Richard C. August wrote:
> Dear Parse Tree,
>> Is our morality based on fear when The Holy Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7,
>> 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
> and of a sound mind.
>> and in Psalm 91,
>> 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide
> under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, [He is] my
> refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall
> deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, [and] from the noisome
> pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings
> shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler. 5 Thou
> shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that]
> flieth by day; 6 [Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness;
> [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall
> fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not
> come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the
> reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the LORD, [which is] my
> refuge, [even] the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil
> befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he
> shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12
> They shall bear thee up in [their] hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a
> stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the
> dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 14 Because he hath set his love upon
> me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath
> known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I [will
> be] with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long
> life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
>> Dear Parse Tree, God's promise of Divine Protection, and His promise of
> deliverance into Heaven when we Christians pass from this earth, is NOT
> based on fear AT ALL. Though the Bible is replete with warnings against
> hell if we disobey God in sin, God warns us against hell because He loves us
> and wants to be UNITED with His creation.
>> Does a fearful soul trample a young lion and a dragon under his feet? Does
> a courageous soul walk around nervously and make crazy decisions based on a
> schizophrenic mind? Does a person not of sound mind become fearless and
> even kind to others?
>> For you to say that both Wicca and Christianity are so interchangeable, and
> that all you need to do is switch icons and candles to change from one to
> the other, is truly despicable blasphemy. I pray that Christ would by the
> power of the Holy Ghost, Word and Sacrament, and Baptism, deliver you from
> such heresy. How many witches/sorcerers/wizards have you seen go completely
> insane because they could no longer control the demons who were their
> guides? How many devout Christians have you seen go insane because they
> could no longer control Christ, who is our Healer and Shepherd? I praise
> God that because of my baptism in Christ Jesus, I am mentally and
> spiritually much better than I was, due to God's protecting me from the
> things that once made me crazy.
>> Consider what you say, Parse Tree, because God never gives a spirit of
> uncontrolled phobia, as you say.
>>>>> Sincerely,
>>> Richard C. August
<snip>
You could not be more wrong. In both Wicca and Christianity, all that is
needed IS a changing of icons and candles. Is prayer not a form of spell
casting? Is not the concecration of the body and blood (bread and
wine) of Chirst a ritual? Is not your praise a way of raising power to
perform the works of God so fearlessly? Don't Roman Catholic priests use
incense to cleanse the Church during Christmas and Easter masses? Do
they not kneel in reverence to Jesus and God when they pass before the
alter? I was Roman Catholic from birth to age 19. I have been studying
and practicing Wicca from my 19th birthday 'till present. The parallels
are uncanny. I would even go so far to say that Christians took the idea
of mass rituals from pagans (since paganism has been around longer in on
form or another, even the ancient Hebrew's were pagan before they
switched to monotheism) because it made sense. I mean, what better way
to praise a deity then to gather all your friends together in one spot
and sing praise as loud as possible? There is no better testament of
one's faith.
Unfortunately, Mr. August, you don't have the love you so claim you do.
If you did you would have an open mind and an open heart, and in so
having those you would know that to SHOVE/FORCE FEED one's beliefs and
ideals on someone is morally corrupt and only shows in YOU a LACK of the
faith you so claim to have. If you were trully of sound mind and body,
you would be content to live in your Gods love without need to force
anyone else into joining. Also, a different side of the same coin, you
also wouldn't fear learning about another religion whose BELIEFS of
love, happiness and peace are so close to the one's you profess so forcibly.
It is truly a powerful experience to be in the presence of a group of
people with such true faith. I see that everytime I visit a church (yes,
I do like to visit other churches, not to "recruit" members, but to be
in the presence of true faith) whose members are so complete in their
belief that they DON'T look down upon me or even shun me or try to
recruit me when I tell them I am pagan. THAT is showing Gods love, IMHO.
It is also why I left the Catholic church. Most Catholics (and most
Christians in general) are as morally bankrupt (and/or corrupt) as you,
and because of their lack of true faith, they feel the need to be as
loud and bigoted as possible in their "beliefs".
I am proud to be Wiccan, I am also proud to have been Catholic. I have
met some truly wonderful and open hearted individuals in my life.
Unfortunately, Mr. August, you are not one of them. Neither is Mr.
Knight. Nor is Mr. Jd (wherever he went to). For the love of your God, I
implore you, please cease in your constant put downs of Pagans, Jews,
and Women. None of those groups are responsible for the troubles in the
world. Morally bankrupt and corrupt individuals are the reason people
like the CEO's of Enron (and most politicians around the world) are the
reason why the world is in such a sorry state. Once people start taking
more responsibility (and are made more responsible) for raising their
children properly AND for making the decisions they do, then maybe we
will see more open minded (and open hearted) people in the world. Who
knows, maybe when that happens we will actually achieve World Peace. Is
that not the goal of Christians? World Peace? Is it not the goal of
Wiccan's, Witches, and Pagans everywhere? Is it not every soul's dream
to live in a peaceful, safe world? Is it not your God's dreams? I know
it is of mine. The Gods and Goddesses I praise and thank every day let
me know through the miracle of LIFE and the beauty of nature that yes,
they do indeed want peace. I cannot speak for anyone in this forum
except myself when I say, May the Gods Bless You, Mr. August. May you
see the light of true love and faith and rejoice in it. Instead of
trying to find it by putting other people down, why not try to lift them
up by truly understanding who they are and what they believe instead of
relying on rumor and hear-say.
If your God is so forgiving (and I believe he is), then no matter what
we do on Earth, as long as we lead a good and just life, then we shall
all enter whatever paradise there is to be entered when we are ready.
Love is not something you find by forcing anything on anyone. It's
something you find, or shall I say it finds you, when you open the heart
to the mystery that is understanding and compassion for your fellow man,
woman, and child. I have not seen compassion, no, I have only seen
zealotry in you and Mr. Knight. Is not being a Zealot against your Gods
law, or at the very least, frowned upon? Was not Judas, the very one who
betrayed Christ, a zealot? Yet God and Jesus still forgave him and even
continued to love him, even though they knew what he would do.
Or are the words of a 24 year old too much for your "advanced" mind to
understand?
I only hope you read this with understanding and compassion.
I wish only for you the brightest of blessings.
Sincerely,
Joseph A Nagy, Jr
