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TexasMadness Profile
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Out?


Are you "out" about being pagan? Even if you are not classically pagan, are you out about not being Christian? Why or why not?
10/16/2008, 2:48 am Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
de Corbin Profile
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Re: Out?


Welp, sort of...

My family knows, but I don't think anybody else does.

As a person with a fairly public job, particularly because it deals with people's kids, I'm not going to let it get out at work. This town is too small, and there is a large fundamentalist community (of which my boss is one), and I'm just not willing to put up with either the well meaning attempts to save me, or the mean spirited attempts (by a very vocal minority) to get me away from kids.

I'm good at my job, I don't have any interest in converting anybody, or in guiding kids away from their family's influence, so my personal beliefs shouldn't enter into things at all - but I'm afraid that they would.

Best not to provide temptation to people who are otherwise very good people...

---

10/16/2008, 5:16 pm Link to this post Send Email to de Corbin   Send PM to de Corbin
 
muladzh Profile
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Re: Out?


What a strange question. Why would one not be proud of it? I am extremely happy about not being a christian. Ecstatic, in fact. I am loudly verbal about being a Pagan, and have no problem with everyone knowing it. I have some Mormon friends who freak out from time to time, but for the most part, people are fine with it.

Jehovah's witnesses tend to get abusive if they call, and had some graffiti painted on my gate suggesting I get burned at the stake. But for the most part, Life is good.
emoticon

Having grown up in a family that has been Pagan since before 800 AD, it is completely natural to me - I don't know anything else, and cannot understand in any way, why someone would believe in the violent and cruel religions of Jerusalem. To me, from the outside, all three of them seem very cruel, and controlling.

The only reason I don't know of our Pagan beliefs prior to 800 AD, is that we couldn't write anything before then.. emoticon

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10/17/2008, 2:09 am Link to this post Send Email to muladzh   Send PM to muladzh Blog
 
TexasMadness Profile
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Re: Out?


Muladzh, I don't think it's a strange questions at all. Especially for a person who converted from Christianity and who works in a Christian community (like Corbin). You aren't bothered by graffiti on your gate, but if it meant you lost your job or your weren't allowed to speak to your family again, you might think differently. My family is not even Christian and I still feel odd sometimes when people find out because this country is deeply Christian.

I'm certainly public about not being Christian. Most people think I'm joking anyway or just some weird young'un. emoticon
10/17/2008, 2:43 am Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
muladzh Profile
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Re: Out?



That would be terrible. I could not even begin to imagine that family members would shun someone simply because they were pagan - it is mind blowing.



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10/17/2008, 7:52 am Link to this post Send Email to muladzh   Send PM to muladzh Blog
 
TexasMadness Profile
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Re: Out?


I have known families that shun members when they convert to a different form of Christianity!

I think this calls for one of my favorite quotes - it also ties in with the last sentence in Corbin's post.


“With or without religion, good people will do good, and evil people will do evil. But for good people to do evil, that takes religion.”

-Steven Weinberg

I find that quote very fits the world we live in today. Very sad too.

Last edited by TexasMadness, 10/17/2008, 3:07 pm
10/17/2008, 3:06 pm Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
Saijen SilverWolf Profile
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Re: Out?


I am out to some...to others I am not. Of course, Fenyx knows..lol...she is my cousin. All three of my kids know and are perfectly fine with it. My parents on the other hand...while they wouldn't shun me, exactly, I'd have a horrible time with all of the Bible stuff that would be shoved at me.
muladzh...I envy you the fact that this is all you've ever known. I grew up Christian, and was Christian until about 7-8 years ago when I finally decided I had had enough of the political BS that tends to be eyeball high in most churches of ALL Christian denominations, not just one or 2. It's very difficult to deal with family that thinks it's an extreme sin to follow this path. So, to keep my peace of mind and peace on the family front, I keep this bit of info to myself. I have worn my pentacle when I've seen my mom and my sister, but they way mine is made, if you don't know what it is, it just looks like a nice piece of Celtic jewelry.

On occassion, it will come out when I'm talking with someone at the doctor's office, or at the store, but it's not something I flaunt or make a point to be sure people know.
It must be nice to be able to be so open about it. If my family had all been Pagan/Witches, it would be very different for me..simply because I don't really care what people in town think, but I don't wish to create problems within my family. I love them too much to have an argument over something I can just keep to myself.

---
Blessed Be,
~*~ Saijen ~*~

~~*~~ .~~*~~
10/17/2008, 9:09 pm Link to this post Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo
 
TexasMadness Profile
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Re: Out?


I think that's very sensible of you Saijen. Some folks do flaunt it even if it hurts their family members. It's good that you don't hide it like it's a terrible secret but that you have the respect to simply keep it to yourself.

I've been thinking lately about being a bit more outspoken about my paganism. Not because I just want people to know, but because I want to meet other pagans or at least other non-Christians. My circle of friends has been getting smaller lately as people move or get busy with their lives. I find it's harder to meet people now - college was easy because I went to a school of 50,000 people. Working in other places was easy too - 2,000 people at my last job. But now I don't interact with many people on a daily basis.

I found out recently at a neighborhood gathering (National Night Out) that several of my neighbors that I'm drawn to are also not Christian! Not that I'm opposed to having Christian friends (I do have them!). I am friends with one couple that I purposely hide my paganism from. It feels bad. But I like them and I know they will stop being friends with me if they find out. They are ok with being a "non practicing Christian" (they just assume everyone is Christian and that some folks go to church and others don't) but they would not be ok with paganism. Sigh.

Er...went a little off topic I guess! emoticon
10/17/2008, 9:20 pm Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 
Saijen SilverWolf Profile
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Re: Out?


I don't think you went off topic at all. You ask why or why not....and you gave an explanation as to why not...that's all emoticon

I know what you mean about it being hard to meet people. I have lived in this small town now for almost 11 years, and I literally have no friends here. I have acquantances, but not friends. And, the only real friends, outside of family, that I have are at least an hour away in one direction or another. Being in this part of the country (part of the Bible Belt) it's very hard to meet like minded people. I would love to feel like I could be more 'out' simply so I could find others to come and visit me and maybe do some rituals together....amongst other things. Maybe one day I'll get brave enough..who knows.

---
Blessed Be,
~*~ Saijen ~*~

~~*~~ .~~*~~
10/17/2008, 10:18 pm Link to this post Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo
 
de Corbin Profile
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Re: Out?


I'm in much the same situation. It's very hard for me to meet other pagans here.

As a teacher, I could meet a lot of pentacle wearing teens, but (and this is nothing against them) their heads are not in the same place that mine is. They're teens, after all, and I'm a half century old! I'd actually like to meet people whose thinking is a bit more developed, and whose lives are a bit more settled.

That's why I like the internet - it's made it much, much easier for me to find people to talk to. I'm something of a loner, and I can get by with my own thoughts just fine, but a person wants to talk to other people just the same. So here I am!

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10/18/2008, 12:02 pm Link to this post Send Email to de Corbin   Send PM to de Corbin
 


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