Insulted for your beliefs?

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

I was raised Catholic & went to Catholic school until 6th grade. I wore a small gold crucifix that was given to me at my baptism. When I started public school in 6th grade, a girl noticed it and said that was wrong to wear, that I should wear a plain cross because that was what Jesus wanted. So I went home and asked if there were 2 different Jesuses. And so it began. Years later, I went to a Methodist church on & off, and the pastor there said I should only wear said crucifix on Good Friday. OK then, see ya.

Today, that same crucifix shares its chain with a pentacle. I'm pretty quiet about my beliefs, because I'm just sick of people and their phony nonsense.

[Nightingale]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

Oh, I feel ya. I went to an evangelical high school. I wasn't pagan at the time, but I swear I got more flak then for being Roman Catholic than I do now for being Buddhist and Pagan!

I told people in high school I was a Methodist and that still wasn't good enough for them. Then I started telling them "I'm agnostic, okay, I just don't know about all that, leave me alone."

I knew some people as early as elementary school who refused to even associate with me unless I went to church every Sunday, wore a cross every day, and said grace before every meal, and ended that grace with the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray, amen." plain old "amen" wasn't enough.

*sigh* people, sometimes.

[Norse_Angel]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

Me myself, after a lot of searching, and this post bringing a lot of attention to facts, I do have prejudice against some types of people of religious belief. And it's not a prejudice of hateful spite, but historical grudges and what not. I have never directly insulted anyone for the belief unless it was warranted. But I was having dinner with my girlfriends parents, when they asked me to lead in a prayer. they're quite Christian, and when I refused, they laughed and said something like "ah yes, you guys don't do anything like that. Let's show you how you start a real dinner," which ended up making me really mad. I ended up tracing the hammer over my plate and cup after they were done, but still, I think that's when I really realized a large prejudice.
Anyone have a prejudice as well? I will never voice my beliefs in the type, because I do have a lot of friends who are devoted Christians, as said above, but I'm curious now if any negative attention has given you a different view on a whole group in general?

[iris]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

How many people here still hide their beliefs to the majority of people in the outside world?
Quite frankly, I'm very upfront what my gods and how I worship, because I'm extremely proud of it.

I do. Kind of, it's no secret but it's not something I talk about if I'm not directly asked. So... about 6 people in my life knows for sure

[Nightingale]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

Anyone have a prejudice as well? I will never voice my beliefs in the type, because I do have a lot of friends who are devoted Christians, as said above, but I'm curious now if any negative attention has given you a different view on a whole group in general?

yes but I don't talk about them

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

Nope, never.

I don't feel any particular need to display my beliefs via tattoos (I have none) or jewelry (nobody would recognize the symbols, anyway), and I only talk about my beliefs in appropriate situations.

Sooo - I don't particularly enjoy being persecuted (I gottsses problems enough that are out of my control), so I don't go out and invite it.

[Redfaery]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

I don't feel any particular need to display my beliefs via tattoos (I have none) or jewelry (nobody would recognize the symbols, anyway), and I only talk about my beliefs in appropriate situations.

Sooo - I don't particularly enjoy being persecuted (I gottsses problems enough that are out of my control), so I don't go out and invite it.

Eh...other faiths get to wear their symbols. Why can't we? I don't like to think I have to plan my wardrobe around the tastes of bigots.

I actually wear a mala around my wrist, and also have 3 or 4 omamori on my bookbag. To be fair, no one else seems to know what they are. I've gotten compliments on my "cute bracelet" and the omamori just look like nice little Asiany charms of no religious significance.

[Nightingale]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

Eh...other faiths get to wear their symbols. Why can't we? I don't like to think I have to plan my wardrobe around the tastes of bigots.

I actually wear a mala around my wrist, and also have 3 or 4 omamori on my bookbag. To be fair, no one else seems to know what they are. I've gotten compliments on my "cute bracelet" and the omamori just look like nice little Asiany charms of no religious significance.

that's phrased very nicely. I don't give a rat's ass what the bigots think of me, and if they want to hate on me for being who I am, then they're gonna do that. Why should I have to hide? so I don't hide anymore. I used to, but that's not me anymore.

also, I've found that a lot of people don't recognize my pagan symbols when I wear them either. I wear a pentacle sometimes, and sometimes a triquetra. I really thought people would recognize the pentacle at least, but they don't.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

Eh...other faiths get to wear their symbols. Why can't we? I don't like to think I have to plan my wardrobe around the tastes of bigots.

You can. It's entirely your business. But you might want to remember that pretty much every faith has been persecuted at one time or another by somebody or another. So go into it with your eyes open, expect what will certainly happen, and don't wonder why what you knew and expected would happen happened.

Seem kind of weird to me that a person would set themselves up for something, then claim indignation because they had set themselves up for the thing that happened.

But maybe I don't see clearly... I do wear very thick glasses

[Thorbjorn]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

How many people here still hide their beliefs to the majority of people in the outside world?
Quite frankly, I'm very upfront what my gods and how I worship, because I'm extremely proud of it.

I won't say I hide anything, but except for wearing a Mjollnir pendant I don't advertise. I've had people ask me what it is. I tell them it's Thor's hammer Mjollnir. I usually get a "it's very nice" and nothing more. Once someone asked me if I was into animal rights. I said "well yes, why?" She said because my pendant looks like a whale's tail.

I was like

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But of course, people probably wouldn't make a negative comment to a 200 lb bald weightlifter.

[Redfaery]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

You can. It's entirely your business. But you might want to remember that pretty much every faith has been persecuted at one time or another by somebody or another. So go into it with your eyes open, expect what will certainly happen, and don't wonder why what you knew and expected would happen happened.

Seem kind of weird to me that a person would set themselves up for something, then claim indignation because they had set themselves up for the thing that happened.

But maybe I don't see clearly... I do wear very thick glasses

I haven't claimed indignation at anything. People will be jerks for all sorts of reasons, not just religion. If I removed all my habits that would set off the jerks in this world, I'd be left with very little of my identity, given that I'm female, queer, genderqueer, and have autism.

[Nightingale]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

I think we should all have the right to express ourselves freely. Wearing a possibly controversial symbol or being outspoken about minority views doesn't mean we're "setting ourselves up for" hate. It just means we're proud of our identity.

Haters gonna hate. I'm gonna wear a pentacle. I'm gonna be outspoken. I'm not asking for hate, but it happens sometimes, and that doesn't bother me. Because they're bigots and they're not worth my time.

[Norse_Angel]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

I won't say I hide anything, but except for wearing a Mjollnir pendant I don't advertise. I've had people ask me what it is. I tell them it's Thor's hammer Mjollnir. I usually get a "it's very nice" and nothing more. Once someone asked me if I was into animal rights. I said "well yes, why?" She said because my pendant looks like a whale's tail.

I was like

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3873[/ATTACH]

But of course, people probably wouldn't make a negative comment to a 200 lb bald weightlifter.

I wear my hammer proudly, same with my armband. Just remember my kin, if you are ever being bullied for your beliefs by any type of Christin, their God was nailed to a cross, and ours has a hammer.

[iris]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

I, like B. De corbin, don't really feel a need to advertise my beliefs... I wear crystals sometimes, and a few symbols I feel a connection to, but I've never gotten hate for it. I know that, were I to set my religion on Facebook to "pagan", a few people would tease me - and a few would find me slightly crazy... I know exactly who it would be. But really, most people wouldn't know what it meant and wouldn't actually care. It just doesn't mean that much here... if I went looking for trouble, I'm sure I could find it, but that would be just as bad for a devoted christian or muslim. I find the difference around the world fascinating.

[LunarHarvest]

Re: Insulted for your beliefs?

As much as I am for the idea that a person should be freely able to express themselves, there is something to be said for the fact that attracting attention is not always such a good thing. For me there is something to be said for blending into the crowd, and not standing out from it.

Especially when there are so many issues and misunderstands surrounding symbols and the beliefs of pagan faiths. I personally have not shared my faith because it would not prove to be beneficial to my quality of life. Just because something is an element of my personal self does not mean that we have to incorporate it into our public self. People are pretty judgemental on elements of life deemed within the norm already, and some things, to be perfectly honest, are better kept private than public.

In the context of the current climate regarding it (with both militant atheists and fundamentalist religious folk) there is something to be said to not go out of the way to wear a religious label, or drawing too much attention to ourselves as individuals generally. Just my opinion on the matter.