H.P.
Lolol...bless her heart. Cops are there often because of drug dealings, and she is worried about a symbol in the window that may or may not reflect something that can do her no harm at all?
So I'm visiting my friend Sally for a playdate. Out her living room window is the view of the alley and a few houses beyond. About a hundred yards away is a small cape cod with a large pentagram in their front window. The single point is up. Sally tells me she's noticed the symbol up for about two weeks and finds it disturbing. Even though she researched it and it turns out to be Wiccan symbol, if the two points were turned up, it would signify devil worship. This house is a known drug house, has had several incidences with cop cars around it. And although she hasn't seen any activity in the past month and a half, the symbol still bothers her.
I advised her to look up the landlord and just simply ask if she has anything to worry about. But should she be worried? I personally don't have a problem with a Wiccan way of life. I don't know much about it, but I'm all for 'everyone gets to do their own thing'. But I don't know how I'd feel looking out my window and seeing that symbol. It probably is just some innocent townie posers. But maybe not.
What would you do? Would you do anything at all?
Hm. I think I’ll go worship Charlie Brown now.
Thank you for those of you who took the time to educate me.
There are some houses you KNOW are dealers. The 30 different cars in the alley a day. The almost weekly squad cars. The tenants leaning into these cars’ windows. I’m sure Sally saw exactly what had been happening and I don’t doubt her conclusion. I doubt her calling the police about the drug use would have done anything to further the police’s case and I bet when the activity began she did make those calls. I’m also sure the cops were well aware even before she picked up the phone. However, like I said, the activity has decreased in the past month.
Thank you Reverend Ruby and Jen C. I’m sure if the subject comes up again I can ease her fears about it. I appreciate you both being so kind in your responses.
Lolol...bless her heart. Cops are there often because of drug dealings, and she is worried about a symbol in the window that may or may not reflect something that can do her no harm at all?
The fact that this is a known drug house is enough to worry about in itself. So what is the difference what is in the window? It's a drug house for gosh sakes. Why would you look up the landlord over that? I would worry about that and not their window decor. that's like someones holding a gun at you and you're writing a post about what the guy's wearing. Wouldn't make me any more nervous than I was already.
There's nothing to worry about with Wiccans. I don't get how people would be more worried about a symbol in a window than the fact that it's a known drug house...
It's entirely possible that the people who were selling drugs out of that house are gone, and there's a new renter there who just put the symbol. Your friend is making an awful lot of assumptions based on nothing. You advised her to call the landlord based on a Wiccan pentacle but not for the drug activity? Nice. It's kind of smarmy to report someone for displaying a religious symbol.
Says this Christian mom.
Sorry, but your friend needs to suck it up. It's no different than if the residents of the apartment were Christian and had a cross or a fish in their window, or Jewish and had a Star of David.
I'm personally bothered by seeing people wear charms in the shape of torture/execution devices as jewelry, but I'm not going to ask someone to hide their crucifix.
No Wiccan is going to set out to harm your friend or her family. The Rede forbids gratuitous infliction of harm.
As for so-called Satanists, most of them are posers. And the ones who are serious about it don't generally advertise. So if the pent was upside down, it's a safe bet that they would simply be overgrown goth kids,
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!! Who cares?! Maybe someone just likes stars and it happens to be mounted in a circle, big deal.
We had someone give us a hard time for having an American flag hanging from the side of our house. The guy was calling us skin heads and stuff. I wanted to punch him in his ignorant face! We're not red necks either; we have pride for our country, that's all... to heckle us for something you don't know anything about, it SCREAMS 'mind your own business and leave us alone'.
So leave it alone ;)
AND, if you knew anything about Wicca at all, is that it's not the same as devil worship, and even devil worshipers are rarely a threat to other people. Google it :)
Well, I'm sure you knew when you put this question up that it was going to spark some heat.
I guess, think for a moment, how I (a wiccan), would feel if I saw a big cross up in someone's window.
Here is someone who is not only Christian, but probably ultra Christian and extremely intolerant. This is probably someone who is going to say and do harmful things to me and my children. This is someone who should be avoided at all costs. Are they renters? Is there a way to subtly get them out of the neighborhood?
I think the problem here is not that they are a different religion, but that they are announcing it in such a loud fashion. I would be disturbed if a christian had a big cross in their window. Right or wrong, that is how I would feel.
Probably townie posers. But since there has been police activity there, she should be cautious of that regardless of their "decorating style". At least they don't have a life size George Bush standee (sunbleached, so now it looks like more of a ghost), an NRA logo, a confederate flag, and indoor furniture on their porch like our neighbors.
Calling the landlord? I mean really cause they have a Wiccan sign up? It's non of yours or her business if they want to display the symbol in their OWN home.
Just like it's none of their business if you or your friend want to display a cross or any of your religious artifacts.
Updated: this goes back to the question from the other day...and I said people don't know the definitions as to what each religion is about and they make judgements based on "hear say".
I am not a practicing Wiccan - ReverendRuby is - you can contact her....she can give you more information
I would not stress over it - as I am very confident in my relationship with God and would thank God I'm an American living in the U.S. where I have the freedom to practice any religion I want to or not practice!!! :)
If the house is known for drug use - she can move...that's what I would be more worried about - it being known as a drug house..
If she knows the house is a rental - then she can contact the landlord and tell them that it makes her uncomfortable - but really - there's not much one can do since it's on private property and we are STILL the land of the free!! (at least for a little while longer!)
Tell your friend Sally to get over it ... or move.
Hell you live in Rural Ohio ... LOOK AROUND YOU ... there's pentagrams ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE on barns and houses. And many of those are AMISH. And I was born and raised in Mansfield, my sister currently lives in Perrysville and my brother actually lives in Mt. Vernon. And I have family all over the area (Millersburg, Loudonville, Butler, etc etc etc) so I'm very familiar with the area.
The pentagram may or may not mean anything. Either way it's none of your or her business. If YOU or HER see drug activity then by all means ... call the police (and I'm sure the police in little ole Mt Vernon are aware of who the owners of the house are) other wise ... butt out.
I'd tell Sally to be more worried about the drug activity than the religious symbol in the window... reminds me a little of Mrs. Cravits from Bewitched to be honest.
Have they bothered your friend? Are they hurting your friend?
I would mind my own business, unless they were affecting me.
I think this is a lot drama about nothing, and assumptions are being made about people neither of you know. You know what happens when you assume.
Wiccans are nice people. They believe in a mother nature type thing. I had a friend who was wiccan. She would watch our cat and fish when we went on vacation. The cat loved her. It is no big deal. Just another way of thinking.
I would mind my business. Its a free world and everyone has the right in this country to practice what they please. Im not religious and know nothing about it, but its a invasion of privacy imo. If she sees suspicious activity, of course call the police but not for what's in the window.
The symbol shouldn't bother her and I wouldn't do anything about it. Most likely her druggie neighbors have moved out and some law abiding Wiccan people have moved in. If that's the case, she should be counting her blessings instead of being "disturbed".
She finds it disturbing because it is a different belief than her own, she needs to become more tolerant of people's differences.
With regard to being a "known drug house", how to they KNOW that? Because the police came over a couple of times. The last time I had the police to my home a couple of times it was because my sister decided to help herself to the contents of my garage and they were investigating. Another time I found something valuable and they came to my home so I could turn it in and make a report. To my knowledge, my neighbors didn't think this was a known drug house.
Their religious beliefs, whatever they are, are not her concern and have nothing to do with their drug dealings. Some people, esp younger people, hear a little about certain symbols and try out what they stand for, but I'd be much more worried about drug activity in the neighborhoodl than the religious observances of the neighbors.
Should she be worried? Who knows what it means. so I don't think so.
Your question is "what would you do? would you do anything at all?"
Last time I checked, people are allowed to worship Charlie Brown in this country. So, unless there is valid reason to call police (drug deals, lots of brief car traffic, violence, noise disturbances, etc.) I guess I would do nothing.
Every house has a right to display whatever religious symbols they want -if they want any. Pentagrams are not evil and neither are Wiccans. If it truly is a drug house, steer clear because of that, but very few people are actually "satan worshipers" and even those people are not the Hollywood/urban myth types you're probably thinking of. I would do nothing -there's nothing to do since it's their right to display. I wouldn't think anything of it -especially to the point of how many points were pointing in any direction. You know -they may just really like the design!
I wouldn't say anything. I would mind my own business. Best not to go looking for trouble. They might not even know what it means, either. Some people just like pentagrams. Or it could be a sign, if it is a drug house, for people to know which house to go to. Either way, to each his own. I just wouldn't take my child trick or treating there( if it is a drug house)..True Wiccans are peaceful and naturalistic. Nothing to worry about with them.
I would write it off to the being a "townie poser" thing (Oh, I love that term - thank you!).
Or, consider, if they are selling drugs out of the home, it could be the their marker so buyers can identify the house.
If they are truly Wiccan, then nothing to worry about.
Nope. I think people can believe in anything they want. I would only be worried if it was a swastika or something hateful like that.
I totally get where you and her are coming from. If i saw a big swastika in a window id think "nazi"..... not Hindu sign for "auspiciousness".
Its called the hoof beat theory, you hear hooves think horses, not zebras.
dramatic much, for all anyone knows it's a bunch of 20 something kids who don't even actually know what the symbol means or practice any particular religion and just think it's "cool".
the Wiccan symbol isn't anything to worry about I'd worry more about the drugs. One of my best friends in HS was a wiccan , he has since dropped as he calls it " that tree huggin religion" .
Have her put a cross in her own front window.
Really there is nothing to worry about. We are most afraid of the unknown, Wiccans are her unknown.
Maybe she should go to them with cookies and welcome them to the neighborhood.
i agree with the innocent townie posers idea. if they are in trouble with the law, into drugs, and that whole "rebel" scene, most likely they are just trying to be bada$$. they probably have NO CLUE what it stands for. i would not panic, but i would of course keep an eye on the house. but not because of the sign.
With one point up, it signifies 'protection'. And you're right, with the two points up, it signifies devil worship.
I would leave them be. Yes, it is definitely disturbing, because even though the way they have the pentagram, means protection, I would wonder what they need protection from? It could be a religion that they're in. I would just leave them alone.
Well, I don't think you can call the landlord about it. Unless in the renter's contract stipulates that they cannot put up ANY religious symbols (to include crosses, the Star of David, Buddha...) in the house and there is no town code being violated, what are your options besides getting together an angry mob with pitchforks and fire? (Yes, a little bit of an extreme analogy.) Their house, their decorations...
Sorry but I would be inclined to laugh at her a little. Seriously, it's a flag. If anything if the house is a drug house, it might be nothing more than a sign signifying it as one. Not that Wiccans are druggies or anything, but that symbol will stand out a little wouldn't it? That's what my parents druggie neighbors did, hung a flag of some dictator in their window, then covered all the rest of them with black trash bags. At least that way all the drug users will go to the right house.
I would just stay away from it, not necessarily for the Wiccan symbol, but for its reputation as a drug house.
I would suppose that freedom of speech applies here. None of her business. Sadly it would not be her business either even if it were a confederate flag.