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I just got one of my strangest phone calls in 14 years as a Wiccan.
*phone rings*
Me: "Hello?"
Other Person: "Hello... I found your name through your listing on Witchvox... and I was wondering... I want to study to be a member of the clergy."
Me: "Of the Wiccan clergy?"
OP: "Well, I'm not sure."
Me: *pause* [You want to be clergy, but you don't know which... o-KAY] "Well, Paganism is an umbrella term, not a specific religion --"
OP: "I know that."
Me: "-- so you sort of have to pick a religion to study in before you can look at clergy status. Is Wicca something you're interested in?"
OP: "Well, I'm more into Druidism."
Me: "Hmmm. I'm afraid I can't help you out with that, and I'm trying to think of who on my list would have Druidic knowledge..."
OP: "I was thinking maybe I could study Wicca and have Druidism as a back-up."
Me: *pauses again* [What the FUCK?] "Um, no, I'm sorry, that wouldn't work. While the two systems have some superficial similarities, they're quite different in most other respects. Studying in one would not qualify you for the other. But let me take your name and phone number and I'll see if any of my contacts know about someone who could help you."
OP: *gives me their name, which is quite obviously a made-up one, and a phone number*
You know, when you become clergy in a religion, hopefully you do it because you BELIEVE in that religion. You don't become clergy in two separate and quite different faiths. To me, that smacks of looking at both religions as a hobby, not a vocation.
*sigh* I'll see what I can do to help the person in question, but I hope they rethink their priorities.
*phone rings*
Me: "Hello?"
Other Person: "Hello... I found your name through your listing on Witchvox... and I was wondering... I want to study to be a member of the clergy."
Me: "Of the Wiccan clergy?"
OP: "Well, I'm not sure."
Me: *pause* [You want to be clergy, but you don't know which... o-KAY] "Well, Paganism is an umbrella term, not a specific religion --"
OP: "I know that."
Me: "-- so you sort of have to pick a religion to study in before you can look at clergy status. Is Wicca something you're interested in?"
OP: "Well, I'm more into Druidism."
Me: "Hmmm. I'm afraid I can't help you out with that, and I'm trying to think of who on my list would have Druidic knowledge..."
OP: "I was thinking maybe I could study Wicca and have Druidism as a back-up."
Me: *pauses again* [What the FUCK?] "Um, no, I'm sorry, that wouldn't work. While the two systems have some superficial similarities, they're quite different in most other respects. Studying in one would not qualify you for the other. But let me take your name and phone number and I'll see if any of my contacts know about someone who could help you."
OP: *gives me their name, which is quite obviously a made-up one, and a phone number*
You know, when you become clergy in a religion, hopefully you do it because you BELIEVE in that religion. You don't become clergy in two separate and quite different faiths. To me, that smacks of looking at both religions as a hobby, not a vocation.
*sigh* I'll see what I can do to help the person in question, but I hope they rethink their priorities.
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Other Person: "Hello... I found your name through your listing on Christvox... and I was wondering... I want to study to be a member of the clergy."
Me: "Of the Catholic clergy?"
OP: "Well, I'm not sure."
Me: *pause* [You want to be clergy, but you don't know which... o-KAY] "Well, Monotheism is an umbrella term, not a specific religion --"
OP: "I know that."
Me: "-- so you sort of have to pick a religion to study in before you can look at clergy status. Is Catholicism something you're interested in?"
OP: "Well, I'm more into Islam."
Me: "Hmmm. I'm afraid I can't help you out with that, and I'm trying to think of who on my list would have Islamic knowledge..."
OP: "I was thinking maybe I could study Catholicism and have Islam as a back-up."
Me: *pauses again* [What the FUCK?] "Um, no, I'm sorry, that wouldn't work. While the two systems have some superficial similarities, they're quite different in most other respects. Studying in one would not qualify you for the other. But let me take your name and phone number and I'll see if any of my contacts know about someone who could help you."
(no subject)