Wiccans are supposed to be open-minded toward other religions, believing that there is no one Divine Truth and that all beliefs have validity. We chant this like a mantra. All beliefs are valid.
That does NOT mean all beliefs are Wiccan. There is nothing wrong in correcting someone and saying, "I'm sorry, that's not a Wiccan belief." It’s not an insult! There's no shame in not being Wiccan. You're simply saying they're applying the wrong name.
When I dedicated myself ten years ago, Wicca was thought of as largely Celtic with some non-Celtic, European influences - Roman, Greek, Teutonic. Nowadays you have Wiccans following Amerindian Shamanism, Hindu deities, Jehovah and anyone else they can lump in. You get people who will claim to be "Christian Wiccans". That's no less ridiculous than a "Christian Muslim". You are one or the other. I don't care which one.
So what's the big deal? Two issues: first, if we continue to mindlessly absorb religions, Wicca loses its definition. When you say you're a Wiccan, it will no longer mean anything other than you're not an atheist. Second, it's disrespectful. If you're interested in Shamanism, why not study Shamanism? It is an intense and complex belief system, not something you just pick up some weekend on a spirituality retreat. The Hindus have been practicing their religion and developing their ceremonies for several thousand years, and then a Wiccan comes along, casts a circle, and claims to be a devout worshipper of Kali.
Ancient pagan religions were not exclusive in their belief of deities. The Romans didn't give a rat's ass that the Jews were following this Jehovah fellow.
They only demanded that the Jews pay token respect to the Roman gods since they were the sovereign entities of the empire in which the Jews lived. Acknowledging another's beliefs as valid does not mean they are your values, nor that their beliefs and yours are of the same religion.
Furthermore, just because you equate a statement with a religion, does not mean it falls under "belief". NO ONE has to be tolerant of blatantly erroneous history just because it's "religious history". The next Wiccan who tells me how "her people" were murdered in the Burning Times I will verbally smack. I am not persecuting you. If I were a non-Wiccan, I still wouldn't be persecuting you. You are simply wrong.
Open-minded is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "receptive to arguments or ideas". "Receptive" is not synonymous with "accepting". The open-minded person enters into a discussion without prejudice, considers the facts and arguments put before him, and makes an informed decision. Just because that decision may not be in your favor does not suddenly make the person closed-minded. Just because I'm open-minded does not mean that you're still not an idiot.
