One of the most offensive comments I always get when someone finds out I do not believe in a singular God. That comment is "How can you have morals if you don't believe in God? That answer is easy, morality is not dependent on religion. Values and morals reflect what we find important to make life better. Moral principles are guidelines that people live by to make sure they are doing the right thing. We are going to take a look at morals. How we can apply them to our daily lives. Let's first start by looking at what are morals? For as long as humans have been writing things down, they have been writing systems of right and wrong, good and bad. They originated in ancient societies to help society to be successful. Morals are rules or principles that a person may apply in daily life. They are what we consider to be right or wrong. It is believed that if we all abide by morals, we can all live cooperatively with others. Moral principles are different for everyone. Our values are often imposed on our family in childhood. They are then reinforced in us through culture. These morals, values, and ethics that we live by are all designed to help us coexist. Some are for the benefit of the greater good, while some are considered to be against the law. Both laws and morals are meant to regulate people's behavior to live in harmony. Morals are not always governed by legality, but some are. An example of a moral that is illegal and amoral is you can't kill, or steal. If you commit either act, you will go to jail. Not every crime has a morality attached to it. While cheating on your spouse is considered unethical, it is not considered illegal. It's important to note that there are no universal standards for all Pagans. Some who follow certain traditions will have stricter guidelines than the rule of three or the rede. Then we have can choose to follow the beliefs or not. The base of Pagans' ethics comes from a variety of sources. First starting with the medicine men and women who vowed to help and heal while spreading wisdom to others. These concepts were not written down instead they were a verbal history. The first written concept of the Wiccan Rede was in a 1964 speech by Doreen Valiente. The Wiccan Rede simply says, "An it harm NONE, do what ye will." The first part of the Oath that binds physicians is "First, to do no harm." This makes complete sense that as Pagan, nature healers our magical ethics, as outlined in the Wiccan Rede, are or should be so similar to medical ethics. When you live by the rede you conform your entire life. When you speak you thought of others first. When you act you think of how your actions will impact others. Pagans also follow the Law of Three. Which is understood to mean that whatever one does to another person or thing returns with triple force. This concept is just like the Hindu belief in karma. A common belief amongst Pagans is that no magic, even if it is meant to benefit them, should be performed on any other person without that person's direct informed consent. That means that we will not "pray" for you without asking first. The south is also known as the bible belt, there is a church on every block. Living in Florida 70% of the population is Christian, so as you can imagine as a Pagan family we stand out. Florida also has its own set of southern morals, so as a northern it took some adjusting. Growing up in the North some of the perceptions of what is right and wrong is a bit different. In the south, their values lean strongly on the Christian culture. Some use phrases from the bible to back their beliefs. Others will have a different upbringing from us, which means some of their values are different than ours. Some will use the beliefs to form their opinions on things like using contraception, pre-marital sex, and entering into same-sex relationships are amoral. Some will feel the need to voice their opinions to others to "spread the word." Some people who I have encountered have formed the open that their belief is more valid than mine. They assume because we, Pagans don't follow the moral compass of the 10 commandments or the bible we are not ethical. It is important to know that is their assumptions that are not the reality. It is important to not allow your values and personal morals to impact your life negatively. Everyone's beliefs and morals are different. You will often encounter people who have different morals than you. We need to be conscious not to make moralistic judgments of other people and their behaviors. It is important to respect others' beliefs and morals. This is where the belief of doing no harm comes in. Telling a person that their style of dress is not up to your moral standards will make that person feel judged. That could make them feel less than what is causing harm to them. As we age and go through life, we have different experiences that change some of our perspectives. This can alter our values. It is important to both be open to questioning your base for your morals. This does not mean you are questioning your faith; it just means you are allowing life experiences to reflect your belief. “Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.”
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As a mom of three boys who go to public school I started to notice that some things were not being taught in detail so I decided to create lessons for them. Many of these lessons cover science, history and of information about Paganism. I share crafts for the all different holidays and cultures as ways that they can learn and have fun at the same time.
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