How do I tell my dad that I'm interested in Wicca?
My parents are very conservative and strict Christians.
I am also a Christian, but I am interested in learning about and maybe practicing Wicca on the side.
I was taught that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, through Him, the Son of God, and I believe He and His Father are the only God.
So isn't it okay? Earlier he called eclectics fools and damned.
How should I tell him about my interest in learning about other things?
Gabriella, Len2reed jinx
@ L.L. All my Wicca and pagan friends accept me as potpourri.
There is no one-size-fits-all religion.
If I feel spiritually comfortable with it, then you have no right to tell me I am wrong.
say "dad i want to be a witch", he will reply "your trick or treating this year"? say "no i want to be a real witch", and see if he will take it serious.
From a purely Christian point of view, you cannot be Christian if you want to practice Wicca.
Christianity views it as Satanism. (I think that's ridiculous, but there we are)
Wicca is another, separate religion and you can't have them both, that's just an insult to both religions in my eyes. (Some do disagree, perhaps, but many Wiccans I know (traditionalists and eclectics) agree)
If you told your father you want to practice Wicca, you're pretty much saying you want to worship the devil to him.
Tell him you want to study it to understand how other people view life, but do not lie and practice behind his back. It's not good to lie to your parents, and I doubt most Wiccans will approve.
Clearly you are not interested in Wicca, because if you were you would know that Wicca is a polytheistic religion and thus completely incompatible with Christianity. You say you believe that Jesus is the only way into Heaven, and that God is the only god. So what possible reason would you have in studying Wicca?
Feeling "spiritually comfortable with it" does not stop us from pointing out the blatant ignorance you are displaying. As a Wiccan, I am sick and tired of people picking up Wicca as a fad, calling what they do "Wicca" even when their practice has NOTHING to do with Wicca.
By all means, be eclectic. Be "potpourri." Find what you believe and practice it. But don't call it Wicca unless it's Wicca, and Wicca involves other gods. Whatever it is you're interested in, I'm damned sure it isn't Wicca, based on your statements of what you believe.
Are you a minor?
Are you still living under their roof?
Are you financially or otherwise dependent on them for anything?
If the answer is yes to any of these, then I would recommend NOT divulging your interests.
If you answered no to all of those questions, then there's no harm in telling them. Be honest and prepared for a lot of yelling. Don't yell back, don't argue, don't provoke debates. Simply explain your interests calmly and if they have a problem with that, then that's their problem not yours.
You can't just "practice Wicca on the side"...What do you think Wicca is? It's a religion: you either follow it or you don't, but if you follow it, you don't "practice on the side" like it's a hobby that is fun but doesn't really matter. There are those who practice Wicca with a strong Christian influence, and there's nothing wrong with that, but no one can call himself or herself Wiccan who denies the Goddess Her position as the God's equal, so no, you cannot call yourself Wiccan with the beliefs you've just professed.
Maybe you mean witchcraft, and in that case, you can practice it as a Christian, but be prepared to take crap from your father about it. The most I can do to advise you on that front is to tell you to do your research, and talk to your dad calmly and rationally about what it is that you want to study. Don't lie, and don't sneak around to practice if he says no (assuming you're still a minor anyway, if you're an adult, you can practice regardless of his reaction). Be straightforward and hope for the best. However, judging by the phrasing of this question, you have a lot more research to do before you're ready to talk to your dad.
Venus Bless
You *cannot* be both Christian and "practice Wicca on the side" -- Wicca is NOT a game, a pass time, or something you do only when you feel like it, or to impress others -- It is a profound, deeply spiritual *religion*, whose principles and practices are diametrically opposite to Chrisitanity.
Witchcraft or magi ck, on the other hand, is not a religion, it is a CRAFT or group of practices (like divination, spell craft, etc), that are practiced by people in a wide variety of religions -- including some kinds of Christianity, so you could combine Christianity with witchcraft of magi ck, if you wish.
First, though, you *really* need to do some research/ study, and find out more about these -- But BEWARE -- there is an awful lot of (what many of us call) "witch crap" out there -- many wannabees, charlatans, and "think-they-Arie's" , who actually know very little.
Here are some good , valid resources on AUTHENTIC Wicca and paganism:
Resources On Wicca:
1. CoG - Covenant of the Goddess - http://www.cog.org
- a national organization of (legally-recognized Wiccan "churches") - Wiccan covens, clergy and solitaries -- with local "councils" in many cities. CoG provides general, basic information, links to resources and other organizations, Groups, Covens, teachers, High Priests and High Priestesses, and much more. CoG also "certifies" clergy and Elders, and sponsors "Merry Meet" - a yearly 5-day festival.
2. Circle Sanctuary - http://www.circlesanctuary.org -
- a Pagan (not just Wiccan) Sanctuary, working farm, and Learning Center. It offers training, workshops, festivals, networking, and sponsors other organizations (notably, "Lady Liberty League" (http://www.ladylibertyleague.org) which offers support, resources, networking and advocacy for any Pagans experiencing religious persecution) - and much more.
4. Witchvox - http://www.witchvox.com
- a wonderful resource offering general, basic information, articles, referrals and links to local and regional resources on Pagan Classes, Groups, Organizations, Merchants, and more.?
To find local groups, teachers and other resources near you, try this: http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_index/xgroups.html
6. ?Beginning Wicca? Yahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BeginningW?
- One of the better Yahoo groups with several High Priests and Priestess members, so there are lots of good discussions and good information available in both the online discussions, and the Files section.
B. BOOKS:
1. Books And Authors To Avoid -
Silver Ravenwolf
Douglas Monroe's "21 Lessons of Merlin"
Kisma Stepanich
Edain McCoy
2 . Good Book Resources On Wicca: -- The best and first book i'd recommend is Ellen Cannon Reed's "The Heart of Wicca" -- http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Wicca-Wise-Words-Crone/dp/1578631742
3. Finally, i thought i'd offer the following link to an article i wrote on "Getting Started In Wicca":
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Witch_Esse?
Just simply explain that you want to bro den you horizons with your education. I know in my classes we did world Geo and religion, just tell him you have a report to write on Wicca and pagan beliefs. You'll have a merit explanation for being int rested in "ungodly" topics.
How do I tell my dad that I'm interested in Wicca?
