Finding Your True Path

[elfwreck]

I read a lot of posts and comments, on Pagan forums, about not discouraging people from finding their true paths. This is generally an admonishment not to argue too much, or not to use harsh words, or not to tell seekers they're wrong about something, but instead to be gentle and welcoming to them. Elders and mentors, we are told, should not be

Comments

[marginaleye]

Actually, a lot of serious Christians would happily agree with you -- if you're really "doing God's work" (arguably, the Xtian equivalent of "your true path") then you're supposed to get more shit thrown at you than if you're just cruising along with the rest of "the world."

[elfwreck]

My father, a devout Christian, was once chatting with some evangelical type who asked, "if you were really truly completely doing God's work, as HE wanted you to, what would you be doing?"

My father thought a minute, and answered, "I think... I think I'd be a janitor. At a post office." (Dad had been a janitor at a post office for over 25 years at that point.)

The evangelical guy shut up.

[freyaw]

Your Dad for the win :D

[lilairen]

That is just ... awesome.

[frater_treinta]

*applauds*

[tangwstyl]

*applauds and cheers loudly*

Can we post this everywhere?

I'm so tired of the political correctness of holding every single person's hand that frankly, I want to offend people. I enjoy giving someone the third degree about spirituality. I thrive on challenging the newbies and wannabees and the maybees that come seeking some sort of knowledge.

Why should faith (whatever faith it is the believer wants to follow) be easy?

[elfwreck]

I really don't get the hand-holding. If they need their hands held, they obviously haven't found what they're looking for, 'cos when they find it, their hands will be too busy reaching for it to deal with hand-holding.

Sometimes you gotta *grab* their hands and force them to balance so they don't fall over. That kind of hand-holding, I can grok. But I don't get this "please do not confuse or upset the newbies because then they might decide to go away."

These are *not* religions that say "everyone belongs here." If they need their hands held, they should go to a religion that has built-in handholders, or one where they fit well enough to not need it.

[tangwstyl]

"please do not confuse or upset the newbies because then they might decide to go away."

But I thought that was the whole point?

Seriously, did any one of us get handholding? Or a warm-welcoming party? Or did we get that stern speaking to about just how damn difficult this was all going to be? And how crazy this was and how crazy we had to be to follow this path?

I want to know where the warm and fuzzies came into this picture, coz from where I'm sitting, I don't see it.

[elfwreck]

They see the warm fuzzies that covenmates share, and that cross-trad priests and priestesses sometimes have for each other. They see the respect that many elders have for each other, even across drastically different types of paganism. They see the advice and support that are woven through the pagan communities.

And they think those are something built into the religion rather than something we develop to deal with what's built into the religion. They think those are part of the terrain, rather than the armor we put on to get through the terrain.

[chasingtides]

I like this post. I like it a lot.

[tyrell]

Absolutely. Excellent post.