Fluffy Bunnies

That term still cracks me up! I don't know when it first came into common usage, but it has come to refer to a practicioner of Wicca who is, well, kind of light and fluffy, without recognizing it as a serious religion. Why fluffy bunnies are limited to Wicca is, likewise, a mystery to me. But fluffiness refers to flaky, New-Agey-let-me-cleanse-my-aura-from-the-negativity-of-male-oppression type people we all sometimes encounter. Again, not to be disrespectful- a sincerely held religious belief can be a very wonderful thing. But there are people who are, well, posers. They seem to think that because they are religious, they have all the answers, or their lives are perfect, or any other person who doesn't think like them is completely clueless. Another pitfall associated with this point of view is that, since they have all the answers, anyone and everyone is simply floundering in the world, and is waiting in earnest for them to come and make everything perfectly clear. Actually, there's a difference between religion and spirituality, although the two may not necessarily be different. Religion is a commonly held set of assumptions or beliefs about the world around you. These beliefs are generally of a speculative nature- that is, things that can't be proven or disproven, although people tend to point to events as proof or evidence.
It's my experience that some of these things can't be readily dismissed. Others can. The principle of Occam's Razor (the best a skeptic can get, tee hee) states that the explanation that requires the fewest number of assumptions is almost always the correct one, when that explanation can incorporate all known facts. However, there are events that do incorporate all known or available facts and still come up short. However, it's an error to go jumping to conclusions- we can say with certainty only. "I don't know".
But back to the fluffiness. These are the "feel-good" people, who are in it for self-gratification or ego stoking. The truth is, what we don't know outweighs what we do know on the order of several billion to one. For every one thing we know, there's several billion we don't. I find it's best not to dwell on this too much, or you'll find yourself wondering why you don't just fall off the face of the earth. The point is, stuff works. Beyond that lies speculation and uncertainty, although that's certainly no reason not to go check it out, to formulate new and more in-depth ideas. And this is a problem with fluffy bunnies- they tend not to question. I've encountered several places where Wiccan authors say that outside philosophies, religions or whatever we're dealing with "brainwash" people. Enter the heroic Wiccans, who will free their minds from shackles! (Again, not many Wiccans actually think like this) And also in actuality, I'm pretty sure Wicca does not and did not exist in a vacuum. Where would any system of understanding the world be if it didn't incorporate outside ideas? It would seem that Wicca has suffered the same pains as many other religions- we're right, you're wrong, end of story. At best, this results in close-mindedness, at worst, people get really hurt. Wicca is a religion, this much is true. But like all religions, it's not an excuse to be a jerk. The interesting thing is, most religions have as their basis compassion and respect for living things.
I've noticed that as a Buddhist- I've been a Buddhist for over 10 years, although all that means is I can sit in the lotus position longer than most people. I don't claim to be an authority- I can tell you about Buddhism, but refuse to present it as (bad pun... wait for it...) gospel truth. It's a system of philosophy that makes sense of the world, and seems to be generally supported by scientific understanding, to the limited extent that science has been able to come to conclusions. The same is true, I think, of most other religions, or spiritual paths. If they allow you to make sense out of the world, love and respect your fellow man, then good. If it rings true with you, it seems to me that there must be at least a spark of truth in it. Truth is truth- would a rose by any other name be less a rose? As we move forwards into the 21st century and beyond, watch out for fluffy bunnies in authoritarian clothing. Let your mind be open, and never assume you have all the answers.