
 
 
 
        BACKGROUND: Jen-Cat (her choice for a nickname) is an eight  year 
        old  girl being raised in a pagan family.  Her mother is a   spo-
        radic  Wiccan who has been hesitant about getting in to the  sub-
        ject too heavily with Jen-Cat.  Jen-Cat would like to be involved 
        more  with paganism after her few experiences with  the  Circles.  
        Her  mother is a solitary practitioner.  Unfortunately, there  is 
        not much privacy because our pagan family lives upstairs from the 
        in-laws.  Jen-Cat's grandmother, in particular, is nosy and likes 
        to  play  20 questions for the hell of it. (NO  ONE  EXPECTS  THE 
        SPANISH INQUISITION!!!)  Jen-Cat has been told not to discuss any 
        ceremonies with Grandma and to tell other "Inquiring Minds"  that 
        her  religion is a private affair.  The following interview  with 
        Jen-Cat was conducted by her mother.  The questions also touch on 
        how  Jen-Cat interprets what little she knows, just what  someone 
        her age gets out of it, persecution by nosy relatives, and relat-
        ed beliefs.
        
        WHAT DO YOU THINK BEING PAGAN MEANS?
        
        I think it means that you believe in Goddesses and all  different 
        kinds of other Gods.
        
        HOW DOES IT COMPARE WITH CHRISTIANITY?
        
        Christianity? I think it's better than Christianity.
        
        WHY?
        
        Because  with  Paganism  I can believe it if I  want.   But,  I'm 
        forced to believe in Christianity because Grandma's always  forc-
        ing it on me.  Besides it's fun to believe in different Gods  and 
        Goddesses.
        
        WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE RITUALS?
        
        I think that it's fun.   It's kind of neat worshiping the Goddess 
        'cause  it's like worshiping the planet, because the  Goddess  is 
        Mother Earth.
        
        HOW  DOES  IT COMPARE WITH BEING IN A CHRISTIAN CHURCH?   (J  was 
        recently a flower-girl at a cousin's wedding - R.C. full mass)
        
        I  feel like I was forced into going into the church, and I  felt 
        uncomfortable.  I had to go to rehearsals for the wedding and the 
        entire  wedding.  Grandma says instead of believing  in  Egyptian 
        Goddesses, I should believe in something beautiful, like God  and 
        it makes me sick.
        
        DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR MOTHER IS FORCING YOU TO BE PAGAN?
        
        No! No! No! No! (Emphasis, J's) I LIKE being Pagan.
        
        BUT ALL THE OTHER KIDS ARE CHRISTIANS . . .
        
        Yeah,  and I know I can get in trouble if they find out if  I  am 
 
 
 
 
 
 
        Pagan.  But being Pagan is neat.
        
        WHAT'S SO NEAT ABOUT IT?
        
        It  isn't forced on you. Once, some kid asked me if I was  Chris-
        tian and I said no and he said "You have no life kid. Get a job."  
        I hate it that everyone around me wants to force Christianity  on 
        me.
        
        WOULD YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IF YOU WERE CHRISTIAN LIKE EVERY-
        ONE ELSE?
        
        No, because Paganism is my choice.  At least this one I like.
        
        
        DOES YOUR GRANDMOTHER PRESSURE YOU A LOT?
        
        _YES!!!!_
        
        WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE INVOLVED WITH MORE RITUALS?
        
        Yes, I would.
        
        WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE RITUAL?
        
        Being in a Circle and welcoming in new things . . . like tonight, 
        welcoming in the New Year.
        
        ARE YOU AFRAID OF ANY OF THE RITUALS?
        
        No, I like them.
        
        HOW DO YOU FEEL DURING A RITUAL?
        
        I feel good because I WANT to be there.
        
        DO YOU GET TO PARTICIPATE ENOUGH?
        
        I'd like to do more.
        
        WHAT  ELSE CAN YOU TELL ME? HOW DO OUR BELIEFS DIFFER  FROM  WHAT 
        YOU KNOW OF CHRISTIANITY?
        
        The  big  difference is that Christians find  people  who  aren't 
        Christian  and forced them to be Christian so the rest  of  their 
        lives they're miserable.
        
        DO YOU THINK A LOT OF CHRISTIANS ARE HAPPY?
        
        Yes.   If  they  start off Christian they learn to  like  it.   I 
        started off Pagan, so I like it.
        
        DO YOU KNOW WHAT SIN IS?
        
        No.  (And didn't "grok" the explanation, either)
 
 
 
 
 
 
        
        WHAT ABOUT HEAVEN?
        
        I  don't really believe it.  Grandma says it's true but  I  don't 
        have any personal proof.
        
        SO WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?
        
        I think your body goes into the ground and your spirit goes  into 
        another living animal so you're kinda still alive.
        
        WHAT ABOUT HELL?
        
        The same thing as Heaven and I don't believe in it.
        
        ANGELS?
        
        No.
        
        DEVILS?
        
        No.
        
        DOES GRANDMA EVER TRY TO SCARE YOU WITH THE DEVIL?
        
        Yeah. 
        
        WHAT DOES SHE SAY?
        
        She said sometimes  . . . we get in fights . . . and she says "Go 
        to  Hell." (J seemed to be hedging, as if she didn't want to  get 
        Grandma in trouble).
        
        ARE YOU AT ALL SUPERSTITIOUS?
        
        No.   Why  should I believe black cats are bad luck?   I  have  a 
        black  cat  at home and he crosses my path every single  day.   I 
        don't have bad luck.
        
        DO YOU BELIEVE IN VAMPIRES AND WEREWOLVES?
        
        No. I think it's fun to watch horror movies and draw pictures  of 
        them.   Grandma  says I shouldn't believe in them  but  I  should 
        believe in something beautiful, like God.
        
        WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHRISTIAN GOD IS LIKE?
        
        I don't really believe in him.
        
        HOW ABOUT JESUS?
        
        He  could  have been a man on earth and crucified, but,  I  don't 
        think he really took his father's place.
        
        WAS JESUS NICE IN THE STORIES, THOUGH?
 
 
 
 
 
 
        
        Oh, Yes!
        
        DO YOU KNOW WHAT A JEW IS?
        
        Yeah,  they are the people who crucified Jesus  (Mom turns  white 
        at this)
        
        WHO TOLD YOU THIS?!
        
        I saw it in that movie you had . . .JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.
        
        DID YOU KNOW JESUS WAS JEWISH?
        
        (Laughs) No.
        
        DO YOUR GRANDPARENTS EVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE JEWS?
        
        They never bring them up. (Mom breathes big sigh of relief!)
        
        DID YOU KNOW THAT THE JEWISH RELIGION WAS THE BASIS OF CHRISTIAN-
        ITY?
        
        Yes, I did.  (Mom doubts this.)
        
        DID YOU KNOW THE JEWISH GOD IS THE SAME ONE AS THE CHRISTIAN GOD?
        
        Yes.
        
        WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MYTHOLOGY OUT OF THE ONES I'VE READ TO YOU? 
        (Christian,  Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, Japanese, Native  American, 
        and Norse)
        
        Egyptian.
        
        WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT EGYPTIAN?
        
        So  neat!  I like Bast and Isis.  Bast is a cat; I like cats  and 
        Isis represents the Mother in Egypt.
        
        WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE STORY?
        
        Medusa.
        
        WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THAT?
        
        I like it when her blood turned into that beautiful horse,  Pega-
        sus.
        
        DO YOU THINK IT'S A TRUE STORY?
        
        No.   I don't think a god would get nutty enough to turn  a  girl 
        into an ugly thing.
        
        WHAT ARE SOME OTHER STORIES YOU LIKE?
 
 
 
 
 
 
        
        Grendel,  the  minotaur, and the time Isis' husband  was  chopped 
        into fish bait.
        
        DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGICK?
        
        Well  .  . . I think it's kinda magickal when we sit  around  the 
        Circle.
        
        IS IT HARD TO KEEP A SECRET?
        
        You mean hard not to tell anyone what we do up here?  (Mom  nods) 
        Well,  no  . . . because I know if someone finds out  they  might 
        call  the  police because I won't be  accepted.   (NOTE:  nothing 
        about  the rituals performed are illegal.  Stories of the  witch-
        craft persecutions obviously made an impression.)
        
        DO YOU THINK WE DO ANYTHING WRONG?
        
        No.
        
        DO WE EVER DO ANYTHING HARMFUL?
        
        No.
        
        DO YOU KNOW SOME OF THE PAGAN HOLIDAYS?
        
        No.
        
        WHAT ABOUT YULE?  WE JUST CELEBRATED THAT.
        
        Oh yeah, I remember that.  You have a special recipe for that.
        
        BELTANE?
        
        Spring?  I like that!
        
        EASTER?
        
        That's neat, I love Easter.  You find lots of eggs.
        
        DID YOU KNOW EASTER WAS CHRISTIAN?
        
        No, I thought they stole it from our religion.
        
        JESUS  WAS SUPPOSED TO RISE FROM THE DEAD ON EASTER AFTER HE  WAS 
        CRUCIFIED.
        
        To  tell the truth, I like all holidays.  Like Christmas, I  like 
        opening presents.
        
        WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY?
        
        Halloween.
        
 
 
 
 
 
 
        WHY?
        
        It's  so fun, you get to dress up in neat costumes  and  remember 
        the dead people you liked who died a long time ago and you get to 
        get candy.
        
        DO YOU THINK OF YOUR MOTHER AS A WITCH?
        
        (Shocked)  No way!
        
        WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HER AS?
        
        Just a normal mother who teaches me stuff I like.
        
        DO YOU KNOW SOME PAGANS CALL THEMSELVES WITCHES?
        
        They  do?  I get rid of bullies sometimes by telling them  I'm  a 
        goblin.  I say "Hey, I'm a goblin and I have magickal powers  and 
        if  you  don't watch out I might kick you where  it  hurts  while 
        you're in midair."  
        
        SO YOU THINK THEY SAY THEY'RE WITCHES TO SCARE PEOPLE?
        
        Well, I only use the goblin story to scare people.
        
        WHAT IS A WITCH?
        
        A thing that rides a broom with a black cat screaming in her  ear 
        and has magickal powers to cast spells.
        
        ARE ANY WITCHES GOOD?
        
        Well, two in THE WIZARD OF OZ (book).  I don't know if any  pagan 
        witches are good.
        
        WHERE DID YOU LEARN ABOUT WITCHES?
        
        Horror movies and comics.
        
        IS YOUR RELIGION A NATURE RELIGION?
        
        Yeah, I like to study all different plants and stuff.
        
        HOW DOES YOUR RELIGION TEACH YOU TO TREAT OTHER LIVING THINGS?
        
        It  teaches  you to treat them good and not  dis'pectfully.   You 
        should treat them respectfully.
        
        HOW MANY RITUALS HAVE YOU ATTENDED?
        
        I  remember the spring one when we had a special dinner and  wel-
        comed in spring.  (Maybe four or five.)
        
        RIGHT NOW YOU JOIN IN CIRCLES WITH YOUR PARENTS.  DO YOU THINK IT 
        WOULD BE BETTER WITH MORE PEOPLE?
 
 
 
 
 
 
        
        Yeah, then it shows that more people believe.
        
        DO YOU THINK THAT PAGANISM IS GOOD TO TEACH CHILDREN?
        
        Yes,  but,  if  they don't want to listen,  you  shouldn't  force 
        religion on them.
        
        DO YOU EVER THINK OF YOUR OWN RITUALS?
        
        Yes.  I do.  I think we should look at a picture of  the  Goddess 
        we're worshiping while we're worshiping her.
        
        DO YOU BELIEVE IN GODS AND GODDESSES?
        
        Yes.
        
        WHAT  IF I TOLD YOU THAT THE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THESE  GODDESSES 
        WERE JUST DIFFERENT WAYS OF THINKING OF THE LIFE FORCE?
        
        I don't know about that.
        
        WELL, IF YOU ARE THINKING OF NATURE, YOU MIGHT APPEAL TO GAEA  OR 
        DEMETER,  AND  IF YOU WANTED KNOWLEDGE, ISIS, HECATE  OR  ATHENA.  
        BUT,  THEY  ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME FORCE . . .OR  DO  YOU  JUST 
        THINK OF THEM AS SEPARATE BEINGS?
        
        I think they're all separate.
        
        DOES YOUR GRANDMOTHER QUESTION YOU A LOT ABOUT YOUR BELIEFS?
        
        Yes.  And  I tell her it's none of her business because  I  don't 
        want her to know.
        
        DOES SHE EVER THREATEN YOU?
        
        Yes,  she  says  "I'm going to send you upstairs  and  tell  your 
        Mother  to  spank you hard if you don't tell me."   But  I  don't 
        listen.
        
        THEN WHAT DOES SHE DO?
        
        She says, "<Italian expletive deleted>!  She won't talk!"
        
        DO YOU KNOW THAT YOUR MOTHER WOULDN'T SPANK YOU FOR THAT?
        
        Yes,  that's why I don't listen.  But, she says she'll make up  a 
        lie so my parents will get mad and spank me.
        
        WHY DON'T YOU JUST COME UPSTAIRS WHEN SHE BOTHERS YOU?
        
        She blocks the door and wont let me go upstairs.
        
        HOW  OFTEN  DOES SHE DO THIS? (Mom having hard  time  maintaining 
        neutral composure at this point)
 
 
 
 
 
 
        
        Only  that  time when she heard us and wanted to  know  what  was 
        going on and I wouldn't tell her, so she got mad.
        
        DOES GRANDMA GO TO CHURCH?
        
        No. She gave it up so she could stay with me.
        
        IS THAT WHAT SHE TOLD YOU?
        
        Yes.  But I don't think it's true.  She just says that to get  me 
        to  tell.   (NOTE:  The grandparents haven't been  to  church  in 
        years.   Taking care of Jen-Cat had NOTHING to do with  them  not 
        going  to  church, nor, are her grandparents  particularly  reli-
        gious.   They are Roman Catholic by training alone and have  only 
        the dimmest understanding of their own faith.)
        
        MOTHER'S  COMMENTS:   Jen-Cat doesn't understand  too  many  fine 
        points  about  our  practices because I've  been  hesitant  about 
        sharing  it  with her.  By her answers, you can see the  type  of 
        pressure she gets from my mother-in-law.  The woman isn't a total 
        dragon,  but she is nosy as hell and is very possessive  of  Jen-
        Cat.   Yet, Jen-Cat loves it whenever I include her in  a  ritual 
        and is very hurt when she's excluded.  
        
        We  stress "Mother Earth" and respect for nature and  all  living 
        things.  Jen-Cat loves the idea of "sharing the planet" and finds 
        great  comfort in knowing her place in the world.  As  a  result, 
        she  is a very considerate and polite eight-year-old.   We  never 
        pretend  to have all the answers.  When we don't know  something, 
        we tell her.  She's very hurt that we're so badly outnumbered  by 
        well  meaning  - but pushy- Christians.  This  occurs  again  and 
        again in her answers.
        
        All I can tell other pagan parents is that they have to take into 
        consideration  their  child's maturity and  discretion  on  these 
        matters.   Some  of the fundamentalists in  our  school  district 
        approach  proselytizing  their  religion with all  the  zeal  and 
        subtlety of the Nazi SS.  The child can hedge on the "What  reli-
        gion  are you" question for only so long.  Kids don't like  other 
        kids who are different.  I'm reminded of what happens if you  dye 
        a  monkey  pink and stick it into a cage full of  brown  monkeys.  
        Just  be supportive!  We do have the right to our  own  religious 
        beliefs,  but  our children will be in for a  rough  time.   GOOD 
        LUCK!
        
        A  FINAL  QUESTION.  WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PAGAN  PARENTS  TO  TELL 
        THEIR CHILDREN?
        
        I tell them if they want to be pagan, be pagan.  If they want  to 
        be Christian, I guess they can be Christian.  Don't force them to 
        be something they don't like.
        
        ------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 
 
 
 
        NOTE FROM TOASTY----
        
        I  know that this will create A LOT of reaction from all of  you.  
        This  is NOT offered as  proselytizing, only as the  reaction  of 
        one child to being raised Pagan in a Christian society.  
        
        If you have any comments or questions for Jen-Cat or her  mother, 
        address  them  to  me and I will forward and  return  the  reply.  
        (Negativity and preaching WILL be ignored!)
 
 
 

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