Sometimes I feel like this fellow with some of the responses I get in the comments regarding my posts (lol)! The bear being the commenter who’s either nit-picking, missing the point entirely, or has their shorts in a twist because … PAGAN … heaven forbid!
I assume that the readers have basic reading comprehension skills, a degree of common sense, and open minds. With some commenters, I have to wonder. Also, sometimes I’m accused of posting “questionable things” and not providing “proof” for my posts. So, allow me to clarify what I post, how I select what I post, and, once again, my motives.
#1 I share, share, posts that I see elsewhere that interest me and that I believe may interest some, not all, readers. It’s up to the reader to decide if they think the post is worthy of their time.
#2 The shared posts come from sources I trust. I trust. If the reader doesn’t trust the source, always identified, it’s up to the reader to research for themselves. I give no guarantee of the truth in a shared post.
#3 My motive in posting is education, pure and simple. Making the reader aware of something they may have missed or not known.
#4 Christian readers often get their shorts in a twist when I share historical, ethical, or cultural posts that they deem ‘Pagan.’ The term ‘Pagan’ covers a lot of ground from New Age, Satanic, Skin Head, Wiccan, etc. – anything not Christian. So, if the reader wants to label me, I’m a Deist on the order of Thomas Jefferson (Recommended reading: Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson by Edwin S. Gaustad) and an Animist (Animism is the belief that animals, natural objects, phenomena, and the universe itself possess a distinct spiritual essence or soul). I see the Divine in nature, revere my ancestors, and look to the Gods and Goddesses of my pre-Christian ancestors as archetypes. I no more believe them to be ‘real beings’ than I believe Yahweh is a real being. I don’t worship them, or rocks. Yes, I’ve been accused of worshipping rocks, too. I pray to the Creator of All. That’s my path based on my study and experience. When I offer posts concerning our pre-Christian ancestors, that is the direction I’m coming from, not Satanism or demon worship.
#5 I sometime follow a post with a Roth Note. That would be my comment or opinion on the shared post. Mine. The reader doesn’t have to read them, share them or like them. Opinions are just that, opinions. I offer mine for what they’re worth.
#6 If I write a post myself, I’ll always make that clear. When I do so, debate is encouraged. I reiterate David’s rules for comments which include no personal ad hominem attacks and that those disagreeing provide some evidence or reasoned explanation for their point of view.
So that’s it. Just trying to clarify things so I’m attacked less frequently by the bear!
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