Hey, I get it that many people following mainstream religions can be quite hateful towards people like us who practice magick, and you have every right to be angry, and I’m not saying that you should ignore and bottle-up your feelings, but throwing the hate back at them won’t solve anything. It’ll just make them continue to hold their hateful beliefs, and nothing will actually change. If nothing else, you could view them as an opportunity to practice your influence skills, something I have done myself.
These sorts of people will usually straight-up stop listening to you if whatever you’re saying doesn’t involve Jesus, but if you approach them under the guise of talking about scripture they are much more responsive, and while they may not agree with anything you say, you can perhaps sway them to being more open to these ideas. This is where it’s helpful to know about Christian Gnosticism.
I once approached some watered-down protestant church group waving about the typical anti-abortion posters with the (photoshopped) photos of dead fetuses and such, preaching their same tired dogmas. I was in a debating mood, and decided to speak with some of them. I figured it would at the very least be amusing for me, and it would keep them from harassing the women there for a bit.
The person I spoke to started the conversation with some sketchy scientific reasoning for their arguments (props to them for trying I guess), but I moved it along to their religious reasoning, as that’s what actually motivates them. I let them quote a couple bible verses, maybe made a short reply, but then moved the conversation to more theoretical/theological questions, such as “What do you believe God is?” If they’re fanatic enough to protest abortion in public, they will likely be happy to talk religion with you if you are careful.
Before you start getting esoteric with them, this is when it’s good to name-drop Christian Gnosticism, emphasis on the Christian, as otherwise again they will stop listening. They will almost certainly not have heard of it, and you can tell them it’s an old branch of Christianity that was around not too long after Jesus’s death (maybe don’t mention that the Church later branded them heretics, cause they were teaching that anyone could have direct experiences with the Divine, and that the clergy were not in-fact the ultimate authority).
So long as you can keep the conversation centered around Jesus, they are likely to keep listening. If not, well, some heads truly are too far up asses to reach. There are plenty of quotes (supposedly) from Jesus that are of a more magickal/esoteric nature, and though they will not understand them, they may at least be intrigued. Some topics you should probably just avoid, though. They may not like the idea that Jesus asked Judas to betray him after his spirit was translated from the flesh, for instance, because the reward for Judas was to become a powerful demon (iirc), and bringing up spooky demons is likely to immediately end the conversation.
At some point you could also mention your magickal practice if you want, but I’d just stick to any angelic work you do, as again, demons would be too spooky. I told this dude I saved my dog after he got hit by a car by calling on Raphael (the vets were very confused, he should’ve been dead) and I think he shit a brick, so at the very least it should be entertaining. You may even get away with teaching them some basic Law of Attraction or something.
Not saying that you have to do this, of course, but in my experience it’s better than being more forthright with your magick, as that tends to get you ignored, called crazy, or laughed at. Approaching the situation like this, where you gradually ease through their beliefs, ought to be much more productive, both for reducing their hate, and for improving your own practical skills. The demons can work influence through you much more readily the more naturally skilled you are, after all, so this could prepare you for other life situations that are of greater importance.
Again, not trying to preach. My aim here is to help improve our status in society, and also to share an experience you may find useful for your own magick.
