I'll say it right off the bat:
I am Wiccan.
And if there is one thing I am becoming utterly tired of, it is the persecution of myself or my friends who are under the same order.
Now, I do not begrudge anyone their beliefs and it is for that that I appreciate when others do the same for me. However, fanatics, such as ones I am often around in the church surrounded area I reside, do not extend back to me such a courtesy. It has been without fail that every year, usually within my composition classes, the issue of my 'heathen' views are brought into the open. I do not openly blab about my religion, but I am prideful enough to honesty answer should I ever be asked; it is not something I will ever hide from. Yet, constantly, I am persecuted and questioned--often unkindly--of my views. Ever I am called to join at church to save my 'immortal soul' and to accept Jesus into my heart, repent for my sinfulness, and bow before the will of God.
Just today, a friend of mine was challenged for the tarot cards she harmlessly placed upon her desk. He called them devil worship, lines to Satan, keys to false prophet. Granted, he was simply a child spouting what he believed to be true, yet this is what we of our beliefs must endure on a regular basis.
Honestly, most points of Wicca that people have been exposed to have been the novice workings of teens simply experimenting or rebelling. Ones that are essentially devout and see the Goddess in all things are quite quiet in their practiced arts. I myself am utterly Wiccan, yet I do not actively practice the arts; the most I have been known to do are herbal charms and remedies for stress or emotional imbalance. It has been a long while since I cast a decent spell and even then it was one to lessen the pain of menstrual cramps when common medicine was not available to me. A few years ago, when I was new to the craft and young with that rebellious spirit, I did indeed practice and for a time was involved, along with several others, in stopping a friend from using magic for self-gratification and harm of those tied to him.
I do not speak for everyone of the order in saying this, but simply for myself and a few I know will personally agree with me: Wicca is not devil worship and despite the fact that the fanatics will never believe it, all we--I --ask is that you leave us alone. We do not sacrifice on whim, but do what we must to keep the cycle of life. Seeing as it Great Mother, through omnipotent means, keeps the cycle of life on her own, rarely do we intervene, but simply join to celebrate that which is Nature and the seat of life. Indeed we worship a Goddess, a feminine figure, and a God; indeed the Mother gives birth to the God and he in turn imbues the Mother's womb with his essence to give life to himself once again. It is parallel to the ideal of Jesus: The God, The Horned One, is born, gives his life for the land, and is resurrected. It is also a representation of the very essence of Cycle. Say what one must; the Goddess is represented in every thing--in many forms. Convert us perhaps, but we shall see the Goddess within the face of the Virgin Mary. Heaven is Summerland to us; there is no hell or Satan. What sin there is is the evil doings of one man and one alone; should all women be condemned for the simple mistake of Eve? Should we all be seen as the gateway to sin simply because Adam had not the mind to recall God's warning himself? Are all men pure because they rule the flow of society? It is ones own doings that shape how they would be.
This is my stance. Should anyone reading this ever meet me and disagree, please, do me the favor and hold thy tongue. The only exception I would accept would be if you wish to question and gain knowledge of other beliefs besides your own--and open mindedly. To truly view Wicca as it is meant to be viewed, an open mind is essential.
