Dave

Got a synopsis? I couldn't get the thing to play.

I wish you luck.

You'll have to realize that no matter what you say, you cannot communicate with some people. If they cannot see the need for what you are trying to do, then move on to greener pastures. When you get your organization going and they see the benefits to them, take the high road and let them in anyway.

Huh? That makes no sense what so ever to me. No one is trying to represent all the wants and needs of any one. It doesn't matter to me anyway, I have no dog in this fight. If you want to argue about it, then I'm out of here.

The thing is he is not trying to take away your Free Will. He is trying to give you a voice.

And in EVERYTHING you've said here you have been very careful to not tell any Wiccan how to be a Wiccan. I don't see even a hint of a desire for you, or your proposed group, to take away any persons "Free Will" to be the kind of Wiccan they think they should be. You're just trying to take a bunch of little voices and combine them into one big voice.

You are going to have to convince those existing organizations to come under your umbrella. Make sure they realize that you are just going to be an information clearing house and a national organization through which they can receive a nationally recognized certificate for chaplainships and such. Maybe for that certificate the sponsoring organization can request the certificate for that person saying that they have met THAT organizations requirements. You don't do any testing, they do. Sounds like a good compromise to me, they keep to their own rules and get a nationally recognized certificate (or whatever you want to call it). As for the name, I'd personally stick with something simple and straight forward. American Wiccan Council, or something like that that comes right out and says exactly what you are in a way that everyone can recognize it. Big business spends big bucks just to figure out a name for a product. Name recognition is where it's at. Just keep an eye out for people trying to build an empire. They'll take over and kill anything you're trying to accomplish.

That would be a giant step in "growing" your religion, but also the hardest part. Giving up their little kingdoms to give even the slightest appearance of being under some form of control will be very hard for some. But then you don't really want that kind of person in your organization anyway. It seems that someone has already tried what you're trying to do. The American Council of Witches. I'd try for a different name this time. Leave out the "witch" thing, at least in the title. There is also the Covenant of the Goddess. Again, a bad choice of name. You have to think marketing here even though you are not actually selling anything, you are trying to sell the idea to the public.

Wrong as usual.

I understand what you are trying to do, but would that actually accomplish anything? Those that wish to call themselves Wiccan will still do so and it wouldn't matter to them what some council says about it. It seems to me that Atheist and Wiccans have much in common in that we do not want to follow anything. We're free "spirits", not followers. Maybe you could try a "National Wiccan Council" or something, not a doctrine but a voice that could help dispel the myths and lies about Wiccans. It would be more an umbrella organization that all could fit under instead of something everyone has to follow.

It is interesting that believers always claim to be attacked when someone is not silent about their non belief. Their double standard, as seen here, holds that they can defend their beliefs, but when non believers defend themselves from personal attacks, that's wrong. If you go back and read my first posting in this thread you'll find no attack on you, but was a reply to your argument.

You can believe as you wish. The generic use of the word "god" is with a small 'g'. Apparently you misread, or purposely misunderstood what I said. SCIENCE does not care about gods. Gods are not a part of SCIENCE. Scientists can if they want, and about 60% do.

I'm not blindly following anything. Is the proper use of a word to be considered "blindly following"? Is correct spelling to be considered "blindly following"? Is driving on the proper side of the street to be considered "blindly following"? Then get a book, any science book that explains the scientific method will explain how it works and the SCIENTIFIC use of the word "theory". As covered here a zillion times; abiogenisis is not part of evolution. Evolution is simply; descent with modification. The proof of that is incontrovertible and within the scientific community there is no "controversy over it. Evolution is a FACT. No matter what you want to believe the FACT that evolution happened, and is happening, will never change. And if everyone will notice how this has gotten off topic and turned into an attack on non believers? It always works that way and is a good example of what I mentioned earlier; they always attack the non believers instead of the topic. The non believer is always wrong for speaking out.

It used to be a brain in a vat and all this is being fed into the brain by some alien. Some are so open all the garbage fell out. Just because someone agrees with you does not mean they have an open mind.

I'll reply with a simpler explanation: Newton's "Law of Gravity" has been replaced by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.