To Christians....what exactly do you know about Voodoo....?

Question

Or Wicca, or any of the other "alternative" religions....those not based on your traditional belief system?

Tell us what you know about other religions...knowledge based in fact, research, and learning, not merely heresay, negative media portrayal, or Sunday sermons. I want you to tell me how you have come to your opinion on these belief systems...in real terms, backed by CONCRETE research.

I find that many people stereotype me, and gives me a thumbs down, merely for my belief in Voodoo. But I also find, they don't really know anything about what I belief, or how Voodoo really came to be or works. They don't do the concrete studying that would allow them to five a non-ignorant opion on my choice of "religion".

So, prove me wrong now...tell me what you know about Voodoo, Wicca, Paganism, Satanism, Spiritualism, etc. Justify yourself please so I can better understand where you are coming from.

Answer 1

I am a practicing Catholic but have had two good friends who were Wiccans (sp?). What I know of it, it is a very peaceful, female based, female affirming religion. It seems to revolve mostly around positive energy and harmony with mother nature.



While, it is not my "thing" I truly respect it and other religions that are based in love and peace between people. I find that is in short supply in many people who profess to be "Christians, Jews and Muslims". It seems easier to profess hatred when you are in a larger, more accepted, main stream religion because of safety in numbers.



I respect the traditions of my faith, however, I do not respect all of its followers by any means. I just am doing the best I can dealing with myself and my own human weaknesses!

Answer 2

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD...

The only thing I know from these "alternative" religions is what I've seen on the History Channel or Discovery Channel or in movies. I know spirituality in that sense is just the basic duality in nature, or good vs. evil and in life and death.

Voodoo: I know little other than it's geography being from the Carribean and what I've seen the Serpent and the Rainbow.



Wicca: Revolves around the spirits in nature, usually 4? North, south, etc. and the seasons. Also incorporates native american rituals and doctrines like the Medicine Wheel. and the movie The Craft.



Paganism: most religions that treat idols, symbols, natural or celestial phenomena as gods or goddesses. (i.e. the sun, runes, stars Jupiter=Zeus, etc. God of fertility=snakes or Dionyssus or whatever.) Beowolf, the Greek gods, Egyptians, Thor, Odin, etc.



Satanism: Richard Cromwell? again not researching. Lived in California was Irish or something. There is a satanic bible which simply glorifies satan, lucifer, morningstar, beelzebub, etc. and glorifies Humanism.

Spiritualism: believing in everything having spirits, the dead, inanimate objects and such. Also the idea of potions or incantations invoking spirits or their powers.



Personal experience: Latin Catholics believe in "culanderos" spiritual healers. These can be bad or good. They use tarot cards and a host of relics and artifacts that invoke the help of saints and repel demons. They also believe in being possessed – good and bad. Christians might regard this as sacrilege, but Mexican culture is rich with such practices that have evolved through the generations.



BOTTOM LINE: People often hate and fear that which they do not understand. There are many evil things in the world that most people would just rather not think about.

Answer 3

I'm a Christian with what I'd like to consider an open mind. I have practiced Yoga and read Buddhist writings. Those are not Religions but philosophies, so there is really no contradiction. I've read about Wicca and paganism in literature. I believe they are based in pre-Christian beliefs of gods and goddesses being found in nature. I don't know much about Voodoo. I visited a voodoo shop in New Orleans once, out of curiosity. I always considered it to be a superstition. I guess it is a valid belief system. I also consider many beliefs of some Christians to be based on superstition.

Answer 4

Voodoo(Voudon/hoodoo) and Santeria are just another spiritual beliefs that arose from african/haitian and cuban and other countries that had to adopt Catholicism/Christianity into their beliefs in fear of being persecuted/killed.



Nothing wrong with it at all except what people label it to be "Evil". Any religion can be used for evil if you look at society and whats going on in government you cant really call it "good" and its all done in the name of God.



Same thing with witchcraft,wicca,paganism,hind... they all have their good and bad.



People need to stop judging things as "evil" that don't relate to them or that they do not understand.





I think this is rare as you can see from judgemental people, churches and societies these days.



I



(btw im not voodoo nor santeria but have interests in it...im pagan Thelemic these days...brought up catholic and was a born again pentecostal for 4 years - so you know..i've been there).

Answer 5

I used to practice Wicca and Buddhism also and I dont think either are "bad" in and of themselves. Both teach you that life is valuable and not to harm others, treat people with respect. Neither reject the teachings of Christ and I know many Wiccans have a lot of respect for Jesus, in fact most religions that acknowledge that Jesus had a ministry give Him high regards so there isnt any reason to think He was a freak or anything. So I became more interested in Him.... what kind of things did He preach that gained respect from other religions? He preached love, compassion, doing good by others and so on...however He also said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light... No one comes to the Father but by me" now, how can we respect Him if that statement wasnt true? Or if "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life" was a lie, then really Jesus doesnt deserve respect, if He spoke the Truth then we need to go through Him. Then after studying His words, His life and the lives of His disciples/apostles I decided to follow Him myself.

Answer 6

I, personally don't know anything about your religion.



I also don't thumbs down people for stating their beliefs if they aren't offensive. It is the bashing each other that I have an issue with.



I find it quite funny how many times I go back and look at all the thumbs ups and downs. Some questions get a lot of attention, and some nothing at all.



As far as justifying myself to you, can't and won't. Just as I wouldn't ask you or anyone else to justify your beliefs to me. That usually ends up in arguing.

Answer 7

I know more about Wicca then I do Voodoo, having studied it for five years. I personally don't like it from my findings.



All I know about Voodoo is what I've seen on t.v. Y'know, zombies, dark spaces, snakes and chanting. Probably not the real thing.



Paganism: Belief in many gods or "dead" religions (ie religions not practiced in thousands of years)



Satanism: They respect and honor the devil



Spiritualism: Everything has a spirit (my bro is one)

Answer 8

Paganism is the worship of the earth and her creations as divine beings



Wicca is a Neopagan religion that takes the gods and goddesses of paganism into a bit more separation than the original religion



Satanism is the worship of the self, or in other words, looking out for number one. Your well being comes first, everything else is second.



I'm not sure what spiritualism is...



I'm an atheist, and these are my interpretations of the religions, though I believe I may have butchered these terribly.

Answer 9

well, i'm a practicing ROman CAtholic and in high school (a Catholic one) we had a world religions class that taught about every "ism" in the book and it was quite interesting. the basic premise out of the class -- do good & avoid evil - as long as the "religion" is of that nature - we should always try to understand it. to try and explain to you all that one knows about various "isms" would take chapters & hours - sorry.



one of my best friends is also a wiccan - she was wished a happy yule, winter solstice and a merry christmas!



you have asked for a very large amount of information which would be pointless to delve into here. above are my basics. oh when i worked on the island i had a voodoo curse put on me by a lady (from jamica) i wasn't "giving enough extra business too" the other gals came and "took the curse off". while i am NOT of the nature to believe in voodoo -- i was NOT about to discount their beliefs as they truly cared about me and were out to "help me". it wasn't as if i had to renounce my beliefs or anything. I lived around their belief system for 4 years. they were beautiful ladies who were very loving, devoted to family and friends and accepting people - that's all i needed to know!

Answer 10

I am a Pagan and I know a little bit about Vodoun, as an eclectic pagan I study nearly all systems of magick, Vodoun is one religion that is greatly misrepresented in the media for the purpose of selling bad movies and even worse sitcoms and weekly t.v. series. I think it's very sad and I try to let people know that Vodoun and its offshoots, Candomble and Santeria are very peaceful and beautiful religions and those that practice it are for the most part wonderful people.

Answer 11

I have read and probably answered many of your questions and I find them interesting. They make people think about what they would normally never think about. I practice Haitian Vodou and I am learning about Hoodoo. They are wonderful and rich religions that have been severely misunderstood for a long time. Lets set out to educate people and show them the error of there ways.....Bravo!

Answer 12

What I know mostly concerns the traditional uses of herbs and other plants by various cultures and religions. I don’t know much about Voodoo other than a bit about the plants commonly used.



As to the thumbs down, personally, speaking, I wouldn’t give them unless the person is bigoted or malicious.



But most of us get stereotyped and given thumbs down when people don’t like our viewpoint. I get plenty just for giving my honest opinion. Don’t worry about it. We all get them if we participate. Regardless of what you do in life, don’t let any thumbs up or thumbs down define who you are.

Answer 13

Polytheists belief system.

Humanistic in character and ritual.

Somewhat hierarchical in structure

Some say it is an individual belief system. I do not buy that idea.

Ritualistic in application and practice

Somewhat secretive yet that is being put asundered



This is my take on these belief systems. Nutshell version of course, I do not want to bore anyone.

I am Roman Catholic.

Answer 14

Little to nothing, but I would like to hear it explained. I have many professing satanists at my school, and all they talk about is how Christianity is so screwed up, and don't talk about what they believe at all.



(although, if you want your religion to be taken seriously, I think you could find a nicer name than Satanism)



Have you checked out Christianity, for real? I don't believe that most people who constantly bash christians do. (christian bashing is obviously not what you're doing, I agree that sometimes Christians are oblivious to what others actually believe and are too quick to put them under ourselves. If you're truly christian, you would want to think of ways to spread the gospel to these people...)



Edit: As far as the "do not suffer a witch to live" thing, That was the old Testament, The rules have changed. We now have forgiveness from ALL sins in Jesus Christ, instead of killing witches, we should be "going unto all nations, baptizing in the name of Christ"

Answer 15

You are fantastic! Don't consider voodoo/hoodoo an alternate religion, it's your religion. I'm pagan and as part of the fastest growing religion right now, I'm damn proud of all of us who study something besides the mainstream!

Answer 16

Brava Sister!! I'm thrilled to see this question. As a practicing pagan who knows much about vodoun, hoodoo, et al, I'll keep quiet. But I AM interested to see what responses you get.



Many blessings on your path.

Kallan

Answer 17

I have a vast knowledge in major religions; unfortunately, Voodoo is not a major religion. The secret service is trained to identify counterfeits not by studying the copy. They study the genuine currency and that enables them to identify forgeries. Christians know that voodoo is bad because God says it in his word. He even says, suffer not a witch to live. If God says it's bad, why would we study it. Don't expect Christians to study and put valuable time into something that God finds abominable.

Answer 18

Christians don't think anything other than their own religion is anything but evil.



It is this my way or else BS that makes them the intolerant pieces of garbage that they prove themselves to be on a daily basis.

Answer 19

Get ready for a string of brilliant answers.

Answer 20

I know the hexes that were given me never worked.

Answer 21

I know what the bible says,



The Bible is very clear about its condemnation of witchcraft and its various forms. Following is a partial list of passages from the Bible concerning witchcraft, seances, necromancy, and other such occultic practices.

Divination and magic

Lev. 19:26, ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying.

Isaiah 44:25, "Causing the omens of boasters to fail, making fools out of diviners, causing wise men to draw back, and turning their knowledge into foolishness."

Acts 8:9,18-22, "Now there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city, and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great . . . 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you."

Acts 13:6, "And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus."

Mediums

Lev. 19:31, "Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God."

Lev. 20:6, ‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people."

Lev. 20:27, ‘Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.’”

Isaiah 8:19, "And when they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn."

Necromancy - contacting the dead

1 Sam. 28 where Saul uses a medium to contact the dead.

Sorcery - attempting to influence people through occult means

Exodus 22:18, “You shall not allow a sorceress to live."

Isaiah 47:12-14, “Stand fast now in your spells and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you may cause trembling. 13 You are wearied with your many counsels;

Let now the astrologers, those who prophesy by the stars, those who predict by the new moons, stand up and save you from what will come upon you. 14 “Behold, they have become like stubble, fire burns them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; there will be no coal to warm by, nor a fire to sit before!"

Rev. 19:21, "and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts."

Rev. 21:8, "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Rev. 22:15, "Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying."

Witchcraft

Deut. 18:10-14, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 “For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you. 13 “You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 “For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.

2 Kings 21:6, "And he made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord provoking Him to anger." (see also 2 Chron. 33:6)

Answer 22

Wicca is an eclectic religious belief system centering around gods, goddesses, and nature worship. Gary Cantrell, a well known Wiccan author says Wicca is based on "harmony with nature and all aspects of the god and goddess divinity."1 Wiccan practice involves the manipulation of nature through various rituals in attempts to gain power, prestige, love, or whatever else a Wiccan wants. It uses symbols in its ceremonies and follows the calendar in reference to Wiccan festivals. Its roots are in ancient agrarian Celtic Society. It is considered Neo Pagan (based on old European and pre-Christian belief systems). Wicca does not have a structure of clergy and/or congregations. But it does have priests and priestesses which are in leadership positions within covens that have witches. The varying traditions of Wicca have different requirements for attaining the level of priest and priestess. Some of the more common varieties of Wicca are 1734, Alexandrian, Celtic, Dianic, Dicordian, Eclectic, Gardnerian, and Georgian. Wicca is even recognized as a religion in the military.

One of the most common aspects of working theology is the teaching of reincarnation and karma. The purpose of reincarnation is to learn lessons through the various lives. “This process of reincarnation is repeated for numerous lifetimes until a development of the Spirit is reached where the spirit can truly merge with the male and female balanced creator/creatrix entity. We returned to the God and to the Goddess.”2 Karma is the law of cause and effect that "does not punish nor reward. It is simply a universal law that reacts to causation until disharmony is illuminated."3

Wicca does not claim to be the only way but says that all spiritual traditions and paths are valid to those who practice them.4 It accepts "the fact that all life is sacred, including plant, animal, and human."5

Generally, Wiccans do not believe in the existence of a devil (they are not Satan worshippers). They have no orgies or public displays of sexuality in their rituals (though some Wiccan traditions practice nudity and sexuality not open to the public), no bestiality, and no blood sacrifices. They do not practice spells with the intention to harm people. They deny that there are moral absolutes, believe that nature is divine, and seek to be in harmony with the earth/nature.

Is it recognized as a religion by the government? Absolutely.



"Wicca is a bona fide religion, Mr. Barr. It has been recognized by the courts, and legal Wiccan clergy can be found in every state in the United States. We have chaplains in many American and Canadian prisons. Our guiding principle, the Wiccan Rede, admonishes us to harm none."6



The Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law



There are two basic codes that the Wiccans live by. First is the Wiccan Rede which states, "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will". This means that a Wiccan is free to use his or her magic as long as it doesn't harm anyone. The second is the Threefold Law which says that all the good you do will return to threefold in this life. Likewise, all the harm you do will return to threefold as well.



The God and Goddess



There is an ultimate life force called "The One," or "The All" from which the male and female aspects of life emerged, i.e., the god and goddess. The Divine, god or goddess, depending on who you are talking to, can have different names. There can even be references to different gods from other theological systems: Hinduism, Egyptian, Buddhism, ancient Greece, Sumerian, Christian, etc. In Wicca it doesn’t really matter what name is given to a person’s concept of God as long as you have one, or two, or more.

One Wiccan might consider God to be self-aware, another may not. It all depends on the angle that an individual Wiccan takes in his or her theological construction of what best works. It is a religion of self design. In Wiccan theology, because god can show different characteristics in different ways to different people, Wiccans can have different and even contradictory conceptions of God. This is not a problem to them because they maintain that it is only the limited aspects of individual perceptions of god that appear contradictory.



“as Wiccans, we acknowledge and worshiped the old gods and goddesses in the form both pleasing to Them and meaningful to us…”7



Why is Wicca attractive?



Wicca is attractive for many people who do not desire or appreciate absolute truths. In Wicca, a person is free to discover his or her own "path." In other words, he or she is free to invent a religious system that suits his or her desires.



“If you are just beginning a study of paganism, you may need to evaluate many different traditions or paths before finding the one for which you are looking. Your chosen path in the old religion must be one that is uniquely suited to you as an individual and one that lets you speak to the Lord and Lady in your own fashion.”8



It should be obvious that Wicca is a religion of personal preference. In other words, you are free to invent, devise, and develop a religion that suits your personal wants and interests. Furthermore, in Wicca you may attempt to manipulate your surroundings and other individuals through spells and incantations. This combination of developing a religion that suits your personal preferences and trying to influence others is very appealing to a lot of

Answer 23

Hoo..what?

Answer 24

they make zombies

Answer 25

Nothing, all I do know is IT IS BAD!

Answer 26

It's evil!!!!