And here I thought I was the only one with pagan beliefs.
Glad to know I'm not!
I haven't been here for very long, and I really haven't had the time to read any of the longer threads just yet. So in response to that, I'll respond to the title of this thread.
My family, or I should say my extended family and friends, are all Christian. My sister has decided she is Catholic. This leaves my me, my mother, and my father as the only members of the family with pagan/wiccan beliefs. It pains me to say this, but because of such a difference in ideas, the family has been split into two. Year after year, this season has been a painful reminder of that split. Where the entire christian family will gather and praise Jesus on Christmas day, my small little family sits off to the side and celebrates on our own, both christmas and the solstice. We have been "cast aside" by the others because we are not the same.
Now I know you're wondering what this has to do with faith being forced on others. When I was still growing up, before my family came out of the closet with our pagan ideals, we went to church every sunday, went to christian schools, and hung out with christian people. I couldn't help but notice that we were constantly being barraged with this talk of sin and pain and wrong-doing. I became confused - my parents told me of the God and Goddess, of their love for all living creatures and the planet we all inhabit. Yet my cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends and other family were telling me of how Christ was the only way, and that if I didn't do everything they told me I would burn in hell. We stopped going to church, I lost contact with most of my family, and we all went our seperate ways. Years later, I start work with my Uncle who owns a painting business. I begin to talk religion with my cousins (usually pretty friendly discussions) and began to learn a lot more about their ideas.
It soon became clear that I did not belong. Constantly I heard of Jesus, of salvation and sin, of how my beliefs in the God and Goddess were beliefs in false gods and false hope. I heard of how everything I did was in worship of Satan, and that if I didn't change my ways before the end of this lifetime, I would die forever. Soon they began to invite me to church and to youth groups, and I accepted. Not because I thought I was wrong, nor because I was confused, I went because I wanted to know more about these people and why they made me feel so horrible. It was all very unpleasant - more bickering and arguing, nothing really all that constructive. Eventually I asked my cousins, if I lie to you and tell you I believe in your God and I praise Jesus in your own way, in your church, will you be happy with me? Do you want me to lie about it, or do you want it to be true? I cannot change my ideas because I do not want to, and you cannot force me to follow your path unless I want to - and I don't!
This post is already far too long - sorry, I've got lots of stories and much to tell, but I'm probably not making my point very clear... hmm, maybe I'll try again later.
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