Welcome to Gaia! ::

Yes, thank you smile I went back through my history notes to confirm that I was right... but found that I was wrong. xd

Though the nailing of the theses is a myth. He just had them carried around and read on squares and stuff and not really on the 31st of October but sometime around that time. On the 31st of Oct he wrote to an Archbishop and included his theses. Most people back then, except the rich people, didn't know how to read.

It's not really the first time it was truly split, the first was in 1054, Christianity and the Orthodox Church (or however youc all that, we call them Pravoslavci) you mentioned the eastern pope... I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by that, if you could elaborate a bit? I don't remember there ever being two popes. There were the five bishops in the five major centres of Christianity (Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria) in the middle ages, but that's as much as I'm aware of. Unless you mean the Patriarch of Constantinople who's, as far as I know, only one of the bishops and doesn't have a pope function.

As I've said in other random posts, I'm not Wicca yet, just looking into it, seeing what I'll be getting myself into, all of that. But still my family is not one who will accept it even though they are an accepting family. Here's a run-down of it:

My grandmother from my dad's side just converted to Catholicism, and my entire family from my mother's side is all Mormon, even her. I'm not sure what my dad or step-mom are, but I know for a fact my step-mom wouldn't accept it. I had a book with me that a friend let me borrow. I forget the name, but if any of you have the book called The Vampire Book with a picture of one of the guys from The Lost Boys on the front (not a very good explanation, but the best I could offer sweatdrop ) then it's similar to that and probably written by the same author. Anyway though, it was about witches, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism. I had it with me in the car one day when we were going out to eat, and she saw it. She asked where I had gotten it form and I told her a friend of mine let me borrow it. I can't remember her exact words, but she it was something along the lines of 'I don't ever want to see that s**t again.' Then, when she'd found out that my boyfriend of the time was Wiccan, she'd said, 'He'll be the one burning in Hell then.' Of course, it struck a nerve on me (then again she does a lot to strike my nerves).

So yeah, if I do decide to become Wiccan myself, I'll most definately wait until I move out on my own to make it official. Beside that though, my grandmother (the now-Catholic one) knows I don't go to church and when she asked me, I told her no, I'm not a very religious person. Which, in all honesty, is true. So now, every weekend that I spend at her house, she always asks me and says I should (in a guilt-trippy way). So she wouldn't accept it either.

Wow, I talk a lot sweatdrop

I was into Wicca for a while last year. (I got out of it because I just wasn't ready... Dx) My mom was okay with it, she researched with me, bought me books...

And when I told her I was going to wait till I was older, she seemed fine with it then, too. But now that I'm getting back into it, she's upset because I've been going to a Christian Youth Group, and she likes the concept of that. But I'm not Christian, and though I was baptized Catholic, I don't believe in one God. I believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses.

So, with or without her support, I got back into the religion... and now that I'm dedicated she's really, REALLY upset... But I told her I wasn't going to do something I didn't believe in, and she cried and I felt bad, but I'm gonna stick to my guns on this one.

Dx;;;

My family doesn't know really. (My mom mixes up my pentagram with the Star of David, so I don't think she knows much about the Craft anyway.) As long as I clean my room (which I have to do anyway so I have room for an altar) and do what I'm told, I don't think they would mind. My parents have never been religious in any definition of the word. They are too busy complaining about things (especially my mom) to notice. If I start practicing more they might notice, but it shouldn't bother them.

My whole family is Wiccan/Pagan, and I and my brother have kind of half-heartedly tagged along all our lives.
But about a month or two ago, I just started falling into it, and I dived at our bookshelf that holds the books on religion and myth.
So anyway, my dad saw me reading a book on Wicca about a week after I had become 'serious', and he was absolutely overjoyed. XD He said it reminded him of himself around the time he met my mom, when he was starting to get into Wicca and Paganism.

So anyway, advice to those of you who are not lucky enough to have such accepting parents...
I think it's best to just gradually draw yourself away from your parent's religion. Research good stuff about Wicca and find information that might help them adjust to your change. When they start to suspect and confront you, present this information to them. Try and make sure to tell them that Wiccans are NOT anti-any religion, which includes [insert your parent's religion here].
So, I hope this helps.

There were two popes during the Babylonian Captivity.

Also, this is kinda weird, but you're totally awesome.
Like seriously, come take my AP test for me?
Your knowledge of history is beastin'.

Ditto.

I agree. It is upsetting--and actually, the word "pagan" derives from a Latin word meaning "redneck" (basically, rural person with a slur on it) which was coined when Christianity became the state religion of Rome, and people in the country did not convert.

As far as I know, Paganism is still the only religion that takes its name from a slur that another religion put on it.

As to what could be a worse slap in the face, I'll tell you: when people say "that's so gay" as an insult around me. Which happens all the time. The worst thing is that you chose the Wiccan path, and though I don't fault you for it--I am in the guild, aren't I?--having chosen it, you at least understand that you'll get some of that. I didn't even get that choice.

Can you imagine how it must feel? Even my best friends say it, without even thinking about it.... So understand that I understand, Darkangel.

Love and Vale,
-LD