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 ok...first of all, i am not a devil-worshipper, as most christians will have anyone believe.
i believe in teaching responsibility for one's own actions, and therefore don't have a personification of evil to blame for
"tempting" humans into doing harmful things, like the
christians' satan.
negative actions and intentions (negative actions, to me, are defined as anything that will harm a person or animal, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally) will reap negative
returns, just as positive
actions will bring positive things to a person's life. the
wiccan religion (which i base mine loosely on, but
minus the god and goddess aspects and a few other
minor differences)has a central tenet, called the wiccan
rede, which says "an it harm none, do what ye will."
this basically means, "do whatever floats your boat,
so long as you don't hurt anyone in the process."
the harm refers to gratuitous harm; defending oneself
is, of course, permissible.back to devil worship... this is usually considered a form of rebellion against christianity; paganism is not. the only objection i have to christianity is that it holds itself out as being the only true way to the divine. i, personally, think that's arrogant. but i do have many christian friends who aren't so snobbish about their religion. i respect their choice of worship, just as they respect mine. (and sometimes we have really good friendly religious debates, too...it gets entertaining.) i believe that there is one power, (we'll call it the "all," if you insist on having a name for it) which is composed of everything ever created. it does not rule over the universe, it is the universe. it tends to be difficult to talk to and call upon a faceless mass of divine energy, so this supreme power is often personified into male and female aspects: the goddess and the god, (alot like the yin and yang) two who are one. i believe that the divine, this "all," is both within us and outside of us - it resides within everything and surrounds us all. some pagans use certain names, like astarte, isis, odin, pan, diana, etc., when calling upon the goddess and god in ritual. these names, which arose in many parts of the world throughout time, are simply aspects of the divine. this one power is the same no matter by what name it is called. (i call it kelli, since that's a name which can be applied to both males and females...) some simply call upon the god and the goddess, without invoking a particular aspect or name. it's a matter of tradition or personal preference. (a 'tradition", by the way, is sort of the pagan equivalent of a christian denomination.) as a pagan, i believe that we are able to use parts of the all for our own, and other's, benefit. i believe in using stuff like herbs, crystals, candles, robes, and chanting for different purposes, mainly for focusing energy. (if you think about that, it's not much different than the items used in many christian denominations' practises.) i hold ritual privately, in my home. if people want to take part or just be present to witness it, that's fine with me. the rituals are like extended prayers to the all; requests that good come for me and those that need help. in them, i focus upon my requests, with the help of the items listed above and a litt'l chanting, which i make up myself. i am notorious for never "going by the book." i personalize every aspect of my religion, so that it can be that much more powerful for me. in return for everything that kelli does for me, i give back my time and energy. i devote myself to helping other people, the environment, and animals. i volunteer at a wild life refuge, participate in programs like "coatal clean-up," and recycle, to name just a few ways that i try to help. any other questions? email me! if it's a good question, i'll post it here and answer it. | ||||||