"And that it harm none..."
This is a quote directly from the creed of the oldest religion in the world today. Paganism. Yes, some of you will leave the article now. That is OK, you are only proving my point.
The quote, however, is very important not just to Pagans and Wiccans, it is important to every individual on the face of the earth. It also seems to be the part of the quote that most ignore. The full statement is as follows:
"And that it harm none, do what thou wilt."
It seems that people today are "doing what they wilt" regardless of who it harms. As long as they move forward in life, who cares about the rest of us. There is even a new biography that was just released on the life of Aleister Crowley entitled, "Do What Thou Wilt." I personally am not a Crowley fan, but again, what about the first part of the statement? Has it outlived it's usefulness?
It seems very sad to me that a common side effect of religion is persecution and hatred. All religions, no matter the culture or the mindset or even the theological belief, has a common goal of improving human life by increasing knowledge and belief in the supernatural. It is common sense for as humans, we are natural. It is called SUPERnatural for a reason. Because it is beyond our full comprehension. In all honesty, even without religion, we as humans and individuals must realize that if we are the best that this universe has to offer, I am sorry!
Religion was referred to by Karl Marx as "the opiate of the masses." Because it is intended to make life better for everyone. Yet since the dawn of time, one religion has always hated the other. I don't need to go further into that as the occurrences are spoken of time and time again throughout history.
From the Christian's Bible:
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
It does not say to me that "Faith is the substance of whatever we tell you it is and we will kill you and your entire civilization if you do not believe exactly as we do." A common side effect. Persecution.
From the Pagan faith:
"We all come from the Goddess, and to her we shall return."
One faith has a God, the other a Goddess (as well as a God). These faiths both have their deities. Both are introducing elements of the Supernatural. Yet they are not called by the same name. They are not worshiped in the same ways. But they both serve the same purpose. They are worshiped because they make our lives better.
Faith is an individual thing. It is an individual choice. It is that which we cannot see or feel but we can still believe that it is there. Individuals choose for themselves. Let them. To each their own. And always remember...
"AND THAT IT HARM NONE...Do what thou wilt."
