Happy Holidays!

Happy Yule to my fellow Pagans.
Merry Christmas to my Christian readers.
I hope my Jewish readers had a great Hanukkah.
And for the atheists in our crowd…Merry Festivus. 😉

May everyone have a safe, happy, and relaxing day with their friends and/or family today. Take care of yourselves and know you are loved. ❤

Seasonal comedy relief for those of us who need it.

Response To A Great Post By Myatheistlife

Fellow blogger MyAtheistLife posted a really good series of religious questions earlier today. Although a decent number of them were directed towards monotheists (and perhaps Christians in particular) I thought I’d give answering them a shot. The post’s original questions are in bold, my responses are all italicized.

Misconceptions About Pagans

In the past few months I’ve found that a number of my commenters/readers don’t know very much about Wicca, or Paganism as a whole.

Skyclad

Quick and silent as a shadow
I make my careful way
Out into the acres of forest
That are no longer brightened by day.

I know these woods
Their paths are my own
The wind whispers around me
Trees creak sigh and moan.

And This Is Why Wicca Isn’t Taken Seriously…

Okay everyone, gather round. It’s time for another rousing tale of customer specialness from my place of work! This…”discussion”…happened just 2 days ago, and thus is unfortunately still very fresh in my mind. Luckily it took place in the early morning, so only 1 other customer was subjected to the abject stupidity and strangeness that was “I’m a Wiccan, too!” Guy.

Why I Refuse To Say “Merry Christmas”

…to people I don’t know: Because I have no idea if they are Christian or not. After all, I’m Wiccan and have been for over a decade, and I have had friends who were Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and atheist. They never celebrated Christmas, and neither do I. So, when I’m dealing with customers or the general public, I will automatically say “Happy Holidays” rather than reverting to the not-all-that-inclusive greeting of “Merry Christmas”. Usually this works out pretty damn well.

Reply from a Christian Author

So last week I talked about a letter that I’d sent to Rebecca Greenwood, an Evangelical Christian and author of the book Let Our Children Go. (See my previous post for a condensed version of my letter to her.) To my delight, she replied to me within the same week, and was quite polite in her return letter…a pleasant surprise considering how Evangelicals

Letter to a Christian Author

I was going through some old emails today, and found one that I though might be worth sharing. Last year, one of my customers told me about a book that had “changed her life” and recommended that I read it as well. This was right after she had found out I was Wiccan, so I imagined it was a book about how Christianity was the best/only religion worth having. I was not disappointed, at least in that regard. However, there were so many strange and inaccurate “facts” that I felt compelled to write a letter to the author. The book was Let Our Children Go by Rebecca Greenwood, and this is a shortened version of my letter to her…

Dear Mrs. Greenwood, I have just read your newest book, Let Our Children Go. While I certainly agree with some of what you say, and rejoice at what wonderful acts you have done (such as your work with disadvantaged children and victims of abuse) I am afraid that certain parts left me bewildered. You see, I am a 28 year old Wiccan woman, practicing since I was 13.

Assumptions about Wicca

If someone asked you what a Wiccan looked like, what image would first come to mind?

A rebellious, black-clothed teen?

A middle aged, overtly Feminist woman?

A young girl who wants to feel more in tune with nature?

A “refugee” from the Woodstock era?

Or maybe someone who enjoys worshipping “the devil” and wants to mock the god of the monotheistic religions?

Except for the last one, all of these stereotypes do, I admit, describe some Wiccans…or at least people who claim to be. But the majority of us don’t look or act any different than your average person. Unless someone is wearing a pentacle or specifically says they are Wiccan, you probably couldn’t tell.