my theological discussion with a christian continued

in my previous post i put up a conversation in progress i was having with a christian friend of mine. here is the rest of it. it gets a little heated but then it calms down. it will make more sense if you read my previous post with the first part of the conversation.

Me: well yes, i practice witchcraft, but by that i mean i observe wiccan holidays, cast spells, pray, meditate, draw power from the moon, ect. i wouldnt say i do enchantments. to me that word means to overcome someone with love for me or something like that. messing with free will is a BIG no-no in paganism. personally i disapprove of ouija boards. i dont think all pagans do, but i do. for one, i believen reincarnation and to try to commune with the dead in a way that requires direct communication on their part is a waste of their time and disrespectful. also, i dont believen opening gates between worlds that are not open naturally. its dangerous and arrogant. i have never even tried it, so even me, an experienced pagan, would be arrogant to try and mess with it. the biggest thing is that any true witch will tell you that you NEVER mess with something you dont fully understand, never say an incantation in a language you dont know, ect. i dont understand what makes those things work and so i will never use one. especially you guys as children using them was very dangerous and stupid. also, im sorry you were taken advantage of but i believe prophecies from sources like that are only self-fulfilling. if it told you that you were gunna kill your friend you prolly would have done it if you took that board seriuosly enough. so honestly, i believe because it was in your head what the board said when you were 14, it interfered with your judgement because a part of you believed it was supposed to happen. no matter what we always have free will. and i think you have a slightly skewed idea of what the word occult means. it simply means done in secret. that doesnt really describe me because im out of the broom closet, lol

Him: Alright let me clear this up. I was not taken advabntage of. the situation was teenager drugs older woman bad combo. Next witchcraft, casting spells not bad? I will let you explain and will read your reply with an open mind but let me Splain my point " For our strugle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark worls and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms"
Ephisians 6:12 in others translations it says spirituality's and principalities it defines the christian beleif that the spirit realm is one we ought not to fool with including witchcraft I know it is not what you beleive but look at it like this, God says it is wrong to cast spells being he is the creator even in some pagan beleifs Abrahams God is one of great power (not to mention he spanked the pagan gods on the reg.)wouldnt that make Witchcraft evil?

Me: i already explained, spells are just prayers in which we use tools to direct energy. its not some harry potter stuff. its just a way for us to connect better with what we are doing. its NOT evil. and NO, witchcraft is NOT evil. our only rule is to do what we will and harm none. its against our religion to hurt anyone with word or deed. how is that evil? i dont think its very fair that you are using your religion to define mine. it doesnt really make sense considering mine has nothing to do with yours. and excuse me?! "spanked the pagan gods on the reg."? do you have any idea how rediculous that sounds? let me explain another pagan concept; all gods are one god. thats what i was saying earlier when i explained the phrase christian god. its to diferentiate between PRACTICES, not gods, not the higher power itself. many of us see our goddess as the female version of your god. others of us see our gods as a your god, but with many faces and roles. what frustrates me about the things you say is that you make it clear that you believe your religion to be superior to mine and your god superior to mine. that is not the case. both are equally valid and equally good.

Him: Dont get so deffensive I am trying to understand your P.O.V. and even with your last reply it is still dizzying. All gods are one god, equally good and valid. It doesnt make sense. Correct me if Im wrong but is wicca secular humanism "whats good for you is good for me" thats what you make it sound like I can understand wanting to be good to people and respecting their right to religious freedom the teaching not to harm but points of view on your religion from its various member differ greatly. The concept of not harming people is there but your concept of equallity and mutual respect is not shared by all I am sure you are saying the same could be said of Christianity, but from a doctrine perspective it is clear cut that we are to be Salt and Light spreading the Gospel with LOVE and understanding afterall it is not people but sin God hates. I thnk that is what is so confusing for me at least the various diffrent aspects on your religion. So I called a lady who was Wiccan (she has not converted to christianity) she left the religion when things got weird she is the nicest lady youd ever meet she is a witch by birth her mom was and her moms mom and same with her Dad so on and so forth forever it is what they beleived. She got into Wicca in the 70s it was the new way to be a witch a lover of nature she kept on in the practice for quite sometime into the 90s but as she progressed in her beleifs she began to see a darker part of the religion and so on and a witch by birth abbondoned Wicca because bad things began to happen to her family that she could not explain she is still a witch but a diffrent kind she doesnt elaborate much about her new beleifs but is tormented by things that happened? Remember I promised to listen with an open mind and not judge and I have not judged you at all. I have many storyies to tell and think some of them may intrest you so again dont be defensive when I try and explain things as I understand them. If you go on my Profile there are two Videos the second one is about my Church and our beleif on those who dont accept our Faith watch it there are no subliminal messages but it will give you an understanding of how I feel have a great day.

Me: i didnt intend to be defensive, but some things you said were prolly just not said in the best way they could have been, so the meaning was messed up. listen, you are making way too much of what you are hearing. harm none is our rule and its against our religion to do otherwise. of course there are pagans/wiccans who dont always abide by it, in fact i dont think any of us do. to follow it 100% a person would have to be perfect. and of course no one is perfect. there are also wiccans who act in ways i highly disapprove of. for exampe, i have recently heard of a woman who gets into arguments with christians in public, including teens. i assure you its highly looked down upon. and its not a "what good for you is good for me" way of looking at things. in fact, its just the opposite. whats good for you may NOT be good for me. christianity is not for me just like wicca was not for your friend. im sorry your friend came to see a darker part of the religion but it was prolly the people she knew who were making it something its not. as for the bad things that were happening, thats life, not religion gon bad. thats one reason i dont join covens. i am also a psychology major and have learned the harmful affects a group mentality can have on anything, especially religion. im not dissing covens because most are prolly fine. but small groups can sometimes become cults. just like those christian cults where men were marrying a bunch of children. the religions are not bad but people can turn them bad. but all that aside, my original goal in contacting you was to ecourage religious tolerance, which for the most part you seem to have. if you have so many questions about wicca i suggest you go read some books by wiccan authors. anything by scott cunningham would be perfect. check out his book "Wicca" it explains the basics to just about everything. plus he writes about it in a simple way because that book in particular is intened for beginners to wicca.

Him: Much like how I search for truth in Media I do so also with religion. I will not take the words of one side or the other I read and find out what the middle ground is and that is as close to the truth as you can get so thank you for the info. You made refrence to a christian fundamentalist group that allowed bigomy and the marriage of children to adults this is a huge mistake, the Mormon church is not a Christian church and fundamentalists are even further off point. The Mormon church was created in the 1800s by a man named Joseph Smith claming to have been visited by the Angel Moroni he was enveloped by Darkness when God spoke to him. They use the church to doop beleivers into going to the temple as you progress in the Mormon church you find out more and more of their true beleifs they actually beleive that Joseph Smith is their Savior and he will have a second coming. The modern Mormon church is the largest buisness in the world it dominates all corners of industry. I will be truthfull with you I am intolerant of all religion even Christianity religion is what causes problems in the world I read my Bible I listen to many teachers I go to a four square church but I check and recheck the teachings to see if it is infact the word of God being given or just some wak job preaching bable It has taken me many years to find a church that preaches the Word and encourages you to call them out on issues thank God I found one. Mass organized Religion is a Hoax I am drawn to Jesus by the Holy Spirit it is something that cant be explained it just is

Me: and im really happy for you that you are drawn to something and feel a true connection to it. i dont know if the whole middle ground being closest to the truth is something i could hold as true. my religion is what it is, just like yours is. well, anyways, like i said, scott cunningham is a great author if you want to get more info as far as beliefs, holidays, morals and structure goes. to be honest it does take a whole book and i dont think i can type that much :)

God bless you ^_^