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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 20147
[Religious]
Date Posted:
10/25/2008
9:21:27 am EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 4,041
RSS: 14,389
Comments: 11
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Wicca-pedia
Author: Clint Cooper Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN)
Title: WICCA-PEDIA
(A new book by a local Christian teacher and researcher says the religion of Wicca has a broad appeal and those who are aware of it have a number of misconceptions.
“Many will be surprised to find it is an official religion,” said Dillon Burroughs, the co-author of “Generation Hex: Understanding the Subtle Dangers of Wicca,” “and it should be treated as such.”
He said it should not be mistaken for satanism, nor do all its followers dress in black. He said most of its adherents are “kind and gentle people,” are “spiritually sensitive” and are open to spiritual discussions.
Mr. Burroughs, a writer for Ankerberg Theological Research Institute and instructor at Tennessee Temple University, said what should concern Christians about the religion is its foundational belief that as long as something does not harm someone else it’s all right to do.
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Community Thoughts: There are 11 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Know Thy Enemy... | Oct 26th. at 2:15:30 pm EDT
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Sela (Happyplace, New York) - Email Me
Tolerance...is just that tolerance, not acceptance...The ultimate goal here is conversion. Learning the language of those you intend to convert is one way to make your job easier...
Knowing thy enemy and being able to speak a common tongue at least gets you in the door...
What you do once your inside is a different story and doesn't often have anything to do with any form of tolerance or acceptance.
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| While I Find Their Assumptions Offensive... | Oct 26th. at 12:41:02 pm EDT
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Mysteries Child (Garfield, Arkansas) - Email Me
...I'm not all that bothered by these people.
I'd probably feel differently if I happened to be a minor in a family that chose to believe this way; being 'lovingly' told that your beliefs are all wrong and you're going to burn in Hell is pretty much every bit as painful as having it screamed at you. A deaf ear is a deaf ear, a closed mind is a closed mind.
The "worshipping the creation" thing, in particular, pisses me off. Showing respect for the creation is *not* the same as worshipping it; it is an act of worship for the Creator. People who use religious orthodoxy to hide from this fact are, IMO, simply unable to admit that they're terrified they just won't be able to make it without their Clorox, their SUV, their MiracleGro and crabgrass killer, their six-bag-a-week, throw-it-all-away trash service, and the general profligacy of the ways in which they were raised.
I used to think going green was hard, too. Grow up and get over it-- I'll get you a nice LED nightlight to help you face the dark. I know it can be scary.
Cheez'n'rice, boys.
But.
It is in the nature of every religion (even though it's not official in Paganism, a lot of us do it, even to the point of 'denominationalism' between traditions) to espouse its superiority over other religions. To not do this is simply a Lesson that the great majority of human beings have not learned (and may never) . It accounts for about 70% of my status as a Solitary; where-ever you find organized religion, you will almost always find this attitude. 'Homo sapiens,' is, alas, a sizable misnomer.
It is in the nature of Christianity to try to convert people. That's what they *do*. Asking them to stop preaching is, basically, asking them to stop believing. I can understand sometimes wishing they would-- sometimes I wish that myself-- but being openly hateful toward them for doing what they do (unless they're doing it on your doorstep and you've already tried polite) just isn't OK.
Unless you actually *want* to see this stupid culture war turn hot. In which case, be blessed on the way, safe journey, live long and prosper and all...
...but go find yourselves another rock to ruin. Maybe they could have SC, and y'all could have NC, and the rest of us could just be left alone????
On that note-- Yeah, they're offensive and annoying. But they're not being dangerously defamatory. Their tactics and rhetoric don't seem likely to get anyone killed. That's really all "tolerance" is, you know-- a way in which people who just don't get along somehow manage to co-exist.
Is it pretty, happy, nice, or ideal??? Not really. But, since very little around here is, I'm willing to consider it good enough for now.
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| Conditions | Oct 26th. at 2:51:38 am EDT
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Greymentality (Kernersville, North Carolina) - Email Me
I still hold a lot of the Christian tenants close to my heart. It was my first religion. The way I started out on my search for Spirit. But, people who claim tolerance and really mean something else is sad.
Yes, be nice and good and be Christ-like. That's what people are supposed to be when they are Christian. Be our friends. But, please, do not be nice to us just because you want us to be more like you. It is not the definition of unconditional love. It is very conditional. And that's all I have to say about that.
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| Wolves In Sheep's Clothing | Oct 25th. at 4:44:41 pm EDT
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Young Coyote (W. Hempstead, New York) - Email Me
Yeah, these guys aren't really "tolerant". They use softer language than most, sure, but it becomes pretty apparent when you read their crap that they have the same goal as any foaming-at-the-mouth fundie; eliminate the competition and convert everyone to their particular brand of Christianity.
Don't believe that this is "progress" or that these are the "nice" Christians. They have the same bigotry as other fundies, they just have a more subtle approach.
I'd rather they were rattling sabres than trying this out. At least then they'd be honest.
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| Addenum... | Oct 25th. at 1:43:33 pm EDT
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Blue Fox (Toronto (Etobicoke) , Ontario) - Email Me
I can't believe I left out the "worship creation over the Creator" aspect, bad on my part....
This is another of the tactics, which again completly ignores any conceptions of Wiccan (and Pagan) theology, which i suppose isn't something you'd expect anyway,
But come on this isn't an article this is outright preaching. There is no objective perspective to this article, this is a mouth piece for a Preacher to warn about the dangers of other religions.
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| Same As It Ever Was | Oct 25th. at 1:36:34 pm EDT
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Blue Fox (Toronto (Etobicoke) , Ontario) - Email Me
This is simply the next step in the Evangelical fight against Wicca and Neo-Paganism. Having read every anti-Pagan of ex-witch book I can find, what you see here is simply a refining of tactics and rhetoric, with the same underlying message.
While earlier works, such as "Wicca: Satan's little white lie" and "Wicca and the way out" contained overt references to Satanic (not real of course, but the imagined ones) . With more recent books, like"Generation Hex" the tack is much lighter, even including accurate information about practices and beliefs. However, the focus then becomes on the fact that Wiccan's are simply being deceived by forces they do not understand (i,e, Satanic forces dressed up) and on a very glib interpretation of the Rede, essentially that Wiccans can do what ever they want, so long it doesn't hurt anybody. To a logical, rational individual that doesn't sound line such a bad philosophy to live by, however, since Evangelicals morality relies on their strict interpretation of the Bible, coupled with their inability to do anything themselves, this is scandalous. Keep in mind that the audience and market for this type of book are those who are already Evangelicals, or likely to become one. No serious Pagan is going to pick up this book, read it and suddenly realize the so called error of their ways.
An excellent example of this (which you can read for free) is the article by David Keuplan (editor of Whistle Blower magazine, and vice president of WND) on the topic, he essentially lays out the central thesis of books Like Generation Hex, and succinctly expresses the Evangelical view on WIcca. The entire article is full of holes, and he talks about Neal Donald Walsch a great deal for some reason (trying to link New-Age with Neo-Pagan, or express is as a manifestation of NA, which is an error a great deal of authors make) . But yeah, there is a world of this kind of literature out there, and it's only troubling when media outlets get their hands on it and try using it as legitimate sources of criticism... Like this article
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| No Title | Oct 25th. at 12:48:40 pm EDT
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
Of course Wicca is still a "danger". It's competition.
History is full of lessons about the "tolerant" nature of xtianity. They tolerate only what they cannot control or when they are not in force. When missionaries were in the minority they were very careful not to conflict with the current customs until they gained enough power to take over.
Still, I'm all for tolerance, as long as peace reigns, as long as I can remember the real reasons behind some of their-- "well meaning" --overtures.
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| Who's Right/Who's Wrong? | Oct 25th. at 10:42:25 am EDT
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AutumnFire (Macomb, Illinois) - Email Me
I'm going out on a limb here. For the past several years, I have mixed Christian teaching, more correctly, the teachings of the Christ, with the forms of Wicca and Paganism. Having read extensively both Pagan and Christian authors, I find the idea that there are many gods but only one of them is the "true" god to be a big problem for me. The author who seemed to give me "permission" to experiment with spiritualties was Bishop John S. Spong. His writings are inclusive, which seems to me, in a world that is being shrunk by the internet, an acknowedgment that there are other ways of "entering the holy and wholy other." I see the future of religion in general beginning to tend in the direction of acknowledgement. It will not be without conflict but the acceptance of various spiritualities must come about if we are to live together in peace.
BB
AutumnFire
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| ... | Oct 25th. at 10:23:16 am EDT
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
Trying to use preternatural abilities to influence the will of others? That's a bit close to "black magick."
The tactics that both Cooper and Burroughs detail here look suspisciously like some of the trolling tactics I've seen in WitchVox; in fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Burroughs posted here under an alias.
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| It's All About | Oct 25th. at 9:42:07 am EDT
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Fern Green (Grand Junction, Colorado) - Email Me - Web
the Christian quest for converts, this time in the guise of "tolerance" and "understanding".
Keep reading, and you'll find the ultimate point of this book is to teach Christians to better communicate with Pagans and Wiccans for the end goal of conversion.
The subtitle says it all. Though not a cult, Wicca is still a "danger".
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| Holy Tolerance, Batman! | Oct 25th. at 9:26:21 am EDT
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Michael Welch (Audubon, New Jersey) - Email Me
Sounds to me like a reasonable approach for Christians.
(Wish I May, Wish I Might....)
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