h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I really wish I hadn't said it now. Is it too late to rephrase it?

"witchcraft is evil" --> "according to the Christian faith, practising witchcraft is wrong. I'm not saying that people who practise it are bad, just that they are breaking rules laid down in the Bible."

THAT'S WHAT I MEANT, DAMMIT. I apologise if what I said first time round was horrible. I was NOT dissing ANY other religions. I respect other people's beliefs and so should you. I did not mean what I actually said.

Goodness. I can't say anything round here without having my *every word* judged. It was just a WARNING. Maybe in the future I won't warn people, just let them serve their own fates.

If I did mean that witchcraft was evil, what would that be saying for myself - as I mentioned above, I practised it too, for a while.

As this proves, I am by no means devout, but I will stand up for my faith. If I'm being a sheep, I don't care. But I'm not just following what other people say, I'm believing it too.

I think I'll turn down the offer of slapping you Spikey. It was my fault for breathing.

Lisa.

Lisa sweet heart
i did mean the appology, it was not faceous or insulting!
maybe your first comment was a little unwise, but so was my reaction
lets keep the dialoge going but with a clean slate
i'm sure that many people will appreciate your warning and it wasnt wrong
I have seen a lot of people very badly damaged by dabbling in the occult, and its not a subject to be taken lightly. i am sorry if u felt i was having a go at u specifically i was just blowing off stem.
if u tried Witchcraft and it wasnt for u, i respect u for being able to recognise that! good luck with your search!
may your gods go with u!
Spikey

Spikey - This is getting to be an very interesting discussion. I think there are probably a lot of people like me that are trying to have faith in one God, whichever their belief is. Its endlessly confusing, especially when you bring life experience into the equation! We all have seen, or at least know about evil and evil acts. The trick seems to be to keep to the straight and narrow, and, like several have said, hurt no one. As in all things, I try to remain open minded, at least enough to discuss differences.It would be a dull world if we were all alike.

Ah - *one* God

It's alright Spikey - I was a bit peeved just then. And I wasn't replying directly to that post.

Can we all be friends now?

*offers hand to shake with anyone who's interested*

Ouch... I expected better from clever people (as I assume all Guide researchers to be).
My definition of evil is pretty simple. If you harm somebody, you did an evil deed.
Wicca's guiding principle is 'harm none'.
And re: the nine million burned at the stake number being tossed about on this thread, I think the number is closer to six thousand. The population percentage at that time would be similar to nine million people being burned today.
Blessed Be,
Lares

P.S. Wicca is about developing a close relationship with the God and Goddess. Doing a spell without believing in the background is like doing a recipe with no ingredients. It will either flop or backfire.

Had to jump in here again.
It would be nice to be able to put the persecution of Wiccans in the past and forget about it, but it is occurring today and tomorrow and for the forseeable future.
When my friends in high school are getting suspended for wearing pentacles (while their classmates wear crosses and Stars of David), when my friends in the workplace are turned down for promotions that they were about to receive before 'coming out of the broom closet,' it is difficult to put it behind me.
And in my studies of Wicca, I have rarely run across a longetivity spell. People that believe in reincarnation aren't usually going to artificially prolong their lives.

Ouch. You've a good point there. The reincarnationy bit. Oh well. It was in my book, alright.

I made myself a pentacle once..

I don't hold a grudge against Wiccans, alright??! I don't hold a grudge against anyone. What *other* people think about them has nothing to do with me.

*shakes hands*

"I have seen a lot of people very badly damaged by dabbling in the occult" as have I with religon of all sorts, organised and not. RPGs can also have an effect on people who are not certain about their psychological identity. We must all be careful around valnerable people, or those who have gone through great traumas, even those who are just "down". Of all the religons I have studied from Siberian Shamanism to Japanese cults to Christianity and back, the big 3 scare me the most (Judaism, Islam, Christianity) they have been responsible for so many wars and so much suffering. It's ironic that they all believe the same thing and have the same teachings.

Did you know that according to the dictionary definition every belief system except the big 3 is classed as Pagan. Yet most peoples perception of the word would casue them to discount some of the more established systems as Buddism and think Pagan's are a minority of religous freaks.

Religon should be personal to everyone, we will all have different beliefs, even within an orthodox organisation. Just as we all see different things in the same story or hear a different message in the same song we will all believe different things.

Beliefs should never be imposed on others. Too many religons make this mistake.

sorry, i didn't mean to use the word "freak" like that. no offence meant.

You haven't earned a slap at all, dear!!! Speak your mind and get smacked for it!?? Silly... no, we'll have none of that.

The beauty of opposing viewpoints is that you get to see exactly where you define your own... and, hopefully, you'll find an opportunity to adopt some new thoughts...

The tag "Witchcraft is Evil" caught my attention, and I quickly didn't approve of it. I hate to admit that I've had the misfortune of running across numerous evil people, and I know that a good sum of them were not practicing Wicca. Evil doesn't fit into one category now, does it!??

Boy, I missed a string of excellent posts when I suddenly burst back into discussion. A long day of work followed by an early morning of the same will do that to you.

::shakes Lisa's hand::

What might be considered evil, to a fish or a lover of fish, is the following h2g2 article. Let me warn you-- the contents are pretty graphic, os please be prepared!!!



(I hope that works... you've got the number at least, and I apologize for the inconvience if I did that wrong...)

That was the tag that caught my eye too. I have only newly come to the Pagan beliefs, and I was so pleased to find something that finally fit the way that I felt inside. I found something that I didn't even know I was searching for.
I have had the luck to be blessed with a very good friend that has had a lot of advice and wise words for me, and to hear that sweeping statement that Witchcraft is evil hurt. How anyone could think that big soft git is evil in unbelievable.
I shake your hand Lisa, and accept that your words were misjudged, not deliberately malicious. Please be slightly more thoughtful in future when commenting on other people's beliefs.

Thanks Dragonfly for posting that article link, it put me right off my breakfast.

Dearest Mina-feelsasifhernameistooshort,

I'm sorry you couldn't eat your breakfast because of the above link... but it is a serious concern of mine. Thank you for giving it some of your attention, I appreciate that.

"jebus where are you" may everyone heal in his or her own time... thats me