False Gods

[Medusa]

Re: False Gods

I am familiar wit Anibisa's issue. When a classmate of mine heard that I don't worship the Jewish / Christian God, he began shouting: "Burn the sorcerer!"
I don't mind about what other people believe in, but nothing gives them the right to decide which deity is the right one, and which is not. What do you think?

What damn year does your classmate think this is?
Show him ice from your fridge and tell him you are the snow god.

[Gleb]

Re: False Gods

What damn year does your classmate think this is?
Show him ice from your fridge and tell him you are the snow god.

He is a super gamer, and is too influenced by the (mostly) american multi-serials and video games. He is even behaving like some of the characters in the serials and games. Like the father in American Dad, or one of the assasins in Assasin Creed....
So it is pretty useless to try to change his mind.

[Medusa]

Re: False Gods

He is a super gamer, and is too influenced by the (mostly) american multi-serials and video games. He is even behaving like some of the characters in the serials and games. Like the father in American Dad, or one of the assasins in Assasin Creed....
So it is pretty useless to try to change his mind.

Tell him vidya games are the devil's curse.

[Gleb]

Re: False Gods

Tell him vidya games are the devil's curse.

I do. It freaks him out

The fool had brought Yu-Gi-Oh cards to school, and was shouting at everyone during the break, 'cause people were looking at the cards. -____-

[Dahll Haus]

Re: False Gods

My mother and I studiously Do Not Talk about it. She kept harassing me to go to church, read the Bible, etc, without knowing I was pagan. I finally sent her an Ostara card with a great big pentagram on an egg. Since then, we do not discuss it. She still prays before every meal and out of respect I bow my head, but when she insists I say the prayer, I refuse.

My brother, who I don't really speak to anymore, would always ask 'Are you still a Druid?' (note, I was never a Druid) Now that we're not speaking, I thought of a perfect comeback: Are you still Jewish? (He's not Jewish, btw, but fiercely Protestant).

[anubisa]

Re: False Gods

Out of respect for my Catholic family I pray with them at every meal. I don't do the sign of the cross because I don't believe in the Jewish God anymore. I love my family, but I am not going to let them force me back to a religion that feels wrong to me. I love my father deity and he is not a false deity to me and plenty other people out there. So let my family think what they want of me. I'm not going to bring up religion though. I think it might cause fights or disagreements. Thanks again for your opinions everyone.

[Rae'ya]

Re: False Gods

I hope I am putting this in the right forum. Forgive me if I am not. I probably should have posted this topic a couple of months ago. My family, as I might have told you, are Catholics. Around Christmas, my brother-in-law and I had a conversation about my religion and said I was worshiping a false god. My mother, who seems to be the only one who accepts the fact that I am Wiccan, told me that I was being over-dramatic when I told her about what he said. I respect their religion, I just feel that they are trying to change me back to Catholicism. They don't understand that I have a connection with Lord Anubis and he isn't a false god. Have any of you ever had an experience when someone called your personal deity a false god? Or am I being over-dramatic?

This is a hard one...

On the one hand it's really frustrating and annoying to have people constantly saying negative things about your religion, insulting your deities and trying to convince you that you are wrong. And it's not over-reacting or being dramatic to feel insulted or upset by that.

On the other hand, a part of respecting the faiths of other people is understanding that this is THEIR beliefs; and that they have just as much right to their faith than we do to ours. That doesn't mean that they have the right to be obnoxious and rude to us. That doesn't mean that they have the right to attack us and demean us. But they have the right to believe what they believe in without fear of repercussion from those around them.

If they chose to be obnoxious and rude about it then that is personal hypocrisy and rudeness. It is not about the faith itself. It's very easy for neo-pagans to get defensive against Judeo-Christian faiths about this, but the reality is that many neo-pagans do exactly the same thing in the opposite direction. Religious discussions are only helpful if both parties are interested in hearing other points of view... otherwise it's just pushing each others' faiths at one another. Trying to convince them that THEY are wrong and that our gods aren't false is the exact same thing as them trying to convince us that we are wrong. But a lot of neo-pagans don't like to see it that way.

If another person is not interested in learning about your faith then it's not really worth trying to convince them otherwise. They have their faith. You have yours. Rather than arguing or trying to convince them that you aren't wrong, it's worth pointing out something along the lines of "I respect your opinion and your faith, and I would appreciate it if you respected mine in return."

[feathered_regalia]

Re: False Gods

In my personal experience with a Jehovah's Witness mother, I've found that when a family member attacks your religion, it is about wanting you to be in a place where they can accept you openly without being judged for accepting you. It is basically a fear-biting response. What you were insulted by was not a family member, but hundreds of years of stagnant dogma that has drilled itself into another mind. The young are especially impressionable and growing up to think outside what you've been taught all your life takes an independent nature that many do not adhere to. I personally don't harbor any ill will against individuals who exercise a belief. I just always take the stance on explore your options first, which is a much more involved process than simply reading a book .

As for the best way to approach this situation, I find that it's usually best to approach with something like, "I appreciate your concern, but I am living my life the way I want to live it. If you respect me, then you will respect that. And if you cannot accept that, then you are not being accepting of me." Something along those lines. It's best to avoid the details of religious practices with people who really don't want to understand them, but just want to judge them. Like I said, my mother's a Jehovah's Witness and believes that all magic is the work of the devil. To me, forcing your views on someone else is the work of a bully.

Also, why am I always late to the discussions I would be interested in posting in...?

[Dahll Haus]

Re: False Gods

I would ask what they defined a false god as. I would ask them if they thought a false god was one that didn't respond to prayers or other attempts to make contact. Myself, I was literally shocked when Thor first responded to me. I didn't know that gods made that kind of contact.

[anubisa]

Re: False Gods

I don't harbor any ill will towards my brother-in-law or my family. I know they are living their life the way they want to. I just can't see how they can judge me because I have a different religion. I hope they can come to understand that I am following the path that I want to follow.