The excessive amounts of kicked around dogma & the lack of difference between them all

wow, I think this page actually means something to me. Actually as a matter of fact, it means quite a bit & will with any luck become immensely developed, thorough, informative and reliable, it represents any religion I have ever been a part of or have interest in (positive or negative), their main beliefs and my personal opinion of them.  Additionally many of this information was initially obtained from Religious Tolerance

Satanism

Main beliefs:

1. You (the practitioner of the religion) are GOD

2. life is sacred

3. Do not harm Children or animals for they are the purest representations of the sacredness that is life

4. You are responsible for your own life & anything that occurs as a result of it, there is no redeemer, heaven or hell.

5. Feel Free to live out your lusts and desires with other *consenting* adults*

6. Being yourself & being creative are good things

*adults is used bc Satanists generally tend to be adults

Satanism has been around long before Christianity, probably as long as Wicca, possibly longer. Due to the tendency of the Catholic Christian Church to twist the truth & create propaganda Satanism faces much unjust criticism & stereotype present day

Quotes regarding Satanism:

Personal opinions:

um... wow!! this is a very self-contradicting religion which runs around itself in complete fucking circles, whatever interest I had in it is now diminished however, I was formerly interested in it, so it made an appearance. On a side note, the Church of Satan is even worse than the religion in general and was more or less only a publicity stunt which people blindly accepted as fact as opposed to fiction. Personally I can't imagine any member of this faith who isn't brainwashed

Wicca

Main beliefs:

1. An it harm none, do what ye will

2. Wiccans view the divine as having masculine and feminine properties which are manifested through the Goddess & the God

3. Wiccan religion tends to be Polytheistic but can in fact be Monotheistic depending on how the practitioner wishes to practice

4. Pagan deities are usually viewed as manifestations of the Goddess & the God

5. There is no being that holds the equivalent of Satan in Wiccan Religion

6. Wiccans Respect nature and wish to live in harmony with it.

7. Wiccans believe that males and females are equal.

8. Some Wiccans but not all believe in Reincarnation

8. Wiccans believe that whatever you do returns threefold to you, this is called the Rule of Three

History:

Witchcraft has been around for about 28,000 years (At least) prior to Christianity. Wicca is a reconstruction of this ancient religion blended in with elements from Masonic (freemason) rituals. As a result of this Wiccans often incorporate Celtic deities into their beliefs. Wicca is fairly knew and was formed mostly by Gerald Gardner a freemason who lived in Britain around the 1950s. According to Gerald Gardner, Witchcraft has been around since prehistory and was ritual associated with fertility, hunt, agriculture, etc. It continued and eventually developed into the dominant religion of the Celts. Also according to Gerald Gardner, it survived all the attacks of genocide and the Burning Times by becoming an underground religion. Many Wiccans do not agree with this... Based on the research I have done so far, and articles I've read written by Traditional Witches, Witchcraft indeed went underground during the Burning Times & managed to survive to present day. It is important to note the Wicca & Witchcraft are not necessarily the same thing and that Wicca has been around since the 1950's where as Witchcraft, Paganism & Magick have been around long before any monotheistic religions. Also, it should be noted that Witchcraft is not a religion, it is a way of life.

Quotations:

Wicca, as you practice the religion today, is a new religion, barely fifty years old. The techniques you use at present are not entirely what your elders practiced even thirty years ago. Of course, threads of 'what was' weave through the tapestry of 'what is now.' ...in no way can we replicate to perfection the precise circumstances of environment, society, culture, religion and magick a hundred years ago, or a thousand. Why would we want to ? The idea is to go forward with the knowledge of the past, tempered by the tools of our own age.

Want to know why you'll never see a real, hardcore Wiccan wearing a plate-sized pentacle in the supermarket line? They take it much more seriously than that -- seriously enough, and researched enough, to know that the pentacle is a protective amulet, hidden to preserve its power, not just another symbol like the cross.

Personal Opinions:

I like this religion a lot and think it makes a lot of sense. It is a very practical religion that does not focus too much in Dogma, but more on the individual and how they can make themselves and all around them better. It should be noted that many who consider themselves to practice this religion, are truly practicing a watered down anti-Christian religion and know nothing of Magick or Paganism or Witchcraft or even of Wicca's foundations and of its founders opinions.

Roman Catholicism

Main beliefs:

1. There is one God who made man in his own image

2. Jesus Christ was conceived by the virgin Mary through the holy spirit

3. The Holy Trinity (i.e. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit are three in one)

4. The Bible was written by writers inspired by the holy spirit and thus is completely accurate.

5. God created the first couple (Adam & Eve) in his image and gave them the choice of free will. They were tempted by the Serpent (generally associated with the devil) to eat the forbidden fruit, which would give them unlimited knowledge. When God found out what they did, he banished them and their descendants from the Garden of Eden forever.

6. The Ancient Israelites (current day Jews) were Gods chosen people who he delivered from slavery in Egypt to a period of suffering for forty years in the desert to the promised holy land.

7. There is a Heaven, a Hell & a Purgatory in afterlife. Those who are saved by God go to heaven where they will be rewarded, those who sin and do not come to terms with God go to hell. Additionally all go to Purgatory first where they must suffer first before going to either Heaven or Hell.

8. Through Jesus' death the original sin of Adam & Eve is repented and thus Christians are saved.

9. Jesus will come once again to the earth to judge the living and the dead.

10. Satan/The Devil was an angel originally named Lucifer, he betrayed God & thus became a fallen angel, symbol of evil & ruler of hell.

11. The Ten Commandments are the word of God & must be followed.

History:

Roman Catholicism is a religion barely older than 2,000 years. It is a constantly changing and adapting religion despite false claims of certain members of the religion, which state it is a status-quo religion. Roman Catholicism as well as many other branches of Christianity have been used constantly as an excuse for genocide by world leaders. Additionally in its forming & practices, Roman Catholicism has borrowed greatly from polytheistic religions as a result of it become a global religion. This would not be too bad if the religious members didn't condemn pagan beliefs & rituals.

Quotations:

Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.Sam Pascoe, American scholar.

Christianity is not a religion; it is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Anonymous posting to a Christian mailing list.

Personal Opinions:

When I think of Christianity, half of me says good, the other half says bad. I am more of a liberal person as opposed to a conservative person & thus prefer to look at the religion liberally. From this perspective, it seems like a decent religion with rules, which generally tend to be sensible. Additionally, when I think of Christianity I think of the teachings of Jesus Christ (that is what is attributed to Jesus in the Bible). I have drastically different opinions of who Jesus was than most people (i.e. he was well schooled in ancient Magickal practices, which explains his miracles & I also believe he thought that all positive religions are good), this is not drastically different from me, thus I have no problem with Jesus. Where my problem steps in is the Roman Catholic Church (only roman catholic bc I have never been a member of another church). My main problems with it is that it promotes hypocrisy, narrow-mindedness scandal and blind following, also the church is or at least through history has been as corrupt as many Governments, this is saying a lot. Additionally, I feel they are much too conservative & hypocritical as an organization, and I feel the practice of taking money from your followers, allegedly in the name of the poor is a horrible practice. Additionally, what bothers me is the entire black masses thing, I mean it was done by a bunch of fucked up, sick, rich clergy members usually by the direction of someone in a higher place in the hierarchy. Overall, I think a positive religion and a good moral code, which isn't excessively strict & allows the mind space to think is good, I think Jesus Christ was a good person & I think the Church tends to be a very corrupt institution. Additionally, and sadly, much like Wicca, Christians generally have little idea of the true meanings or origins behind their religion.

MORE TO COME I JUST GOT LAZY AND NEEDED TO TAKE A BREAK, IF YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ANY OF THE SECTIONS WITH YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS PLEASE DO SO. ADDITIONALLY IF I LEFT OUT ANYTHING AT ANY POINT OR IF YOU HAVE A POINT OR VIEW NOT EXPRESSED HERE UNDER A RELIGION YOU BELONG TO THAT YOU WISH TO HAVE EXPRESSED, LET ME KNOW I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.