An alternative for the Un-American (The Ungodly).

Chimpy Chompy on 1/3/2007 at 13:14

Quote Posted by dlw6

I was referring not to Wicca but to the religion of Environmentalism

Ok, well, that too then.

Gestalt on 1/3/2007 at 15:52

Quote Posted by dlw6

... the arrogance to believe that humans are powerful enough to accidentally destroy the environment on a global scale. On purpose, maybe we could do it. Destroy humanity by accident, sure. But life itself is tenacious and the bacteria and roaches will outlive us all.

I'm not really seeing the arrogance there. If we were to simultaneously detonate all the world's nuclear weapons we could do a pretty good job of stamping out life, for example. We've become a tremendously powerful species, for better or worse. It's far more arrogant to expect that we can do whatever we want without fear of consequence or influence than it is to take responsibility for our mistakes.

I don't think many people take consolation in the idea of being survived by only roaches and bacteria.

Nicker on 1/3/2007 at 22:16

The arogance is that when humans say they are poised to destroy all life on earth they mean their own lives and those of the creatures that visibly support them.

Mega flora and fauna (by which I mean living things large enough to see unaided) are incidental. They crop up and vanish with great regularity (about 98% of all mega species that have ever existed are now extinct) but they have no bearing on the real engine of life on earth, micro fllora and fauna, bacteria and their kin.

So even when we are bemoaning the evil we have and can visit on the earth, that regret is steeped in our super-dooper specialness. In fact our presence or absence is of no consequence to the majority of the hard working biomass, the microbes.

That's not to say it would be anything less than the greatest crime imaginable for humans to cause a mass extinction. I'd say that was justification for sending in the Daleks.

ilweran on 2/3/2007 at 23:06

Quote Posted by dlw6

Wiccans don't worship Mother Earth, they worship "The Goddess" who is the physical world (including the earth) and "The God" who is the unseen and the unknowable. They use knives and sex in their rituals (not at the same time), but Wiccans do have a moral system, the first principle is something along the lines of "do harm to no one."

I think it's highly unlikely that you'd ever get a room full of Wiccans to agree on the details of Wicca, but I'd like to say that as a Wiccan I don't use sex in any rituals, except in symbolic form by lowering the ritual knife into a chalice. I also do not believe the Goddess is the physical world while the God is the unseen.

There are even Wiccans who argue against the Wiccan Rede- 'If it harm none, do what you will'. They do tend to have silly arguments along the lines of 'rules are for patriarchal religions, Wiccans should be enlightened enough not to need them.'

It's probably best just to say that Wicca usually involves following the rede and believing in some form of Goddess and God.

Frikkinjerk on 21/3/2007 at 02:06

Quote Posted by ilweran

I think it's highly unlikely that you'd ever get a room full of Wiccans to agree on the details of Wicca

You could say the same about any religion. Christianity has it's conservative, it's liberal, and it's mystical branches. So does Islam, and Judaism, and Buddhism, etc. What's the difference between Tibetan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism? It's monumental in the scope of practice, but their principle beliefs are the pretty much the same.

Aerothorn on 21/3/2007 at 15:49

Quote Posted by Chimpy Chompy

No, wait, that's a genius idea! Convert the whole of America to wicca! :thumb:

Then we can have WICCAPEDIA

HAHAHAHAHA

i'm so sorry

Matthew on 21/3/2007 at 16:07

Wow, are you channelling noid?

Aerothorn on 22/3/2007 at 00:29

Maybe, but don't tell him, he'd be dreadfully embarassed.

Navyhacker006 on 22/3/2007 at 15:46

(http://www.wizdem.co.uk/) ?

Do not say such things, even in jest. They have a way of coming true...