Can one be a Christian and still believe in wicca philosophy

[The Moz]

I am finding myself pretty much right there. I do believe in Christ ( Christianity ) But I am also starting to believe in many of the things that Wicca represents as well. partially becasue alot of the things I am reading about wicca really hit home with things I have thought on my own all along.

I guess my question is am I fightin a losing battle here and I jujst need to pick one - or is there a way for the two religions to co-exist within the same person ? And has anyone here had the experience I am having ?

[juliaki]

Realistically, there's not much in Wiccan theology that differs from Christian theology except for the overarching concept of what the divine is and how it works.

Basically, if I flipped it around the other way, what would your response be to me if I said I was Wiccan but believed in what Christianity represents except for that silly Jesus guy... total fiction and BS. I'm sure that you'd not find any Christian out there who would accept me as a Christian if I thought that Jesus was just some made up character in a poorly written book.

The same type of situation comes up when you look at Wicca and Christianity. Both are religions, and each have religious doctrines that are not compatible with one another. Christianity is pretty strict that you can't worship other gods outside of YHVH and Jesus. Wicca requires worship of other gods than YHVH and views Jesus as a mortal human, not a god.

My advice is to write out the kind of things that you find attractive in Wicca. I guarantee that aside from deity representation and manifestation, you will find almost every single aspect of Wicca in some form of Christianity. It's just a matter of finding the right sect of Christianity that expresses those things.

So....what do you think exists in Wicca that is missing from Christianity?

[[Obsidian]]

Do you think that magic would run counter to christian belief structures Juliaki? Having been raised catholic I'm 100% sure that when I grew up people would have shit a brick if you told them about Wicca magic but I can't really think of a specific part in the Bible where it says you're not supposed to engage in it.

H

[juliaki]

Some of the most skilled magickal practitioners I've run into have been Christian. The trick finding them is that they don't necessarily call their practices magick.

Here's an example. Last year around New Years, I was visiting some family members, and attended church with them. During their service, everyone was asked to write down something they wanted to get rid of in the coming year and place it on the altar. They stood in a circle around the altar and participated in a chant that they call the five-fold Amen. After the service, the slips of paper were taken outside and burned, to burn away that which people didn't want to carry into the new year. Sound familiar? If you had told them that they just did a spell or did magick, they would have been highly offended. To them, it was just an "active prayer".

Catholics have their rituals where they dress a candle, say a prayer, and light the candle to try and bring about a desired goal. Making an ojo de dios (a "God's Eye") is a form of knot magick. A lot of hoodoo, powwow, curing, conjure, and curing involves magickal workings that also rely on calling on names of Christian martyrs or saints.

If you look at the setup of a Catholic mass (and to a lesser extent some Protestant rites), there's a full circle casting done. Heck, it even works with candles, incense, cakes and wine!

I know little ol' church ladies who read playing cards, or say prayers (re: spells) when knitting healing shawls.

Many churches use liturgical setups to raise energy through chanting (things like the Kyrie eleison).

Anointing rituals, setting of lights, honey pots, prayer circles... you name it, there's magick all over Christian practices.

They just won't call it magick.

Now what the bible does have prohibition on are certain forms of practice that generally people get a little twitchy about today. Specific reading of omens (although think of how many times people go nuts when they see an image of Jesus or Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich or a window and that goes out the window), killing things for the reading of entrails, tossing a child into the fire to read the ashes left, or direct work with baneful spirits tends to still be frowned upon in Christianity.

[[Moondaughter]]

I am finding myself pretty much right there. I do believe in Christ ( Christianity ) But I am also starting to believe in many of the things that Wicca represents as well. partially becasue alot of the things I am reading about wicca really hit home with things I have thought on my own all along.

I guess my question is am I fightin a losing battle here and I jujst need to pick one - or is there a way for the two religions to co-exist within the same person ? And has anyone here had the experience I am having ?

I myself don't see why you couldn't. Would it not be just like honoring the male deity? Aren't there covens that only honor the female deity? Personally, I don't see why you couldn't. If you like the philosophies of both Wicca and Christianity, then why can't you believe in both of them. Its like people who have parents who believe in Judaism and Christianity. The child ends of combining both beliefs and religions.

[Blazewind]

I don't see why not really either. Religion is a personal thing, and is differant form person to person. If you feel the need to believe in the ideaqs of more then one faith, then I see no harm. We all understand higher power in a differant way. i don't really believe that any one of is is truely wrong or truely right. Our opinions are only right for ourselves.
Juliaki, you make a very interesting point. I found your post very thought provoking. I heve never really sat down and thought about it, buit there really do seem to be a lot of similarities between christainity, and wicca. Tahnk you for posting that. Very cool.

[[Obsidian]]

I agree, I don't see why you couldn't join the two one way or another. On the other hand you will get both Wiccans and Christians who think you've been into the mushrooms if you tell them. I guess as long as you just practice it yourself and don't tell other people you won't have a problem but I think its never a good idea to share religious convictions with other people anyway, unless you are in a protective environment.

Harry

[ThePaganMafia]

Wicca and Chrisianity are two very different religions and mixing them would bring up many contradictions. You would have to ignore different fundamentals from both sides and basically it will just be taking whatever you feel like from both and creating a mish mash of two different sets of beliefs.

[Eretik]

When Gardner created Wicca he took from several existing systems, particularly Gnostic and Ceremonial orders,which have much of Christian mysticism within them.Gardners 'mish mash' seems to have done rather well.[sorry PM, couldn't resist it,not having a go] Christian Gnostics were heavily persecuted by Rome, for heretical beliefs, but mysticism and magickal practice [as well as witchcraft] has always been there in Christianity, look at orders such as Freemasonry and Knights of St.Columba,to name just two.You should ignore ALL types of fundies anyway, I make a point of doing so.

[discipleofmaat]

First of all, I would like to respectfully enter this discussion. I know that I am very new here but this question strikes a nerve with me.

I think the question is equivalent to asking can one be a paraplegic and have two healthy legs at the same time.

Christianity is a narrow channeled belief system. It actually stands AGAINST everything that I understand of wicca/paganism/nature/astrology etc. Xtianity stands firm in its one precept and that is that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is THE only Son of God in the flesh. To have that belief and to claim belief in OTHER channels and other paths and other energy sources and influences is contradictory. To be a Christian you MUST accept ONE particular channel and ONE particular representation of omnipotence and omnipresence.

Go figure...spiritual understanding of omnipotence and omniscience actually refutes religious dogmas, especially ones that detach and place Divine Supremacy away from our grasp and consciousness and genderize it as male to the exclusion, suppression, inferiorization and demonization of Femininity.

I understand politically that ones may not want to alienate someone struggling between the two but I believe in the harmonizing healing power of blatant truthful expression (as I see it)...but it initially hurtful or not, it heals.

I thank you for the opportunity to express my opinions. And I look forward to any support or edifications ones may offer.

-always

[Elven555]

When you start labelling your beliefs, you're narrowing your mind to other possibilities.
You believe in Jesus, and some wiccan concepts. THAT's your religion, call it what you want, there's no need to catagorise everything.

[Arcane]

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the wiccan religion is their credo if it harm none do what you will. I would think that would include adapting other beliefs to fit your own personal needs as an individual if you should so choose. As long as your not hurting anyone do whatever you want. Thats very liberating.

Here's a few scriptural points of reference you might want to keep in mind. The book says that all scripture is inspired by God. The only thing that the bible says God wrote with his own hand was the ten commandments and perhaps the writing on the wall in Belshazzars court. So maybe, if we examine scripture a little more closely the point is not so much to take everything literally as it is to be inspired by it to become a better person which I think is closer to the spirit of Christ's teachings. Remember he always scolded the pharisees for their legalism and meaness. Another interesting thing that I found is in either ecclesiastes or proverbs where the spirit of wisdom is described as feminine. There you have it. The divine feminine, or goddess aspect, as described in the bible is wisdom and the word wicca means 'the wise.' As far as other dieties besides God and Christ the first commandment says "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me' not that other deific beings don't exist. In fact the original hebrew text in Genesis says that 'In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth' and let Us make man in our own image.' The term Elohim is a plural of the word El which means God, so the literal translation of the original Hebrew text is 'in the beginning Gods created the heavens and the earth!' The story of eden and noah is in many ways a reworking of the old sumerian myth of Gilgamesh and there are flood myths that exist in many ancient cultures all around the world. The story of Jesus could be, in part, a retelling of the myth of Osiris who was torn apart by his evil brother Set and ressurected by his sister Isis in Egyptian mythology. In the Mayan tradition there is the bearded stranger Viracocca whose name translates as 'He Who Walks on the Foam of the Sea.' So here you've got all these paralells of biblical events that exist within pagan belief systems. If you ask me I would say that the two really aren't that far apart if you just look at the spirit and not the letter. I suggest that you do some research along these lines and see what you can dig up. Best of luck!

[jcrowfoot]

Thank you, Arcane! I knew there was something nifty about Elohim!

[Arcane]

Anytime.

[[Obsidian]]

Very interesting Arcane, thanks for that info.

Harry