Coven of the Unicorn's Realm
Paganism is still practiced worldwide today. It is usually kept to a quiet personal level. Many Witches do not tell anyone, not even their closest friends, that they are indeed Witches. They are unable to share their experiences or thoughts for fear of exposure and ridicule. Society has been severely misinformed as to what Paganism is. Pagans are considered to be evil and Satanic by the Christian faith. That is why so many hide their beliefs. I decided several years ago that I was no longer going to pretend that I was something other than Pagan. Most of my non-Pagan friends and family know of my beliefs and most have accepted that it is a valid religion. Some have not. Some have closed their minds to the idea of the existence of Witches or Pagans. Many people feel this way and have closed their minds to beliefs that are different than their own. I see no reason why I should deny my beliefs to satisfy someone else's. I am not trying to convince anyone that Paganism is the "only" way, I don’t believe that myself. I would like for people to open their minds to the idea that Paganism is a religion and the faith of the Pagan people, is just as committed as the faith of anyone else. Pagans do not condemn those of other faiths and we would like to receive the same respect in return.
Witchcraft was declared illegal by King James in the early 1600’s. The sentence for practicing Witchcraft or being accused of practicing, was death. In the King James version of the Christian Bible it was ordered by King James himself that the verse "thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live", be inserted in the bible. [This verse is not included in earlier versions]. After King James made his declaration people began forming groups to hunt down and prosecute "Witches". They were to be "tried" and hung. A few were burned or stoned to death. It was absolute mayhem and innocent people were dying. The common people were convinced that "Witches" were evil and would put curses on their families and livestock. Some claimed to have been "bewitched" so that they would not be held accountable for their own wrong doings. They had broken their own commandments and committed "sins" and the Witches received the punishment for those sins. And while they condemned them, they also feared them. Very few understood that there was nothing to fear. Had they forgotten that their ancestors had once been Pagan? Paganism was practiced for hundreds of years before Christianity became the accepted form of religion that it is today. These people were acting the same way that the Jews had responded to their Jesus. They were killing for their beliefs. Does that make them any better than the Jews that killed their Christ? Does that excuse their actions?
Though many people refuse to accept it, Paganism is still practiced worldwide today. It is usually kept to a quiet personal level. Many Witches do not tell anyone, not even their closest friends, that they are indeed Witches. They are unable to share their experiences or thoughts for fear of exposure and ridicule. Society has been severely misinformed as to what Paganism is. Pagans are considered to be evil and Satanic by the Christian faith. That is why so many hide their beliefs. I decided several years ago that I was no longer going to pretend that I was something other than Pagan. Most of my non-Pagan friends and family know of my beliefs and most have accepted that it is a valid religion. Some have not. Some have closed their minds to the idea of the existence of Witches or Pagans. Many people feel this way and have closed their minds to beliefs that are different than their own. I see no reason why I should deny my beliefs to satisfy someone else's.
I am not trying to convince anyone that Paganism is the "only" way, I don’t believe that myself. I would like for people to open their minds to the idea that Paganism is a religion and the faith of the Pagan people, is just as committed as the faith of anyone else. Pagans do not condemn those of other faiths and we would like to receive the same respect in return.
By: Lady Miranda Firestorm