In the midst of Christmas

My husband and I are Wiccan and do not celebrate Christmas, but instead Yule which is when the dark time of year is fading and giving way to the light and rebirth of the God. So what better way to acknowledge this than with a parade of lights and tree lighting? We just had to deal with all the Christian influences thrown in. Despite the enormous crowd and having my poor little toes trampled all evening it was a very pleasurable evening.

As we were walking back to our vehicle there was a man with a single speaker and a microphone preaching Christianity and shouting to the people as they walked by. He was shouting such things as, "are you a christian?" "do you go to church?" and "are you washed in the blood?". I was raised Christian by a southern baptist preacher and am very familiar with the doctrine. It normally doesn't bother me. I believe everyone has a right to their own beliefs. I don't feel that there is a single religion that has it 100% right. The rites of religion require the retelling by mankind as it is passed down from one generation to another. The rendition is often tainted by the personal experiences, beliefs and perceptions of the one doing the retelling. Little things get changed along the way that when added up result in a very different version of the original truths. And yet despite these differences there is a single vein of similarity that joins all beliefs, we are part of something greater than ourselves. With that being said, I also believe that no one should be persecuted for their beliefs. This gets me back to why this single man standing on a sidewalk,shouting at strangers, irritated me on this evening.

What gives him the human right to proclaim his beliefs so openly without persecution, but yet I, as a Wiccan, cannot? The Christian world has so thoroughly brain washed it's followers that they no longer seek to truly understand what they are persecuting. They simply follow like blind sheep. The Wiccan community is mistakenly identified by the Christian cultist as "devil worshippers" and "satanic". I say mistakenly very loosely because in truth any belief outside their own is attacked with a ferocity that seldom resonates with any truth. Saying a Wiccan worships Satan is like saying an atheist worships God. We simply don't believe in an ultimate evil entity that we can blame for our own iniquities. We take personal responsibility for ourselves and our actions. If I reach across the table and smack you it is by my own doing. The devil didn't make me do it by enticing me to sin. I have issue with any belief that discourages personal responsibility in favor of a scapegoat.

I think that is why I have been so outspoken in my beliefs. No one has the right to tell me what or who to believe in. And no one has the right to say their beliefs are right and mine are wrong. And definitely no one has the right to try to make me feel fearful or ashamed for my beliefs!