Friday, July 25, 2008, 09:14 AM [
General]
When I posted my last blog, I never expected to ruffle anyone's feelings, but as I should've been prepared for, it appears that I did. I love all of my friends here at covenspace and do not want to be the cause of any animosity between anyone. I apologize for anything that I said that was construed as being harsh or abrasive. There was bitterness that showed through, but with just cause in my case. I do tolerate all people, at least I believe I do. I simply do not accept all beliefs and try to make any of them my own.
I truly believe that those of us that got burned horribly by the christian belief system after believing every single word in the bible, feel more hostility to the entire organization than people who have never really had severe dealings with the christian beliefs.
My daughter's death was a huge wake up call for me that you cannot believe the words written in that christian tome. I studied and lived strict christianity for 49 years and I do know how terribly corrupt the entire belief system is. Once I became a pagan, then I discovered the "what, why, where, & who" of the writing of this christian book. It was then that I started to realize the total deception. Everyone should read the book, "When God Was A Woman" by Merlin Stone. It explains a lot of the creation of the bible and its original purpose and is a real eye-opener, but only one of many books that expose christianity for what it is.
All that said, I do not reject any christians themselves just because of what they believe. When you are born into the system & raised in the system, it is very hard to take a step back and look at the whole picture. I was there and I defended christianity very logically and thoroughly. I do feel sympathy for them, but no hostility toward the individuals. I am wary of them, as I am sure all witches are and I may trust them even less since I was one for so long, but I do tolerate them. I simply do not accept them. As I stated at the very beginning of my blog:
tolerate - a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own.
accept -to regard as true or sound; believe.
There is a big difference between tolerating and accepting. And even then I suppose that I do accept that Jesus was a real person who was a great teacher and honorable man. I do not believe as some do, including Jesus and his followers, that he was the son of god and sacrificed himself as such. He did revoke the subjugation of women, but his followers certainly did not carry on that belief ... just look around at the christian world and even with the few in the ranks that are supporting women, the vast ... the very vast, christian population still treat women as less valued as men. Our whole society still does that and partly, if not mainly, because that belief was brought here by the christians that were fleeing religious persecution. (Of course then they, themselves, turned on anyone that did not believe the same as they did and persecuted those people just as they had been.)
For me to accept the organization as a whole, would be too hypocritical personally. I have family relatives that are christian ... most of them I love dearly, but a couple of them I detest because of their beliefs and hatred of others. But I can tolerate all of them, even though they can't tolerate my choice of beliefs. Toleration does not have to encompass acceptance.
I was supported throughout my daughter's illness by countless ministries and yet at her death they fled as fast as was possible. After 49 years there are no words to explain how empty, deserted, and alone that makes a believer feel. I also had two teenagers that looked to me for explanations and I had none. I was so severely hurt and scarred by the christian organization. And now they judge me, have damned me to hell, and yet want to convert me back into their "fellowship". (Those that believe in "once saved always saved" can rest easy about my soul.)
The general simple idea that I have tried to make was ... I may find other religious systems interesting and worthy of some research and I can even find some truths in them, perhaps. But because of my personal history with christianity I cannot do the same with them. I have already been interested and tried finding their truths. But ... I think that if I had been hurt as deeply by any religious establishment I would feel the same ... be it Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Wiccan, Druid, etc. ... wouldn't most people?
My previous blog was considering the difference between toleration and acceptance. I used the christian community as my example because that is what I know intimately. I did not realize that I would offend anyone, except for the christian witches that I felt remorse for after the blog was posted. So any christian witches that may be reading my writings, please don't be offended personally, I was talking about this as a large generic group.
Moon Blessings.
