Neime-chan
Now I'M confused. I know someone who sees themselves as a pagan. I once heard them talking about the difference between a pagan and wiccan and they stated that it was simply that a pagan does not have to follow the wiccan rede. I believe that a wiccan should at least identify that the wiccan rede exists and, even if they don't follow it, they believe it should be follow to the best of their abilities. Idk if this is correct but that's what I've always believed.
Well, the Rede isn't specifically Wiccan. It's often mislabelled as such, but in reality it came into existence in its' present form about 10 years after the founding of Wicca. It's not a part of the core of Wiccan practice, or the Ardanes, which are the laws of the Wica. Doreen Valiente is the person credited for first presenting it in a speech she made in 1964. At that point she'd already moved on from Wicca.
I identify that the Rede does indeed exist. But it's advice. It isn't a law, and it isn't mandatory for anyone, Wiccan, non-specific Pagan, or otherwise. I don't think anyone has to follow it, since it's quite often redundant - if a person already thinks about the consequences of their actions before doing said action, the Rede is completely superfluous. If a person is a critical thinker, and looks before they leap, they don't need a line of metaphysical morality to remind themselves of this.
I'm a little confused, though. If I don't have to follow it, why should I believe it needs to be followed to the best of one's ability? Why should I expect others to do, what I do not do myself, if it's irrelevant?