For Pagans and Wiccans, and any non-christians?

Be direct..."I feel spirituality and religion are very personal"

I was once in situation similar to your and finally said..."I am religious but not Christian"...that ended the grilling and the friendship survived.

I know what you mean. I homeschool my dd, but most of the other homeschooling families in my area belong to a Christian based homeschool group. Many of them can be VERY preachy too.

On field trips, we've had to listen to them talk with each other about saving all of those other poor, lost souls out there who have not "seen the light". If they only knew that they have a Wiccan Priestess in their midst! They would probably run and hide.

All kidding aside, though. I respect their beliefs and don't have a problem being around when they are discussing religious things. When conversation gets religious, I simply close my mouth and don't say anything. So far, it's worked!

If someone were to actually ask me, or insist that I join the conversation, I would simply let them know that I follow my own religious path, which is a very personal one, and that I prefer not to talk about it with others. I don't see how anyone could argue with that. If they do, then I don't think that I would want to be around that person anyway.

BB,

Donna

Its none of their business. If they are persistent after the change of subject maybe they are just daft and don't get the point. But probably they think you are a failed salvation and they want to convert you so they feel better about their beliefs. Tell them the subject is off limits with you. Be firm. Don't let them force their dogma on you. If you don't want to talk then tell them.

Personally I have read more holy scriptures then most of the thumpers I have come across. I had a methodist preacher become aggravated with a tattoo of mine. He started rambling in the tire aisle of our walmart, which put a big target on him. I love fresh meat. I don't take no crap about my religion. I don't force mine onto others. And they won't be allowed to make me feel uncomfortable. He didn't know as much as he thought. He ended up looking like an fool. And many told him to go. I love small towns. People know you for who you are, before they know what you believe.

Good luck

Depends on my mood how *I'd* handle it - usually just simply and politely, "I don't like to discuss religion with friends" (mostly for the acquaintences who don't know me well and I feel none of my intimate business is any of theirs.)

I certainly don't hide my faith (heck, there's a "Witches are Crafty people" bumper sticker on my car from one of my numerous trips to Salem, MA), but I don't feel the need to announce that I walk a Wiccan path and practice witchcraft to every person I converse with either.

But sometimes when I'm getting s**t from all angles - work, family, friends, etc. and have had enough - then my little frustrated twin appears and answers with some humor and sarcasm - especially if the polite response didn't work and they really get rude or insist on continuing to preach at me - in which case I'd probably say something like, "Yup, I know about Jesus...yup, we're running out of time...so that means we'd better get to partying and enjoying this time we have left!"

Once, during a particularly rough period when I was just plain overtired and getting sick of people giving me a hard time, someone who I didn't feel the need to share with started insisting I discuss my spiritual beliefs with them - knowing she was a borderline fundie Christian, I countered with personal questions to her, "So, how many times a week do you have sex with your husband, and do you think it's too much or not enough?" At the appalled look, I explained - "well, if we're going to get that personal here, I'm not going to be the only one sharing!" That pretty much shut her up and kept her away from me. (Of course, this wasn't someone I was interested in being good friends with.)

Honestly, if I were you, I would try the polite refusal to discuss religion and ask her kindly not to discuss it with your children either. If she's one of those who refuses to back off, then you may have to decide how much value her family's friendship is to your family's life, if it's worth the headaches you know you'll get from continuous preaching and attempts to "save" you. Good luck.

Blessings on your journey.

Since (according to the Bible) only God knows the end day, I would not worry about it and you probably could put it back to her "Did God say this or is this from someone's interpretation of Revelations?" I am sure she will say it is written in the bible and you can say on the day Jesus ascended into heaven his disciples were told that no one will know when the end will be because God will not tell anyone. That is in the bible by the way. Anyway I usually smile and say I know I am going to Paradise and leave it at that. That or I tell them a tree hugger and don't want to be bothered with their superstitions. Depends on my mood. My dad (who died Catholic) would run off the Mormons who came to our door. It was his way.

I think that the only way that you might be able to get this girl off of your back is to be honest with her about your faith. If the two of you are indeed friends, then hopefully she will respect you enough to respect your beliefs, even though she may not agree with them. If that does not work, simply express to her that you appreciate what she is doing, but that you would appreciate it if she would stop.

Congratulations on deciding to follow the Wiccan path. I hope that it will bring your much happiness.

Tell them that you think Jesus was very wise to say

"Whenever you pray, don't be like the hypocrites

who love to stand in the synagogues

and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people.

But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

But as she is an end times nutjob, she probably won't take the hint.

However as she is an endtimes nutjob, don't let your kids be with her without supervision, who knows when she'll reach the end of her mental leash and poison or otherwise kill her entire family and anyone else who is vulnerable.

that's something that we are going to no longer combat. each and every group no remember if or no longer that is religious, political, and so on. would have its united statesand downs; and people who concentration fullyyt on the downs. We do an analogous to christians very frequently, as we accuse them of being ignorant, conceited, blah blah blah, for all time. no longer all christians are an analogous; no longer all Wiccans are an analogous. Like christians, wiccans are going to have our undesirable eggs who go out and unfold the incorrect message, who're purely as ignorant through fact those they accuse. there is likewise the undertaking with magick. there is distinctive fuss on no remember if magick is stable, evil, impartial, or the two. Many wiccans say that magick isn't evil and that we would never do something to break everybody (that is in our rede, and the undertaking we are discussing), so those wiccans go all out and attempt to make this a concrete actuality. that's no longer unavoidably actual, as many wiccans have casted hexes,binding spells, and there ARE magickal structures that decision on demons (Goetia). That being pronounced, different pagans and witches do no longer in straightforward terms like the way wiccans think of, through fact they experience that when you consider that our rede says we harm none, we are in straightforward terms a collection of "brainless little fluffballs""who concentration entirely on doing stable. the only thank you to repair this, in my view, is to tutor each and every person and prepare them that we're not who they think of we are, yet that isn't possible. For now, we ought to continuously purely chill out and laugh at them. we are no longer hurting them in spite of each and every little thing ;)

Well, I live in the Bible Belt so I get it every now and again.

"Do you know about Jesus?"

answered with "I live in America. Of course I know about Jesus. Everyone does."

"What do you believe?"

answered with "I believe in the path of my ancestors."

I don't hide my faith, I see no reason to. If someone wishes to judge me based on something so silly then more power to them. It just makes them look silly. Honestly, 9 times out of 10 people are interested in knowing what Asatru/Heathenry is and then it's forgotten about. No big deal.

If you aren't comfortable just smile nicely and say "You know my mother always said never talk about religion unless you want a fight and I don't want to fight with you."

Then leave it at that. If they continue you might have to cut ties. I know that sucks but why torture yourself?

My parents owned and I ran a Christian Book Store (for thirty years..me, not so long, but I grew up in it). If you have read the Bible once, you've read it more than half of the Christians. If you understand what the Bible says and you look at it critically, in an historical perspective, you know more than 85% of them. Knowledge is power.....period.. but you have to read it and look at it critically. That's how you deal with it...

Don't become defensive..that won't do any good. But don't be afraid to tell her what you feel and think. If your a pagan woman you are a strong woman, don't be afraid to act.