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| Name: ash2 | Date: Jan 1st, 2007 3:32 AM |
| Well my husband is buddah. They mainly are big on respect. They believe that if you follow the laws of the land and have good morals that you will go to heaven. They love family very much and believe in reincarnation. ( that you come back in another form ) Sorry, but i really dont know that much other than it is a weird religion. ↑ |
| Name: bladerunnerx16 | Date: Jan 1st, 2007 4:31 AM |
| well since your asking for opinions-- I think it is good to take parts of religion that suit you, since being 100% christian or 100% jewish or 100% catholic is often not right for everyone. Beleive in whatever you think is right, you are the one who has to look at yourself every day. ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 3:09 AM |
| I knew a family that were Wiccan...and one of the things they say is to be soooooo careful with it cause there is such a thin line between black magic and white magic, so to really make sure you know what you're doing cause it could be dangerous. I don't know alot about it, though and don't know alot about any form of religion cause i don't follow or study any of them. each to their own, i say!! ↑ |
| Name: T-rabbit | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 3:35 AM |
| "Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity" A widely cited, but spurious quotation attributed to Albert Einstein 1 bullet "The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. 1.)The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. 2.)The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest patience is humility. The greatest effort is not concerned with results. The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go. The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances." Atisha. bullet "If you live the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion." Lin-Chi. bullet "Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.” Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh. ↑ |
| Name: marija | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 12:48 PM |
| "If you live the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion." i like this...it applies to so many religions...those who think theyre above others. i have not been baptised...my mother was an athiest...my father was christened by whoever came over the mountain after he was born, my brother is a devout mormon, converted by door knockers, my other brother is greek orthodox...because he had to be!... so that they could get married in the greek orthodox church...(my sister-in-law is greek)...the closest i get to religion is having the jehovah witness have there tea break at my home...they have given up on trying to convert me now they just bring biscuits or cake...LOL I do love the teachings of the Tibetan buddism and have been lucky to attend a lecture by the Dalai Lama when he came to Australia. If i had to choose a religion to follow it would be buddism (Tibetan) the teachings of wiccan are unfamiliar to me...but other than being close to nature and protecting it as best as you can...I dont believe in the fine line between evil and good...to me thats crap...each to there own. I have been bought up in a culture where spirituality was normal...ghosts were normal...the dead speaking to people was normal...it wasnt scoffed at it was accepted as being normal. I still carry those beliefs as i have seen it for myself...but i also believe in the Psyche and the power of the mind so my brain can war alot...LOL ok too long and too deep... ↑ |
| Name: T-rabbit | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 1:11 PM |
| Why are so many teens drawn to Wicca? Youth often go through a period of spiritual searching. They sometimes abandon the religion of their parents, and seek a different religious group or spiritual movement that is more suited to their beliefs. Some of the factors in Wicca that they might find attractive are: bullet Lack of sexist beliefs and practices: A common principle in many Wiccan traditions is the equality between the sexes. Both men and women are viewed as having their female and male side. Each person has the task of balancing the two. Within Wicca, the female principle is considered as powerful and sometimes even more important than the male. Wiccans commune with the Goddess and the God. Many teens reject the male domination seen in many Christian denominations -- particularly in Roman Catholicism and in some faith groups within the conservative wing of Protestantism. Here, positions of power and authority are reserved for men. Wiccans view the female and male principle in balance everywhere in the universe. bullet Concern for the environment: Like all other aboriginal and aboriginal-based religions, Wiccans are deeply concerned about the environment. They strongly respect and care for the earth itself, and all of its species of animals and plants. They feel closely tuned to the cycles of nature and to the earth itself. They reject the concept, mentioned in Genesis 1:28, that mankind is to subdue the earth and to dominate all of its living creatures. They feel that humans should live in cooperation with other species and with the universe. bullet Public perception of Wicca: Wicca is becoming more acceptable to teens because the public's perception of Wicca/Witchcraft has improved over the past centuries: bullet In the period circa 1450 to 1792 CE, the Christian churches committed a great deal of their effort into obtaining a religious monopoly in Europe. This involved rounding up individuals that they thought were Witches and burning them alive. bullet Over the next two centuries, the concept of the evil and dangerous Witch was preserved in many children's nursery rhymes and taught within many Christian denominations. This continues today. bullet More recently, a series of TV programs have shown women involved in various magical pursuits: bullet Bewitched showed an attractive mother and her daughter using their magical powers for positive purposes. It is now in syndication. bullet Melissa Joan Hart plays Sabrina, the teen-aged Witch. bullet Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy the vampire slayer. bullet In the initial cast, Shannon Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano played three young adults who are sisters in Charmed -- a program "that weaves daily life with the supernatural." One episode was titled "Something Wicca This Way Comes" Shannon has since been replaced by Rose McGowan. Although these programs have very little to do with Wicca. they do include positive portrayals of women practicing various forms of magic. bullet Portrayal of Witches in Hollywood movies is generally negative. 1 However, a few movies have scenes that contain accurate segments. Two Witches in the Wizard of Oz were shown in a positive light. The Wicker Man portrayed a Pagan island off the coast of Scotland. Although much of the story shows Neopagan themes, it ends with a human sacrifice which is definitely not Wiccan! A popular recent movie, "The Craft" (Columbia, 1996), accurately showed the Wiccan owner of a New Age/Magic store. The rest of the movie, involving teen age women engaging in domination and manipulation, was totally unrelated to Wicca. Still, it probably generated a great deal of interest in Wicca (a.k.a. The Craft) among teenagers. bullet TV documentaries and news items involving Wicca have supplied the public with more-or-less accurate descriptions of Wicca and other Neopagan traditions. bullet In recent years, Wiccans have been coming out of the [broom] closet and demanding the religious freedom guaranteed by the U.S. and Canadian constitutions. Conflicts over Wiccans in the military and the wearing of Wiccan religious jewelry (pentacles) in public high schools have been well covered in the media. With each article and program, more cowans (non-Wiccans) learn aditional details about Wicca. bullet Morality: Many young people view traditional moral beliefs of the dominant religions to be excessively restrictive. This is particularly true in the case of sexual morality. Remaining a virgin until marriage was easier to accomplish in previous eras when the time interval between the onset of puberty and marriage was only a few years -- perhaps only a few months. But, in recent decades, the menarche and its resultant hormonal overload has occurred earlier, while the average age at marriage has increased greatly. The gap between puberty and marriage is approaching 15 years; less than 10% of brides and grooms are virgins at their first marriage. Most have lived together before tying the knot. The Wiccan religion does not have a list of "thou shalt nots." It has a single, universal rule of behavior: the Wiccan Rede. This states "An it harm none, do as thou wilt." i.e. do whatever you want as long as it harms nobody including yourself. The decision whether to become sexually active before marriage is thus not banned by an absolute prohibition. A Wiccan makes her/his decision is based on an analytical process which determines the potential for harm to either party. Instead of pre-marital sex being prohibited, it is can be seen as a morally positive activity in some circumstances, as long as precautions are first taken to avoid pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, health problems, negative effects on the relationship, and damage to each person's self-esteem. bullet Personal involvement: Some youth are unhappy with the church of their parents because direct participation is lacking. They view the minister performing rituals and the congregation passively watching. In Wicca, they have the opportunity to perform rituals either alone as a solitary practitioner, or as a member of a coven. They often create rituals of their own -- a function that is inconceivable in many other religions. bullet Lack of discrimination: Many teenagers are repulsed by the current level of discrimination within some Christian churches in the areas of gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, and marital status. They see Wicca as being more tolerant, more accepting of diversity, and promoting a higher standard of morality than many Christian denominations. bullet Flexibility: A Wiccan can cast a circle and perform other rituals either alone or within a group. They can do this in any location on earth. It can be performed inside or out of doors, at any time of day and any day of the year. They can concentrate on whichever parts of Wicca that interest them. Some stress spells; others divination. Some concentrate on healing rituals; others on worship. bullet Quest for power: Many teens are at least initially attracted to Wicca for all the wrong reasons. They believe some of the propaganda in movies about Witchcraft: bullet They expect that they will learn spells that will enable them to gain control over their lives; they will be able to dominate, manipulate, and control other people. bullet They assume that Wiccans all wear all-black clothing and scare their friends with threats of curses. Many teenagers with these beliefs drift away from Wicca as soon as they learn what it is truly about -- that any form of manipulation or harm to others is forbidden. However, some to stay long enough to realize that Wicca is a religious and spiritual path with a lot to offer a minority of people. They learn that Wicca path is for personal spiritual growth, and not for impressing others. ↑ |
| Name: marija | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 1:18 PM |
| thanks for that T-Rabbit i feel enlightened...LOL ↑ |
| Name: T-rabbit | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 1:18 PM |
| any time I love to help. ↑ |
| Name: marija | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 1:20 PM |
| i have a question Was Wicca associated with the Hippie movement...like portrayed in Dharma and Greg...not just the free love movement? ↑ |
| Name: T-rabbit | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 1:32 PM |
| The terms hipster and hippie derive from hip. Hip may be traced to the word hep, which means "aware" in the West African Wolof language. Wolof was spoken by many West African slaves and a number of Wolof words made their way into American Black English. [11] A hip person, a hipster, or a hippie, then, is basically someone with exceptional awareness, especially concerning the latest developments or trends, as in "I'm hip to that."[12] The foundation of the hippie movement finds historical precedent as far back as the counterculture of the Ancient Greeks, espoused by philosophers like Diogenes of Sinope and the Cynics. Hippies were also influenced by the ideas of Jesus Christ, Hillel the Elder, Buddha, St. Francis of Assisi, Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, and others. [24] Over several decades, these beliefs were introduced to the United States as Germans settled around the country, some opening the first health food stores. Many moved to Southern California where they could practice an alternative lifestyle in a warm climate. In turHippie political expression often took the form of "dropping out" of society to implement the changes they sought. At their inception, the back to the land movement, cooperative business enterprises, alternative energy, the free press movement, and organic farming were all politically motivated hippie enterprises. [citation needed]n, young Americans adopted the beliefs and practices of the new immigrants. One group, called the "Nature Boys", took to the California desert, raised organic food, and espoused a back-to-nature lifestyle. Hippies traveled light and could pick up and go wherever the action was at any time; Since the 1960s, aspects of the hippie counterculture have been assimilated by the mainstream: * Interracial dating and marriage became common and generally accepted. Multiracial children of such unions, like Tiger Woods and Keanu Reeves, enjoy a certain cachet. * Public political demonstrations are considered legitimate expressions of free speech. * Unmarried couples of all ages feel free to travel and live together without societal disapproval. * Frankness regarding sexual matters has become the norm—even conservative talk radio hosts, like Dr. Laura, feel free to exclaim "Orgasms are cool!" * In urban centers especially, and in corporate America, the rights of homosexual, bisexual and transexual people have expanded. * Religious and cultural diversity has gained greater acceptance; Eastern religions and spiritual concepts—karma and reincarnation in particular, have reached a wider audience. * Co-operative business enterprises and creative community living arrangements are widely accepted. * Interest in natural food, herbal remedies and vitamins is widespread, and the little hippie "health food stores" of the 60s and 70s are now large-scale, profitable businesses. taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie _______ ____________________________________________ __________________________________ Some good came of the hippie movement it seems, i posted some random highlights from my wikipedia read there. I posted some of their positive side and a little bit of their negative side though i really left a lot out with that which i'll try to give you guys a little run down really quick here in a sec. I was interested in this topic because I'm somewhat of a "health nut" or a "tree hugger" but thats because I believe the Bible. The Bible says we are supposed to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us. (thats the short version) but either way i think sometimes people might confuse me for a hippie because of this. I'm not nor will be. The hippies are greatly influenced by the works of known satanist. They do much to destroy the family structure which in turn will cause much suffering. Any culture that works to destroy family will end up hurting a lot of people because it destroys a part of balance. Everything has a balance and when that balance is upset everything suffers. one of the main teachings they subscribe to from a book called "the book of the law" (which the author claimed was dictated by Satan himself). The teaching states "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" which later people paraphrased it by saying "do your own thing" this teaching leads to destruction due to our sin nature but seeing that it came from the destroyer thats a no brainer. (side not in wicca they have a similar saying "do what thou wilt an it harm none" or do what you want as long as you don't hurt anyone. Though they don't practice this because they fail to realize some other fundamental truths though many may think they follow this saying. I could say more on this but moving on... Hippies are also into drugs which if you didn't already know, the Bible speaks against. Of course if your reading an English translation you might miss this because in the Greek the wording is a bit different and English is a weak language. We do however have the tools to be able to go back to the original text. Galatians 5 says :"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." ↑ |
| Name: T-rabbit | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 1:39 PM |
| What do you think? ↑ |
| Name: marija | Date: Jan 3rd, 2007 9:59 PM |
| very deep...bit too much for my brain to intake at the moment...So what your saying is that the hippie movement and wicca have similarities but are no way alike?? i believe we will kill ourselves....Im not going to wait for it....but i believe the human race is a selfish...self-serving...destroying animal....sort of like the fire ant. awareness of the environment has risen but i dont see it becoming essential because those in power dont want it to be. I dont think religion will ever help us overcome the odds of how our basic make-up is. To me its a way to feel good in your life time....i find other things that give me fulfillment.... Am I a doomsday freak...No..I dont wait for life to end and I dont feel impending doom. I too like the teachings of the bible...but read it differently (as do most religions) To me its a novel of how people want to be or should be....written by alot of different folk adding their wants and likes in story form over the ages....I dont believe there being a god who would bring down a person who has led a good ethical life but didnt attend church and pray to Him singularly. anyways im dribbling on here...sorry :-) ↑ |
| Name: mystic1306 | Date: Jan 4th, 2007 7:08 PM |
| Thank you so much T-Rabbit!! I have gotten a great deal of information from what you have said and will gladly pass it on to these mom's, who are open to their teens choices but feel quite uneducated about it. I have long searched for a way of life as the one you have described and I myself will look into it. Thank you so much ↑ |
| Name: yet_another_tear | Date: Jan 19th, 2007 3:35 PM |
| I'M ATHIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY PARENTS ARE CHRISTANS!!!!!!!!! HAHA WE DONT GET ALONG'!!!!!!!!!!!! BE YOU AND NO ONE ESLE!!!!!!!! BELEAVE WHAT YOU BELEAVE AND DO WHAT YOU PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! ↑ |
