Posted by TexasChic on September 19, 2005, at 20:49:53
In reply to WICCA, posted by vines123456 on August 12, 2005, at 18:27:15
I come from a strict Christian family with a preacher for my father. I felt I was not given a choice when I was younger, so I explored different faiths as an adult. I found that the Wiccan faith was so like the Christian faith that I moved on quickly.
There are some definite differences, they believe in a Goddess or a God and Goddess, and they have specific rituals that may seem strange to a Christian. However, they are very spiritual. Their 'circles' are basically the same as praying in my viewpoint. Certain rituals are similiar to communion. I just saw the parallels so distinctly that I quickly realized I'd already been there, done that.
The one misconception people seem to have is that they are Satanic. Wiccans laugh at this as they don't even believe in Satan. They believe in very positive, good natured type things. Like being a positive and good person and doing no harm to others will provide you with a positive life in return. I actually have somewhat adopted the idea without the 'religion' part of it. I don't really believe in the 'unseen forces' or 'supreme being' aspect of it, but I think its a great way of keeping a positive attitude about life by looking for the positive rewards in response to your own good deeds. If you look hard enough, you will find them. It keeps you positive and causes you to recognize the good things in life. When I find I could do something harmful to someone who deserves it, I just think, Karma will take care of that. And lo and behold, it does. Now whether there is a perfectly scientific or psychological explanation for these things, I don't know. I just know it keeps me focused on being a positive person, and refraining from revenge or hostility because people will eventually bring what they deserve on themselves.
The Wiccan faith is very popular right now among teenagers, kind of like a fad. Your daughter may or may not decide this is for her. She may, like me, discover its not quite what she thought and is really an actual 'religion'. Or she may find this is the perfect way for her to show respect for the creator of all things. Either way, I think its wonderful that she is able to explore these things and decide what she wants to believe for herself. I was not given that choice growing up,
poster:TexasChic
thread:540860
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20050811/msgs/557073.html