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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 30, 2011 at 10:46 pm
(January 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote: I was always a bad Jew - I never saw the point of praying or anything like that since the best I could come up with was a deistic notion of god. I think I mentioned on your intro thread that I toyed around with the idea of Wicca but (and the following is no disrespect to other Wiccans - I lived in a bumfuck town) the few outwardly Wiccan kids at my school were all mouth-breathers and not people I wanted to be associated with. I love learning about folklore and mythology and symbolism, but eventually I realized I just didn't give a good goddamn past that. My rosebushes are more interesting. I was bat mitzvahed in a conservative temple, confirmed in a reform temple, spent a few years hiding my discontent and disinterest thanks to an overly Baptist boyfriend, and two years ago I met two fantastic atheists, one of who inadvertently led me to Shell and here, and...suddenly it was like someone took a vice off from around my chest.
Hey, mouth-breathers need love, too!  hock: 
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm
(January 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote: I was always a bad Jew -
I always loved the phrase "practicing Jew," Summer. I always wondered what they were practicing for and if it involved calisthenics?
Every time a Jewish friend of mine ordered fresh ham I told him he needed a lot more practice.
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 4:34 am
(January 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote: I was always a bad Jew - I never saw the point of praying or anything like that since the best I could come up with was a deistic notion of god. I think I mentioned on your intro thread that I toyed around with the idea of Wicca but (and the following is no disrespect to other Wiccans - I lived in a bumfuck town) the few outwardly Wiccan kids at my school were all mouth-breathers and not people I wanted to be associated with. I love learning about folklore and mythology and symbolism, but eventually I realized I just didn't give a good goddamn past that. My rosebushes are more interesting. I was bat mitzvahed in a conservative temple, confirmed in a reform temple, spent a few years hiding my discontent and disinterest thanks to an overly Baptist boyfriend, and two years ago I met two fantastic atheists, one of who inadvertently led me to Shell and here, and...suddenly it was like someone took a vice off from around my chest. I can't understand how someone can really be a wiccan. I know believing that allah exists or "jesus is magic" is no more stupid than this but I can understand effects of years of brainwashing.
V.I. Lenin Wrote:The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class shall represent and repress them in parliament.
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 9:38 am
(This post was last modified: January 31, 2011 at 9:41 am by thesummerqueen.)
(January 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I always loved the phrase "practicing Jew," Summer. I always wondered what they were practicing for and if it involved calisthenics?
Every time a Jewish friend of mine ordered fresh ham I told him he needed a lot more practice.
I tried really hard to come up with a clever response to this but I keep giggling. I'll have to pose this question to my mother when she calls next week to begin ensuring I'll come up for Passover.
(January 31, 2011 at 4:34 am)muhtesem insan Wrote: I can't understand how someone can really be a wiccan. I know believing that allah exists or "jesus is magic" is no more stupid than this but I can understand effects of years of brainwashing.
The problem is that most people can't separate religion from witchcraft when it comes to their perception of Wicca or any of the neo-pagan religions.
All religions have their superstitions and "magic" practices - they just don't believe theirs are superstition.
If you're in love with nature in a certain way, it makes sense. And hey... I hear some pagan religions endorse orgies. I'd love to sign up for that. Alas, none of them 'practiced' around Manassas. Such is life.
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 9:57 am
(January 31, 2011 at 9:38 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: And hey... I hear some pagan religions endorse orgies.
hmmmm... I always sensed that there are magical things. 
V.I. Lenin Wrote:The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class shall represent and repress them in parliament.
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 10:22 am
(January 31, 2011 at 9:38 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: (January 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I always loved the phrase "practicing Jew," Summer. I always wondered what they were practicing for and if it involved calisthenics?
Every time a Jewish friend of mine ordered fresh ham I told him he needed a lot more practice.
I tried really hard to come up with a clever response to this but I keep giggling. I'll have to pose this question to my mother when she calls next week to begin ensuring I'll come up for Passover.
Funniest thing...i have recently read that "Passover" was a 'Wiccan' equivalent to Equinox...'Wiccan' is a bit more 'Naturalworld/ As it is' orientated if you ignore the God/Goddess mumbo jumbo
(January 31, 2011 at 9:38 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: I can't understand how someone can really be a wiccan. I know believing that allah exists or "jesus is magic" is no more stupid than this but I can understand effects of years of brainwashing.
See above...we NOW have the science to prove most of the "religious" celebrations are to mark the 'turning of the planet/ year' .....what we are arguing about is the 'reasons'
(January 31, 2011 at 9:38 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: The problem is that most people can't separate religion from witchcraft when it comes to their perception of Wicca or any of the neo-pagan religions.
All religions have their superstitions and "magic" practices - they just don't believe theirs are superstition.
If you're in love with nature in a certain way, it makes sense. And hey... I hear some pagan religions endorse orgies. I'd love to sign up for that. Alas, none of them 'practiced' around Manassas. Such is life.
I am thinking (for me at least) that Terry Pratchett's broad concept of "Witchcraft" is close to the bone = correct. "Witchcraft" was the only thing that most country people had....aka someone who was knowledgeable with herbs available in the area and has more than a brief/passing understanding of anatomy...this has resulted from Constantine's (and later zealots of Cataholic/ xtian fervour) of wiping out any intelligentsia that might threaten "The Church of Rome" (including the Semitic population). Thanks to the cataholic church we have witches (along with anti semitism) firmly in the mass psyche who heal and have 'magical powers' ..and quite frankly all they had was knowledge beyond the 'country bumpkin sheep / goat herder' that was the church and heartily encouraged by the 'cataholic church of Rome'.
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 11:03 am
(This post was last modified: January 31, 2011 at 11:04 am by thesummerqueen.)
(January 31, 2011 at 10:22 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote: Funniest thing...i have recently read that "Passover" was a 'Wiccan' equivalent to Equinox...'Wiccan' is a bit more 'Naturalworld/ As it is' orientated if you ignore the God/Goddess mumbo jumbo
Really? I've never heard someone use the term "Passover" to described any of the Wiccan holidays.
Herbcraft didn't become witchcraft until the church decided that it A) hated women and B) prayer was the only way to heal. Which is stupid, because in most cases the monasteries and nunneries were also veritable treasure troves of herbal knowledge. Which goes to show I think that the vast majority of people on the ground, even religious ones, know in their heart that their dogma is bullshit and won't save them. Even ladies in fairly wealthy manors were expected to keep a small herb garden for healing or flavoring bad food.
People just don't like others to have any sort of power they don't.
(January 30, 2011 at 10:46 pm)orogenicman Wrote: Hey, mouth-breathers need love, too!
Not from this wench.
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 11:54 am
(January 31, 2011 at 9:38 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: [quote='Minimalist' pid='115921' dateline='1296445623']
I always loved the phrase "practicing Jew," Summer. I always wondered what they were practicing for and if it involved calisthenics?
Every time a Jewish friend of mine ordered fresh ham I told him he needed a lot more practice.
I tried really hard to come up with a clever response to this but I keep giggling. I'll have to pose this question to my mother when she calls next week to begin ensuring I'll come up for Passover.
Some variant of this, Summer?
Quote:An old Jewish man in Florida, in his 80's, calls his son, in New York. The father says to the son, "I hate to tell you, but we've got some troubles here in the house.
Your mother and I can't stand each other anymore, and we are divorcing. That's it!!! I want to live out the rest of my years in peace. I am telling you now, so you and your sister shouldn't go into shock later when I move out." He hangs up, and the son immediately calls his sister in the Hamptons and tells her the news.
The sister says, "I'll handle this." She calls Florida and gets her father, on the phone. She pleads to her father, "Don't do ANYTHING till we get there! We will be there Friday night."
The father says, "All right, all right already." He hangs up the phone, and hollers to his wife, "Okay, they're coming for Passover?"
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 12:09 pm
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RE: What Religion, If Any, Were You Before You Became An Atheist?
January 31, 2011 at 12:30 pm
(January 31, 2011 at 11:03 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: (January 31, 2011 at 10:22 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote: Funniest thing...i have recently read that "Passover" was a 'Wiccan' equivalent to Equinox...'Wiccan' is a bit more 'Naturalworld/ As it is' orientated if you ignore the God/Goddess mumbo jumbo
Really? I've never heard someone use the term "Passover" to described any of the Wiccan holidays.
bugger!!  my error. It was to say
"....Passover has it's 'Wiccan' equivalent in Equinox"
Sorry I'm very tired (I don't tolerate the heat very well)...thanks for the correction!
(January 31, 2011 at 11:03 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Herbcraft didn't become witchcraft until the church decided that it A) hated women and B) prayer was the only way to heal. Which is stupid, because in most cases the monasteries and nunneries were also veritable treasure troves of herbal knowledge. Which goes to show I think that the vast majority of people on the ground, even religious ones, know in their heart that their dogma is bullshit and won't save them. Even ladies in fairly wealthy manors were expected to keep a small herb garden for healing or flavoring bad food.
People just don't like others to have any sort of power they don't.
Completely agree with you there. As I was trying to say ...and as you have pointed out...EVERYONE had some knowledge of 'witchcraft' ie: herbs to heal and soothe, the ability to mend torn flesh and set broken bones, or at least there was someone to hand that knew how...unfortunately it was usually the 'ladies' that had this knowledge.
Monasteries and Nunneries of Europe did not have anything beyond the most simple culinary herbs (or if they did they I doubt they knew what to do with them) until the works of 'Galen' resurfaced from Iraq/ Persia I am thinking. The middle east faired alot better there, medicine wise. (pun intended)
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