W
WiccanWoman
Guest
To Aaron780…
I hope that you won’t “throw the baby out with the bath water” and move on to the next post when you see by my profile that I am not a Catholic, because I have what I hope is helpful advice for you. None of it will go against your beliefs. I promise.
Tell these friends and family members, as a group if possible, or perhaps by letter… that you have something very important to communicate to them, and you hope they will listen quietly, with respect and no interruptions, because you wish to say it once only. Speak with clarity, strength and kindness. Tell them that after years of prayer and reflection, you have made the decision to actively follow your heart instead of to passively sit back and watch the world go by in a Church or religion where you felt you could go no farther towards what you know in your heart to be the truth. Such a choice is not to be taken lightly by anyone, but through research/investigation and prayer (is this what is meant by the term discernment?) you are as sure as you can be that the path you have been called to walk is the right one for you, and you are taking it with anticipation and joy.
Tell them that by the behaviors they are displaying, they are showing themselves to be bullies, and that this is unacceptable and inappropriate. When your heart, mind and soul are in harmony such as yours are, your journey is not their concern. It’s yours. Your loved ones have choices to make, within the boundaries you set.
They can continue to be family/friends by accepting and witnessing your walk. Those who are religious can pray for you with love as they always have (even if that means they silently pray for you to change your mind! LOL), and in turn, you will pray for them. However, all of them - religious or atheist - are to keep insults to themselves. They can cut themselves off from you if they wish, because although you love them and want them in your life, you do not love what they are doing. It is not required of you to accept painful harassment from them under the guise of loving you. Tell them that cruelty and ignorance is neither generous nor caring. Real intelligent discussions - or questions without insults aimed at you or your faith - would be welcome and even enjoyed, but the minute it crosses the line and strays away from respectful educational discourse, the subject will be dropped/changed. If your personal boundaries are not respected by them, you will have to walk away until they get themselves under control (because it is not appropriate to enter into a battle of wits with an unarmed person - LOL - just a little levity!).
Moral human beings believe it is good to do good in the name of good. If your family/friends continue to insist that “all churches are paved in gold” and believers do nothing to help the poor, needy, etc., tell them that you have made it your personal quest to do so. It is their job as well, as citizens of the world and as members of whatever faith/Church they follow (if any). You have made a choice to actively support that which is positive, and to work to eliminate that which is negative, via that which you have chosen as your Church and your faith… and that deserves respect, not insults.
One member of my Clan tells those who ask it of him that he has chosen not to follow any organized religion. (He was born/raised R.C., participated as an altar boy, etc.) It is also his choice not to press this on anyone, or insult anyone for doing otherwise. In fact, he supports the freedom of all to make their own choices of religion, or no religion should it come to that. Such is the path your critics should be taking, but they’re not. If they are arguing simply for the sake of argument, then although you may feel better “arguing back at them” – nothing you say or do will make a real difference to them. You said that maybe next time you won’t be so polite. Just keep in mind that it would not be appropriate to lower yourself to their level. Engage only with intelligence and facts, and of course, your faith, and love.
May you be safe, happy and blessed in your choice. Namaste.
I hope that you won’t “throw the baby out with the bath water” and move on to the next post when you see by my profile that I am not a Catholic, because I have what I hope is helpful advice for you. None of it will go against your beliefs. I promise.
Tell these friends and family members, as a group if possible, or perhaps by letter… that you have something very important to communicate to them, and you hope they will listen quietly, with respect and no interruptions, because you wish to say it once only. Speak with clarity, strength and kindness. Tell them that after years of prayer and reflection, you have made the decision to actively follow your heart instead of to passively sit back and watch the world go by in a Church or religion where you felt you could go no farther towards what you know in your heart to be the truth. Such a choice is not to be taken lightly by anyone, but through research/investigation and prayer (is this what is meant by the term discernment?) you are as sure as you can be that the path you have been called to walk is the right one for you, and you are taking it with anticipation and joy.
Tell them that by the behaviors they are displaying, they are showing themselves to be bullies, and that this is unacceptable and inappropriate. When your heart, mind and soul are in harmony such as yours are, your journey is not their concern. It’s yours. Your loved ones have choices to make, within the boundaries you set.
They can continue to be family/friends by accepting and witnessing your walk. Those who are religious can pray for you with love as they always have (even if that means they silently pray for you to change your mind! LOL), and in turn, you will pray for them. However, all of them - religious or atheist - are to keep insults to themselves. They can cut themselves off from you if they wish, because although you love them and want them in your life, you do not love what they are doing. It is not required of you to accept painful harassment from them under the guise of loving you. Tell them that cruelty and ignorance is neither generous nor caring. Real intelligent discussions - or questions without insults aimed at you or your faith - would be welcome and even enjoyed, but the minute it crosses the line and strays away from respectful educational discourse, the subject will be dropped/changed. If your personal boundaries are not respected by them, you will have to walk away until they get themselves under control (because it is not appropriate to enter into a battle of wits with an unarmed person - LOL - just a little levity!).
Moral human beings believe it is good to do good in the name of good. If your family/friends continue to insist that “all churches are paved in gold” and believers do nothing to help the poor, needy, etc., tell them that you have made it your personal quest to do so. It is their job as well, as citizens of the world and as members of whatever faith/Church they follow (if any). You have made a choice to actively support that which is positive, and to work to eliminate that which is negative, via that which you have chosen as your Church and your faith… and that deserves respect, not insults.
One member of my Clan tells those who ask it of him that he has chosen not to follow any organized religion. (He was born/raised R.C., participated as an altar boy, etc.) It is also his choice not to press this on anyone, or insult anyone for doing otherwise. In fact, he supports the freedom of all to make their own choices of religion, or no religion should it come to that. Such is the path your critics should be taking, but they’re not. If they are arguing simply for the sake of argument, then although you may feel better “arguing back at them” – nothing you say or do will make a real difference to them. You said that maybe next time you won’t be so polite. Just keep in mind that it would not be appropriate to lower yourself to their level. Engage only with intelligence and facts, and of course, your faith, and love.
May you be safe, happy and blessed in your choice. Namaste.
, then I figured it’s up to them to do with the information as they see fit. But one things for sure, if they thought they could claim ignorance before we talked, they couldn’t claim ignorance after we talked. 