Today I had quite the interesting experience. I was outside sanding down an old dresser I came across that I'm intending to use for an alter/storage for my magical tools. I jumped as a woman touched my arm and after turning off the sander, I realized there was an older woman and a younger woman standing there. I knew they were there to sell something or invite me to one of the local small-town churches.
Once I saw the Awakening publication in the young woman's hand, I thought I was in for an hour long lecture on my beliefs. The young woman rambled on about the Bible when I told her that I had quite an extensive knowledge about the Christian Bible, but that I was Wiccan. She looked confused and asked me what that meant. I didn't mean to laugh at her, but I though they were trained to deal with us "heathenistic pagans."
Surprisingly, the two women stood there for another five minutes, still handing me the publications, which I took out of respect, but then later threw away. I have been taught that as a good Wiccan, I am to be patient and understanding of all, regardless of their beliefs. I wonder though if they'll actually come back, especially since the older woman looked like she wanted to run away and never come back! =) Blessed Be!
as a pagan i always kind of had mixed feelings about the witnesses. some are rediculously pushy, which doesn't give them any cool points, but they're probably one of the more academically focused christian denominations out there. they have about as much supportive literature as we do.
devonwhat sets them even more apart from other denominations -- and i especially respect this -- is that they're so dedicated to keeping our beliefs and traditions separate from theirs, which is something most other christians can't claim and still expect to be taken seriously.
something else that i find commendable is that their kingdom halls don't have full-time ministers. every member of every church is a minister, and they take turns leading lessons and moderating discussions. that kind of structure is uncommon and i think if i had to attend some religious service i'd rather it be like that than some guy up on a soap box yelling at me like he's got some authority.
in a way i think they have it harder than us. they're so drastically different from mainstream christianity and still claim to be followers of christ, while we assert from day one that we don't take part in those games. we both encounter a fair amount of opposition from an ignorant populous but they're still trying to operate inside the system that we've opted out of.
12:48 AM EST