On Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 6:11 PM, Carol <
hawkshill13@ yahoo.com> wrote:
> Delaware's Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell may have lost the Wiccan vote. O'Donnell's decade-old remarks about having "dabbled into witchcraft," which resurfaced on Friday, were ill-informed and disappointing, some in the pagan community have said.
>
I guess I'm a little odd, but I think that if I got upset every time
someone mentioned witchcraft in a context of which I did not approve
then I would be in a constant state of turmoil. In this case, I would
guess that 'dabbled into witchcraft' is probably accurate...meaning
she never was and never will be a pagan or a witch. In the longer
context the remarks seem to indicate that for a time she, like most
high school kids, went through an emotional phase in which dark
clothing, heavy silver jewelry with occult symbols on it, and shock
value were key.
*shrugs* It's how I ended up seriously involved in this path some
twenty-odd years ago...it just may not be for all folks.
We would also do well to remember that Satanism IS a legitimate form
of witchcraft, even if that is not the context in which it was
equated. Specifically, I know several fine upstanding members of the
local pagan community who are Setians and at least one individual, a
dear friend, who follows LaVey's teachings. I myself have to some
extent adopted some of the Satanic principles simply because they help
me not to be a doormat.
> "Whether she intends to do that or not as a way to try and get herself out of this political problem she has created for herself, the fact is America really needs to be a place where you can celebrate diversity and practice your religion without getting ridiculed or defamed," she said.
>
I fundamentally disagree with that statement. When the first movies
--- good, bad, or otherwise --- came out utilizing witchcraft or Wicca
as a legitimate practice I rejoiced. The backhand references in shows
like "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" amuse me. Why? Because if
the religion is acknowledged as legitimate or mainstream, it will
inevitably be subject to jokes and satire.
Misunderstandings are easy to correct if one is not hostile about it.
Simply give them a straightforward, non-aggressive, simple expression
of the truth and be careful not to generalize:
"No, Wiccans don't practice animal sacrifice."
"Sorry, I really can't turn you into a frog."
"I have a code of ethics I follow which wouldn't allow me to do that...."
Ignorance causes fear and when we respond with hostility we lose a
chance to educate and correct the ignorance, keeping fear from ever
being rooted in the first place.
> For instance, O'Donnell said in her 1999 remarks that she went on a date at a Satanic altar as part of her experience with witchcraft.
She may have. The popularized La Vey variant of Satanic witchcraft
does involve the use of a female as the altar at times. If, as I
suspect, these were kids, they may not even have read La Vey and may
have been constructing their views from popular literature or
assumptions.
> "It's very hard to worship something you do not believe in and Satan is a Christian concept," Webb said. "Wiccans don't have Satanic altars."
>
This is where I often have problems with the pagan community in
general. We're so anxious to make a good impression that we gloss over
the things which are less appealing. Satan is not specifically a
Christian concept; the Christians adapted the idea from much older
roots dating back to one of the oldest and earliest Mesopotamian
cultures. Satan --- which if you have actually read the Bible is
neither horned nor a monster --- has ties to Lucifer, who was at one
time Diana's consort and was once literally a devil's advocate: an
angel under the orders of their God to tempt His people in order to
try their faith and to teach them morality through the decisions they
made. He's a trickster god, like Loki (also known in various sagas as
the Lord of Lies, a title he shares with the biblical Satan). Because
I do not personally work with a pantheon that does not mean the
pantheon doesn't exist. We need to start thinking of Christianity as
a pantheon and stop denying the existence of its deities. Far more
accurate and less provoking to simply say we do not use the pantheon.
--
"Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and
numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote
wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy."
-- Hamlin Garland
Fran Wolfe-Johnson (WalkerTXKitty)
FoxHeart Acres, FL
http://www.myhappyt rails.net 
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