Wiccans and you.

[ThrobbingEgo]

I guess, if people HAVE to have a religion, then they might as well go for Wicca or Buddhism. It's still blithering idiocy, but at least it's not the sheer evil of the currently mainstream religions. I doubt I'll ever see a Wiccan use religion as an excuse for violence, at least.

I'm also an atheist. The one thing that struck me with Buddhism is that there are sophisticated concepts in Buddhist philosophy that predate equivalents in western philosophy by a couple thousand years. It's only recently that secular philosophers have caught up and begun to grapple with Buddhist observations about identity and consciousness. In philosophy of mind we've slowly gone from the mind being a discrete 'soul' (as with Locke) to the mind being a 'bag of tricks' that essentially creates a narrative because it's useful (Dennet). The skepticism of the mind as it appears to be in 'first-person' originates in Buddhist philosophy.

It amazes me that Buddhist scholars made solid observations about complex mental phenomena when my ancestral scholars were arguing about exactly how many plagues god smote the Egyptians with during the exodus. (600 according to Rabbi Akiva.)

I obviously don't think they're right about the supernatural bits and reincarnation, but that's pretty damn good for 'blithering idiocy.'

 

[Tanis]

All religions are false and I treat them equally because of it.

If Ebay wants to ban 'spells' then they damn well better ban 'pray beads' and other crap or they are gonna get SUED hard.

 

[Exterminas]

I live in europe and I never met someone who called themselves a Wiccan. I merely know about this religion via the internet and american TV-Series.
Either that is an US-thingy, or I am in the wrong neck of the woods.

 

[AngloDoom]

I view people who label themselves 'Wiccan' in the same light as I do every other individual who subscribes to a certain religious philosophy: they've found something that they need or want to improve their life.

Admittedly, some part of me does also view religious individuals as a bit naive, but that's a flaw in my character that I can't seem to shed. I try my hardest not to let it affect my judgement, but the moment someone talks about anything mystical I find it harder to take them seriously.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

There are exceptions, but they're few and far between.

That's because most of the exceptions distance themselves from the 'wiccan' community and either associate with the wider neo-pagan community and/or just do their own thing...

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I've probably never met one that was real McCoy before, but by and large I find a person is a prat and a (does X) and not is a prat BECAUSE of (X).

 

[Lazy]

-rant rant rant-

For an atheist, you're awfully preachy.

Evangelical atheist? Also, elitist and mean, according to some.

I can't imagine why.

I know, right? It's a mystery.

Like the fate of Atlantis.

 

[Scrustle]

Wicca seems like the hipster of religions to me. They pull all this crap out of their arse which doesn't have any basis in anything. It's like it's being different for the sake of being different. It seems to have this attitude that if the established religions don't appeal to you you're allowed to just make up your own crap, but you must have a religion of some kind. As long as you throw in words like "spiritual" then it's just as valid as any other religion and equally immune to scrutiny.

Slightly unrelated story: A few years ago I overheard someone who was a friend of an acquaintance of mine (who I gather was known as an obnoxious prick who loved nothing more than telling people how stupid they were for being religious) questioning a girl who claimed she was Wiccan. He asked her what she actually believed and she told him that she didn't actually know. The only definite thing she was able to say was that her grandmother taught it to her. The rest was extremely vague nonsense or just trying to completely avoid the question.

 

[DirtyJunkieScum]

Having been heavily involved in drug and rave culture I met quite a few people who would occasionally bang on about crystals and their various "healing properties", had my "aura cleansed" by a young lady waving burning sage or some other crap round me. I generally have to do that thing where you clench up your jaw muscles and adopt a neutral facial expression and nod occasionally saying "mmm...yes...I see..." to stop myself looking like a find it all fairly ridiculous, which I do.

I also had a friend who was about 5 cans short of a six pack who would get into the occult and such on a cyclical basis. He went to a meeting once (probably very drunk) and started trying to "hex" them and got beaten up and thrown out. Heh. He was always good for an insane story.

 

[Tallim]

Wiccans are one thing, selling false hope/power/delusions over the internet are a completely different kettle of eye of newt.

 

[DirtyJunkieScum]

Wiccans are one thing, selling false hope/power/delusions over the internet are a completely different kettle of eye of newt.

Hey! I'll have you know eye of newt is a guaranteed cure for cancer. However they have to be taken rectally so very few people are willing to try.

 

[Lieju]

It's no different than any other religion as far as you ask me.
And I don't have much respect for such beliefs. I can respect the right of people to hold those beliefs and speak of them, but if they can't back it up with science and logic, I'm going to call BS on it.

Also, as someone who has interest in religions many wiccans take inspiration from, I'm annoyed if they make unsupported claims about the historicity of those beliefs.

 

[Hagi]

I believe any deeply religious person (that being anyone who claims their belief as ultimate truth) exhibits a severe lack of critical thinking. I also find it somewhat arrogant to believe that you (the believer), of all people, has managed to discern which one is the one true faith of the world and that the billions who believe otherwise are wrong.

But hey, everyone has character flaws.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

I don't believe it and get annoyed when other people try to push it onto me. Otherwise though I don't care if people are willing to pay perfectly good money for some person to give them cryptic messages that would make sense for 90% of people.
My mum however tries to live her life around it and that is where I draw the line. I get so annoyed when she does something monumentally stupid because something a psychic said. That is the main reason I don't like psychics. I'm fine with making money of idiots, its a broad market, but using their lack of intelligence to get them to do stupid stuff if just cruel.

 

[bauke67]

It's still blithering idiocy, but at least it's not the sheer evil of the currently mainstream religions. I doubt I'll ever see a Wiccan use religion as an excuse for violence, at least.

Just remember, folks. Good men do good things, evil men do evil things... and it takes religion to make good men do evil things. I can't wait until mankind grows up from that need for fantasy and bullshit to make them feel safe and finally leaves that ball and chain from weighing down our species.

Dude, not to sound all offended and all, but are you calling me evil?

OT: I don't personally know any wiccans, and I'm not like likely to any time soon, so I think of them what I think of most people with similar qualifications: nothing. I just don't really care what they belief, but if they want to follow those beliefs, then they should go ahead and keep following them.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

A guy called a woman out quite nastily at the bus stop for wearing a right way up pentagram. I explained to him what it would have to look like if she was a devil worshipper and that he shouldn't attack people who he thinks might worship Satan because one day he might be right and they might not be so forgiving.

He went a bit quiet and pale after that.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

A guy called a woman out quite nastily at the bus stop for wearing a right way up pentagram. I explained to him what it would have to look like if she was a devil worshipper and that he shouldn't attack people who he thinks might worship Satan because one day he might be right and they might not be so forgiving.

He went a bit quiet and pale after that.

I once knew an Irish guy who was a wiccan. ran in his family. One night we were talking and he often spoke of the different types of magic and it was really interesting for what it was. It's a legitimate religion, but I find it's submergence in pop culture with NERDS to be it's downfall. I mean what kind of tool needs to define himself by his belief system?

Yeah it was a Christian who got all bolshy with the poor woman. I think St Peter is my favorite saint.

I know some Christians and priests wear the crucifix up side down so they can look at it properly when they lift it too. So looks the 'Christ' way around to them.

A guy called a woman out quite nastily at the bus stop for wearing a right way up pentagram. I explained to him what it would have to look like if she was a devil worshipper and that he shouldn't attack people who he thinks might worship Satan because one day he might be right and they might not be so forgiving.

He went a bit quiet and pale after that.

I once knew an Irish guy who was a wiccan. ran in his family. One night we were talking and he often spoke of the different types of magic and it was really interesting for what it was. It's a legitimate religion, but I find it's submergence in pop culture with NERDS to be it's downfall. I mean what kind of tool needs to define himself by his belief system?

I am descended from all sorts of crazy crap. My grandfathers family were Romany gypsies from Transylvania, one of my ancestors was Sir Francis Drake who was apparently a bit dodgy and my great grandma was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and could tell when people were going to die just by looking at them and that's just the half of my weird ancestors.

Personally I don't really believe in anything beyond what science can prove but I keep an open mind.

 

[Gardenia]

The difference is that Wicca has absolutely no historical, social, theological, or empirical backing. "Wicca" as it defined today is a groundless pastiche of real spiritual traditions at most and a completely invented, pulled from thin air *snip*

One could argue that such is the starting point for all religions. Even Judaism is just an amalgamation of other, earlier religions and myths.

But I agree with you, sir. Wicca (like all other religions) is silly crap meant to provide a bit of false comfort for people who think they need it.

 

[Bestival]

"getting wiccy with it" Might be the greatest thing I've ever read.

OT: I treat it like any other religion; I ignore it and it's fanbase until they come bother me, at which point I will yell at whomever.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

snip.

Well technically, virtually anything is possible. So it's possible, but not likely that Wicca has much...uhm, word?

I think 'Wicca' was invented in the 70's wasn't it. Other Pagan religions should be respected though like druidism.