Topic: This may Get A Tad Heated
Krimsa's photo
Mon 08/25/08 09:49 PM
I LOVED that movie. I ended up buying it. I dont normally do that but it was so funny.

MirrorMirror's photo
Mon 08/25/08 10:05 PM

I LOVED that movie. I ended up buying it. I dont normally do that but it was so funny.
drinker I could kinda relate to Napoleanlaugh

Krimsa's photo
Mon 08/25/08 10:34 PM
Tina the llama. I raise alpacas here and they are basically small llamas. In the same family camelids. happy

fdp1177's photo
Mon 08/25/08 10:53 PM
I was unable to enjoy that movie as a comedy... Growing up in rural western Montana made it more of a documentary.

We had a kid just like Napolean... except instead of drawing unicorns (badly), he knew how to program a "sweet" dungeons into a Ti-82, and would try to show us his new level before every algebra class... very sad when you can't even make friends with fellow geeks to play D&D. I think he went on to become a successful software engineer.

Krimsa's photo
Tue 08/26/08 03:54 AM
laugh Very true. That film definitely brought teenage angst and social awkwardness to an entirely new level. Though probably everyone knew a kid like Napoleon at one time or another during school. I actually met several similar to him in college. happy

MirrorMirror's photo
Tue 08/26/08 07:42 AM

Tina the llama. I raise alpacas here and they are basically small llamas. In the same family camelids. happy
flowerforyou That sounds interesting.flowerforyou What made you go into raising alpacas?flowerforyou

Krimsa's photo
Tue 08/26/08 08:19 AM
Its a long story. offtopic I can maybe tell you by private at some point. As a courtesy to the OP, we shoud try to get back on thread here.

SharpShooter10's photo
Tue 08/26/08 11:16 AM
Alpacas are cool



Quikstepper's photo
Tue 08/26/08 02:11 PM
Edited by Quikstepper on Tue 08/26/08 02:56 PM




So by your logic since I’m also a non-believer in Christianity and you are a Christian I can now hold you directly responsible for ALL those that were murdered as Witches during "the burning times?" Gotcha...


So should we hold you accountable for all the deceptions played on human life by devil worshippers?

Be wary of those who come to destroy the soul.


Its time for a little wake up call here for Quickstop. The concept of a "devil" or "satan" or "demons" is ALL Christian based and Christian derived. It is intertwined with your polorized, dogmatic, fundamentalist sect.

Wiccans, for example, have no concept of Satan found within their spirituality. Ironic isnt it?:tongue:




Satan?

a christian concept?

Job 1:6. (written around 1520 BC!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD (JHWH), and Satan' came also among them.

verse 7. And the LORD, (JHWH), said unto Satan, Whence comest thou?
Then Satan answered the LORD (JHWH), and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.


oops


Let's remind everyone that there were many heathen beliefs & practices including sacrificing children to these gods, & every other man created images etc etc that had no place among God's people (jews)...unless they were enticed into it by mixing with heathens.

It's no wonder why God INSISTS on purity in belief.

Quikstepper's photo
Tue 08/26/08 02:20 PM

krimsa

The concept of a devil is not found in Wicca. It is however found in Christianity and is indispensable and hopelessly intertwined within its practice and teachings. In other words, intended to frighten the be-jesus out of its followers.

Debbie

Wrong again


Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Zoroastrianism
Bahá'í Faith
Neopaganism
New Age movement
Satanism

Similar concepts in other religions

Hinduism
Buddhism
Ancient Egypt
The Devil in world folklore

And oh lets go ahead and add this while were add it...just in case more questions might come up...so we can put this one to rest also.


That is going to be my mission.....just answering the questions so we can be done with all this nonesense



Judaism

In Judaism there is no concept of a devil like in mainstream Christianity or Islam. In Hebrew, the biblical word ha-satan (שָׂטָן) means "the adversary"[2] or the obstacle, or even "the prosecutor" (recognizing that God is viewed as the ultimate Judge).

In the book of Job (Iyov), ha-satan is the title, not the proper name, of an angel submitted to God; he is the divine court's chief prosecutor. In Judaism ha-satan does not make evil, rather points out to God the evil inclinations and actions of humankind. In essence ha-satan has no power unless humans do evil things. After God points out Job's piety, ha-satan asks for permission to test the faith of Job. The righteous man is afflicted with loss of family, property, and later, health, but he still stays faithful to God. At the conclusion of this book God appears as a whirlwind, explaining to all that divine justice is inscrutable. In the epilogue Job's possessions are restored and he has a second family to "replace" the one that died.

In the Torah, ha-satan is mentioned several times. The main time is during the incident of the golden calf. As the source of people's evil inclination, or yetser harah, he is responsible for the Israelites building the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah from God. In the book of 1 Chronicles 21:1, ha-satan incites David to an unlawful census.

In fact, the Book of Isaiah, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Deuteronomy all have passages in which God is credited for exercising sovereign control over both good and evil.

Christianity

In mainstream Christianity the Devil is also known as Satan and sometimes as Lucifer, although most scholars recognize the reference in Isaiah 14:12 to Lucifer, or the Morning Star, to be a reference to the Babylonian king (see, for example, the entries in Nave's Topical Bible, the Holman Bible Dictionary and the Adam Clarke Commentary). Some consider the Devil to be an angel who rebelled against God and has consequently been condemned to the Lake of Fire. He is described as hating all humanity, or more accurately creation, opposing God, spreading lies and wreaking havoc on the souls of mankind. Other Christians consider the devil in the Bible to refer figuratively to human sin and temptation and to any human system in opposition to God. In the Bible, the devil is identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the dragon in the Book of Revelation (e.g. Rev. 12:9), and the tempter of the Gospels (e.g. Mat. 4:1).

Islam

In Islam the Devil is referred to as Iblis (Arabic: Shaitan, a word referring to evil devil-like beings). According to the Qur'an, God created Iblis out of "smokeless fire" (along with all of the other jinn) and created man out of clay. The primary characteristic of the Devil, besides hubris, is that he has no power other than the power to cast evil suggestions into the heart of men and women.

According to Muslim theology, Iblis was expelled from the grace of God when he disobeyed God by choosing not to pay homage to Adam, the father of all mankind. He claimed to be superior to Adam, on the grounds that man was created of earth unlike himself. As for the angels, they prostrated before Adam to show their homage and obedience to God. However, Iblis, adamant in his view that man is inferior, and unlike angels was given the ability to choose, made a choice of not obeying God. This caused him to be expelled by God, a fact that Iblis blamed on humanity. Initially, the Devil was successful in deceiving Adam, but once his intentions became clear, Adam and Eve repented to God and were freed from their misdeeds and forgiven. God gave them a strong warning about Iblis and the fires of Hell and asked them and their children (humankind) to stay away from the deceptions of their senses caused by the Devil.

According to the verses of the Qur’an, the Devil's mission until the Qiyamah or Resurrection Day (yaum-ul-qiyama) is to deceive Adam's children (mankind). After that, he will be put into the fires of Hell along with those whom he has deceived. The Devil is also referred to as one of the jinns, as they are all created from the smokeless fire. The Qur'an does not depict Iblis as the enemy of God, as God is supreme over all his creations and Iblis is just one of his creations. Iblis's single enemy is humanity. He intends to discourage humans from obeying God. Thus, humankind is warned to struggle (jihad) against the mischiefs of the Satan and temptations he puts them in. The ones who succeed in this are rewarded with Paradise (jannath ul firdaus), attainable only by righteous conduct.

Zoroastrianism

In the Gathas, the oldest texts of the Zoroastrian Avesta, believed to have been composed by Zoroaster himself, the poet does not mention a manifest adversary. Ahura Mazda's Creation is "truth", asha. The "lie" (druj) is manifest only as decay or chaos, not an entity.

Later, in Zurvanism (Zurvanite Zoroastrianism), Ahura Mazda and the principle of evil, Angra Mainyu, are the "twin" offspring of Zurvan, 'Time'. No trace of Zurvanism exists after the 10th century.

Today, the Parsis of India largely accept the 19th century interpretation that Angra Mainyu is the 'Destructive Emanation' of Ahura Mazda. Instead of struggling against Mazda himself, Angra Mainyu battles Spenta Mainyu, Mazda's 'Creative Emanation.'

Bahá'í Faith Please pay close attention to the own desires part....this applies to all.....giggle

In the Bahá'í Faith there is no existence of a malevolent superhuman entity such as the devil.[3] Human beings are seen to have free will, and thus are seen to be able to either turn towards God and develop spiritual qualities, or instead be immersed in their own desires and thus commit wrongs; if people are immersed in their own desires, the Bahá'í writings sometimes use a metaphorical usage of satanic to describe their actions.[3] The writings of Bahá'í Faith also state that the devil is also a metaphor for the "insistent self" or "lower self" which is a self-serving inclination within each individual. This tendency is often referred to in the Bahá'í writings as "the Evil One". Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith wrote:

"Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that surroundeth you."[4]

`Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son wrote:

"This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan - the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."[5]

Shoghi Effendi, the head of the religion from 1921–1957 wrote:

"Regarding your question relative to the condition of those people who are described in the Gospel as being possessed of devils; this should be interpreted figuratively; devil or Satan is symbolic of evil and dark forces yielding to temptation."[6]

Neopaganism

Christian tradition has frequently identified pagan religions and witchcraft with the influence of Satan. In the Middle Ages, the Church accused alleged witches of consorting and conspiring with Satan. Several modern conservative Christian writers, such as Jack Chick and James Dobson, have depicted today's neopagan and witchcraft religions as explicitly Satanic.

Few neopagan reconstructionist traditions recognize Satan or the Devil outright. However, many neopagan groups worship some sort of Horned God, for example as a consort of the Great Goddess in Wicca. These gods usually reflect mythological figures such as Cernunnos or Pan, and any similarity they may have to the Christian Devil seems to date back only to the 19th century, when a Christian reaction to Pan's growing importance in literature and art resulted in his image being translated to that of the Devil.[7]

New Age movement

Participants in the New Age movement have widely varied views about Satan, the Devil, and so forth. In some forms of Esoteric Christianity Satan remains as a being of evil, or at least a metaphor for sin and materialism, but the most widespread tendency is to deny his existence altogether. Lucifer, on the other hand, in the original Roman sense of "light-bringer", occasionally appears in the literature of certain groups as a metaphorical figure quite distinct from Satan, and without any implications of evil. For example, Theosophy founder Madame Blavatsky named her journal Lucifer since she intended it to be a "bringer of light". Many New Age schools of thought follow a nondualistic philosophy that does not recognize a primal force for evil. Even when a dualistic model is followed, this is more often akin to the Chinese system of yin and yang, in which good and evil are explicitly not a complementary duality. Schools of thought that do stress a spiritual war between good and evil or light and darkness include the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, Agni Yoga, and the Church Universal and Triumphant.

Satanism

Some religions worship the Devil. This can be in a polytheistic sense where "God", Satan, and others are all deities with Satan as the preferred patron; or it can be from a more monotheistic viewpoint, where God is regarded as a true god, but is nevertheless defied.

Some variants deny the existence of God and the Devil altogether, but still call themselves Satanists, such as Anton LaVey's Church Of Satan which sees Satan as a representation of the primal and natural state of mankind.

Similar concepts in other religions

Hinduism

In contrast to Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism, Hinduism does not recognize any central evil force or entity such as the Devil opposing God. Hinduism does recognize that different beings (e.g., asuras) and entities can perform evil acts, under the temporary dominance of the guna of tamas, and cause wordly sufferings. The Rajasic and Tamasic Gunas of Maya are considered especially close to the Abrahamic concept , the hellish parts of the Ultimate Delusion called "Prakriti". An embodiment of this is the concept of Advaita (non-dualism) where there is no good or evil but simply different levels of realization.

On the other hand in Hinduism, which provides plenty of room for counterpoint, there is also the notion of dvaita (dualism) where there is interplay between good and evil tendencies.[8] A prominent asura is Rahu whose characteristics are similar to those of the Devil. However, Hindus, and Vaishnavites in particular, believe that an avatar of Vishnu incarnates to defeat evil when evil reaches its greatest strength. The concept of Guna and Karma also explain evil to a degree, rather than the influence of a devil.

To be more specific, Hindu philosophy defines that the only existing thing (Truth) is the Almighty God. So, all the asuric tendencies are inferior and mostly exist as illusions in the mind. Asuras are also different people in whom bad motivations and intentions (tamas) have temporarily outweighed the good ones (Sattva). Different beings like siddha, gandharva, yaksha etc. are considered beings unlike mankind, and in some ways superior to men.

In Ayyavazhi, officially an offshoot of Hinduism prominent in Tamil Nadu (a southern state in India with Dravidian heritage), followers, unlike most other branches of Hinduism, believes in a Satan-like figure, Kroni. Kroni, according to Ayyavazhi is the primordial manifestation of evil and manifests in various forms of evil, i.e., Ravana, Duryodhana, etc., in different ages or yugas. In response to such manifestation of evil, believers, in Ayya-Vazhi religion believe that God, as Vishnu manifests in His avatars such as Rama and Krishna to defeat evil. Eventually, the Ekam with the spirit (the spirit taken by Narayana only for incarnating in the world) of Narayana incarnates in the world as Ayya Vaikundar to destroy the final manifestaion of Kroni, Kaliyan.

Kroni, the spirit of Kali Yuga is said to be omnipresent in this age and that is one of the reasons why followers of Ayya Vazhi, like most Hindus, believe that the current yuga, Kali Yuga is so degraded.

Buddhism

A devil-like figure in Buddhism is Mara. He is a tempter, who also tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara's daughters. Mara personifies unskillfulness, the "death" of the spiritual life. He tries to distract humans from practicing the spiritual life by making the mundane alluring or the negative seem positive. Another interpretation of Mara is that he is the desires that are present in ones own mind preventing the person from seeing the truth. So in a sense Mara is not an independent being but a part of one's own being that has to be defeated. In daily life of the Buddha the role of devil has been given to Devadatta.

Ancient Egypt

In the Ausarian drama we find that Ausar (Greek: Osiris) is chopped into 13 pieces by Set. Auset (Isis) collects all of his pieces save his phallus. Horus, son of Ausar and Auset sets out to avenge the death and dismemberment of his father by confronting Set. Horus is victorious over Set and Ausar, being brought back from the dead becomes lord of the underworld. It is this drama that gives us the cosmic conflict between good and evil, evil being embodied by Set. This is not to say that Set was always seen as an evil character in Ancient Egyptian theology. There are many times in Ancient Egyptian history where conflicts between different "houses" lead to the depreciation of one god relative to another.

As in most polytheistic faiths, the characters involved differentiate themselves from the Western tradition of a devil in that all the gods are closely related. In this case, numerous historic texts suggest that Set is the Uncle or Brother of Horus and in the "defeat" of Set, we see another separation from the norm in the devouring/assimilation of Set into Horus with the result of Horus having depictions of both the falcon head and the (unknown animal) head of Set. This (like Buddhism) represents a dissolution of dichotomy.

Other names for the Devil


666 or 616, the Number of the Beast
Angra Mainyu, Ahriman: "malign spirit", "unholy spirit"
Antichrist, the coming of the Devil to the mortal world in Christianity
Der Leibhaftige (German): "He Himself"[citation needed]
Diabolus, Diavolus (Greek): "downward flowing"
Iblis, the devil in Islam
Lord of the underworld / Lord of Hell / Lord of this World
Lucifer / The Morning Star (Greek and Roman): bringer of light, illuminator; often believed to be Satan's name before he fell (the Planet Venus)

Prince of Darkness / Air
Satan / The Adversary, Accuser, Prosecutor
The ancient/old/crooked/coiling) Serpent
Shaitan, an Arabic name for Satan
Kölski (Iceland)[citation needed]
Voland (medieval France)



So hmmmmmm with all this different cultures and religions believing in satan......does he exsist.....




YOU DECIDE


Thanks FC... maybe you enlighten some about witches too...wiccans witches...they all come from the same place...devil worship. There is no such thing as a good witch...it's always about WHERE the power originates.

If not from God then from the devil.

Plain & simple.

SharpShooter10's photo
Tue 08/26/08 03:49 PM


Oh no, did I say something I shouldnt have? Is Deb mad again?laugh Mirror does that to all the girls, deb. Or so Im told. He fixates on a new one weekly.
laugh Yeah I chat with a lot of women on here.laugh Thats what JSH/Mingle is for isnt it? bigsmile
darn tootin it is, Mirrordrinker

no photo
Wed 08/27/08 10:09 PM
Edited by voileazur on Wed 08/27/08 10:10 PM



Oh no, did I say something I shouldnt have? Is Deb mad again?laugh Mirror does that to all the girls, deb. Or so Im told. He fixates on a new one weekly.
laugh Yeah I chat with a lot of women on here.laugh Thats what JSH/Mingle is for isnt it? bigsmile
darn tootin it is, Mirrordrinker



That would be,

'... tootin his own 'Mirhorn'!!!...' laugh


SharpShooter10's photo
Thu 08/28/08 04:24 AM




Oh no, did I say something I shouldnt have? Is Deb mad again?laugh Mirror does that to all the girls, deb. Or so Im told. He fixates on a new one weekly.
laugh Yeah I chat with a lot of women on here.laugh Thats what JSH/Mingle is for isnt it? bigsmile
darn tootin it is, Mirrordrinker



That would be,

'... tootin his own 'Mirhorn'!!!...' laugh


drinker I can, it's my horn drinker

Don't know you, but, Good morning

no photo
Thu 08/28/08 07:41 AM
Thanks FC... maybe you enlighten some about witches too...wiccans witches...they all come from the same place...devil worship. There is no such thing as a good witch...it's always about WHERE the power originates.

If not from God then from the devil.

Plain & simple.


noway noway How rude.

This statement shows everyone how unenlightened you really are.

It sounds like the old saying, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian."

(How would you like it if everyone started saying that all Christians are really devil worshipers because Jehovah is actually the devil?)



hummmmm....




MirrorMirror's photo
Thu 08/28/08 08:15 AM



Oh no, did I say something I shouldnt have? Is Deb mad again?laugh Mirror does that to all the girls, deb. Or so Im told. He fixates on a new one weekly.
laugh Yeah I chat with a lot of women on here.laugh Thats what JSH/Mingle is for isnt it? bigsmile
darn tootin it is, Mirrordrinker
drinker bigsmile drinker

MirrorMirror's photo
Thu 08/28/08 08:16 AM




Oh no, did I say something I shouldnt have? Is Deb mad again?laugh Mirror does that to all the girls, deb. Or so Im told. He fixates on a new one weekly.
laugh Yeah I chat with a lot of women on here.laugh Thats what JSH/Mingle is for isnt it? bigsmile
darn tootin it is, Mirrordrinker



That would be,

'... tootin his own 'Mirhorn'!!!...' laugh


laugh laugh laugh

feralcatlady's photo
Thu 08/28/08 08:43 AM
Why sure I can do that quick......all the following information was provided to me by my friend Wendy...who was into wicca for her whole life until about 15 years ago when she saw the light and became a Christian.....

No again before I even start this one.......I say believe as you wish....but be informed of what it is you believe...no of course I can only compare this to what I believe.

Wendy sent the following information to me. This is her experience with Witchcraft and occultism in general prior to my conversion to Christ. Also, her father still believes and practices.

Before I felt my religion is about the sacredness of this life on this Earth, here and now. We are "Nature worshipers" so Nature is a sacred study for us. To paraphrase, we want to see Her more clearly, love Her more dearly, and follow her more nearly, in understanding Mother Gaia."

Many Christians could probably be more involved in the preservation of the planet in which we live. This, in and of itself is indeed a noble cause. Christians also recognize the beauty in the world around them, but stop short of seeing it as divine in some way. And remember people Debbie is a Christian and one who not only speaks of saving the earth and it's animals but does it. The Bible speaks of the wonder of the created realm in which we live, but goes on to reveal that this has been put in place so that people would go further and reach out for the Person who created it:

I know now that which is of God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20)

I cannot help but feel that Pagans and Wiccans look at the world around them, see the work of God, but then stop short of going further and looking for the Creator, and instead look to the creation itself. This is somewhat like commending a sculpture rather than the one who sculptured it. The Bible also comments on this by stating the following:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." (Romans 1:25)


Many Pagans and Wiccans feel that they have been treated badly by the Church throughout history. There is certainly much truth in such a view. At times, the established Church has treated witches in terrible ways. However, a lot of Wiccans may not know that it wasn't just the witches who were persecuted. Another group also suffered. Who were they? True Christian believers! At various times throughout Christian history, evil and unregenerate men have infiltrated the established Church and caused it to fall into apostasy. During such times, true believers have separated themselves, but then found themselves being savagely persecuted. Those who persecuted both Pagans and true Christians were not really Christians themselves, but rather corrupt and evil men who took the opportunity of infiltrating the established Church for their own selfish gain. That other Christians were also persecuted, along with many other groups, by the Church is acknowledged by authorities in Wicca:

"All the religious and magical practices on which the Catholic Church did not bestow its blessings - other Christian sects, Paganism, and magic, - were now lumped together. Whatever their aims and virtues, they were declared to be Devil worship...Despite fierce attempts to persecute those Christians whose views did not accord with Catholicism, the heretical sects which later transmuted into the Protestant movement flourished and grew strong.

Many Pagans may have had first hand bad experiences with churches, or professing Christians. This is, of course, very unfortunate. However, it may be worth mentioning two points regarding this. Firstly, it should be noted that not everyone who attends a Church is a Christian. There are many, who for various and varied reasons, attend Church of a Sunday, but are not actually Christians. It is easy to focus on such individuals when their life does not conform with Christian principles and then tar everyone with the same brush. Secondly, it must be confessed that even true Christians are by no means perfect. Christians still have a sin nature which, sadly, causes them to fail at times.

Many Pagans and Wiccans tend to look at the sins of the Church and use this as justification to turn away from following Jesus Christ. On account of this many have, sadly, missed Jesus altogether. However, the Bible never tells us to fix our eyes on what the Church is, or is not, doing but rather to `fix our eyes on Jesus, the author of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2).

Satan - A Christian Invention?
Most Wiccans do not believe in a personal entity called Satan or the Devil. Many will say that this being is simply something that the Christian Church has invented in order to control people with fear. However, well before the birth of the Christian Church, the Jews also believed in the existence of Satan. He first appears in the form of a serpent in the book of Genesis. Another Jewish source where Satan is seen as a personal being is in the book of Job. In its opening chapters, there is dialogue occurring between Satan and God, implying, of course, that both are personal beings. Other Pagans may be willing to admit that there is an evil force, or forces, in the world but that this is not to be thought of as a personal being. However, throughout the Bible the following personal attributes are attributed to Satan: He speaks (Job 1:6-2:1-5; Matt 4:1-11); he has a will (1 Chron. 21:1; Luke 22:31; 1 Thess. 2:18; 2 Tim. 2:26); he tempts (Matt. 4:1-11; 1 Cor. 7:5); and he oppressors people (Acts 10:38), all characteristics that we would expect from a personal being, not a symbol of abstract force.

The truth is, the Devil was not simply invented by the Church, but rather exists as a reality in the world today. One of the most effective deceptions he performs is to try and convince people he does not exist! Jesus called Satan "The father of lies" (John 8:44). It should therefore come as no surprise that he will seek to convince people that he does not exist.

Paganism and Wicca promote all kinds of various rituals, which have to be adhered to in particular ways to get the desired results. However, religious ceremonies (including ceremonies in some parts of Christianity too!), do not bring people true freedom, but rather enslave people. Prior to my conversion to Christianity, I can recall in my own experience with Witchcraft that I had to perform certain rituals, in a certain manner, having the right ingredients, etc. and often repeat this over a period of time, for a spell to work. Certainly, many Pagans may not consider this to be enslaving, but speaking as a Christian, and looking back to what I was involved in, I can see that it never brought true liberty. The Bible speaks about serving God from the heart. Any religious acts that we are engaged in should not come as a result of feeling that we have to do them, but rather, we do them spontaneously, out of love for Him (see Ephesians 2:8-10).

The gods, goddesses, and spirits of Paganism
Most of those who are involved in Paganism hold to a belief in a multitude of gods, goddesses and various spirit beings. Pagan writer, Prudence Jones, observes that a pagan religion

Polytheistic, recognizing a plurality of divine beings... " (Prudence Jones, Paganism Today, p. 34).

But can these spirits really be relied upon? Can they be trusted? Again, Prudence Jones observes the following:

"When the world is seen as filled with the gods, however, it can be easy to lose ones inner focus of control. Superstition results: the synchronicities of the world are seen as controlling everything, and the human being seems to have no power faced with the enveloping multitude of otherworldly forces whose influence can be read in every portent." (Prudence Jones, Paganism Today, p. 38).

Jones touches on some very good points here. There have been many people who have practiced various aspects of the occult and have had dealings with spirits, but at some point or another, have felt that they no longer have control over the forces which they call upon, but rather, they themselves are being swept along by forces beyond their control. This was certainly my own experience, and has been the experience of countless others, who's experiences I have also heard. The truth is, that these spirits are highly intelligent and powerful evil spirit beings who are intent on manipulating and deceiving humanity, and leading people away from the true freedom and salvation which is to be found in Jesus Christ.

I hope that some misconceptions about what you may have perceived Christianity to be have been cleared up. Is it possible that, in the past, you have actually rejected a caricature of Christianity rather than true Christianity? Are you willing to re-examine the life and the claims of Christ? I think that if you sincerely make such a fresh re-examination you will be very surprised. I have spoken with Wiccans and Pagans in the past who have made such an investigation and been amazed at the misconceptions which they have had about Christianity.

In fairness to my Wiccan and Pagan friends, it has to be said that misunderstandings also occur from Christians as well. If you are a Christian I hope that some of the misconceptions you may have had about Paganism and Wicca have been addressed. Prayerfully take some of this information and share it in a sensitive manner with your pagan friends.




Krimsa's photo
Sat 08/30/08 04:42 AM
Edited by Krimsa on Sat 08/30/08 04:43 AM
Deb, though I appreciate what your friend Wendy has offered here just by virtue of its private and personal nature, it is important to keep in mind that this is ONE individual’s account. I’m sure you aren’t disputing that and I wasn’t attempting to imply that you were. I could also offer countless instances when Christians of varying denominations have left the Church for any number of reasons and have found peace and spiritual identity in Wicca or some other form of belief or perhaps no belief at all. In fact, we often hear about this situation occurring with Catholic priests in particular who lose their faith and must come to terms with that. It happens every day. There is nothing wrong with this as it is simply a life experience or something the person felt they needed to do in order to grow and move forward. I think the important point, and what this discussion was originally intending to address, is that you have acknowledged to your own satisfaction that Wicca does not involve a “devil” or “Satan” as it is defined in the Christian faith. It’s good that we were able to resolve that misconception as it can be one of the more caustic and destructive as it relates to the outsider’s interpretation of these particular forms of worship. It is one of the key issues and differences between the religions themselves.



Lord_Psycho's photo
Sat 08/30/08 10:44 AM
Best religion out there is The Way of The Psycho!!! Cause Im ur Lord Psycho!!! LOL every other religion is useless!!! Mine rules!!! u do what u want when u want it n thats it!!! Pray to me!!!

feralcatlady's photo
Mon 09/01/08 08:28 AM
Krimsa this is only one account of 25 I know personally....now I would say the odds are pretty good as to what they once believed to so be the truth and what it is now....I think it comes down to each his own and what works...And actually I have had a lot of friends do just that...get rebellious look into wicca and then come right back......I think or just turn and blame God all together.......Why do men/women do that....blame God....I will never understand that....It's man's fall, man who causes the friction, man who put barriers up...so why blame God.

I do understand that people can loose faith. It's hard for me to get that because anytime I have had major trauma, loosing mom, sister, dad, almost my husband, daughters and best friend...I leaned more on God...and never once did I ever get mad.

I have nothing against what others want to practice, but I do also study and know the difference between them all. And for me it still always comes down to Love thy God and no others, and love the neighbor as theyself. Worship anything other then God and for me, myself and I that is a big no no.

I agree Krimsa do not speak on what you know nothing of. But I have studied many many religions and very extensive so I do know what I speak. Does this mean that Krimsa can be wiccan or whatever she wants to be....Nope.....but for me and as mean or whatever this is going to sound....I say you are lost......imo