Coming Out of the Broom Closet to Friends?

[Love Is Endless~]

I'm a 15-year-old girl going into her sophomore year at a private Protestant Christian (Church of Christ denomination) high school. I have been Wiccan for six months. My mother supports me 100%, but my father has yet to find out.

What saddens me is that I can't tell two of my best friends about one of my defining personality characteristics.

We'll call them Luna and Lily. Luna has been my best friend ever since I transferred to this school in 7th grade, and has always been by my side; she is in my grade. Lily is a senior this year, and has been very close to me ever since my 8th grade year. But both of them are hardcore Church of Christ Christians. As in--they think that people who study other branches of Christianity such as Catholicism and Orthodox are sinners, people who study other religions are going to hell, women who have abortions are hell-bound, and homosexuals will be going there, too. I have heard them consistently badmouth all other religions besides Christianity, and it worried me a little when I became Wiccan.

Not to mention the fact that if anyone in my school (such as teachers or staff) discovered that I was Wiccan, I could be expelled from one of the best private schools in this part of the state.

I'm thinking about coming out of the broom closet the day after I receive my senior transcripts. I know I'll lose Luna and Lily in a drop-down, drag-out FaceBook fight but I do think that being true to myself is worth it.

A few of my closer Christian friends and Wiccan friends know about my religion. I've even helped a couple of boys about my age make the transition to Wicca.

I'm still worried about the reveal that's destined to happen in my future. Do you have any advice that could make it easier?

[Ravencry]

In a situation such as yours, wait until you get your transcripts. That way if anyone gets angry or tells you that you will go to hell, you can tell them that as an adult, you can make a decision on religion. You can choose where your soul will lie. Yes, you might lose your best friends, but, not to sound rude, if they were your friends to begin with, they would accept this choice.

I wouldn't want you to get kicked out of a great, expensive school, either. Your parents would be upset, all that money down the drain basically. Your right to wait, and that way after a few years of practice, you can also see if Wicca is right for you. It may feel right now, but sometimes people change their minds. Its normal.

[Love Is Endless~]

I do agree; I feel as though waiting is the best option.

I have been advised, however, by one of my Christian friends that I should continue to lie even further after I receive my transcripts and say that my religious beliefs don't deviate from Christian Wicca, and to say that I at least practice Christianity in some form. She says that if I do this, I can have my religion and my friends without feeling untrue to myself. The problem is, I practice eclectic Wicca, and my patron goddess is Athena. To say that I worship Jesus, who I renown as one of the world's best prophets and spiritual teachers, is definitely not what I believe. I'm not sure if she's saying that because she wants me to still be friends with Luna after graduation, or if she's trying to tell herself that my beliefs aren't wrong.

[Fernview]

Hi sweetie. Now your making the right decision to not tell anyone about your new path. About your friends, why not remind them that as Christians, they should know that the only true judge is God, not them. On second though, it might be best to just ditch them. If they can't accept you because your ideas differ from theirs, maybe you need a new set of friends.