Sharing Peace - Making A Difference
Pagans are still being put to death in this day and age. How Can We Achieve Peace if We are not Tolerant?
I wrote this originally as a blog but have since decided to make it a discussion for I feel that my sentiments are shared by many....many who are still afraid to speak of their religionl ....who think there will be retribution for being Pagan. Sometimes people forget that, even though there is not constant shedding of blood, there are still other parts of the world that punish folks for their religious choices. There are pagans all over the world...some are looked upon as evil...as if they should be burned at the stake ..... and yes there are still people being burned for their religious choice, though they have harmed no one. What do you think? Are you tolerant of Pagans or do you have a preconceived notion that all Pagan's are devil worshipers?...Are you educated as to what the vast majority of Pagans see as their religion? I have met folks on here who have abandoned any contact with me because they have the misguided conception that I worship the Devil...there is no devil in my religion, nor has there ever been...but folks still think it. How can we achieve peace if we are not tolerant?
Tolerance: broadmindedness, acceptance, patience, charity...are all words in place of the word tolerance.
I was a christian for most of my child and adult life...it was unfufilling, it was lacking, it was not the path for me. I knew it yet I stayed with it for I did not know what to do about it. Then one day I happened upon a pagan community and started researching the various pagan paths. I have always been fond of history and am an experienced genealogist. My family's roots are set deep in Scotland and Ireland. In my ancestrial research I ran across the Druid's within the realm of my scottish family's roots. The more I read of the Druids, the more I knew this was the path for me. I also studied the Wicca path and have admired the writings of Raymond Buckland. These paths allow you some breathing room to mold your worship and religious workings the way that fits to you. I'm happy with my path for it's as if it chose me.
I consider myself an intelligent woman. I have seen a lot in my lifetime. I have met all kinds of people. Some good, some bad and some were just evil. I make no judgement of others for their religious choice, nor would I attempt to convert them to my religion, or tell them they are wrong for practicing their religion. Others, though, would do this to me and my fellow pagans. There are those who feel so strongly opposed to my religious path, that they would go out of their way to avoid me; they would talk to me like I am of no value; they act as if I'm the devil incarnate; that I am evil and then there are those who would continue to convert me to their religion... I don't want to be converted. I am happy with my choice. I harm no one. There is no devil; no hell; no heaven in my religion. I do not worship Satan. I have no concept of Satan as a diety, nor do I want one. That is not me or my choice.
I do not hold any malice for another religion unless they advocate killing others who do not follow their religion. This is wrong.. The taking of a human life because of their religious beliefs is totally, and utterly WRONG. On that point, I stand my ground. Religious Freedom is a must in a peaceful and tolerant society. To me the reality is clear.. There will never be peace, as long as their is religious intolerance...There will never be peace as long as folks try to convert others or profess their religion as the only one. It's sad...truly sad to see people at such odds with one another...so filled with hate because someone doesn't pray to the same god as them. So much blood has been shed through many centuries all in the name of religion.
I consider myself very lucky for I live in a country that goes to great lengths to insure that we have our religious freedoms. Others are no so fortunate. I can only imagine the constant state of fear one must be in to live in a place where going to the store could result in your death....someone straps a bomb to themselves and then kills so many innocent people...and for what...? nothing...there is no good to come from it....the majority of the world condemns it but it still happens. I want it to stop! I want people to just live their lives peacefully amongst one another. It makes no difference what religion they practice as long as no one is killed. I have hope but a part of me does not see peace in my lifetime...oh that it would...I just don't see it.
InTolerance: Bigoted, prejudice, narrow minded, small minded and fanatical are all words used to describe intolerance. Think about it..Are you intolerant? Shouldn't those of us who truly want peace show tolerance and love toward all? Lead by example..Love by it to..just some thoughts kicking around in my head...
Tags: acceptance, educate, pagan, tolerence
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Charlie Kirkpatrick on -
I want to thank you Gwendolynn for sharing this post. It is amazing to me how we the people of the earth are so misguided because we are so misinformed. So many of us are like sheep or cattle on our way to slaughter. We submit to a small misinformed minority, as we go off to wars to kill or be killed holding to the mindsets and beliefs held by our forefathers.
Ancient, obsolete beliefs and mindsets that have us still slaughtering and maiming one another around the world, just as our ancestors did thousands of years in the past.
In the spirit of helping spread the word around the world related to how we can establish Peace on Earth, I share the URL below.
The World Peace Code:
Thanks again for this enlightening and empowering post!
Eternal Peace.........
Charlie
-
Permalink Reply by Leah D. on -
Lady Gwen, Thank You for writing this post. Very well put..intelligent,passionate and so very true! I was planning on writing a similar discussion myself. Truth is I've been on iPeace since Oct. 2008 and other than joining "Pagan's for Peace" I tend to shy away from discussions of religion. When asked on chat do answer honestly...I am a proud pagan. Have been since late 80's early 90's. I have studied the history of many religions since I was 15. I turned away from organized religion of any kind when I was about same age ,closer to 13. So many lives lost in the name of God,in past & present, truly makes me ill. My Mother decided to be a Jehovah's witness during my childhood, and as a wee lass the hipacracy I saw & as I was treated turned me away. I decided I wanted to choose for myself, after I left home at 13. In the mid 80's My Mother became more "New Agey" I choose to be pagan as closest to my beliefs,interstingly I was the one that introduced my mum to Wicca. Which she practiced for many years.I have not had anyone on ipeace be intollerant of my chosen faith,but yes many many times I have had to defend,teach,explain the difference between being pagan and thinking is evil, bad or devil worship..some people indeed have avoided me,judged me and tried to convert me.. I think you described InTolerance very well, thank you. and I like" the thoughts kicking around yer head" appreciate you writing them down here.
Your Sister & Kindred Soul
-
Permalink Reply by Leah D. on
-
PS. pic is of Lochlomond just outside city Glasgow, Scotland. My Sweatie and I want to move there,maybe? he is in Glasgow & I in Indiana,US. Hope you enjoy the photo.
-
Permalink Reply by Gwendolynn on -
Ach my Lady DiMaria your post and yer picture are quite pleasing to me...and I'll pray with all my heart, lass that you and your mate can settle down near Loch Lomond...Aye tis beautiful country but I'll no get to see it until the Laird retires in 2012...and then I might become and "illegal immigrant" (lol) and stay there...wouldn't that be exciting?. Yes lass I find that most folks haven't a clue what being a pagan entails, let alone what dieties are being worshiped. If folks would but open their minds they would hear that most pagans follow a path that is steeped in history and love for the earth and all who walk upon it. We only want to live in harmony with our neighbors and all who walk this earth. Unfortunately most Judeo-Christian based paths have the misconception that we worship the devil; that we make human sacrifices (lol...sorry that one always causes me to laugh); that we have wild sexual encounters (only with our mates) and that we are just all around bad people. Nothing, of course, could be farther from the truth. My youngest introduced me to the Wicca path several years ago...and though I was not a church going person, I had always felt a strong pull to the druids...especially in light of my ancestral links. I have never felt more fufilled...and so sure of something as I have this.
I think it's important for folks to learn about the different paths through qualified resources before passing judgement. Make their opinion on what they know from reliable resources and what they see instead of what gossip travels to them. 'Tis just my thought. No...no one has been rude to me on ipeace but some have posted, offered friendship and then upon realizing my life-path have had little else to do with me. I should be used to it by now, for I'm a retired sheriff's sgt and when folks hear that, they run and I don't see them again...good grief...I've been retired for more than 11 years and I'm happy to say that I've entered into another phase of my life...one that I hold most dear to my heart. I am what I am and nothing more or less...Thank you my dear Lady DiMaria for your kind friendship...hugs Gwen
-
Permalink Reply by Rose on -
Thank you for posting this.
I to was raised Christian and now fallow my own path.
As a child everything that was not understood was deemed "WITCHCRAFT!!!" lol...
Once as a child we were all playing something... running around with sticks and as I came around the side of the house my stick came alive! (Started vibrating in my hands.) I was shocked & tried to make my brothers believe that it was not me but the stick moving and tugging and not me doing it. One of my brothers went and got my mom. She yanked the stick from me and beat me with it.
She said I was doing witchcraft & that that is how witch's find water. The well was right there on that side of the house!
My love for animals & not wanting to eat them or hurt them & the silly Crows that liked plucking my hair for their nest & talking about last life memories all got me the witchcraft beat down. I was adopted when I was 4 or 5, My adopted mother was so sure I was a witch (Born one/demon seed) That she would take me to preachers asking them to pray the devil out of me! You shoulda seen the looks on their faces!!! roflmbo! The scary thing was the ones who believed her......
That leads me to the children in Africa who are being murdered,shunned, and tortured by their family and church members because they have been deemed witches by the missionaries running the church's.
My heart goes out to them very much. I just wish there was a way I could help them...
Thank you so much for posting this.
All who wonder are not lost. ;)
Jessica
-
Permalink Reply by Gwendolynn on
-
Aye Lady Jessica you've been through alot in yer life...tis sad when folks are so narrow minded and think that christianity is the only religion there is....Some of the Pagan religions transcend christianity by thousands of years, and many of their dieties can now be seen as "catholic saints", yet they are still closed minded. We can only hope that they will see that pagans are mostly earth-based and have only the best intentions for human and animal rights. This latest situation in Africa is truly disturbing...and my heart and prayers go out to those caught up in it.
Gwen
-
Permalink Reply by Leah D. on
-
Aye it is ! My friend and documentary creator Dan did this vid...sad so so very sad & wrong!
-
Permalink Reply by Gwendolynn on
-
It is just so overwhelming to see children, or anyone for that matter, treated like this.. My heart aches so badly for these children. thank you Lady Leah for sharing ....and reminding us, with this video...hugs Gwen
-
Permalink Reply by Paris E. Tompkins on -
Dear Gwendolynn, thank you for sharing your heart and mind with us regarding religious freedom. Beyond class and politics, religion is the greatest stronghold against peace. All of these prejudices are based on fear...fear of the unknown. Because most of us have only been exposed, or care to be exposed, to what we have always known, this fear exists. If we were to open our minds, hearts and eyes to the real "truth" that truly "all men are created equal", not just in the American Constitution but in the reality of human existence, we could eliminate the confusion and hatred. There is no difference between you and me and all others, only in our uniqueness as individuals. We share the same makeup, with parts that are interchangeable. When that simple concept is allowed to sink in the fact that all human are related to all other humans become a clear fact. The only difference is, and should be, the way in which we choose to live our lives. This includes having the freedom to believe and worship and follow our own paths, as long as we do not infringe on another's belief, worship or path. As long as what you do does not truly affect me, why can't I allow you to do it? Especially while I should be busy doing my own thing? Life is too short, complex and all-consuming to worry about what the next person believes. Neither do I belong to or adhere to any organized religion, although I believe in a higher power I call God, but that is my perogative. Take care, Paris
-
Permalink Reply by Gwendolynn on
-
I could not agree more. Opening one's mind and heart goes a long way toward understanding. In this techno age and with the volumes of books on the various religious paths, there should be better understanding...sadly there is not because the mind and the heart are not open to enlightenment. Freedom and Equality are the two major issues that tend to bring out war and dischord. 'Tis sad that even today, people are killed for their religious paths. Intolerence is widespread throughout the many nations of the world....and is closer than many realize. It is even within my own home...in my elderly mother who chooses to believe that I worship the devil since I am pagan. There is, of course, no devil worship in my path but her mind is closed. It makes me wonder how we can expect tolerence and peace, when we do not even have it in our own homes and lives. I accepted long ago that my mother's mindset will no change, and that is okay, for I love her and respect her right to be narrowminded...lol....afterall, I must show tolerence if I want others to show it to me. Respectfully, Gwen
-
Permalink Reply by Dennis Moore on -
Hi Gwendolynn, I enjoyed reading your post and agree that the world is full of intolerances. I am a Christian and one of Jehovah’s witnesses but I still agree that it should be your right to believe as you wish; Jehovah God created all as free moral agents. Even the idea of serving our creator is put forth throughout the bible as a choice. Even Jesus taught that we should not judge others; you do not have to agree with others to show them love and tolerance. Jesus in fact said at Matthew 5:43 to love and pray for those hating us if we wanted to be like our heavenly Father.
There are at least four reasons that the bible puts forth for so much intolerance in the world; one we inherited imperfection from our first parents Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12). As a result of that imperfection Jeremiah 17:9 says of the hearts of mankind “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?” Jesus later said at Mark 7:20, “That which issues forth out of a man is what defiles a man; for from inside, out of the heart of men, injurious reasonings issue forth: fornications, thieveries, murders, adulteries, covetings, acts of wickedness, deceit, loose conduct, an envious eye, blasphemy, haughtiness, unreasonableness. All these wicked things issue forth from within and defile a man.” Three, the bible speaks of Satan a spirit creature that rebelled against God, and since has continued his goal to turn all against God. In fact 2Corinthins 4:3-4 says of Satan; that he has blinded the minds of mankind to the true purposes of their creator, and it is he who fosters so much intolerance in the world. The fourth reason put forth in the bible for intolerance is a lack of accurate knowledge; specifically a lack of knowledge concerning our creator and His purpose for mankind.
Yes Jehovah’s Witnesses feel that we have the one right religion but we are not taught to be intolerant of the beliefs and feeling of others; God did not make us to be judges of others. In fact we are the only major religion that does not go to war for any reason what so ever and kill those that believe different than we do. Through out the world we have thousands of young men and women sitting in prison because they will not take up arms against other people. How could we when we have people in every country on earth? Do Jesus’ people fight against one another? No matter what one thinks of Jehovah’s Witnesses we are the only people on earth that have millions of bible studies every week teaching people to live peaceful and moral lives among their neighbors and to be loving and kind to all; in other words to not just read Jesus’ words but to apply them in our daily life. Yet we at times feel the same intolerance that others do.
However, because of our inherited imperfections mentioned above, man will never of himself bring peace and security to this earth and there will always be intolerant people, until God removes them. No matter how many laws governments put on the books they can not make people want to do what is right. Only Jehovah God can read hearts and weed out those refusing to change; and this He will do shortly.
Sign in
Badge
© 2010 Created by David Califa on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
