"Why?" It is the most commonly asked and most complicated question to answer. This section is written to communicate a few thoughts and revelations to all.
I have always wondered why there is much discord within different religious, sexual orientation and racial backgrounds. Simply put, I believe that the answer to that question is, fear. Fear of what others do not know and do not wish to know. The fear that is placed in others by society and religion. It keeps
many of us in the dark and afraid to explore other areas of life that we are all part of. My site deals with The Craft and her sister religions. I would like to take the fear out of those individuals who think of us as heathens, devil worshippers, etc.
We as witches and all earth-based religions follow the cycles of the seasons and the holidays of the wheel of the year. We feel a connection to nature and divinity. We recognize we are all connected to nature and that the divine is nature and ourselves. We know the power in everything and are able to use the power to our advantage. But, never to do harm to another. You can either take the right hand path or the left-hand path. It is solely up to you, but always remember the Rule of Three. It
states in part:
What does it matter how we as individuals reach truth, enlightenment and spirituality as long as we get there. And, as long as we get there in peace. It frustrates me when people of certain religions think that there way is the only way. There is not only one truth, there are many truths. You find the truth that is right for you and don't judge anyone else's truth. Many people will tell you that if you don't believe their
truth and become "saved" you will surely go to hell. What is hell? If, those people worship a god that is a good god as they say, then why would that god create a place where his children will live out the rest of eternity in damnation. Seems to me that certain religious beliefs inflict control on others.
Back to The Craft. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not worship Satan. The concept of Satan, devil, Lucifer, is a Christian belief. It is accepted that the Christian devil is a corruption of the pagan horned god. According to Isaac Bonewits, satanism is descended from the gothic witchcraft that was created by the Christians at the time of the inquisition. Satanists pattern themselves on ideas created by the church. It has nothing to do with The Craft/Wicca.
Based on pre-christian European folklore and mythology, Wicca is the alternative name for modern witchcraft. It is related to the ancient mother goddess in the aspects of maiden, mother and crone. It dates back to the Paleolithic age when a god of hunting and a goddess of fertility were worshipped. It is
nature inspired in that there was a higher power that controlled the rains, winds, fire, etc. Women were thought of as magickal because they were able to bleed at the time of the full moon and, were able to create life.
The origin of the word "witch" comes from many different variations, but none have evil connotations attached to it. Let's start with the word "Wicca" which has become widespread to mean witchcraft. This word means nothing of the kind. It is the Old English word for male witch. The feminine form of the word
is "Wicce" and the verb "to bewitch" was "Wiccian". Professor Jeffrey B. Russell (A History ofWitchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics and Pagans) states that the origin of the word "witch" is the Indo-European root "weik", which relates to things connected to magick and religion. Actual derivations of the word "witch" have
been debated and many have tried to equate it with old words meaning "wise", and others have derived it from words meaning "weak" or "wicked". I prefer the meaning of "wise" since to me, only the wise could perform magick in order to heal or protect. In this meaning Witchcraft simply means Craft of the Wise. There is nothing to be frightened of here. As aforementioned, you choose which path to take. As with any religion, there is good and bad. And, it is not the religion that is good or bad, it is the people in those religions. It is those that teach the religions that make it good or bad.
Religious Discrimination comes from fear. The earliest case of religious discrimination, which comes to mind, is the murder of Christ. It seems to me that the reason he was murdered was because of his beliefs and teachings. Those that condemned him were afraid that if everyone converted to his ways, there would be no one left to control and, in some ways, it had much to do with the financial aspects of religion. The financial is a big part of organized religion today, but that is too lengthy a subject to get into at this point and I'm sure most people are aware of this anyway.
Justice and Why? Today, people involved in earth based religions are still being persecuted. In a site called "The Burning Times", one of the most recent cases was the murder of a woman accused of being a witch in January of 1998. Need I say more.
For more information on your Religious Rights, please pay a visit to The Freedom Forum and take a look at The Burning Times below.
