religon talk (christianity, wicca, buddist, athiest, ect. all is welcome)

[Dee]

Yeah, I'm not altogether fond of RavenWolf. Some of her stuff is okay, but a lot of her facts are wrong, and some of them are really crucial facts! Oh, well. I wouldn't reccommend reading her, especially if you're just beginning, but I can't stop you.

I'm incredibly interested in herbs. I think "interested" might be an understatement, because I want to make a living with herbal medicine and herbalism. If you're interested in herbs, I would first suggest reading up about herbs in books that have nothing to do with magic. Read all about their ordinary properties and medicinal properties. Information is a wonderful thing to have, and you should always gather as much information as you possibly can before trying to take action. Look for books on herbs and herb gardens at your local library. Some wonderful things to look at are older books full of folk remedies. I would suggest a few titles, but I am currently not at home, so I can't check my (very large) collection of books on herbs. But I'll repeat myself, try to learn about the mundane properties before starting on magical properties. This stuff has been around for many years, it'll still be there later. You don't have to do everything at once. Take it slow.

Once you do get into herb magic, I have a few titles for you. One author you could try to find is Ellen Dugan, she writes a lot about plant magic. She's a bit fluffy-bunny, but most of her stuff is fairly good, and she has plenty about gardens, plants, herbs, and ordinary little homey spells and things. Check out her titles Garden Witchery, Cottage Witchery, and Herb Magic for Beginners. They're not bad.

Argh... I wish I was at home so I could give you more information! Well, if you wait around until mid-June, I'll be able to give you tons of information. Just remind me around June 18 or 19, and I'll tell you. =)

[wizy123]

ummmm elder math: i was wondering how old you are? im not being mean or anything but i was wondering..

acually i was wondering how old everyone currently is and at what age they started.

other than that i have an authour to look up so i must go look *raise finger into the air* "to the internet'. (lets google it shall we?)

P.S. thank you eveyone who has helped and given authours...

[Dragon Writer]

with her fiction books (like witches night out) i wouldn't recomend it to anyone who really wanted to learn about wicca...it gives impressions of the religion that while not exactly bad, aren't really truthful...you MIGHT be able to figure out what she really meant, i suppose, if you knew the religion (or it might just be totally wrong) but anyone who didn't would get a LOT of facts wrong because of it....*Only found out how much when i looked up wicca* which is sad, considering how many wiccan friends i've had...

[Nita_Kit]

If you want wicca info, check out the idiot's guide to wicca. Complete walk through of everything. Apsolutely complete. My wiccan friend even recomends that one. I think it was that one, either that or the Wicca for dummys. dont remember, srry.

[wizy123]

ok i read about 1/4 of this, its called Exploring the Pagan Path: wisdome from the elders.
Kristin Madden, star hawk, Raven Grimassim Dorthy Morrison, Grey cat, Graham Harvey, Kirk White. and more but my hads are getting tired

The Circle Within:creating speirtial traditiond.
Diann sylavan.

do any of you recomend any other BOOKS. (preferd) or internet

[Elder Math]

I'm 27...the name pertains to Mythology.

[wizy123]

hmmm ok i thought you might be older...(dont ask somtines my curiosity gets to me[yes i know curiosity killed the cat])

[Joisan]

Just to satisfy people's curiosity, I'm just 3 months shy of 18 and I've been Wiccan for about 3 and a half years, as well as a Young Wizards fan for about 5 or 5 and a half.

Now as for the topic of this thread, www.witchvox.com always has good serious essays on all sorts of topics. You can probably find various essays on whatever wicca-related topic you're looking for there, and although it's no substitute for reading books it's a good supplement. It's a good way to get a variety of views on most of the important/controversial topics.

[Rubywolf]

Wicca is a religion, and like all other religions, it has its problems and golden moments. As long as a religion doesn't infringe upon other people, it should be accepted as a serious religion. For some reason, wicca is often looked down upon. To me, it's just as believable as christianity, which is not believable to me at all.

Wizzy- curiostity killed the penguin as well....

[Elder Math]

Under your Logic, RW, Christianity should not be accepted as a serious religion...

Sorry, bad joke. Seriously, I have met people who don't infringe on others and it's a major teaching in christianity as well. The problem lies then in people.

I think it's proper to say "think what you want about things, but don't infringe those ideals on others"...because that concept goes beyond religion.

[wizy123]

i agree with you rw.. wicca should be accepted as a seriouse religion... i remember reading in one of my few books on the topic that wicca was acually older than christianity... and that their devil is acually based off of this religion.

i also agree that people should be more accepting of other religions as well we have accepted a lot more in sosiety now adays but i have found religion is one of thoughs things that no one talks about for fear of not being accepted.

[Rubywolf]

Under your Logic, RW, Christianity should not be accepted as a serious religion...

That's exactly what I think.

Religion is a problm. It puts people at ends with each other, it creates useless bloodshed and misery. Any religion is as ridiculous as saying that a giant teapot floats around the earth. The chance that a god exists has got to be less than a hundreth of a percent.

[wizy123]

Originally posted by Rubywolf:
Religion is a problm. It puts people at ends with each other, it creates useless bloodshed and misery. Any religion is as ridiculous as saying that a giant teapot floats around the earth. The chance that a god exists has got to be less than a hundreth of a percent.

hmmm thats an interesting idea but what do you think is acually going on then if you feel that its all a peice of work then what is going on out their.... do you think the world was acually created by the atom and stuff or do you think there may be a possibility of a higher power.
then i have to ask what you think of the soul.

edited to trim quote - GF

[Rubywolf]

I believe in the Big Bang theory, or at least until they come up with something better. I don't think souls exist. When we die, we die. Everything is done. I think there is such a thing as will and personality, but no soul or aura.

[Elder Math]

Originally posted by Rubywolf:
Religion is a problm. It puts people at ends with each other, it creates useless bloodshed and misery. Any religion is as ridiculous as saying that a giant teapot floats around the earth. The chance that a god exists has got to be less than a hundreth of a percent.

I would say that if you study metaphysics then the chances of their being a god might actually be pretty good, but it wouldn't be the god people think it is anymore.

There are plenty of relative scientific concepts that lead to the thought of a god, as their are ones that try to say their isn't...

String Theory: A building block of this magnitude does make some look at it as some plan. If this is from a god, who knows, maybe it is some advanced inter-dimensional being. Definitely stuff for the sci-fi books, so as not to say, not something we can accept readily today.

Conseptual Reality: The belief that are idea of reality changes are perception. Simply enough "If enough peole believe in it, it builds it's own truth". Again though, this would be a god built of the expectations of those who created it. One mixed up being for sure.

If you look further into it there are plenty of theories out there, and you don't have to believe in a god to believe in something more. I can understand the point your making, but I also think it's important to note that the ideas out there are not worth calling stupid. They are ideas and people are going to be drawn to them. I think it's more important to consider how much of those ideas are your own, and organized religion takes that element away from people.

In the end, I feel that it isn't really religion that brings people at fault with each other, but people wanting to abuse the ideals and loyalty of others. People wanting to manipulate the ignorance of the masses are the true cause of so much evil and destruction.

Many presidents in the past have caused stupid wars. They did not necessarily have to bring up religion to get people behind them. It's more like people are led to this naturally, and that concept I always find sadder. The concept that people will never rise above their animalistic natures.

edited to trim quote - GF