26) Is it okay if I...? Will I still be a pagan if I...?
Description
This article is from the Paganism FAQ, by susanhk@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Susan Harwood Kaczmarczik) with numerous contributions by others.
26) Is it okay if I...? Will I still be a pagan if I...?
Yes. Most pagans take a clearly anti-authorative (no one is your
superior) stance when it comes to other pagans' religious practices.
Ideally, we try to remember the relativity of our values.
One of the major advantages of neopaganism, is that it is defined
by you, and that is what makes it so empowering (making you feel your
own power). Nobody can tell you that you aren't a true neopagan,
because *you* decide what's right for *you*. There are no dogmas
(truth defined by an expert) in neopaganism, simply because there
couldn't possibly be any expert who knows better than you what feels
right for you. Many pagans also appreciate the Discordian catma
(related to dog-ma): "Any Discordian is expressly forbidden to
believe what she reads." We also like the paradox in this cuddly
catma.
You are encouraged to share your new ideas and inventions with us,
but a statement along with a request for comments will probably give you
more informative replies than asking your fellow netters for
permission to do what is right for you. A "Am I still okay if I..."
question will probably leave you with dozens of responses containing
the most frequently given piece of advice on alt.pagan: Do what feels
right for you. If what you really want is to hear that you are okay,
please turn to alt.support.
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