- Brooke, 16, TX
1. What are your religious/nonreligious views?
I'm Wiccan. Deity shouldn't be as horrible as what the Christians call "god." It should be something to call upon when you're in a bind, a friend to help you out but never as rigid and unforgiving. My idea of deity is that they help you out rather than punish and torment you. I also need a religion that allows me to fully be who I am and not damn me because of my sexual orientation. While Wicca may focus on fertility, it's not strictly male/female focused. I also love the sense of mystery and magic that Wicca offers. I have to have a sense of connection to what I believe in and when I found Wicca, it gave me that sense. I was raised Lutheran/Episcopal. When I was little I was a mix of what I mentioned above but the more I was able to think for my self, the more I started thinking, "When I'm a grown up, I'm not going to church." I tried to involve myself in church but it really didn't interest me too much, I was mostly in it for the social activities. It wasn't until I meet a girl in 7th grade that showed me Wicca, that I started learning about it and other pagan faiths. It wasn't until a year later that I really became interested in it and then I read just about everything I could get my hands on. When I became a freshman in high school, I decided that I wanted to be Wiccan. I have a love of learning and that's partly what makes reincarnation so appealing, the other reason is that, reincarnation is much more comforting to me than the ideas of heaven and hell. I also love the flexibility that Wicca offers me. The idea of sinning never made any sense to me, even from an early age. I hate that concept.
I'm Wiccan. Deity shouldn't be as horrible as what the Christians call "god." It should be something to call upon when you're in a bind, a friend to help you out but never as rigid and unforgiving. My idea of deity is that they help you out rather than punish and torment you. I also need a religion that allows me to fully be who I am and not damn me because of my sexual orientation. While Wicca may focus on fertility, it's not strictly male/female focused. I also love the sense of mystery and magic that Wicca offers. I have to have a sense of connection to what I believe in and when I found Wicca, it gave me that sense. I was raised Lutheran/Episcopal. When I was little I was a mix of what I mentioned above but the more I was able to think for my self, the more I started thinking, "When I'm a grown up, I'm not going to church." I tried to involve myself in church but it really didn't interest me too much, I was mostly in it for the social activities. It wasn't until I meet a girl in 7th grade that showed me Wicca, that I started learning about it and other pagan faiths. It wasn't until a year later that I really became interested in it and then I read just about everything I could get my hands on. When I became a freshman in high school, I decided that I wanted to be Wiccan. I have a love of learning and that's partly what makes reincarnation so appealing, the other reason is that, reincarnation is much more comforting to me than the ideas of heaven and hell. I also love the flexibility that Wicca offers me. The idea of sinning never made any sense to me, even from an early age. I hate that concept.
- Dallas, TX
