Thanks to silverwhisper and truthsayer for opening my eyes to this, your debate has inspired me to search further into the realms of "socialy acceptable religions" and why some are just not accepted.
I have a few friends, well not realy friends rather some people I know, who call themselves Pagans. I do not like them, I'm honest.
I'm a Pagan too, an eclectic Wiccan to be more precise so now some might ask, why don't I like people who are of the same religion as me? Because, while Paganism is my religion and lifestyle, they've made a party trick of it! They believe it's right, I believe it's wrong therefor the one debate I never thought existed: What does the saying "Harm none, do what ye will" realy mean?
Let me introduce you the four friends: (Psuedioms used)
Wally Warlock: Age 25, apparently been pracitising witchcraft since the age of 6 and praises himself to be all-knowing and everybody around him is all-wrong. He goes around "blessing" everything, grew up a Catholic, and thinks Satan is a cool guy.
Mike Magician: Age 22, moved from a small town to a big city a few years back where he apparently was introduced to witchcraft and initiated into a coven. With in a year he became a high priest and now he does mind reading tricks as a party favour and believes he can solve any problem. He also tries to force our religion down everybody's throats.
Dina Diabolic: Age 21, started witchcraft round about the same time as me. Was on the blessed path untill she discovered love magick and ever since she couldn't stop herself in doing a spell to get her way, especially with guys.
Wilhemina Witch: Age 21, started witchcraft by accident at a house party in her late teens. Ever since she's been cursing everybody and everything that even looks weird at her.
And then somewhere along the line, there's me: Mousenphonic. Been praticing Wicca since the age of fourteen, still don't know everything, don't do party tricks, have never casted a love spell before, as a matter of fact, never even casted anything before.....
This is when I realised it: It's people like them that give my religion the reputation it has.
After my "What is a socialy acceptable religion post?" I set out to do some soul evaluation of my own, off line.
I asked the all-knowing Wally: If your a Pagan, and Pagan's don't believe in the devil, why do you still praise Satan like you do? He answered me with a bellowing laugh.
I asked high priest Mike: If you have your own coven of 13 to attend to, and you know that our kind keep to themselves, why do you force our religion upon others who will only make a mockery of it? He answered with a giggled "'cause they don't know what they're missing"
I asked the seductive Dina: You are such a beautiful woman, why do you need magick to get the attention of men if you don't realy need it? She gave me a look and just said: "Shaut up, your just jealous 'cause you can't get it right"
I asked the cursing Wilhemina: If our rede states that we are to harm none, why do you go around and screw up peoples lives and in the process make yourself more misrable? She stared into my eyes with silence and as she did I felt my insides fighting to ward of her curse.
It struck me like lightning, all these people called themselves Pagan's but they had no idea what being Pagan was all about. All this time I fought with myself thinking that my religion was infact maybe a wrong decision, but it wasn't. All this time, I've been believing like I should, not misusing the powers given to us by the elements and the Mother, honouring my Goddess through ritual and thought and walking the blessed path as it should. I've never harm any and it has come three fold back to me. And through it all I've been doing what I want, the right way, although from inside the safety of the broomcloset.
Blessed Be!
Mouse
