Pagans, what do you want Christians to know about You?

[Cassandra]

I hate to interupt but Im a peace keeper at heart.

Unless I am wrong, Shadow is saying she/he is a pagan (I didnt know other pagans can define someone else's belief-sounds christian minded), she wants to talk to christians about the pagan beliefs, and knowing she Is Not defining my and your faith as a pagan but saying "because I am pagan here is what " I " believe from a pagan perspective."

No need to be threatened by her representing paganism because she is not. How can you represent a umbrella system that is individual natured?

That and

How can another pagan (thinking of a few) define what is pagan to another person. I am a Pagan. So what people dont believe me. They only know what I type. They dont know my beliefs. My worship. My associatio with the spirits. My practice. They know, cough, nothing.

NOW (caps on purpose) if she was Christian ONLY and represented the pagan faith "in general" (which is impossible, mind you), then yes, thats an insult.

How can and a couple pagans here know another person's relationship with the gods?

So, since his is question and answer, let me rephrase. Since paganisms is diverse, how do you define it "in general"?

I see a lot of christians try to define their peers faith. Id ask them too, how do you define christianity to were ALL christians agree?

I think the point was interfaith discussion about how one can share his/her faith with other religions.

Another Q and A. Is there different types of pagans or many.

Im peaceful at heart. Whatever happens from my trying to understand and calm the miscommunication, so be.

Carlita,

I am not surprised about your pro-Christian view points, knowing your past history.

My view (not debatable):

Questions and Answers:

Question: Can Shadow represent Pagans?
Answer: No he is not even a Pagan, but calls himself "a Christian Witch".

Question: Can any Pagan represent Pagan viewpoints other than his own or very particular tradition?
Answer: No as they are various, except to differentiate them from the typical Christian viewpoints that are alien to Pagan traditions

Question: Does Shadow have the right to attack Pagans in the Pagan DiR?
Answer: No he has not

Question: Is there reason to trust people like Shadow?
Answer: No, he ridicules and attacks Pagans that do not play along with him

Question: is a mixture of things Pagan and Christian Paganism?
Answer: No it is either New Age or Christians proselytizing.

Question: Do Pagans in majority seek discussion with Christians?
Answer: No they do not

Question: Are most Pagans appreciative of Christianity?
Answer: No they are not appreciative to this repressing religion

Question: Do Pagans want regular threads bringing up Christianity?
Answer: No they do not, but it is forced upon them in sleazy ways

Question: Are churches featuring Pagan rituals our friends?
Answer: No that is just standard conversion practice

Question: Do Pagans give a hood about Christian appreciation?
Answer: Not at all.

Question: What is the best way to stay clear of Christians?
Answer: refuse to discuss your or their religion with them.

Question: Can you trust Christians to tell their true intentions?
Answer: No history abundantly proves, you can not

Question: Can you stop Christians going on and and on and on?
Answer: You can not, rather be prepared for the next intrusion

Question: How to protect Pagans against Christian deceit?
Answer: instruct them well on Christianity and not leave it up to Christians

 

[Cassandra]

Just a couple of comments.

First, I'd like to remind folks that this thread has been moved to a non-debate area.

Second, observing iresome responses to well-intentioned interfaith work is quite... disappointing.

My view (not debatable):

Question: Are Pagans interested in "well-intentioned interfaith work"?
Answer: Sorry: I am not at all interested in this "interfaith work". I also resent the representation of Paganism as "faith(s)". Paganism is not about ideology and Pagans are not brainwashed in the same ideology.

Question: Why not?
Answer: Interfaith discussions are used by Christian converters as a starter in the conversion process. We do not want to oblige them. If Pagans feel they need to talk to Christians, let them do so, but do not force it on other Pagans as a moral imperative. That is like saying to Jews they must discuss with the Nazis, because the Nazis feel they are misunderstood and want to explain their good intentions.

Question: Is there a Pagan imperative to love the ones that harm you?
Answer: No that is the Christian imperative taught to converts. When they are beaten on the left cheek they must present the right cheek, when their coat is stolen they should offer the rest of their clothes. They should never resist the injustice of their overlords. And as their book and God instructs: As slaves they should work even harder for Christian slave masters, and expect many blows, but even more blows if they do not satisfy their masters, whose wishes they should fulfill in every way(!).

Question: Do Pagan traditions embrace the same sadomasochistic ideas?
Answer: No Pagan traditions recognize the right for self-defense against injustice and find these Christian ideas totally unethical.

Question: Do Pagan traditions demand peoples forgiveness to their persecutors?
Answer: they do not, only Christian crypto-pagans suggest such corrupt idea as higher ethics. Forgiveness in Pagan traditions is a personal matter and for personal gain (get rid of ill feelings), not something given to the perpetrators.

Question: Do Pagans believe that people get redemption, acquittal for their sins through their Gods?
Answer: No they do not believe they can shed off the consequences of their actions by supernatural intervention. That is Christian belief to clean up the act of the evil and make them sleep well after their crimes.

 

[dgirl1986]

I no longer identify as pagan but I wanted to throw in what I wanted them to know when I was a pagan.

1) That I didn't worship satan
2) That paganism is a very broad term and no one path is representative of the others
3) Pagan isn't a dirty word
4) That I didn't see a problem with their beliefs as long as it didn't stomp on mine.

 

[Aštra’el]

@Cassandra

I believe you should embrace the smile, if at all possible. You bring into this topic the dark cloud looming over you, and stare at us with angry eyes and the unhappy expression.

 

[Cassandra]

@Cassandra
I believe you should embrace the smile, if at all possible. You bring into this topic the dark cloud looming over you, and stare at us with angry eyes and the unhappy expression.

Actually I feel quite well Ashtara . I think it is because I do not live in pretense. I am not going to hide I feel negative about these converter types constantly entering the Pagan DIR pretending to be (like) Pagans . and I dislike it when they try to create a negative picture of Wicca . You see I am a Pagan, I do not have to pretend to be one . Nor do I have to pretend I love all people. Luckily, It is not a Pagan ideal to embrace people of low ethics . Pagans can afford to show real natural emotions . Smile when you are happy and show anger when you feel angry. You should try it sometime .

Lets be honest Ashtara, I do not need to hide my profile, like you choose to do .

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Second, observing iresome responses to well-intentioned interfaith work is quite... disappointing.

Yeah, this thread has just become an anti-Christian hatefest. Apparently some just want us to know how much they hate Christianity and those who follow it. Well, okay.

 

[syo]

what message do you want me to relay about you and your way of life to the christian community?

that pagans don't worship fake gods .

 

[DennisTate]

Not all pagans are Wiccans, of course. By my calculation, there are 2 billion of us, using the widest definition! That makes Paganism the second largest religion after Christianity. For example, the majority of Chinese and Japanese are practicing pagans. You can also count the Hindus, with a wide definition:
Are Hindus 'Pagan'? - Poll Results | Religious Forums
In other words, there's nothing odd or unusual about being a Pagan.

Are pagans open to the idea of a massive shift in the direction of Christianty
to be coming in the near future?

My theory is that when the latter day Yom Kippur event is finalized......
Azazel will return to the G-d of Abraham / HaShem / YHWH......
with his whole heart.....
and the kingdom of anti-Semitism will be divide.....
and fall.....
and all religions will take many steps toward each other.....
but especially toward the Christianity that is emerging out of near death experience accounts
combined with the Christian and Jewish scriptures.....

Mellen-Thomas Benedict's Near-Death Experience

I asked God: "What is the best religion on the planet? Which one is right?" And Godhead said, with great love: "I don’t care." That was incredible grace. When Godhead said, "I don’t care," I immediately understood that it is for us to care about. It is important, because we are the caring beings. It matters to us and that is where it is important. What you have is the energy equation in spirituality. Ultimate Godhead does not care if you are Protestant, Buddhist, or whatever. It is all a blooming facet of the whole. I wish that all religions would realize it and let each other be. It is not the end of each religion, but we are talking about the same God. Live and let live. Each has a different view. And it all adds up to the big picture; it is all important.

I went over to the other side during my near-death experience with a lot of fears about toxic waste, nuclear missiles, the population explosion, the rainforest. I came back loving every single problem. I love nuclear waste. I love the mushroom cloud; this is the holiest mandala that we have manifested to date, as an archetype. It, more than any religion or philosophy on earth, brought us together all of a sudden, to a new level of consciousness. Knowing that maybe we can blow up the planet fifty times, or 500 times, we finally realize that maybe we are all here together now. For a period they had to keep setting off more bombs to get it in to us. Then we started saying, "we do not need this any more." Now we are actally in a safer world than we have ever been in, and it is going to get safer. So I came back from my near-death experience loving toxic waste, because it brought us together. These things are so big. As Peter Russell might say, these problems are now "soul size." Do we have soul size answers, YES!