Patti's Paganism / Wicca Blog
By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide to Paganism/Wicca
Reader Mail: Stop Talking About the Satanists!
Tuesday July 14, 2009
From the Magical E-mail Bag: "I'm a Wiccan and I believe in the rule of Harming None. However, a lot of times on your blog I see that you include Satanism in with Wicca, Paganism and other faiths. Please stop doing this, because Satanists are a whole different group than Wiccans, and frankly, I don't want to be associated with them."
As we so often see, many people in the public tend to lump all non-mainstream faiths together -- as an example, whenever someone finds a dead animal, the first thing they do is say, "Well, uh, I bet it was them thar Satanists or Pagans ." Because of this, I am of the opinion that those non-mainstream faiths should try, when possible, to present a united front. Just because I do not subscribe to the same philosophy as another group does not mean I can't relate to the problems they face in the arena of public opinion.
I'm wondering if it's possible that your apprehension about "being associated with" Satanists is because you're unfamiliar with what they actually believe and do. You may want to read over on Catherine Beyer's AltReligion site, where she goes into depth about why LaVeyan Satanism isn't a cult.
Ultimately, I think it's important that those of us who are part of religions other than The Big Three stand in support of one another. That includes Pagans, Wiccans, Asatru, Satanists, Buddhists, Zooastrians, and followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Why? Because a united group of thousands is far more effective than thousands of people who won't agree simply because of matters of doctrine. So, to the original writer, I am genuinely sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but I'll continue to support the rights of any religious group to practice as they see fit, even if it's not a group to which I belong.
By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide to Paganism/Wicca
Reader Mail: Stop Talking About the Satanists!
Tuesday July 14, 2009
From the Magical E-mail Bag: "I'm a Wiccan and I believe in the rule of Harming None. However, a lot of times on your blog I see that you include Satanism in with Wicca, Paganism and other faiths. Please stop doing this, because Satanists are a whole different group than Wiccans, and frankly, I don't want to be associated with them."
As we so often see, many people in the public tend to lump all non-mainstream faiths together -- as an example, whenever someone finds a dead animal, the first thing they do is say, "Well, uh, I bet it was them thar Satanists or Pagans ." Because of this, I am of the opinion that those non-mainstream faiths should try, when possible, to present a united front. Just because I do not subscribe to the same philosophy as another group does not mean I can't relate to the problems they face in the arena of public opinion.
I'm wondering if it's possible that your apprehension about "being associated with" Satanists is because you're unfamiliar with what they actually believe and do. You may want to read over on Catherine Beyer's AltReligion site, where she goes into depth about why LaVeyan Satanism isn't a cult.
Ultimately, I think it's important that those of us who are part of religions other than The Big Three stand in support of one another. That includes Pagans, Wiccans, Asatru, Satanists, Buddhists, Zooastrians, and followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Why? Because a united group of thousands is far more effective than thousands of people who won't agree simply because of matters of doctrine. So, to the original writer, I am genuinely sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but I'll continue to support the rights of any religious group to practice as they see fit, even if it's not a group to which I belong.
