Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Finding a path

Installment 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.


   The book alone was not the only thing that changed my views on this subject. It was also largely due to the person that insisted I read this book. However this book helped me see the truth. I was raised a Southern Baptist. Now Christian, Baptists in particular, are pretty much all taught that ANY religion other than theirs is not only wrong but punishable by "fiery damnation for all eternity". I had been unsatisfied with my religion and had a lot of unanswered questions that, when I tried to talk to my pastor or a church elder about, basically came down to "Because that's what it says in the bible." or "Because God said so." or "Some things you have to take on faith.". Now these answers were given when either there was no concrete answer or when I found a logic loop or inconsistency. I was a teenager just out of my first year of college and working my new job at Golden Corral in Millington, TN. I started my time there as a dishwasher. The woman in charge of salad prep was nice and we developed a friendship. I found out fairly soon that she was a Wiccan. Well the years of Baptist training came out and I decided it was my job to try to save her soul from Hell. The more we talked and debated the more often I found that I didn't have enough answers to back up my arguments but she always did. After about a week of this she gave me a book by Scott Cunningham titled "The Truth About Witchcraft". This book talked about the misconceptions most people had about Wiccans and their religion. It clearly showed the differences between Wicca and Satanism (most Christians seem to thing they are the same thing). Even though the book was written by a long time Wiccan it presented a clear, informed, and unbiased view on what it was to be Wiccan. It was mainly meant as a guide to understanding what your friend/s were into when they said they were a Wiccan and you had no idea what that was. It was not a conversation pamphlet or brainwashing literature as many other religions always want to force on you. It was simply a source of information. I was better able to except my new friend for what she was and stopped trying to convert her. Within a month after this I decided that Wicca was right for me and set out on that path. Its been a little over 21 years and I still proudly call myself a Wiccan.

Thanks for stopping by and giving my blog a read. I hope you have an awesome day!

3 comments:

  1. Something I've noticed (in my little corner of the world) is that the people most likely to question their religious beliefs are ones who were raised Baptist. I cannot tell you how many of my friends were kicked out of Baptist churches for silly things like the music they listened to or questioning things beyond "because that's what the Bible says." Bravo for finding what you believe is the right path for you!!

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  2. "I cannot tell you how many of my friends were kicked out of Baptist churches for silly things like the music they listened to or questioning things beyond "because that's what the Bible says.""
    Its behavior like that, along with the holier than thou attitudes, the do as I preach not as I do outlook, and all the two-facedness and petty bickering that soured me on being a Baptist. It wasn't just an isolated incident either. I found the same thing at every baptist church I attended. No one is perfect, no one has all the answers, but you shouldn't be looked down on for trying to find them. Questioning things is in my nature, always has been. When we just go along blindly bad things happen. History is full of examples!

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  3. The Christian bible condemns Eve for picking the "Forbidden Fruit" of the "Tree of Knowledge" because knowledge leads to questions and in their narrow religion, not all questions can be answered satisfactorily. Good reason to condemn poor old Eve and women in general.
    Love our path where the quest for knowledge never ends and the answer to one question often leads us to ask another one.

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