Oh, goodness. I love it when people throw hissy fits over the way you pronounce a word such as "often". It becomes a battle of "who can be the most correct speaker"...Generally, I'm of the opinion that there is no absolutely "correct" way to pronounce anything. There is a standard pronunciation that is spoken by a majority of English-language speakers, and then there are a multitude of different pronunciations due to differences in regional dialects...so pronounce the word any way you please. If someone corrects you, let them, but make sure to be aware of how ineffectual this kind of squabble is.