the Hearthwitch

Ditto. Arguments don't work on a lot of us, and to push beliefs that are not shared is not only laughable...it's also downright gauche. I have read a lot of purportedly holy books. Every single one of 'em was written by men (unless some particulary ballsy women used a nom de plume, but that's rather unlikely, as women have historically been outright barred, on fear of death, from doing much in the way of Abrahamic religious works). Men are inherently flawed, per the very theology which is being quoted. Then, in the case of the bible, it was RE-written by more men. The end products tend to be muddled, self-contradictory, and full of threats. There is little there to recommend them as a guide for a good life, or being a good person. There was a reason that the Church Fathers were terrified of the Godless Men. They had the strength to have a solid moral compass without coercion, and to act on it without the threat of Hell. A very frightening prospect indeed, for a group of men trying to terrify and control the populace. All of that said, my reality is just fine, and I doubt VERY much that it will be converging with that one, anytime soon. Unless, by some amazing chance, everyone winds up in the Land of Summer, or perhaps Valhalla. Me, I'm hoping to serve in the house of Freyr and Gerd...I'm down with fixing their morning coffee and pastries, and tending gardens, if service is something needed, postmortem. I reckon bacon won't be served at that table, but that's OK. I'll have mine when they're not looking.

Yeah, the usual bogeyman topics. Fearmongering is so dull, and so overused.

I tried to reach out to Kevin, and have never received a reply. I think it might just be us out here left, honestly.

Hey, I just tried sending a message to Brother Kevin, to see if he can tell us anything. If I hear back, I will let you know. Strange....

Just tried it. Yep. That's...weird.

Still here. Kinda saddened by what's happened with things, though.

Thanks, Jonathan- I appreciate that.

Thank you, Raincloud! I know..."personal revelation" or whatever label you want to put on it isn't something that's all that...acceptable...for some. Glad to hear from you!

Hi, Amulet! 1. Not reeeeallly...I was a Witch long before I was ordained. If the term "minister" is being used in the sense of service, I am always ready to serve, and always have been, since childhood. It's an "I am" vs. "I do" thing. This is why I chose Hearthwitch for a title. 2. Yes. I do Witchy things pretty much constantly. Discreetly, of course, b/c I am solidly in LDS Country, over here. (Although they have witchcraft of their own, whether they realize it or not.) 3. No. And yes. I do use a variant of it, when giving advice- the one that's most commonly known here is "CTR", or "choose the right", thanks to (again) the Mormons- most of the religions around here have some approximation of the same. I do like the ULC's version for use with my kids, though. (It's funny, when you think about it- you can make that suggestion to kids, but when speaking with adults, they take it as an admonishment or criticism if you remind them that they "should" make choices based on what is "right", LOL!) Also, most of the time, when people come to me for assistance, they already know what direction they're going to take, and they already know whether it's wrong (by whatever belief system they have) or not...often, people want someone to just agree that their chosen course of action is the "right" one.

My favorite for that is the old Scandinavian triple-refusal. Host/hostess offers you food. You have to decline 3 times, THEN accept. You will never get a cookie that way, here.

"Why do we not incorporate that as part of everyone's formal education? How do parents better their own skills in order to teach their children? How DO they teach such things to kids?" Some of us do, and are. My youngest is currently in a charter school where this is emphasized (which is good, because Thing Two is dense, when it comes to social cues, and has demonstrated an aptitude for pugilism unseen in our family since his great-grandfather's lifetime). In theory, this is also being taught in our public middle school, too, but I don't credit Thing One's social skills to their teachings. As a parent, I can tell you that the best way to teach 'em is to make every mistake a teachable moment- interrupt (intervene), make 'em stop and think it through, and then allow 'em to proceed with reaction/action of their own. Same goes for manners in general. If you want your children to NOT be "those kids" at the restaurant, you start taking them out when they're really little, and you demonstrate how they need to behave. They fail to do that, you take them out. Repeat until the lesson takes. It doesn't take long. They want to succeed. It's not that difficult- it just takes some attention and awareness. You just have to be invested in making sure that they're going to grow up to be...well, adults.

Well, we ARE carbon-based lifeforms.

Dating? Are you saying we're old?

Absolutely! Having babies is a little bit like taking LSD, only the effects are much longer-lasting. Thank you for understanding...it may not be a perfect understanding, but it's good enough! Nice to meet you, Kokigami.

Thanks! And you may be right about it being an individual thing- I don't know everything! LOL I think that possibly because there are physical changes that go along with this, for women, that it may not affect most men in the same way, either.

Be well, RevTom!

I would normally agree with you, but not on this one. I'll be honest, Cuchulain- it really is different, for me at least. I had the strength of a number of convictions, some of which I have since done a complete 180 on, before having kids. I was far less concerned with the world at large, and definitely with people in general...very different worldview altogether. I was pretty nihilistic, and had a pretty negative view of the world. Pregnancy, birth, and parenthood changed me emotionally, mentally, and physically. (It did not turn me into a Republican, though, as someone told me it would! LOL) All joking aside, though, this is one where I'm afraid I have to disagree with you.

Yes, I understand all of those things. I would still make the same decision, based on my knowledge at the time. It would break my heart, but it's what would have to be done. I don't see my non-human family members as being all that different from my human ones, tbh, so...it's not a matter of that. The strong emotional attachments run deep for all of my family. So, that being said, be aware that this means that I would be asking questions, checking with veterinarians and/or human doctors, and discussing it with a goodly number of people who are in a position to know what's possible and what's not. Based on the best information available, I would do what was necessary to protect people. I would report the case to the County Health Department, because it's a public concern. (Rabies is a problem here, especially this time of the year; someone's cat just dragged in a bat that tested positive, so we're on alert. We also get bubonic plague here.) This would be a concern to far more than just my family. I should think that that's the best use of critical thinking skills, and the best possible decision, given the facts at the time. You can't unkill a dog, it's true. But you can't disengage from greater society, with something like this. It would still be horribly irresponsible not to act on what you have to work with. Even if it breaks a piece of your soul off. (I am NOT going to argue about souls, LOL!) I don't see it as an accusation. We're good, Mererdog!

You can use it on your icon, Jonathan- that's how I got my silly hat on here. (I have a fondness for silly hats.) Just go to your profile, and click on your profile picture- you can upload it to the site. I've seen your picture on FB- very distinguished. I like it.

Agreed, about the piece of paper...especially when you consider that it matters what country, and how wealthy it is, that piece of paper came from. Even the pieces of paper are subject to being, well, subjective. (And ridiculously elitist, sometimes.)

I do the same thing! I also get ahold of a lot of books through the public library- and make purchase requests with them, if a book is particulary promising.

In answer to your first question: Both. It could easily be vengeful. I can't guarantee that it wouldn't be...someone wiser than myself said that having a child is the first time that their heart lived outside of their own body, and that's dead-on. It changes you. Also, bear in mind that when an adult harms a child, the damage done is usually huge, in proportion to what it would be, adult-to-adult. We have a dog. If such a thing occurred, I would feel terrible, but not like a murderer. Pet owners have a responsibility, and if their fur-family is at risk of seriously harming or killing other people or their fur family, or spreading a deadly disease, they need to act on the best information that they have available. However, there's this, too- there's no way I'd miss an article like that. I often assist others with wildlife rescue work, as well as domestic animal rescue- I can guarantee you, the second something that wonderful happens, I will be ON IT! Mererdog- I have a question for you: do you have any children? That can change your perspective rather a lot. I know it did for me.

Hi, guys! With the things I've been reading lately, I could see Hekate as being a possibility. I've wondered if maybe She's some other aspect of Inari, or Someone else. I still haven't figured this one out, but it's OK. The coolest part of getting older is, discovering that there's still so much to learn!

Welllll...wish I could give ya a good answer to that. If, say, someone hurt a child, and in a sick way, and there was zero doubt...could I? (Yes.) Would I? (Quite possibly...and if it was one of mine, it shifts to Very Likely.) So much for pacifism, I guess. Failed the acid test, LOL!

LOL!