Treating believers of other religions:

The Affirmation of Acknowledgment

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Kaatryn MacMorgan has included the following Affirmation on her web site. It concerns her beliefs about other religious in a multi-faith society. If everyone had followed these principles, the many religiously-motivated wars and severe civil unrest would not have materialized.

Kaatryn is a Wiccan, a follower of Wicca which is a reconstructed belief system of the ancient Celtic people. Since Wiccans do not proselytize, she has included the statement in Section II about not converting others. Other faith groups feel that they have an obligation to encourage conversion of others to their religion. Unless done with sensitivity and empathy, conversion attempts are often viewed as harassment by the recipient.

The Affirmation of Acknowledgment:

I: I acknowledge the presence of other faiths on my planet, indeed, right here in my city/town/village. I acknowledge that the followers of these faiths feel as strongly, maybe more so, than I do about mine.

II: I forgive the other faiths and wipe clean the slate between us. I cannot hold a person responsible for the acts of their faith, I cannot hold a faith at fault for individual practitioners. It is not my place to convert, or otherwise alter a person's religion. I invite discussion of beliefs without judgment of those holding them.

III: I acknowledge that I may be wrong, and I have found comfort in the fact that I may be right.

Reference:

1. Kaatryn MacMorgan, "All One Wicca: A study in the universal eclectic Wiccan tradition," at: http://home.att.net/~macmorgan_design/book.html