My daughter is a Wiccan

[Nonicknamesleft]

Just spent some upsetting minutes looking on a few AIBU chats about religion. My shoulders should be broader but I still hate the way Christianity is talked about: it's blasphemous and rude imo. Anyway, so glad to have found this area. Now to the subject of this post:

My eldest of 3 is a girl, almost 12, just going into Y8 at (a CofE) sec school. She is a bright Asperger, prone to the customary obsessive passions typical of the condition.

About a year ago, we wandered into our local park to find Pagan Pride in full swing. I was with other members of my family besides the children, and not wanting to spoil the outing, allowed them all to wander around and look at the crystals, hippie clothes and expensive witchy acoutrements. So natch, dd is now a declared pagan, wearing pentagram necklaces, spending birthday money on runes etc etc. As we walked to this year's PP event yesterday, she told me that she'd never really believed in God but kept quiet to avoid upsetting me. Tbh I don't fully believe her about that but not much point arguing - what do I know?

My current position is generally to be accommodating and as respectful as poss, try to moderate my inclination to argue that it's at best silly and at worst a tiny bit evil. I know I'm being very prejudiced against it because of all the crusty trappings, and I wouldn't dream of being so sniffy about another 'proper' non-Abrahamic faith eg Buddhism.

I'd welcome advice about how to feel and how to play this. I want to just trust that God is on it and will get to the girl in his own sweet time, knowing that she's the sort of person who, if she gets God at all will get him big-time..... but I'm also more than a bit anxious that the current thing will stick.

In theory I'm a great believer in religious autonomy (eg I was raised RC but left it for the CofE) for the young, but am finding it harder to honour in practice. Fwiw she's ace at RE at school, and extremely respectful of other faiths. She deals politely with the rather hard-line Christian peers she has at school who aren't very nice to her about her beliefs. Being autistic, it wouldn't occur to her to be anything other than completely honest about her views, however unpolitic.

So, dear hive, please share your wisdom xx

For me asking the universe has to be very very specific. You're thoughts before and after this won't be part of it iyswim.

Unlike main steam religion paganism doesn’t have a basic set of teachings or much of an ethical basis- so it can incorporate anything. You still haven’t told me what the difference is in occultic thought in Africa, Mexico, India etc where they are making human sacrifices and here in the uk?

Isn't it Like? I could see how it can happen. Even cooking something could turn into ritual with a bit of visualisation.

when it comes to evils of faith it’s always the big world religions like Christianity or Islam that get bashed, but some other belief systems get a free pass. Away from the headlines their continued growth and success is that people see benefits of membership to those world faiths.

I personally think the concept of karma is problematic. Someone gets cancer is that karma? Someone’s house burns down is that karma? starving African babies is that their karma?
Millions of people in India are classed as untouchables, born into the lowest Hindu caste and kept at the bottom of society because of belief that they deserve their treatment. Many convert to Islam and Christianity to escape that destiny.

But one thing I will say for Hinduism is it’s propensity to name the children born with the worst deformities as reincarnations of their God’s and Goddesses. What is called a curse or sign of demon taint in one part of the world is seen as a blessing in India and often becomes a source of income for the parents as people make pilgrimage to see the child.

I appreciate that you are concerned about your daughter, as your personal frame of reference is so narrow and you lack the knowledge and understanding to support your daughter.

You mention that she likes to deliver all the facts she has obtained about her new beliefs - so utilise this - listen to her ask to explain what she has learnt that day/week and then do your own research to find out about it and allay your fears.

As for the others on this thread suggesting all manner of ridiculous notions about Paganism shame on your ignorance - what delightfully non judgemental Christians you are -I'm sure your God is proud of you.

Moo do you mean you think pagans think the same in U.K. as those pagans in those countries? Do Muslims in this country think the same as the Muslims in those countries too? They might have stricter teachings in those main stream religions but they aren't applying them across the board in every country are they.

In from what I can gather, to cast spells like that and gain effective results you need to be experienced and specific. It's not something you could just accidentally do on a whim in your bedroom as an amateur. Again hopefully an experienced witch could clarify this.

I'm not bashing anyone's religion I am merely stating that there are good and bad people in every religion. Saying Wiccan is voodoo and evil is like saying all Muslims are like Isis. They aren't.

Pumpkin-
I don’t think we are ignorant just stating what it can and does entail, that’s awareness not ignorance.
I think some on here are incredibly naive about what paganism/witch craft can include- you have bought into the sanitised western version that doesn’t match paganism globally or historically.

In from what I can gather, to cast spells like that and gain effective results you need to be experienced and specific. It's not something you could just accidentally do on a whim in your bedroom as an amateur. Again hopefully an experienced witch could clarify this.

It about what the practitioner believes, though. Look at all the stuff concerning, 'laws of attraction.'. Concerning experience, many people who say they practice witchcraft believe their 'gift', perhaps of particularly focussed intent, is inherited.

That can be said of any religion. As has been mentioned on this thread numerous times already - all other religions have their less savoury elements too.

Laws of attraction and witchcraft/spells are two separate things. Spells need precision I believe whereas law of attraction is more about your attention and what you think essentially. In other words if you believe you will get that raise enough you will get it (I'm still dubious on that one tbh.)

Attitudes not attention stupid phone

Hont Wiccan is based on ancient beliefs and practices dating back centuries. Practicing witchcraft was illegal up until around 1951 hence why the craft was always hidden away until then.

Nah, it's based on a book released in 1954, which itself is based on some since-discredited academic work from the 1920s. It's all made up less than 100 years ago. It was never 'hidden' - it didn't exist.

Well most peaceful Muslims would say the scripture has been distorted by the extremists...
But with paganism you can’t say it’s misinterpretation because there’s no real foundation- it can include whatever it likes.
Yes my question is why do you think occult pagan practice differs across countries and what’s to stop the uk paganism, following other forms of paganism that are practiced world wide since there’s no specific doctrine?

I don't think Christianity has a particularly clean history either if we are going down that road...

Like how do you think a lot of spells work? A lot include focussed visualisation whilst doing quite mundane activities such as cooking or washing.

The people I know who had their 'fingers burnt' were fairly new practitioners of the craft. But certainly talked of some pretty hair raising experience.

Pagans may be trained in particular traditions or they may follow their own inspiration. Paganism is not dogmatic. Pagans pursue their own vision of the Divine as a direct and personal experience.

Above is from paganism federation, therefore in following my own inspiration I can do anything and it’s all real paganism.... there’s nothing to follow so there’s no such thing as less savoury elements of the religion because all thought is of equal validity

The Muslims killing Christians in those countries aren't extremists either. That's how they practice Islam in that particular country. That doesn't make me believe Muslims in the West are going to suddenly start killing Christians..

It's about how the religion is applied in that particular country rather than thinking all of a sudden pagans are going to start killing babies or Muslims are going to start killing Christians in the U.K.

you still haven’t answered the question- what’s the difference between occult practices described abroad- human sacrifices and the uk sanitised version. Because as far as I can see they are both forms of paganism.

Gosh third time lucky with this post:

As an aside:

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3493741/How-ISIS-going-against-Islam-s-teachings-Texts-suggest-Muslim-prophet-wanted-Christians-protected-defended-claims-expert.html

Christian persecution in Afghanistan, Iraq is is largely to do with the politics of the war on terror not Islam’s religious teachings as seen from above link. Actually Muslims have more respect for Christianity because they are people of the book, than Christians have for Muslims considered followers of an imposter prophet. 7 Muslim majority countries have Christmas Day as a public holiday: including Pakistan, Egypt and Malaysia.

The number one country for persecution of Christians is North Korea, an atheist country.

Hi you'll really need to talk to a witch here because I don't feel qualified to say yes or no when it comes to witchcraft.

t's about how the religion is applied in that particular country rather than thinking all of a sudden pagans are going to start killing babies or Muslims are going to start killing Christians in the U.K

But why- what has the country got to do with it?

when it comes to evils of faith it’s always the big world religions like Christianity or Islam that get bashed, but some other belief systems get a free pass.

And, in all fairness, that's somewhat deserved in that it is the big faith systems that have by far the largest potential to impose their tenets on people who don't necessarily believe in them:

E.g. my father's in what I genuinely believe is an esoteric cult. Now, that's a personal tragedy for him, as far as I'm concerned, but it doesn't really impact my life apart from the fact that I worry about my dad in a personal capacity. OTOH, my sister spent nearly half a decade in Saudi Arabia due to her husband's job, and the degree to which she was limited in how she got to spend her time would have driven me batshit insane to the extent that I might have left the man unless he agreed to move elsewhere.

Having said that, I agree that the notion of karma is highly problematic.

Like, I have spoken to witches about this, on here and in real life. The experienced ones agreed practising the craft does hold some danger,

Missyfat you only need to google which countries still torture and kill Christians and it's not just Afghanistan or Iraq or because of politics.