Читать книгу The Real Witches’ Handbook - Kate West - Страница 10

We believe that everyone is entitled to their own spiritual beliefs, so long as they harm no one else. This means that people are entitled to practise whatever they believe is right for them as a religion, spirituality or faith, as long as they do not harm anyone else or use any kind of force or coercion to persuade others to take up those beliefs. Witchcraft is a non-proselytizing religion, which means we do not seek converts. Speaking personally, that means I am quite happy to explain what I believe and what I do, and if you choose to read this book that is your choice, but I would not force you to do so.

Witches do not feel that it is necessary to change the way other people approach their version of the divine, nor that it is important to be one of a large number of others all believing the same thing. Other faiths do not always feel this way and many seek to change the way those outside their faith believe. They seek converts, believing that theirs is the ‘one true faith’, and to this end they preach to the young, often from pre-school age onwards. They will frequently express as fact beliefs which are a part of their faith.

However, part of allowing everyone to follow their own beliefs is the concept of informed choice. Hence Witches prefer to encourage their children to examine many belief systems objectively, fostering questioning and discussion. I would not prevent my child from attending, for example, a church, although I know of few other religions whose members would be prepared to find out what happens at a Wiccan festival, let alone allow their young to attend.