. We do not proselytize or have Pagan missions. We don't make "tracts" about knowing The Goddess, or knock on your door to invite you to our gatherings. We are Non-Christian, not anti-Christian. I have alot of Christian friends who are cool with my religion, just as I am cool with theirs.
- Paganism is not a "mind control cult". There is no leader of all pagans to whom we defer all common sense to. No Way! In EVERYTHING I have ever read or taught about Paganism, there is always an emphasis on the individual's right to define their spirituality on their own. Each Pagan has a little different take on The God(dess) and how to worship the Divine. Most of the time we can accept the little differences, and focus on our similarities.
We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you -- to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think.
-- Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon,p.453.
Here is what some Non-Pagans Say About Paganism
A Christian Speaks*The Magickal Christian*Daniel Lawrence Gross's View on Witches
Testimony of Charles Thigpen*"Mom, I'm a Witch: Advice for Parents
So What do Pagans Believe in?
- Gods and Goddesses--who and how many are up to the individual
- Reincarnation--we're born again, and again, and again...
- Magick--personal energy that we all possess
- Sacredness of the Earth--the Earth and Nature is sacred and needs to be respected
- No proselytizing --no one religion is right for all people, but we teach when asked
More Information on Paganims
Wiccan FAQ List For Christians*Pagan FAQ List*Ember's Wiccan Chat Room
So how can I get a "Proud of Pagans" immage for my page?
If you right click on one of the images above, you can select "Save Image As.." and then upload it to your web page. If you are a
Pagan please use the smaller one, which is named smproud2.gif. Please link back to this page using the following link, or something similer:
< a href="https://www.angelfire.com/md/egd9020/proud.html" >
< img src="/yourpath/proud3.gif" >< /a >
Just delete the spaces next to the arows when you have it pasted in your page!
DISCLAMER: I know some Pagan out there will disagree with the above set of beliefs, but I am trying to represent the average Pagan. As I have stated, every Pagan has a different take on Paganism, I believe that the above represents the majority. In no way shape or form does it represent all Pagans. Trying to define the beliefs of all Pagans, is like trying to define the beliefs of all Unitarian Universalist... well, ok, so it isn't that hard....
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