Thursday, December 20, 2007

Breaking My Silence


I can understand why some of the really prolific blog writers have backed way off posting, or even ceased altogether. While it doesn't take much time to actually land at this keyboard and post, what it does take is a knack for having something to say.
Today I'm sittin' here because of something I read.
I was reading entries at Cold Fury - a blog that has been around awhile, and has a number of excellent contributors - when a post, a link, and a comment to that post, caught my eye: "Let the P-shops commence!"
I clicked on one of the link highlights, "offensive silliness", because I usually enjoy the goodies that Mike brings out for display. Seems that a city councilman felt that including a Pentacle in the holiday display would be a good thing, by way of a show of defiance towards an anti-religion protest. I then cruised over to Wuzzadem to see what was posted there about the whole thing. Mrs. R was questioning "why is Christmas the only holiday that can be commandeered by pagan cheeseheads, ...etc, who feels like celebrating anything they want during the holiday season?" Hmm.
Letting that sit, I wanted to read the only comment left at the time at Cold Fury. The commenter went of on a rant about the "pagan eco-wackos ideas of a nativity" and their fashion of worship as he sees it.
I left a comment of my own, informing that not all Pagans are Christmas hijackers, or "eco-wackos", or even hippies, and went on to say that I celebrate Yule on the Solstice, then Christmas with my mostly Christian family.
I'm grateful that there are readers at Cold Fury like David R; his comment confirmed for me that not all conservatives view pagans in a negative light. Those of you out there who think all Pagans are lefties need to step back and take another look. Don't automatically assume anything.
It's tempting to launch into a rant about the whole Christian-Pagan relationship, detailing the hijacking of not only Pagan holidays, but places of worship, and indeed, one of the God-archetypes in our faith, that is now symbolic of the Christian god of evil!
Instead, let me ask this:
In the struggle to bring common sense back into its rightful place as one of the determining factors of our national behavior/direction, who would you folks rather have as allies and friends - conservative-minded Pagans, or the followers of Phelps?
Shari-a can take many forms, and know this: I. Will. Not. Submit. To any version, Muslim, Christian, or otherwise. I believe that any person has the right to follow any spiritual Path, but the right to force that faith on someone else does not exist.
Blessed Be, All.

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