The Truth is Funny Enough

Well, the wife is getting serious in her exploration of paganism/Wicca, and being the loyal, loving, open minded spouse that I am, I'm along for the ride. So of course, I've done a bit of research into the matter and have learned some interesting things. One thing I've learned is that like all religions, Wicca seems to come in a variety of flavors springing from some core beliefs. I've even learned that Wiccans can display the same sort of intolerance that Christians can, which is rather comical when you think about it. Take for instance this one pagan soldier, a sixteen year army veteran who is going to be deployed to Iraq again, hopefully for the last time, for he'll be getting out when he returns. He tried to join up with a local Wiccan coven and was castigated for serving in the military and claiming to follow the tenants of paganism. This narrow minded view, just as with traditional religions, is not shared by all who practice Wicca, but it points to the human nature to buttonhole people and their beliefs and to judge them. That is one reason I shy away from holding my own convictions hostage to the approval of any one group that claim to hold a patent on the truth of all things.
There is one piece of misinformation I would really like to see put to rest, tho, in regards to Wicca. Yes, practitioners of Wicca are known as Witches, amongst other things, and it's bad enough that the stereotype of witches is that they are these ugly, evil spell casting hags. I can't claim that most witches are hot babes, but they are just people, no uglier or prettier than average, and this idea of casting evil spells is rather stupid when you consider that a central tenant of Wicca is that whatever you throw out comes back to you threefold. But, I digress, for the BIG mistake people, especially Christians, tend to make is that Wiccans worship the devil.Folks, I hate to take the wind out of your sails, but Wiccans don't even believe the devil exists to begin with. Christians do. Wiccans recognize that there is evil in the world, and that evil is brought forth by people, not some fallen angel with horns and a pitch fork. So, think about it, those who would burn a person for being a witch is bringing forth the very evil they accused their victims of practicing. Yes, there are people who actually believe in and worship Satan, but if you are going to direct your ire at devil worshipers, I suggest you turn your attentions towards those who do rather than try and lump anybody who doesn't believe in YOUR God as satanic.
What truly makes me feel sorry for Christians and Muslims alike is that their beliefs have been hijacked, sullied, and twisted out of all recognition by the extremists amongst them. The mainstream of all these beliefs does itself the most disservice by not coming out forcefully against these agents of hate and destruction and disowning them. You really need to put your faith where your mouth is and speak up rather than allow the likes of Pat Robertson and Osama Bin Laden to spout their narrow minded hatred in your name. If not, then you might as well strap on some dynamite yourself, or call down the wrath of your God on any town you think deserves it, for you encourage it by your silence.