Everything Under the Moon

I have taken legal action. I filed with the EEOC. Of course it's taking FOREVER. And if nothing else I'm learning patience.
They seem to think I have a really good case against these people. So, they file the charges for me, and they go after my employer.
It stills just breaks my heart that this has happened. I really miss that job, too.
I still haven't found another one.... I haven't really tried. I've put in a couple of apps at this one place .... but I don't really want that job.
Anyway...Back on topic.. I had a really good friend or two there, at my old job, that were very devout Christians, but they held nothing against me... in fact, they loved to talk to me about my beliefs.
I'll keep ya posted on the legal actions.... hopefully I'll be hearing something pretty soon. I'm going to call next week and see if anything is coming along....
Please keep me in your thoughts!

Peaceful Blessings.....

I have to say something, I am a christian. I do not judge you for your beliefs. and i am friends with a Wiccan. I do think that we should be able to just get along and accept that we have different beliefs.
PM me if you wanna talk, or debate or something. i dont mind. But i do not judge you for your beliefs and dont think you should judge me iether.

ShadowPhoenix wrote:Hate to be the rain on the parade, but...it's not gonna happen. As I've seen somewhere in here, Christians are simply TOO narrow-minded. They are trained from an early age to be good christian, however, in turn...they are also TRAINED to be unaccepting and intolerant of those that are different in any way. This brings about discrimination and while I would enjoy seeing the fall of the of that, it just isn't going to be...

Oh trust me, I brought an Industrial sized UMBRELLA. We're good. Who are you to say something as if you know what the course of history will be like? You don't know what will happen for SURE in the future. It's not like you can look or see either. I respect your opinion, but stating your opinion as a fact is not right for this specific topic either.

It will take time, it could even take generations, but who's to stop the ones that want to try? I'm not the only one.

To everyone else; Thanks for your input! I've been devising plans for the past month, and I'm getting close to a rough draft of what I am going to do. I'll definitely need help though.

Celestial Blessings xxx

I think there is alot of karma between christians and pagans that need to be healed. going back in time, christians were first pagans and were forced to become christians or risk death. i think a good idea is to heal the misunderstandings and the pain between these two groups of people.

I was baptised and brought up greek christian orthodox but i follow my own beliefs as i havent found a religion which resonates with me as being 100% true. I take parts from different schools of belief and use it in my teaching and belief system. Though i would say i am a christian, i have past life memories of when i was a witch and the lives where i was murdered after being accused of being a witch. for so many years i was afraid of the pentagram, now for me it is what i believe protects me. i also follow paganistic beliefs and for me i am just going back to the natural way things were done before christians came along.

we are all creatures of the Goddess/God,whether or not we follow the same beliefs. lets celebrate our ability to enteract and forgive each other for any pain caused in the past xxx

Wicca doesn't have a problem with Christianity. It's Christianity that has issues with the Wicca...and everything else. So far as I can see, Christians burned those bridges long ago...literally. And I feel it's on them to start the building. Non-Abrahamics have loads of reasons to fear and distrust the followers of Yahweh/Allah/Jesus. As for me? I have Christian friends but we do not...play nice as it were. We are very upfront about the differences and we don't sugar coat it. Yes, it makes things difficult sometimes. But our friendship is more honest. Finding some lowest common denominator so I can relate to everyone is just not my way.

Granamyr wrote:So far as I can see, Christians burned those bridges long ago...literally. And I feel it's on them to start the building.

That would be really nice. Say like if the SBC or the Vatican came out and denounced the verse that says "suffer not a witch to live"... you know, that sort of thing. That would be a plus.

Yeah, I know right? Don't hold your breath.

infinight888 wrote:

ShadowPhoenix wrote:Hate to be the rain on the parade, but...it's not gonna happen. As I've seen somewhere in here, Christians are simply TOO narrow-minded. They are trained from an early age to be good christian, however, in turn...they are also TRAINED to be unaccepting and intolerant of those that are different in any way. This brings about discrimination and while I would enjoy seeing the fall of the of that, it just isn't going to be...

I just thought I would throw my 2 cents in, I grew up Church of Christ but I always believed in re-incarnation, I have always had the belief that we are here to learn a lesson(s) with each lifetime and although I was taught that the Church of Christ was the ONLY way, I knew without any doubts that it wasnt. I have always tried to learn about other religions but I never talked about my findings because i was always put in a position of trying to defend my beliefs and sometimes my only answer is "I just know". Some of my beliefs even sounded crazy to me. How can I explain them when I truly didnt understand them. Now as an adult with some years of experience I talk openly about my beliefs, I believe in God, Jesus and the holy ghost. I have no problem telling someone that yes I beleive that the Bible was inspired by God BUT was written by men, therefore men were able to add their personal judgements within the book. The more I talk about my beliefs, the handful of close friends that I have, have spoken up.. they too share my beliefs. I have had peopel from out of the blue come and ask me questions because they know i wont judge them or think because they are asking about "taboo" subjects, that I will think they believe anyless in God. There are more people out there with similar beliefs than we realize. They have strong beliefs in metaphysics BUT because we were taught by that select few that there was only one way, we never talked about it. Hiding those different beliefs in shame. Once people step out of that misguided feelings, it is soo freeing. I have one friend who is catholic, one who is old southern baptist, and another - i am not sure what church she goes to, but she is christian, and one who is wiccan and me - I dont have a name for me, (a combo of christian, spiritualim and wiccan) we all are trying to find our place somehow linking the religions together. i do have people look at me from time to time like, you are crazy, but for the most part - others knowing that we are open they feel free to come and ask quesions and since we are all learning, sometimes find the answer together without disregarding any religion or holding one above the other. and this seems to be acceptable. I find that most people, as long as you are not projecting yourself above them are able to meet you half way, even if it is just in an attempt to understand their own beliefs.

Imiko wrote:Alright, I joined another site for Chats on Wicca, Paganism and various other things. I started a topic, and someone posted something that gave me an intense inspirational idea. This girl had said that she had talked to a Preist online, Christian Priest, and it had turned out that they lived in the same town. They met up, and did what they called a 'Prayer Spell'. Some people in her town did not agree, but others just told them to leave them alone, and now everything's smoothed over.

And here's what I thought: If a Christian Priest and a Wiccan can get along, then why can't we, as a whole, learn to get along in the future? It may take years, nay, millenniums, But the least we can do is start now, and build it up slowly. Wouldn't it be great to finally be able to co-exists? To finally be able to be friends, stand side by side, despite Differences in beliefs and morals? I know we can't get everyone, there will always be people who object. But my vision is that of peace between our religions; if a priest and a Wiccan can do it, why can't we?

Why can't we work together, and prove to people at the same time that we are not just a Cult, but an actual full blown religion?

And this is my dream. And I'll do anything to get it started, no matter what. How to do this? Well, do something SO big that it catches the eye of the Media, of course! I'm not sure what, But Idea's and thoughts would be much appreciated! Even if we take one step forwards and three steps back, I'm going to try until the day I die. Every small step will count, and until we get to the point where we can go to the media and SHOW people What we truly are, and how we can co-exist peacefully with the Christians, we have to work to get to the moment where people will listen.

We CAN do this if we band together. We CAN stomp stereotypes and false beliefs, all we can to do is TRY.

You have such a great vision of Christians & Wiccans get united or at least understand one another. Maybe it's not too late for everyone to be open-minded and try to appreciative of other practices. It will definitely take some time but little by little any improvement is not bad.

i AM A CHRISTIAN WITCH.... i am not ashamned of it. and there are some who except it and thoes who won't. jesus did not say he came to this earth for some. he said he came for all. if you can not forgive someone who hurt you, if you can not except all people for who they are how can you call yourself christian? when god created the light he said"let there be light " and there was. i believe that god used magick to create the world. we are from magick and we live with magick. one thing about being a good witch and christian is to believe anything is possable that is magick.forget what people say to you. listen to what our religion really says and you will see we are not really different.

blessed be

Summer, the only problem with taking legal action is that it's not available everywhere. I live in the deep south and I was fired from a job for being trans. I came out to my manager, and while she and others were very understanding and supportive, Human Resources and the higher up weren't.

When I went looking for legal help, I found nothing. No attornies, no legal aid from established groups, nothing. Some states are "work at will", meaning that, for the most part, if they can prove that you were fired for any other reason other than religion or orientation or what ever, there can be no recourse against them. You may KNOW the reasons you were fired, but as long as there is another reason which is valid, you're basically SoL.

My problems with employement is one of the big reasons why I can't wait to leave the south in a few months. That and the fact that just about 1 in 5 cars or households fly the Confederate flag proudly.... they claim it's just historical pride, but if you talk to them for any length of time, you learn the real reason why they fly that flag. It's really horrible =/

Elyheim wrote:Summer, the only problem with taking legal action is that it's not available everywhere. I live in the deep south and I was fired from a job for being trans. I came out to my manager, and while she and others were very understanding and supportive, Human Resources and the higher up weren't.

Elyheim, I'm sorry to hear about what you're going through. I just don't understand why people discriminate against others based on stuff that has no effect on them, nothing to do with them at all. If it's any consolation, CA has not just a strong, but I would say powerful trans/gay/bi community, especially around San Francisco and Los Angeles. Prominent politicians are openly gay and nobody cares. People care about someone just getting the job done.

While it's by far not perfect out here, on this topic at least, I definitely think you would discover a whole new world, a different environment, support rather than harassment, etc. In my opinion, a lot of anti-gay stuff that might fly in the deep South, I doubt would have even a slim chance of occurring in CA. Of course, that's partly because CA tends to be a rather litigious state to begin with (meaning the slightest hint of discrimination or violation of rights and lawyers and lawsuits, like turkey vultures, are flying around all over the place). But that could even work to your favor, should anyone give you any shit.

Plus the weather's really nice in CA. The Oregon/Washington area, I heard, has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. I visited there several times. It's grey and gloomy year round. While I really like artsy Seattle, WA, I wouldn't want to trade the CA sunshine. I had some acquaintances from Chicago visiting once who were like, "what the hell are you CA people so happy about all the time? You're always smiling. This is just not natural." Like gloom is natural, lol! (oops, there I go smiling again, sorry)

No, your problem wouldn't be getting discriminated against, as it would be just survival. As far as unemployment, we got hit hard. Last I checked the rate was 12%-something and climbing. So getting a job would be your real challenge. But anything's possible, and a lot of times with job hunting (and attaining), it's who you know.

Just a thought.

Hehe.

I actually lived in CA *San Diego actually* for about 4 years before my father was transfered away. I would have liked to have stayed, but with it being very hard to find a decent job with only an Associates Degree and with an apartment running about 800-1200 for only a single room, I decided to move to the south with my Uncle for a bit. Not the smartest thing I've ever done, but it's allowed me to grow and change things I might not have otherwise would have. Do I wish the last few years had been easier and more simple? Yeah. But then again, we are all shaped by our experiences in more ways than one. I wouldn't be where I am today if not for the last few horrid years and the more than horrid last few months.

As it stands though, right now I'm looking into moving to the WA and DC areas in a few months with my family. My parents are coming back to the states and I'm moving in with them for a bit. Might not be perfect, but it should be a grand way to really change things around.

As far as Christianity and other religions though... I do know of a few *well, more than a few actually* that are willing to accept others and their beliefs. People will claim they are Christian or Jewish or Wiccan or whatever, but honestly, I think it's more of a way to gain acceptance. They will talk endlessly about religion and beliefs but will always fall back on "established" traditions. Then of course, you have a lot of people who, while not fundamentalist, are so hardcore about their belief that they are honestly OFFENDED by anyone offering a different view point. I had a girl at one of my old jobs try to bring sanctions against me because I said that I believed that God was more of a Clock maker than an active participant in anyones life. I've had people go on and on about God and Church and faith and all but then clam up when I hinted that I didn't quite believe the same thing they did. After that, the cold shoulder was very heavy.

It would be wonderful if people could just believe what they wanted to without discrimination or ostricisation *sp?*, but as long as we have places like the south with its rampant indoctrination and hardcore fundamentalists out there, the dream is far away. Which really strikes me as odd you know? Isn't there supposed to be seperation of church and state in this country? It might be written down, but in actual practice, things aren't quite so nice. Really makes ya sad when you see it happen, especially when it happens to you.