Misunderstood religions, religious symbols

Before we start  this section: I am not affiliated with any of these religions.   I am a Buddhist and believe in the right for people to practice whatever religion they choose. I in no way endorse any of the religions I may speak of in this blog. My intention is simply to bring forth information that doesn't usually see the light of day.

Pentagram/Pentacle:

                                           

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If you watch television, the instant they see this symbol everyone accuses the owner of the establishment of having practiced satanism.
What some of you may not know, that this symbol has been around well before Christianity, and was used widely by most religions.
Christianity: Emperor Constantine used it as his personal seal and amulet.

-It was also referred to as the star of Bethlehem.

-It was used as a symbol of protection when enclosed by a circle.

-Used to symbolize the star which led the three wise men to Jesus.

-Was used by the English warrior Sir Gawain as his personal symbol. It represented the Five Knightly Virtues: Generosity, Courtesy, Chastity, Chivalry, and Piety.
From protection to representing nature, to the golden number, the five elements and there are many, many more meanings.

It wasn't until the inquisition that the Christian Church deemed this as evil in order to flush out all the witches and Pagans. It was around this time, that the inverted Symbol started to be taken by the more evil sects, as before some symbolized this as winter the opposite of the upright meaning summer.

 Neo-Paganism is on the rise when you see one of these symbols today (even inverted), it doesn't mean the person is a satanist. To a Wiccan (good witch) this represents nature, and some still use it as protection. This has become one of the larger religions in the US today.

Witchcraft:

The same is going to apply for "Witchcraft", Pagan, Wiccans consider themselves good witches as they do have spells they practice. When people hear the word witchcraft- Oh no! Evil is lurking! I have several friends that practice Wicca, and they are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet and are very open about what they practice and why.



Swastika:

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It doesn't mean what you think it means. We can't let Hitler's misuse of this symbol ruin it forever. This ancient symbol was used widely by many religions as good luck, good existence,  represent the four powers of nature or by the Sumerians as a symbol of the Sun. India still uses this symbol today as a symbol of good luck. Ancient Buddhists have this symbol embedded in a lot of their holy statues as well.  This was such a holy symbol that Christianity also considered adopting it.

There are many "Pagan" religions, symbols that are misunderstood. I must confess while I can discuss this all day, I would encourage those of you that are truly interested in the paranormal and home blessing, etc to do your own research. Most of you will find that the mainstream makes things seem a lot worse than they actually are. To be a well-rounded investigator or even just for general religious tolerance, actual research into all religions is recommended.


Roy Weedmark is the owner of Paranormal Discord. Paranormal Discord is an attempt to poke fun of the dysfunctional world we call ghost hunting.