Fluffy Twelve Steps

[TeaDidikai]

The Twelve Steps

A guide to recovering and growing beyond fluffyism.

1. Admit that you were ignorant, and willfully so—that your self-delusions had come between you and objective reality and a sincere search for Truth.

2. Come to believe that a knowledge greater than your personal, unsupported opinions could restore you to sanity through education, questioning and a desire to grow.

3. Make a decision to turn your will and your life over to an honest search for Truth, including the inconvenient ones.

4. Take a searching and fearless inventory of your beliefs.

5. Admit to yourself, and to another human being the exact nature of your wrongs.

6. Be ready to critically review your beliefs- searching in order to remove internal inconsistencies and objective errors.

7. Do research in order to overcome short comings.

8. Make a list of those who were harmed by your arrogance and actions and be willing to make amends to them.

9. Apologize to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continue to take personal inventory and when you are wrong promptly admit it.

11. Seek through prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with your path while affirming objective reality.

12. Should you have a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, try to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all your affairs.  

[scorplett]

Utter genius!

Can I quotezilla that for posting in relevant threads????  

[Maze]

I should do more of these.. XD  

[Taliah]

Could this also be where you could post your ignorance and others of the guild can witness that you have admitted such? If so, I'll volunteer to go first.

I may not have read Silver Ravenwolf, but the books I did read weren't very different. They all claimed Eclectic Neopaganism was Wicca. Not knowing any better, I bought into it.

Then I came to the Morality and Religion thread. smile Not only did I think many of the regulars rude, but I thought they were mistaken and being far too harsh on many of the people there. Long story short, Ms. Tea found me and really got me to thinking about what I had said (and believed) about the subject and kindly recommended me here to this guild. I do admire her, and all the regulars there... for putting up with so many ignorant people all for the sake of helping. I can't thank you all enough.

I admit I was willfully ignorant and downright wrong in trying to defend what I thought I knew, because I thought that since it was written in a book with what seemed good sources that it was truth. I know better now.

I want to read, search, and dedicate myself to always asking questions-especially about their sources. All so that I might learn more- and more importantly, the real truth and not the convienent one.

That's just a start, but I feel much better in saying so. Thank you Ms. Tea for this thread, and the wonderful Twelve Step Program 3nodding  

[TeaDidikai]

scorplett

Utter genius!

Can I quotezilla that for posting in relevant threads????

Now that it's been edited, sure.

And welcome Taliah. redface  

[`Blaise]

I didn't do my research properly. I knew about Gardner, but rejected Wiccan covens and was really interested in FBism, mostly because it was easier and felt better and I didn't have to think too hard. Something in my gut told me "no, no, you're doing it wrong," but I ignored it. Of course. Happens a lot. Stupid me.

I didn't like magic, either, so I didn't go that far with it. Perhaps that's just my Christian background speaking, about just going directly to God than by other means. I still don't know how I really feel about magic. I simply do not know enough.

It wasn't until after I ordered a Ravenwolf book that I realized what Wicca actually is, and even then I was little "meh" about it, but once Solitary Witch appeared on my doorstep, my BS radar went off like mad [seriously, spells for acne and school locker security?].

I have two other books, a Cunningham [haven't read yet, Solitary Witch just killed it for me too much to be interested for a while] and a Thea Sabin [don't know anything about him/her yet].

I must not reject my gut any longer, unless sheer logic proves my gut wrong. I must not open my mouth/hit submit on a post unless I am sure I know what I'm talking about.

I am sick of being unsure, of running out of arguments, of being defeated, of feeling stupid. I must research, research, and evaluate myself/my beliefs as much as I can. I am tired of being a philistine. I must not be lazy, beacuse we're talking about discovering TRUTH, here!

I must abide by rule number 6 especially, because doing so has already impacted my life on a variety of viewpoints both moral and spiritual [thank goodness for religious high schools that teach you logic, or else I'd probably be wallowing somewhere in my primitive thinking].

These rules are amazing, and I agree with them.

I know that I am eager to find my path, but I must resist any temptation to cling to a particular belief system without analyzing it thoroughly.

Intarwebs cred for helping me keep out of FBism goes to too2sweet, ultraviolet, and Tea (: Thanks for reminding me how to think critically.  

[Taliah]

On a funny note. I found an old research paper I had done for my Freshman English Comp. class the other day. It was a load of Fluffy garbage, honestly. None of my sources were worth anything but a laugh.

However, the title was this.... Wicca: A Misunderstood religion.

redface *shamed* lol  

[Recursive Paradox]

I suppose you can say I was a fluffy Christian when I was fifteen, as I hadn't read the Bible in full. I actually went out of my way to read it fully and try to interpret it when I decided that I wasn't a Christian.

Because I wanted to make sure that I was leaving a faith that I actually understood, not leaving what I thought it was. There were some surprises when I did that analysis. But nothing that I wanted to have in my beliefs or ethics.

*shrug*  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

`Blaise

Intarwebs cred for helping me keep out of FBism goes to too2sweet, ultraviolet, and Tea (: Thanks for reminding me how to think critically.

heart heart  

[RubyLight]

I was once a dreaded fluffy bunny. Then I joined the Midnight Moon Guild got drilled by too2sweet, Ultraviolett1127, and Sanguina-chan (among others). I saw the errors of my ways and found that Wicca really wasn't for me (or that fluffy BS I practiced for that matter). I've been researching since then and have joined this guild as well.  

[Taliah]

Ms. Tea, I think I had a run in with you before the Frost Wicca discussion. If it was you, I believe it was over Tarot readings.

I wanted to say that I don't know a flying flip about Tarot. xp But I wanted to apologize for that too, whether or not it was actually you.  

[patch99329]

I was never willfully ignorant, but I did think wicca was synonymous with any eclectic goddess worshipping nature religion.
I believe it was Scorplett that corrected me on this point.  

[RubyLight]

I hate to admit it, but there was a time I believed RavenWolf and promoted her. redface I apopogize to everyone who had to endure my disgusting fluffyness.
I have since reformed! biggrin  

[Recursive Paradox]

I think I had long gotten over my religious issues before I even came to Gaia. Once I got here was when I started working on Etherism in Roman's JINYS thread in the GD.