Any atheists/pagans/wiccans out there? :)

MarCarCas

I discovered Wicca at 16, I'm 23 now. To me it is the most empowering religious path that I've researched, it brings me a lot of joy

I'm glad we broke your post cherry :laugh: I am glad that you find light in it. It truly is a very happy, "live and let live" sort of religion. I like it very much

Haha yeah, my first time! That's exactly how Wicca is, you've put it beautifully.

fguillory

I use to study Wicca. But now I see myself as more Agnostic.

I say there is no one correct path to enlightenment. If there is a god, s/he doesn't care how you worship them or if you worship them as long as you are a good person. If there is an afterlife you will go to a good place.

ElizabethRoad

I used to think that too, but the older I've gotten, the more I've realized how damaging religious thinking can be. Religion teaches people the following:

* Don't take control of your circumstances. Just pray. It's all "god's will".
* When something good happens, it's a blessing. When something bad happens, it's because of "sin".
* Animals are just stupid robots designed to do the bidding of humans
* Science is just opinion, not a process of testing falsifiable hypotheses

And so on.

It ruins self-empowerment, subjugates women, persecutes gays, justifies genocide and slavery, and destroys the human drive to understand the natural world.

That's why I'm not a "live and let live" atheist. I think religion is a cancer on humanity.

You make some valid points. But I think most of them are criticisms of organized religion, which (at least in Christianity) has become a sort of weird bureaucracy. For my part I don't believe any of the bullet points. And while religion does subjugate women, persecute gays, etc., I think those evils would be a part of society anyway, and religion is twisted to justify them.

YassSpartan

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Based on what you're saying, moderators shouldn't lock or delete this thread at anytime, since you mention on your post "topics to only ONE religion should not be placed on the main forum". This thread talks about more than ONE religion, therefore is not violating any rules, right?

kaikoi47

I discovered Wicca at 16, I'm 23 now. To me it is the most empowering religious path that I've researched, it brings me a lot of joy

OMG me too. i discovered it my freeman year of high school.

Bentley2718

I use to study Wicca. But now I see myself as more Agnostic.

I say there is no one correct path to enlightenment. If there is a god, s/he doesn't care how you worship them or if you worship them as long as you are a good person. If there is an afterlife you will go to a good place.

Maybe we should just all try to be good to each other now, then this will be a better place.

ElizabethRoad

Based on what you're saying, moderators shouldn't lock or delete this thread at anytime, since you mention on your post "topics to only ONE religion should not be placed on the main forum". This thread talks about more than ONE religion, therefore is not violating any rules, right?

As long as we don't start going for each other's throats, I think we're good.

brittanyjeanxo

I believe in science and history. I don't believe that anything can happen once, never to be repeated again (eg. the resurrection). I believe that when we die, we are done. I believe the idea of Heaven is something people cling to for comfort when they lose someone they love, or when they fear the end of their own life is near.

Call me what you want. I am human.

That is very well put. I personally like to believe that since we are all (IMO) a source of energy, our energy gets...recycled, if you will, into something else. That doesn't mean that you die, and now a new tree pops up in a forest somewhere, just that the energy needs to go somewhere. Perhaps into a thunderstorm, perhaps to the wind. Maybe, for me, I'll be a wave in the ocean somewhere. Yes, it does bring me comfort, certainly, but to me, it also makes sense.

ninelives58

Very well said! I believe everyone has a right to believe whatever they want but they should not try to force their religion on other people. Out of respect for others I would not try to force my opinions on them. When my grandmother was dying she believed she was going to heaven and never ever would I have taken the comfort that offered her away. I told my children (who were preschool age) that Nanny went to heaven...not because I believe in heaven but because it comforted them to know she was an angel. Does that make me a hypocrit? I don't think any more then telling them about Santa, the tooth fairy or the Easter bunny does.

I like this very much!

YassSpartan

Someone asked what Wicca was earlier in this thread, in any case, I had written about it a while ago and now I put it as a blog entry here, in my own words about what is Wicca. For whoever is interested, this is the link

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/YassFitness/view/what-is-wicca-202745

dakitten2

I do believe in God and Jesus. It's a non-issue for me. I dont care what anyone else's religious beliefs are. To me if they are a good person and have a good heart, I can relate to them. It's unusual for me to even discuss religion and I generally prefer to stay away from forums about religion. But your topic interested me and I wanted to see what everyone was thinking. What I like in this thread, is that unlike many other threads, everyone is being civil and there is no bashing of one's belief. I'm always interested in learning about new things and many of you have changed my mind on certain beliefs. Not that they would be right for me, but I respect that everyone is talking about this in a cool manner. Just do and follow what you believe and we all know that everyone will not agree with our specific religious beliefs. Actually the world would be a boring place if everyone was just alike.

MarCarCas

I discovered Wicca at 16, I'm 23 now. To me it is the most empowering religious path that I've researched, it brings me a lot of joy

OMG me too. i discovered it my freeman year of high school.

:happy: I found Wicca right when I needed to, that was a rough time and it helped me strengthen myself to get through.

_binary_jester_

I use to study Wicca. But now I see myself as more Agnostic.

I say there is no one correct path to enlightenment. If there is a god, s/he doesn't care how you worship them or if you worship them as long as you are a good person. If there is an afterlife you will go to a good place.

Maybe we should just all try to be good to each other now, then this will be a better place.

Depends on what your definition of "good" is.

Bentley2718

I use to study Wicca. But now I see myself as more Agnostic.

I say there is no one correct path to enlightenment. If there is a god, s/he doesn't care how you worship them or if you worship them as long as you are a good person. If there is an afterlife you will go to a good place.

Maybe we should just all try to be good to each other now, then this will be a better place.

Depends on what your definition of "good" is.

Excellent (again subjective) point! I was thinking somewhere along the lines of treating others with respect and compassion, at a bare minimum not intentionally harming other people/beings. Bleeding-heart, tree-hugging, liberal stuff like that.

brittanyjeanxo

I do believe in God and Jesus. It's a non-issue for me. I dont care what anyone else's religious beliefs are. To me if they are a good person and have a good heart, I can relate to them. It's unusual for me to even discuss religion and I generally prefer to stay away from forums about religion. But your topic interested me and I wanted to see what everyone was thinking. What I like in this thread, is that unlike many other threads, everyone is being civil and there is no bashing of one's belief. I'm always interested in learning about new things and many of you have changed my mind on certain beliefs. Not that they would be right for me, but I respect that everyone is talking about this in a cool manner. Just do and follow what you believe and we all know that everyone will not agree with our specific religious beliefs. Actually the world would be a boring place if everyone was just alike.

And thank you for continuing to keep it civil I think the reason it can stay this way is because people either don't have a religious belief, don't believe in any god at all, or have a very peaceful religion (not to say yours isn't!)

MarCarCas

Someone asked what Wicca was earlier in this thread, in any case, I had written about it a while ago and now I put it as a blog entry here, in my own words about what is Wicca. For whoever is interested, this is the link

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/YassFitness/view/what-is-wicca-202745

You've done a great job explaining the basics

_binary_jester_

I use to study Wicca. But now I see myself as more Agnostic.

I say there is no one correct path to enlightenment. If there is a god, s/he doesn't care how you worship them or if you worship them as long as you are a good person. If there is an afterlife you will go to a good place.

Maybe we should just all try to be good to each other now, then this will be a better place.

Depends on what your definition of "good" is.

Excellent (again subjective) point! I was thinking somewhere along the lines of treating others with respect and compassion, at a bare minimum not intentionally harming other people/beings. Bleeding-heart, tree-hugging, liberal stuff like that.

I was thinking of multiple o's and bj's. Yours seems a lot nicer.

Bentley2718

I use to study Wicca. But now I see myself as more Agnostic.

I say there is no one correct path to enlightenment. If there is a god, s/he doesn't care how you worship them or if you worship them as long as you are a good person. If there is an afterlife you will go to a good place.

Maybe we should just all try to be good to each other now, then this will be a better place.

Depends on what your definition of "good" is.

Excellent (again subjective) point! I was thinking somewhere along the lines of treating others with respect and compassion, at a bare minimum not intentionally harming other people/beings. Bleeding-heart, tree-hugging, liberal stuff like that.

I was thinking of multiple o's and bj's. Yours seems a lot nicer.

That sounds pretty good too!

YassSpartan

Someone asked what Wicca was earlier in this thread, in any case, I had written about it a while ago and now I put it as a blog entry here, in my own words about what is Wicca. For whoever is interested, this is the link

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/YassFitness/view/what-is-wicca-202745

You've done a great job explaining the basics

Thank you. I tried to write it in a simple way trying to give an overall look of what it is because soooo many people ask me what Wicca is, and honestly I couldn't stand writing the same over and over again :laugh:

brittanyjeanxo

I was thinking of multiple o's and bj's. Yours seems a lot nicer.

Hahah!

kaikoi47

i don't know where i was. I did not believe in anyone or thing, and just wanted to find some kind of balance. when Wicca found me, it was when i decided that everything Wicca stood for i was already at that point of believing. and i found i finally had a name for it.

MarCarCas

i don't know where i was. I did not believe in anyone or thing, and just wanted to find some kind of balance. when Wicca found me, it was when i decided that everything Wicca stood for i was already at that point of believing. and i found i finally had a name for it.

Yeah that's how it was for me.

brittanyjeanxo

i don't know where i was. I did not believe in anyone or thing, and just wanted to find some kind of balance. when Wicca found me, it was when i decided that everything Wicca stood for i was already at that point of believing. and i found i finally had a name for it.

That brings up an interesting point.

Do you think that people are more apt to identify with a certain religion, simply because it's something to identify WITH?

Goldenbast

Me and my husband are both practicing eclectic pagans. Our 14 year old daughter seems to be following our path, but our 13 year old daughter seems to follow Christianity. We believe in following your heart and do not put restrictions on something so personal as religion on our children, nor do we push it on anyone...everyone has the right to believe what they choose to believe.

BrettPGH

8 pages? I can only imagine the fun I've missed. Stupid having a life! It's incredibly rare for me but still annoying.


If it hasn't been mentioned yet we have a group for atheists on MFP. Anyone who wants in can message me.

islandjumper

Atheist here...and fairly apathetic

missjelika

Don't exclude us Pastafarians!

RAMEN:laugh: :bigsmile:

brittanyjeanxo

8 pages? I can only imagine the fun I've missed. Stupid having a life! It's incredibly rare for me but still annoying.


If it hasn't been mentioned yet we have a group for atheists on MFP. Anyone who wants in can message me.

Hellz yeah :glasses: haha, we've been keeping it civil, that's why we're still around.

Bentley2718

Atheist here...and fairly apathetic

Funny you mention apathy, the woman who married my husband and I is clergy in The Church of the Apathetic Agnostic. (No, I'm not joking, the state I was married in has VERY liberal rules about who is considered clergy for the purpose of performing marriage ceremonies.)

krystonite

I don't know. I don't really care.

I'd LIKE to think there is a God, but I'm not holding my breath. I believe in the Universe more than anything - kinetic energy that may bring two people together. I believe that the universe conspires for certain things. Because I'm weird.

I don't have a problem with God at all, if there is a God. I have a problem with his fan club.