Atheist Witches.

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xxuniversalxx

Atheist Witches.

Post by xxuniversalxx »

I am an atheist witch, it may sound contradictory or strange, but it's just my beliefs. I don't believe in god, but I believe in energy, and universal energy. Are there any other atheist/agnostic witches, or atleast irreligious witches here?
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Echo_of_shadows
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by Echo_of_shadows »

Have you read this thread: Paganism: When There Aren't Any Gods? You may find it interesting.
Honey

Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by Honey »

I'm not atheist nor agnostic, but irreligious witchcraft is really not that strange or unheard of! Most of the witches I know don't worship or work with any deities. They don't identify as Pagan, just witches. Even the witchcraft I personally do doesn't always involve my personal deities.
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TwilightDancer
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by TwilightDancer »

I was an Agnostic witch for nine years, only now am I transitioning to becoming Wiccan.

Blessed Be :flyingwitch:
Lady stir your cauldron well, chant your words and sing your spell
Come and taste of the cauldron's brew and magic she will give to you

TwilightDancer's Book of Shadows
cloverfox
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by cloverfox »

Thanks for this post, this is something that applies to me to, as I am undecided on much :P
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HopefulChild
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by HopefulChild »

Couple of salient points.

While it is actually very reasonable to be an Atheist witch..you can't really be an Agnostic witch. It's pedantic, but because the agnostic definition precludes the concept of any possibility of knowing about "G*D or of anything beyond material phenomena", magic and universal energy would also be one of those things.

Like I said, it's pedantic and I probably sound like a big jerk for pointing it out, but it's important in that now you know something that you didn't before.
If you believe in the possibility of a form of energy that pervades the universe you aren't really agnostic. If you aren't really agnostic, maybe you should take some time to consider if you are really Atheist as well.

You said specifically that you don't believe in G*D. You didn't name a deity, you just used a general term for deity which is most commonly applied by monotheists in the Abrahamic religious circle of; Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity, Muslim.

So maybe you aren't an atheist..maybe you just already know that you don't believe in an Abrahamic deity.

There are a great many deities that literally walk hand in hand with the concept of a pervasive universal energy.

Just something to consider.
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Xiao Rong
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by Xiao Rong »

I disagree, HopefulChild. I think the term "agnostic" can mean a lot of different things*.

I don't see how being agnostic on the existence of God precludes one's knowledge and use of magic. Certainly there are many agnostics who don't have their theology 100% worked out, but might believe in superstitions, practice magic, etc. I think there are many of us, myself included, who cannot say with absolute certainty how magic works (even if we have theories). Yet that doesn't stop us from using magic, because we have already had results that show us that magic works.

I wouldn't necessarily identify myself as agnostic today, but I do retain some agnosticism in general. I see agnosticism as uncertainty. I was just having a conversation with some folks about spirituality, in which one of them made a great point that each of us have an inner agnostic. I think most spiritual people, even if we have spent our whole lives searching for answers, if REALLY pressed, would have to admit that we don't know 100% for sure. And that's a very healthy thing, because it helps us be humble, recognize that we don't have all the answers, and keeps us open to new possibilities and appreciate others' ways of being. I fear that if we see all uncertainty as negative or something to be cast out, that's what leaves us susceptible to becoming fundamentalists, who are intolerant of any dissension or spiritual growth. That's why I really appreciate agnosticism, and why I think we should all encourage and nurture our "inner agnostic".


* Yes, I am aware that the dictionary definition is quite narrow, but I think many people use the term "agnostic quite broadly.
~ Xiao Rong ~ 小蓉 ~ Little Lotus ~
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by HopefulChild »

Yeah that is the colloquial use.
That's why I said I was being pedantic. But people do a lot of things " broadly" that are inaccurate.
I would call your inner agnostic, skepticism. And inner skeptic is a powerful ally and pretty much required on a daily basis.
I was using the pedantic definition as a way of pointing out that the OP may not be as much an atheist as they think.
You can still be a theist and not believe in a god. Having religion, and faith does not mean you worship a deity.

I was just trying to encourage them to explore more before deciding that there is no value to divinity.
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Xiao Rong
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by Xiao Rong »

HopefulChild wrote:I was using the pedantic definition as a way of pointing out that the OP may not be as much an atheist as they think.
You can still be a theist and not believe in a god. Having religion, and faith does not mean you worship a deity.

I was just trying to encourage them to explore more before deciding that there is no value to divinity.
Keep in mind that the OP has not checked into the forum for over a year. But nowhere in this thread did people say there was no value to divinity. I was atheist/agnostic for a long time, because I couldn't believe in God. But I definitely saw a value to believing in God/gods, and I wanted to believe in the divine, for sure.

Yes, language is always changing, and if enough people do it the "inaccurate" way, it just becomes a change in language. Language is a funny thing like that. But perhaps we'll leave the prescriptivism vs. descriptivism linguistics debate for another time.

I have an inner agnostic AND an inner skeptic. My inner skeptic is more likely to say, "This is all a load of bullcrap and superstitious hullabaloo! Stop wasting your time!", whereas my inner agnostic is to say, "Well, can we ever know for certain?" My inner agnostic is much more gentle, which is why she seems more productive to me, as a lifelong skeptic. She lets me explore a little bit more without being quite so judgmental.
~ Xiao Rong ~ 小蓉 ~ Little Lotus ~
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HopefulChild
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by HopefulChild »

Ok.
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Becks
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by Becks »

Hey, that reminds me of a joke:

Q. What does a dyslexic agnostic insomniac do?

A. Stays up all night wondering if there's a dog!!

*Becks ducks and runs*
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Katrinkah
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Atheist Witches.

Post by Katrinkah »

I feel the same way. I guess I shoudn't be calling myself Wiccan? I figured saying "Lord and Lady" was just a way of calling the feminine and masculine source energy of the universe and that all the other names where different energies within the collective... Hmmmmm. This gives me a lot to think about.
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Ethereal Moon Rose
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Re: Atheist Witches.

Post by Ethereal Moon Rose »

@Becks that's actually freakin hilarious :D I'll definitely be using that one sometime.

@Katrinkah this is how I also address the masculine and feminine life forces (lady and lord as opposed to God and Goddess). I don't consider myself an atheist though, more soft polytheistic. But I also don't believe that there is one almighty, all knowing God.
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