If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think she seriously advocates that anybody should be burned at the stake, any more than Monty Python believed that when they said the line, “She’s a witch! Shall we burn her?” In fact, she probably just said it as a reflex reaction, because that is what one “does” to witches. I doubt she’s ever even linked it with the actual punishment.
Your being offended by a halloween decoration FFS, grow a skin.
I see a pretty big problems for you, Papaveraceae, working in a place where you feel you’re being persecuted with no recourse. Dig this: if you you’re not able to make your feelings be known for fear of risking your job, you seem to be lacking a little religious conviction. There a plenty of bosses who don’t give a flyin’ monkey about the stones in your pocket or the “Goddess Bless” on your bumper. Why work where you’re not appreciated?
Finally, something just don’t jibe here. You’re a Wiccan who calls itself “Papaveraceae?” I reckoned with an Oz reference like that you’d at least have some tongue in your cheek.
Back the truck up. Can I get some clarification on this?
If I don’t come out of the closet at work because I’m concerned about the backlash, am I unsure of my sexuality? Do I have to risk termination at every single job, just to show my conviction?
The Gods do not want me to starve. They do not want me to be without electricity, water, or even a roof over my head because I can’t afford my bills because I fell victim to one of the prejudices that is still ‘acceptable’ in mainstream America. I don’t know about your religious faith, but mine does not require martyrdom.
Um…huh? They only have poppies in Oz (the fairy land, not the continent down under)? Why does this have to be an Oz reference?
She could garden. She could work with the veterans’ aid groups that sell poppies for fundraisers. She could just like poppies. Hell, she could be an opium addict! There are an incredible number of reasons that her username could be what it is. Why would you think it’s an Oz reference?
moriah and A Monkey With A Gun, I basically said that. Except nicer :).
The Burning Times thing is something that really gets to me, because, IMNSHO, there weren’t any Wiccans back then, just as there weren’t any Christians in 1000 B.C. I personally think it does my religion a great disservice, as it opens the whole faith to fact-based attack.
That being said, a lot of people take the Burning Times thing to be a sort of spiritual–if not historical–Big Deal. And, to be honest, a lot of us risk “being burned at the stake” by revealing ourselves to be Wiccan/pagan (well, nothing so bad, but being brutally cut off by friends and family, being teased and/or harassed, being discriminated against). So, as a result, I think a lot of Wiccans/pagans see the witch hunts and trials of days gone by as an example of the evil that mankind can do when the believe they’re threatened by something strange and different. Hence, a lot of people put a lot of feeling into that metaphor, and get very offended at “burn the witch” comments.
I, however, personally do not (hence why I have seldom had a problem with this–I only get upset when the person’s doing it to me on purpose). If it’s bothering the OP, though, she has the right to “Rant Rant Rant” about it as much as she wants; and it’s certainly more valid than some of the skata that comes through here.
It’s hard for me to believe that this woman meant anything negative toward actual, real human beings by that comment. She likely has little exposure to Wicca, particularly since you have apparently never mentioned your religion to her, and I’m guessing that she sees “witches” as nothing more that the green, imaginary figures in the pointy hats that are associated with Halloween… with some recollection that witches were burned at the stake thrown in. She said something that, assuming that she was talking about imaginary witches, was not at all unaccptable.
If you’d rather not tell her you’re wiccan and spend a lot of time explaining exactly what that means and exactly why it means you want the witch gone, just say that Halloween witches give you the creeps, and you’d rather not have to look at it.
Hey! I am NOT green!!!
A little more seriously: Look, Papaveraceae, I could get my panties in a twist over every remark referring to hags flying on broomsticks what with my user-name, my aviation hobby, and the fact I’m female - but I’m pretty clear that A Monkey With a Gun did not make that remark to offend me, irritate me, and likely didn’t even have a clue I was out here reading his/her post.
If the witch doll/decoration/whatever depicting witches as hags offends you go to this oh-so-Christian supervisor and say “Hey, this creeps me out, could we move it where I don’t have to look at it all the time” and don’t bring religion into it at all - you’ll probably get the decoration moved just like someone freaked out by spiders could probably get fake webs and arachnids moved from their work area. Just say “it bothers me” and don’t get into WHY it bothers you.
The problem with living in a multi-cultual society is that occassionally toes get stepped on. If the supervisor doesn’t know you’re Wiccan then any toe-stepping-on here is unintentional. By all means, come down here and rant to your heart’s content - as a Pagan I am well aware of how irritating this can be at times. But this isn’t a conspiracy to piss you off, it’s a matter of being a minority religion.
And please don’t assume that a devout Christian is necessarially Pagan-hostile. It’s wise to be cautious about what parts of your private life you reveal at work (and when I was Initiated one did not come out of the broom closet at all, it simply wasn’t an option) but a surprising number of Christians are live and let live. Like my husband, a Southern Baptist who :eek: ! married a witch!
(Now, if I can just get the Samantha Stevens nose-twitch to work properly…)
The prison drama?
“Hey, good idea! Let’s build a little diarama with a couple of ‘frothing at the mouth’ catholic priests dancing with glee while she burns!”
See how well that goes over.
++
You know, I have a lot of respect for Wiccans. I know a lot of them, my marriage ceremony was performed by one.
But I have precious little respect for Wiccans who seem to believe that the “Burning Times” were some sort of personal affront and that someone may be coming to burn them tomorrow. Not saying that’s you, but I’ve seen it too often.
I know what you mean. My last job was in a company of christian persuasion and only one other openly pagan person worked in my department. Halloween was particularly irritating because every year the witch was on MY office door and of course there were stake comments made consistently. After about a week of that crap I was ready to punch someones lights out. Some people just have no clue.
What you could do about your boss is make a comment about sensitivity training 
THAT always gets them lol.
Whoa, Papaveraceae. What a big stinking pile of hypocrisy you’re throwing around here.
You say: “I’m a Wiccan.” and “I’m offended at my co-worker for saying ‘let’s burn the witch.’” Then you make this a matter of your religion and not wanting to be discriminated by coming out about your Wiccanism.
And so, when we appropriately point out you’re not a witch, get over it, you then dissemble. You say this is just about being exposed to language depicting graphic violence.
Bullshit.
Why the hell then is being a Wiccan an issue in your OP? Why not just say your rant is about violent images imposed upon yourself in the workplace. And speaking of violent images, let me quote your OP:
So, it’s OK to expose us to your voilent graphic descriptions, but it’s oppression if it’s done to you at work?
And if it’s not about you associating your Wiccan self with witches, then why are you fantasizing about attacking your boss for being Christian.
Just total utter bullshit.
You too? So’s my Great-Something on the Clark side of the family, if I remember right.
Well, I do identify myself as a Witch (quite obviously), and think it’s rather amusing that anyone would call into question anyonesreasoning or right to do so, bit that’s neither here nor there.
The Halloween depictions of witches don’t offend me. If you think about it, they’re really just representations of The Crone. In fact I like 'em so much I collect 'em, and leave alot of them out yearlong.
I try not to let other people’s perceptions of my spirituality affect me for more than a nanosecond. I respect other people’s right to their own beliefs, even if I don’t agree with them. I extend this courtesy even if it’s not extended to me, because I don’t feel like I have anything to prove to anyone.
JOOC, who, exactly, are you guys descended from at/about the Salem Witch Trials. I have a friend who does geneology, and she’s descended from one of them; so the information might be useful to both sides.
And “I wanted to rip her head off” is hyperbole, moriah.
I was burned at the stake last week!
(well… I got better…)
I used to get really hopped up about the depictions of Halloween witches, then I calmed down somewhat; I just have my Samhain circle and really just ignore the whole thing besides that.
(Unless of course there is a costume party; Halloween is a gay national holiday for that reason.)
Should have mentioned, one of the reasons I don’t get hopped up over Halloween witches is that I need to save my wrath for the enforced Christianity of the midwinter season, about which I’ve gone into some detail previously.
Angel of the Lord, I believe that Qadgop’s and my ancestor is one Sarah Averill Wilde.
Thanks elfbabe. It’s not the same one :).