Satanism 101 and just plain ignorance...

[bellamandu]

I just had to tell this story...

So as many here know, my and Dwayne are getting married soon. Needless to say, i came across some fairly ignorant people while trying to find someone who has experience performing handfasting ceremonies... but this one just tops it!

At one point, i just got frustrated and just started dialing every wedding planner and officiate in the phone book. After several people asking me what handfasting was, i even started making references to Braveheart. :lol:

So i call this one number, and the guy answers.

"Hello?"

"Hi, im sorry to bother you, but I'm trying to find someone with experience performing handfasting ceremonies."

"Oh. Whats that?"

"Ok... um... *nervous chuckle* well have you ever seen Braveheart?"

"Can't say I have."

"Ok..... well are you familiar with Wicca at all?"

"Oh, no, whats that?"

"Oh, well I'm sorry, I don't think you'll be able to help me then."

"No no no, if you can just tell me what it is maybe i can still help."

"Ok, well Wicca is a religion, its basically--"

"--OH MY!!! Are you part of a SATANIC CULT?"

"No, please, i really dont think you will be able to help me..."

"Well, no, as long as you dont worship Satan, I dont think there will be a problem."

"Oh, ok... well.. if it makes you feel any better i dont really believe in Satan."

"OH! So you ARE Satanic then?"

"No, I just said i dont believe in him. I can't worship something i dont believe in."

"Oh, but you believe in Jesus, though, right?"

"Well, I believe in a God, and i believe that Jesus existed, but I dont worship him."

"So you're Jewish then..."

"No, like i said, I'm Wiccan..."

"Oh ok, but you believe in God, correct?"

"Yes, I believe in a God, just not necessarily the Christian God."

"Ah i see, so you worship the devil then."

"I'm sorry... this isnt really going to work."

"Well ok then..."

*Click*


:rotfl:

Oh boy, some people just dont get it. I seriously dont understand how some Christians can't possibly understand the idea that you can't worship something that you dont believe exists. I mean seriously, wheres the logic? It just bugs me that so many churches in the area preach that if you arent christian or jewish but you practice any other religion that means you are automatically a Satanist. IT JUST DOESNT MAKE SENSE! :T

[Xander67]

I thought Braveheart touched on the Celtic path? Handfastings are not solely performed in the wiccan religion. (as far as I know)


Handfasting is a Neopagan ceremony of (temporary or permanent) betrothal or wedding in which the couple's clasped hands are tied together by a cord or ribbon — hence the phrase "tying the knot".

The term is derived from the verb to handfast, used in Middle to Early Modern English for the making of a contract of marriage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handfasting

[la tortuga]

I thought Braveheart touched on the Celtic path? Handfastings are not solely performed in the wiccan religion. (as far as I know)

No, it's no just Wicca...

but the ceremony performed in Braveheart was pretty much a handfasting, or at least the points that were shown seemed to depict such.

[bellamandu]

I know Braveheart might not be completely accurate in that aspect, but its the closest thing i can think of without having to touch on religion, and its one of those movies that pretty much everyone has seen, or they at least know of it.

[Xander67]

yes, it was a handfasting (I was not argueing that) my point was that is was not a Wiccan handfasting. Many people often wrongly associate pagan traditions with Wicca when there are other religions besides wicca that incorporate pagan beliefs.

[Xander67]

In any event Bella (just feels wierd calling you BM lol)
you might have better luck doing an internet search for someone who can perform a handfasting in your area, or maybe someone here could do it. THere are a few legally ordained people here who could do it.

[bellamandu]

yeah, i actually ended up finding someone. i just thought i would share the full story so people wouldnt be so confused when i kept making jokes about it.

BTW: you are more than welcome to call me BM, i get pooped on all the time anyway. (thats a baby thing just to reassure, its not some weird sexual thing. LMAO)



In any event Bella (just feels wierd calling you BM lol)
you might have better luck doing an internet search for someone who can perform a handfasting in your area, or maybe someone here could do it. THere are a few legally ordained people here who could do it.

[Xander67]

hey different strokes for different folks, :yikess:

:wave:

yes, it is still funny how people are so misinformed about everything concerning Wicca, Paganism, etc.. dispite all of the documentaries on history channel :sniffsnif

did they not get the memo??:smileroll

[bellamandu]

although, i wouldnt really consider the history channel a legitmate source. yes, some of their content is reliable, but most of it is backed up by commentary of people who know absolutely nothing of what they are talking about. ie: a doctor talking about the stars, or a former kkk member vouching about the catholic church.

i even distintly remember one show where they had a guy dressed up in an ungodly cowboy outfit talking about billy the kid. they didnt show his name or anything that would give him credit as a historian. i guess if he looks like a cowboy he knows about cowboys!

although, this isnt saying that i DONT watch the history channel. :lol:



hey different strokes for different folks, :yikess:

:wave:

yes, it is still funny how people are so misinformed about everything concerning Wicca, Paganism, etc.. dispite all of the documentaries on history channel :sniffsnif

did they not get the memo??:smileroll

[bellamandu]

i know this isnt on topic of the actual thread, but i recall actually watching a history channel show talking about how some die-hard christians discredit the dinosaurs by saying the bones were planted there by the devil.

[Xander67]

wow!! yes, sometimes I think the producers guide the content along to back up their own views.. :whatgives

[Tanya]

Might I suggest a different approach in looking for an officiant.

I had no problem finding one with this conversation.. in which no scarey reference to Wicca was made... hehehe:

"Hi do you do nondemonimational marriages?"

"Do you mean like between Christians and Jews?"

"Well, kind of like that."

"Sure, what do you want?"

"Well we want to have something special that's really personal and no one service we could think of perfectly fit us."

"So you want to write your own vows?"

"Yes, and we want to do something kind of "Celtic" my husband is a bagpiper and he wants to wear his kilt and do some traditional Cetlic wedding things."


"Oh that sounds neat. Like what?"

"Like we want to drink from a shared cup during the cermeony."

"Oh sure, Jewish marriages always have that, I have some nice prayers to go with that."

"And there is is this tradition of tieing hands together, we have some prayers, I could email you to go with it."

"That sounds lovely."

etc etc... she had a whole book of prayers and rituals and I told her we had a lot of different religious backgrounds in our family, so we wanted to keep the religion thing low key and focus on the family and community. She had no problem chopping out any Jesus references and saying "The Creator" or "The Powers of Nature" for "God"

In the end we had a VERY Wicca ceremony... hehhee... and my Bible bashing cousins didn't even seem to notice.

[Xander67]

I like that approach :)

[Stormbeard]

I'm part of a Satanic cult.