Witchvox Article

Author: Magaly Guerrero
Posted: May 28th. 2009
Times Viewed: 2,455

One of my personal rules as an Eclectic Pagan is to examine different Pagan traditions and only embrace what works best for me. I have been negatively and positively criticized because of this practice, and I have a feeling this essay will produce more censure.

The content of this essay might increase the criticism because I�m planning to speak about Jesus. Yes, I meant Jesus Christ, the son of the Christian God. I don�t only embrace what I like about Pagan traditions, but I also borrow bits a pieces from other religions. For instance, I have incorporated a few Christian teachings into my personal eclectic beliefs vault. This essay will shed some light on one of my favorite Christian beliefs: the belief that Jesus Would Do Outreach.

I understand that those exact words cannot be found in any known copies of the Christian Bible, but they are clearly conveyed by the behavior of the Christian savior. One example is the fact that according to what I�ve read in the Christian Bible, no one has ever provided a picture of the church where Jesus preached his sermons. If you have one, do send me a copy. But I must warn you, if I get a picture of a majestic place, decorated with marble pillars and candelabras made of gold, then I�ll know your picture is a fake. I know in my heart that if Jesus had a church, it would be a humble structure, a nice spot in the middle of the forest, a corner in one of our city�s poorest neighborhood�

I believe that Jesus would be in the heart of the need. He would be at the local soup kitchen multiplying the food pantry with his holy magic, near prostitutes handing out condoms in order to keep the public free from deadly diseases, urging drug addicts to stop polluting his temple with illicit substances that promote fake happiness� Jesus Would Do Outreach. He would do the required grunt work that would promote long healthy safe living, which would give people time to find themselves and find their true spiritual calling.

Am I too arrogant for pretending to know what Jesus would do if he was physically among us? Probably, but that doesn�t make my conclusions any less believable to me. Wasn�t Jesus the one who fed tons of hungry people with a few fishes and several loaves of bread? Didn�t he cleanse a leper when everybody else recoiled at the mere sight of his infectious sores? And I�m sure that if illicit drugs had been as big of a problem during Jesus�s time as they are today, then he would be out there promoting harm reduction and helping people find happiness within their own sober souls.

Are you wondering where I�m going with all this? I sure hope so, because I�m getting ready to tell you. I work for a nonprofit organization that assists individuals who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. This organization offers prevention services and educates the public, in an effort to prevent/reduce the spread of HIV, and it does the same for other sexually transmitted diseases. One of my really good Christian friends was interested on providing her church with information about the services offered by the agency where I work. I accompanied her to a religious service and at the end she spoke to her preacher about the agency and about her intensions. When my friend finished telling her preacher what I did for a living, the man looked at me like I was the devil in a pink dress and brown boots.

He told me that he led a decent congregation, and that the people I wanted to target weren�t church goers. He went further to point out that what I had to say was meant for the streets. I stared at the man in disbelieve. I almost lost my bearing and nearly issued my entire Jesus Would Do Outreach spill. But I didn�t. I was composed enough to know that was too upset to sound eloquent, so I thanked the preacher for his time instead. I also told him that a bit of education has never hurt anyone. Then I left the church, wondering how a man with so many college degrees could be so immensely ignorant.

The encounter with my friend and the preacher happened a few months ago. I hadn�t thought about the incident in quite some time, but the event came to mind yesterday, after a conversation with another Christian friend. This particular friend told me that she had read my post on my new blog, Pagan Culture, where I shared a story about my Eclectic Pagan roots. She then confessed that she had struggled with her own beliefs for a while. She spoke about feeling guilty because she didn�t go to church like it was required by the mandates of her Christian faith. My friend also told me that her sister had once told her that not going to church didn�t make her a bad Christian. Her sister said that �if Jesus was here he would probably be on the streets, doing something about drug dealers and taking care of the needy�, which describes some of the work my friend is currently involved in.

I told my friend about my Jesus Would Do Outreach theory and she threw her head back and roared with laughter. After wiping away her laughing tears, my friend told me that she had another confession to make. She said that after reading my post, she had to research Paganism. My friend was surprised by what she learned about my spiritual beliefs. Before visiting my blog, she thought that the lives of Pagans and Witches consisted on running �around at night killing chickens and doing evil.� The information in my post, and the fact that I told her that I have the outmost respect for Jesus Christ�s teachings, made her realized that at their very core, our beliefs are a lot more similar than she imagined. I was very pleased when she told me that she was going to follow my blog because she wanted to know more.

The initial idea behind this essay was to illustrate my belief that if Jesus was physically here today, he would probably be where he was most needed. Once I started writing, I noticed my focus shifting toward Pagan Eclecticism and the similarities between people who follow different spiritual paths. The writer in me screamed in outrage �fix it right this instant!� And I almost did, but changed my mind immediately. I decided to leave it as it was because the main message of this essay ended up being a lot more powerful than I intended. My original thesis promoted a personal idea about Jesus, while the accidental one illustrates the basis of my eclectic beliefs: a bit of research can reveal that most spiritual paths have something great to offer, also it can let the researcher see that people from different belief systems struggle with very similar spiritual dilemmas.

After reading this essay, what are your ideas about Pagan Eclecticism? What about Spiritual Eclecticism in general? Have you struggled with a spiritual dilemma? And finally, do you think Jesus Would Do Outreach?

ABOUT...

Magaly Guerrero

Location: New York, New York

Website: http://pagan-culture.blogspot.com/

Author's Profile: To learn more about Magaly Guerrero - Click HERE

Other Articles: Magaly Guerrero has posted 4 additional articles- View them?

Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE

Email Magaly Guerrero... (Yes! I have opted to receive invites to Pagan events, groups, and commercial sales)

Home - TWV Logos - Email US - Privacy

News and Information

Chapters: Pagan/Heathen Basics - Pagan BOOKS - Traditions, Paths & Religions - Popular Pagan Holidays - TV & Movies - Cats of the Craft - Festival Reviews - Festival Tips - White Pages (Resources) - Issues/Concerns - West Memphis 3 - Witch Hunts - Pagan Protection Tips - Healing Planet Earth

Your Voices: Adult Essays - Young Pagan Essays - Pagan Perspectives (On Hold) - WitchWars: Fire in the Craft - Gay Pagan - Pagan Parenting - Military - Pagan Passages

Pagan Music: Pagan Musicians - Bardic Circle at WitchVox - Free Music from TWV

Vox Central: About TWV - Wren: Words, Wrants and Wramblings - Guest Rants - Past Surveys - A Quest for Unity

Weekly Updates: Click HERE for an index of our weekly updates for the past 6 years

W.O.T.W. - World-Wide Networking

Your Town: A Link to YOUR Area Page (The largest listing of Witches, Pagans, Heathens and Wiccans on the Planet)

VoxLinks: The Pagan Web: 8,000 Listings

Your Witchvox Account: Log in Now - Create New Account - Request New Password - Log in Problems

Personal Listings: Pagan Clergy in Your Town - Adult Pagans - Young Pagans - Military Pagans

Events: Circles, Gatherings, Workshops & Festivals

Covens/Groups/Orgs: Local Groups Main Page

Other LOCAL Resources: Local Shops - Regional Sites - Local Notices - Global/National Notices - Local Skills & Services - Local Egroups - Political Freedom Fighters

Pagan Shopping: Online Shops Index - Original Crafters Sites - Auction Sites - Pagan Wholesalers - Pagan Local Shops

Web Site Content (including: text - graphics - html - look & feel)
Copyright 1997-2013 The Witches' Voice Inc. All rights reserved
Note: Authors & Artists retain the copyright for their work(s) on this website.
Unauthorized reproduction without prior permission is a violation of copyright laws.

Website structure, evolution and php coding by Fritz Jung on a Macintosh G5.

Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections (including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wren’s Nest, etc.) are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witches’ Voice, Inc. TWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.

Sponsorship: Visit the Witches' Voice Sponsor Page for info on how you
can help support this Community Resource. Donations ARE Tax Deductible.
The Witches' Voice carries a 501(c)(3) certificate and a Federal Tax ID.

Mail Us: The Witches' Voice Inc., P.O. Box 341018, Tampa, Florida 33694-1018 U.S.A.

Witches, Pagans
of The World

Current Topic
Editorial Guide

NOTE: The essay on this page contains the writings and opinions of the listed author(s) and is not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Witches' Voice inc.

The Witches' Voice does not verify or attest to the historical accuracy contained in the content of this essay.

All WitchVox essays contain a valid email address, feel free to send your comments, thoughts or concerns directly to the listed author(s).