“We look just like everybody else”

I’ve run across some crazy comments lately on Facebook as well as outside the digital realm.  All of them have centered around the religious context of people’s beliefs.  Some feel that people wearing certain jewelry tells them exactly what their path is, i.e. pentacle means Wiccan or pagan, cross means christian, star of David means Jewish.  Pretty good assumptions I guess , but what if someone just liked the jewelry? I know some people not especially religious who will wear the star of David or a cross, and yet not be affiliated with any particular church or synagogue.  Still others feel that if one dresses in a certain way that should identify what path you are affiliated with..well maybe.  Some Jewish sects wear their hair a certain way(Hassidic comes to mind), some Christian groups( pentecost, holiness sects)wear  dresses for women and the long hair Amish and plain people also live and dress a specific way.  And some swear that by the pictures on FB they can tell what one believes…maybe, maybe not…Some people with Cthulu pix can be satanists or maybe they are into chaos , practicing and incorporating the necromicon into their path, pentacles could either be pagan, Wiccan, something else..sometimes for shock value and no religious ties at all… So how do you know who believes what?  How are you supposed to know?  I like the line from The Adams Family movie when Wednesday tells her mother she is dressed as a homicidal maniac..they look like everybody else…so it is with the majority of us.  Unless we go to the extreme in dress, actions etc, then a lot of people do not know what we believe unless we are asked directly(which is what a person on my friend’s list is doing atm).  We could go around shouting from the rooftops I guess “I am a (insert path here)”, but what does that truly do for us?  Draws attention to be sure, and maybe that is what one is after with such a declaration. Gives an ego boost? Probably.  I mean one takes pride in the path they construct for themselves, right?  Even in the christian paths, one can’t always tell..I mean  some who do what they please all week, then attend church on Wednesday night and Sundays seems more than a little hypocritical, but then who am I to judge? If they feel it works for them, soldier on people.  I guess the thing that rankles me sometimes is the assumption people get when they look at someone and decide they “know” who they are.  Really? Unless one reads, I’m not sure you can(some people shield damn well;) ).  My friend on FB wants to ask “what religion are you”…I’m not sure one could explain that your path actually isn’t a religion per se…since according to the supreme Court Wicca is the  officially recognized religion.but pagan covers a lot of territory, so unless you belong to a group that has filed for tax exempt status, then you don’t have a religion…it’s a belief system, usually based on UPG..meaning what works for you, is how your path developed…Some are initiated, and that is fine for them, others follow a more structured path.  But would you know just to look at them? Probably not…We all believe differently and are entitled to live as we choose.  We just need to remember at times, that so do other people.  If they are ignorant, and have sucky references, then so be it…the debate will be livelier….If they choose to feel that we should study more, there’s no argument here…we all can stand to learn something new every day…But I refuse to live life assuming that people are one way or another just because they speak, dress, live in a way that I may have preconceived notions about.  yeah..am gonna have to work on some of the judgment myself, but at least I am honest to admit that I could use the work in that area…….

peace out