Voices In The Wind

Candlemass 2001

Headdress or Halo: Addressing Alternative Religions

“I disapprove in what you are saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
-Evelyn Beatrice Hall, paraphrasing Voltaire (Jaka)

A woman stands at the edge of a mountain, looking down upon the world below, her long hair moving gently in the evening breeze. The last rays of light glint off of the silver ornaments on her robe. The purple and mauve clouds drift across the sky, framing the setting sun. She raises her arms, calls upon the sacred spirits, and chants to her Gods.

“Freedom of Religion” is about understanding, diversity, and believing in the right of others to believe in something different than what you believe in. Everyone may not worship the same, and not everyone needs to agree on which religion to believe in. What people need to agree on is the right of all to believe and worship in their own chosen way.

In theory everyone supports freedom of religion, but as individuals, are you able to practice that in everyday life? Do you truly believe that when it comes to alternative religions like Satanism, Voodoo, and Witchcraft you can honestly say you would support their right to believe in their chosen religion? Would you stand up and tell them they were wrong and that their beliefs were disgusting? Would you cast moral judgements based on your own religion and beliefs? Would you stay away from people who are just like you, who live and die, raise families, and pay taxes, simply because you did not agree with their religion?

When people attack religions other than their own, it is usually out of fear, ignorance, and the need to feel superior and sanctioned in their own beliefs. Often people are afraid of the other religions out of ignorance. They have heard -- in many times all their lives -- how bad, how evil, how terrible other religions are. Few have found out for themselves what the other religions are really like. People react to what they have been told all of their lives and have little idea what they are talking about.

Gothic Satanism, which is what comes to everyone’s mind when they think of Satanism, is an imaginary religion that does not exist in reality. Gothic Satanism was an invention of the Christian Church at the time of the Witch burnings. Essentially all beliefs and practices attributed to Gothic Satanism can be traced to the Malleus Maleficarum (Witches Hammer) a book by Kramer and Sprenger, two Dominican priests. This book became the main reference text for the genocide during the burning times (Satanism 6). There have been claims of 60,000 ritual killings a year in North America related to Satanic ritual abuse, but no criminal investigation in the past 300 years is known to have found any hard evidence of Satanic ritual abuse (Satanism 7).

Voodoo, which has long been associated with Satanism, is an imaginary religion that was created by Hollywood, based on the sensational and inaccurate book Haiti or the Black Republic by S. St. John, that was written in 1884. The book describes Vodun as a exceedingly evil religion and included information extracted from the Vodun priests by torture (Vodun 2). Vodun is the actual religion that is practiced in Benin, Haiti, Dominican Republic and various centers in the United States.

Vodun, like Christianity, is a religion of many traditions. Each group follows a different spiritual path and worships a slightly different pantheon of spirits, called a Loa. (Vodun 2) There are many similar points between Vodun and Roman Catholicism. Both believe in a Creator or Supreme Being. Vodun Loa and Christian Saints are similar in that they were once people who led exceptional lives, and are usually given a single responsibility or special attribute. Both believe in an afterlife, both use a ritual sacrifice and consumption of flesh and blood. Both believe in the existence of invisible evil spirits or demons. Both believe that each person has a patron saint, which followers of Vodun call Met Tet (master of the head) (Vodun 3) Witchcraft, also known as Wicca and the Old Religion, means “Craft of the Wise Ones” and can be traced back to prehistoric times. Witchcraft is a nature religion that has a similar structure to Native American Spirituality (Is Wicca a Religion? Page 1). “’In early times, the Witch was the lawyer, psychiatrist, and doctor. The field of modern medicine can trace its origins to the herbal medicines of the Witch.’”(Witchcraft: the Facts)

Witchcraft can be seen as the European counterpart of Native Americans. Both have an awareness and concern for the environment and both have contributed to the origins of modern medicine, with over 200 drugs being derived from native remedies. (Native American Spirituality 1) The Shaman, which is the word the Russian fur traders used for the Medicine man, and the Witch are both healers and help people with personal issues. Many followers of these religions do not regard their spiritual beliefs and practices as a “religion” in the way many Christians do. Their beliefs and practices form an integral and seamless part of their very being. (Native American Spirituality 1)

Every religion has been politically incorrect at some time in history. This includes Catholicism, Judaism, and Christianity as a whole. Not just the earth based religions such as Satanism, Vodun, and Witchcraft. The most recognized of these were the Holocaust of the Jews by the German Nazis during World War II, the attempted annihilation of the American Indians by the United States Government, and the Witch Trials of the Burning Times during the late 19th century. The Romans threw the Christians to the lions, King Henry VIII excommunicated the Pope and created the Church of England, and thousands of Christians marched off to fight in the Crusades.

Some people, insecure in their chosen religions, have doubts in their beliefs. Due to these doubts and fears, they tend to negatively react to someone whose beliefs are different from their own. This happens even within the same religions, such as the fighting between Catholics and Protestants. You see, everyone has their own slant on what to believe and how.

You do not have to change your beliefs to anyone else’s beliefs; you just need to accept and honor their right to believe in what they choose to believe in.

Sources Cited
“Is Wicca a Religion?” ReligiousTolerance.org 2000-Jan-11: 3 pages 5/23/00 http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_rel.htm
Jaka. “Message Insightful jaka posts a bold assertion about Quote on 5/18/00.” AllExperts.Com Ask any question: 5 paragraphs. 5/22/00 http://www.allexperts.com/answerv.asp?QuestionID=569426
“Native American Spirituality” ReligiousTolerance.org 1999-Dec-21: 6 pages 5/23/00 http://www.religioustolerance.org/nataspir.htm
RavenWolf, Silver. “To Stir a Magick Cauldron” St. Paul: Llewellyn 1996 “Satanism: Religious Satanism, Gothic Satanism, Satanic Dabbling, etc.” ReligiousTolerance.org 2000-March-5:10 pages. 5/22/00 http://www.religioustolerance.org/satanism.htm
“Vodun (a.k.a. Voodoo, Vodoun)” ReligiousTolerance.org 2000-Feb-14: 5 pages 5/23/00 http://www.religioustolerance.org/voodoo.htm
“Witchcraft: The Facts” FACTS Printable Page : 2 pages 4/23/00 http://www.blast.net/norm3vog/fact.html