On 7 February 2011 17:30, Ted Hand <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Jymn,
> I'm really trying here, but I still can't understand, based on your
> responses,
> how you think "respect" is an appropriate description of the Wiccan attitude
> to Christianity. It's not that I'm saying, "if you respect it so much, why
> don't
> convert?" but rather,

>if you respect it so much, why do you not only think
> that it is wrong, but have contempt for it?

Not only do I not have any contempt for the Christian religions I know
of, I don't consider them wrong. I do not consider any of them as
right for me.
I find the acts of the Westboro Baptist Church to be repugnant, I'm
more than a little concerned by threats from a local evangelical group
to burn my home with me in it - points of view shared by  Christians I
know. I do not view these behaviours as typical of any of the
Christian religions.

>How can you respect something
> that you think is wrong?



> I can understand that you think it's nice that
> people
> choose their own religion, or that you think Christianity might be helpful
> to
> people as a spirituality or whatever, but if you don't think that it's
> possible
> for there to be a good reason to choose Christianity as an ultimate concern,
> you are being just as violent and dismissive as those you think are trying
> to tell Wiccans what to believe. It's a hollow, hypocritical respect, and
> not
> at all in the spirit of the ostensible "respect for all religions" it claims
> to be.

There are lots of good reasons for people to choose Christianity as
their religion. Just because it isn't right for me, doesn't mean its
not right for them. Does that mean I'm prepared to burn in hell if it
turns out that their belief is right and mine wrong? Actually I am, I
choose to live with the consequences of my actions, I choose to die
with them. Does that mean I believe in Christian Salvation, no it
doesn't, I merely acknowledge the possibility I'm wrong.

I do believe there are many paths to a relationship with Deity, I've
no idea if all the paths are valid or otherwise. I believe the path
that is right for me is right for me. I don't believe I have the right
to decide what path is right for any other individual. If someone
wishes to join me on my journey that is there choice, and if after
walking together for a time, they choose a different path, that is
also their choice. I celebrate that freedom, I don't condemn their
choices.

In what way is that dismissive of other religions?

> I get that not every Wiccan who claims to respect Christianity is heaping
> scorn on it, but I am seeing plenty of expressions of contempt, even from
> the people in this discussion who claim they aren't rejecting anything.

If I've failed to communicate the idea that the only thing I've
rejected in this thread is the imposition of an idea on Wicca, then I
can only apologise.  If I've been contemptuous of another religion,
then I owe the List an apology.

> I guess maybe the question I should be asking is what do you mean by this
> respect, if you don't mean that maybe Christianity (or whatever religion) is
> right. It seems to me that you're saying Christianity doesn't deserve
> respect
> for what it is, but only for how it fits into your theory of why a religion
> is
> deserving of respect. I'm not sure if we need to be committed to a view like
> Robert's apparent claim that you can't respect a religion you wouldn't
> choose
> for yourself, but it sure does seem that we need to deal with the problem
> that
> in choosing a religion you are making a choice that is meaningful, and that
> these
> claims to "respect all religions" seems to cast the meaning of that choice
> in doubt.


I hope the above makes things clearer.
Agreement is not a necessary basis for respect.

Jymn