Gideon Brook
April 21st 2005, 08:14 AM
Gideon says: Firstly, this article from Heathen Dawn's sadly now abandoned (http://eclecticsatyr.hostultra.com/thatday.htm) website:
In Defence of Christian Wicca
http://eclecticsatyr.hostultra.com/cwdefend.htm
Words fail to describe the scorn heaped upon the practitioners of Christian Wicca or Catholic Craft, not only on part of the Christians, who are bound by their religion to be suspicious (at best) of other religions, but also on part of the Wiccans, who are supposed to be tolerant and accepting. It has been said time and again on pagan and as well as Christian forums, that a Christian Wiccan is neither a good Christian nor a good Wiccan.
Now, I do not practice Christian Wicca or Catholic Craft, but I have deep respect for those who do, and I am absolutely shocked to see them denigrated on both sides. It is my conviction that Christian Wicca is a legitimate tradition of the Wiccan religion, on the one hand, and that its practitioners often display a more Christ-like character than so many Christians, on the other. Between Wicca and the Pharisaical religion of Protestant Christianity a great gulf is fixed, but Catholic Christianity and Wicca share many similarities.
Catholic Magic of Body and Blood
First I want to express two comments on the Eucharist, both on its kinship to paganism rather than Jewish (Old Testament) roots: it is a ritual involving magic, and it is contrary to Old Testament law.
The Catholic priest performs magic: he holds the bread and wine and, upon uttering incantations, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of the deity. That transformation is magic of the kind that any witch would take pride in. And it is in contrast to the Old Testament model of miracles, for there the miracles were one-time occasions, whereas the transformation of bread and wine into flesh and blood happens every week. The idea that magic could be performed frequently is a pagan one.
Another point is that the Old Testament forbids the eating of human flesh and the drinking of all blood. The implications of this are so clear that Protestants have militated against the idea that the bread and wine turn into literal flesh and blood—did not Jesus himself say not one jot or tittle of the law would ever be annulled? (they do eat pork, though) But Catholics insist on the pagan ritual of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of their human-form deity. A Wiccan can feel much more at home in the Catholic Eucharist than a Protestant would.
Incense and Candles
The churches of Catholicism are also different from what we find in the Protestant world. At the centre of the Protestant church is the pulpit, a stand for reading from the Bible; the centre of the Catholic church is the altar, where the ritual sacrifice of the God is reënacted every week. The spirit of the Catholic churches is different too: there the censers have incense burning, and candles are lighted—no strange features for a Wiccan! Add to this the fact that Catholic churches are often situated where pagan temples once stood, and you have a real energetic feast.
Mary the Goddess
Whereas Protestants are stuck with an all-male Godhead, all of whose three persons they call “He”, the Catholic Church has listened to its members’ plea for a female divinity and christened Mary, the mother of Jesus, as Co-Redemptrix, as sinless, as Queen of Heaven. The doctrine of Immaculate Conception, whereby Mary was born without sin, effectively makes her a Goddess, for only deities are without sin. The title “Queen of Heaven” was originally given to a pagan Goddess, Ashtoreth, as recorded in the Old Testament, and is what Wiccans call their Triple Goddess.
The Christ-Like Way
The virtues of being like Jesus, turning the other cheek and dining with the lowly, are ever praised in Christian circles. But whereas Christian love is often “tough love”, thumping one’s Bible in the non-Christians’ ears and giving them the profound spiritual message of “believe or burn”, Christian Wiccans can display true love, charity that is not given with an invitation for conversion. If such is done, and the doer says “I worship Jesus”, then the hearer receives an invitation to Christianity far more compelling than a million Chick tracts.
I am not saying, as many irenic proponents would say, that Jesus preached the Wiccan Rede; in fact he talked much about hell and the necessity of obedience to God. But he reserved his harsh words to the religious leaders, to the scripture-thumping Pharisees so similar to their successors the modern-day Protestants. With the common man he dined, showing him the better way by example, by deed and not by word. The Christian Wiccan knows that actions speak louder than words and heals people instead of drumming the Bible into their ears.
Summary
I have shown the similarity of Catholic Christianity to Wicca, and the difference between the way of Jesus and the way of modern born-again Protestants. Having shown those points, it should be clear that the gulf between Wicca and Christianity is not as impassable as many would hold, and that the practitioners of Christian Wicca and Catholic Craft should be more respected by Christians and Wiccans alike. In an ideal world…
He has changed his mind in recent times, here is his 'retractiones'
I now object to the term “Christian Wicca” because I hold that Wicca is a very specific religion—but that’s the same reason I object to the term “Eclectic Wicca” too. I’d call them Christopagans and be done with it. But, I still deeply admire those people, and I think they’re the bravest souls in the entire neopagan scene.
Wicca and Christianity are quite different. Christianity was a mystery religion only in its very first centuries, but now it’s a revealed religion, while Wicca, real Wicca, is a mystery religion. See Skytoucher’s article for more about the difference. There are lots of things in the New Testament that can inspire us, but the basic differences should be acknowledged.
Secondly, HD also provides a link to http://www.christianwicca.org/index.html a website promoting it, and providing some essays.
And from there one can go to: http://p199.ezboard.com/bchristianwicca a discussion board.
While the reactions of most Christians can be pre-determined, and therefore needs little comment here, I was wondering what the resident Wiccans/Pagans think of this venture. Is this a matter of religious eclecticism they would liike to see come to pass, or is this mixing oil and water?
In Defence of Christian Wicca
http://eclecticsatyr.hostultra.com/cwdefend.htm
Words fail to describe the scorn heaped upon the practitioners of Christian Wicca or Catholic Craft, not only on part of the Christians, who are bound by their religion to be suspicious (at best) of other religions, but also on part of the Wiccans, who are supposed to be tolerant and accepting. It has been said time and again on pagan and as well as Christian forums, that a Christian Wiccan is neither a good Christian nor a good Wiccan.
Now, I do not practice Christian Wicca or Catholic Craft, but I have deep respect for those who do, and I am absolutely shocked to see them denigrated on both sides. It is my conviction that Christian Wicca is a legitimate tradition of the Wiccan religion, on the one hand, and that its practitioners often display a more Christ-like character than so many Christians, on the other. Between Wicca and the Pharisaical religion of Protestant Christianity a great gulf is fixed, but Catholic Christianity and Wicca share many similarities.
Catholic Magic of Body and Blood
First I want to express two comments on the Eucharist, both on its kinship to paganism rather than Jewish (Old Testament) roots: it is a ritual involving magic, and it is contrary to Old Testament law.
The Catholic priest performs magic: he holds the bread and wine and, upon uttering incantations, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of the deity. That transformation is magic of the kind that any witch would take pride in. And it is in contrast to the Old Testament model of miracles, for there the miracles were one-time occasions, whereas the transformation of bread and wine into flesh and blood happens every week. The idea that magic could be performed frequently is a pagan one.
Another point is that the Old Testament forbids the eating of human flesh and the drinking of all blood. The implications of this are so clear that Protestants have militated against the idea that the bread and wine turn into literal flesh and blood—did not Jesus himself say not one jot or tittle of the law would ever be annulled? (they do eat pork, though) But Catholics insist on the pagan ritual of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of their human-form deity. A Wiccan can feel much more at home in the Catholic Eucharist than a Protestant would.
Incense and Candles
The churches of Catholicism are also different from what we find in the Protestant world. At the centre of the Protestant church is the pulpit, a stand for reading from the Bible; the centre of the Catholic church is the altar, where the ritual sacrifice of the God is reënacted every week. The spirit of the Catholic churches is different too: there the censers have incense burning, and candles are lighted—no strange features for a Wiccan! Add to this the fact that Catholic churches are often situated where pagan temples once stood, and you have a real energetic feast.
Mary the Goddess
Whereas Protestants are stuck with an all-male Godhead, all of whose three persons they call “He”, the Catholic Church has listened to its members’ plea for a female divinity and christened Mary, the mother of Jesus, as Co-Redemptrix, as sinless, as Queen of Heaven. The doctrine of Immaculate Conception, whereby Mary was born without sin, effectively makes her a Goddess, for only deities are without sin. The title “Queen of Heaven” was originally given to a pagan Goddess, Ashtoreth, as recorded in the Old Testament, and is what Wiccans call their Triple Goddess.
The Christ-Like Way
The virtues of being like Jesus, turning the other cheek and dining with the lowly, are ever praised in Christian circles. But whereas Christian love is often “tough love”, thumping one’s Bible in the non-Christians’ ears and giving them the profound spiritual message of “believe or burn”, Christian Wiccans can display true love, charity that is not given with an invitation for conversion. If such is done, and the doer says “I worship Jesus”, then the hearer receives an invitation to Christianity far more compelling than a million Chick tracts.
I am not saying, as many irenic proponents would say, that Jesus preached the Wiccan Rede; in fact he talked much about hell and the necessity of obedience to God. But he reserved his harsh words to the religious leaders, to the scripture-thumping Pharisees so similar to their successors the modern-day Protestants. With the common man he dined, showing him the better way by example, by deed and not by word. The Christian Wiccan knows that actions speak louder than words and heals people instead of drumming the Bible into their ears.
Summary
I have shown the similarity of Catholic Christianity to Wicca, and the difference between the way of Jesus and the way of modern born-again Protestants. Having shown those points, it should be clear that the gulf between Wicca and Christianity is not as impassable as many would hold, and that the practitioners of Christian Wicca and Catholic Craft should be more respected by Christians and Wiccans alike. In an ideal world…
He has changed his mind in recent times, here is his 'retractiones'
I now object to the term “Christian Wicca” because I hold that Wicca is a very specific religion—but that’s the same reason I object to the term “Eclectic Wicca” too. I’d call them Christopagans and be done with it. But, I still deeply admire those people, and I think they’re the bravest souls in the entire neopagan scene.
Wicca and Christianity are quite different. Christianity was a mystery religion only in its very first centuries, but now it’s a revealed religion, while Wicca, real Wicca, is a mystery religion. See Skytoucher’s article for more about the difference. There are lots of things in the New Testament that can inspire us, but the basic differences should be acknowledged.
Secondly, HD also provides a link to http://www.christianwicca.org/index.html a website promoting it, and providing some essays.
And from there one can go to: http://p199.ezboard.com/bchristianwicca a discussion board.
While the reactions of most Christians can be pre-determined, and therefore needs little comment here, I was wondering what the resident Wiccans/Pagans think of this venture. Is this a matter of religious eclecticism they would liike to see come to pass, or is this mixing oil and water?