Prejudice

I don't hold much against people when it comes to philosophies. When it comes to politics and religion I believe that diversity is a grand thing; it shows that there is no one right way to do things and serves as a check-and-balance against a single majority. Pluralism is always better. There have been powerful people throughout history who thought that there should be only one way of doing things and this either resulted in people beginning restless revolutions or mass genocide.

As long as people are not repressed, coerced, or imprisoned and all is consensual I believe in "Live and let live."

When it comes to spirituality I believe, as my Hebrew teacher did, that "God comes to us in ways that we can understand." If someone chooses to be Pagan, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Russian Orthodox, Mormon, agnostic, atheist, or any of the hundreds of faiths on the planet I do not care. What is important is that they find their God or their Goddess or Pantheon and feel that their belief fulfills whatever spiritual need they have. I will not let this affect my philosophy that all humans are equal until we decide not to be by violating the health and well-being of others.

I have friends who are Christian, am in love with an agnostic, have friends who are Mormon, Jewish, Pagan, Wiccan, and relapsed Protestant. I respect all of their beliefs even if I do not agree with them eye to eye on spiritual matters. I find beauty in each religion: the vitality of family bonds in Mormonism, the infusion of spiritual belief into everyday actions by Judaism, the connection to nature that the Pagans have. One of the most calming, sanctifying funerals I went to was Catholic, with its Our Fathers and communion. My own spirituality is a hybrid of Christian-Wiccan-agnostic.

Strangely, when I interact with people who are a part of minority religions, who cry for equality and understanding, I find that they in turn can be just as prejudiced against the "mainstream" faiths. For example, once I exchanged a month's worth of emails with a man who was Wiccan. When he complimented me on my carved pumpkin at Samhain (Halloween) and said he admired how a fellow Wiccan could have such a sense of humor about her spirituality, I replied that I do not consider myself Wiccan, but more of the hybrid I described above. Immediately all emails stopped and I didn't hear from him again.

Another time I befriended a woman who was an Eclectic Pagan. Again, she assumed that because I knew of her faith and ideals that I was a fellow Eclectic. When I corrected her and explained my kind of spirituality I lost all contact. Apparently, my tolerance of Christianity was the dealbreaker for her on our friendship. She thought I would try to convert her, even though I told her I found that anyone trying to convert a stranger or a friend to their way of worship is distasteful to me. I believe all spirituality should come from free will.

I don't understand the reverse prejudice coming from those who ask for equality themselves. They in turn are just as ugly as the people who judge them by the way the understand God.