geahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

[kendermom]

Ok, here's the sitch

Just moved into a new house with my brother and his son. The people on either side are extremely Christian. The lady next door has a daughter that is my nephew's age; my nephew went to his first Yule circle last month.
Anyway, to make it short, I told this woman about the fact that her daughter told my nephew that Christmas is actually Christ Mass, and she tried to explain herself by saying that its the way that it actually is.
I didn't argue - I'm in a highly Catholic/Christian city; my question is, do I keep my head down and try to be a friend to this lady, or do I keep to myself and quietly remind my nephew not to take other people's diety's name in vain, to harm none, etc etc?

[ambar]

Well, this advice and a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee, but my advice is to lean toward caution and not reveal the details.

[Mistress Kristi]

I think it would depend on how accepting you think this woman would be. Would she call you a devil worshiper or would she agree to disagree? If it is the first one I say keep your head down and reinforce your nephew's religion to him. Tell him the actual history and make sure that he knows that he should not be ashamed of his beliefs. If it is the second I think you could most definitely become this woman's friend. But definitely do what your gut tells you.

[Veldrina Vladescu]

Well, technically, that's right...Christmas IS Christ's mass. But it's NOT Yule. Yule is the winter solstice & means "Wheel". It's not celebrated Dec. 25, it actually comes before that. I never hide the fact that I'm a Wiccan, but it does depend on what's going to create peace for your children, as I've only ever needed to think about myself & not kids. I'm sure it would be different for me then. However, I've done a lot to educate many stubborn "all witches are evil" believers, & am happy to report that as long as u show them that there's nothing evil or scary about Wicca, they've at the very least been tolerant, & at best even participated in some rites. :)

[MaryDane]

So true, Veldrina. Christmas and Yule are different things.

Having grown up in a very Christian area, there is typically little understanding of other religions. (Islamic, Jewish, Pagan, etc ...) As a whole, I think the world is a little more open minded today than it was 30 years ago. Introducing non-Christian ideals would be 'tollerated' (at best) but probably not 'accepted'.

Show the community the value you add to the neighborhood before they have a chance to disapprove of you for something they know nothing about.

I probably wouldn't play all my cards just yet. Get to know her, and let her get to know you. Swap meat loaf recipes. Don't hide who you are, but I just wouldn't start any conversations with this bit of info. Time will tell if and when it's a good idea to share this.

Good Luck!

[Bridget BeadWeaver]

have you talked about sexual preference with her yet? In my opinion, religion and sexual preference are private unless you are comfortable revealing your issues.
I would let her get to know you as a person first, find out that you're not evil incarnate just because you may be pagan or wiccan.
once she sees that you are a decent law obiding citizen, then tell her - see....we're not all like what they show on TV or tell you in the churches....

again - just my input....

good luck.

[kendermom]

Thank you all.
The kids' school had a pizza fund-raiser this evening and the 2 families sat together. It was cool and the topic was kids and education.