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Is being Christian/Wiccan a contradiction?

By Alatea Asked Oct 23 2005 6:59AM
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Top Answer out of 8

by AntigoneRising on Dec 23, 2005 at 10:44 am Permalink

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This answer was last edited on: Sep 6, 2006
(Links included for further reading)

Whether or not being a Christian/Wiccan is a contradiction depends entirely upon whom you ask. Certainly, some members of both Christianity and Wicca will tell you that they are contridictory. As the predominant Christian dogma says that personal salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way to avoid hell, many Christians believe that Christianity offers you everything and nothing outside of that is "kosher." I would expect that Wiccans are more open to the idea of blending, but that is my subjective opinion. Wiccans do tend to borrow and blend ideas from many belief systems (karma is an Asian concept). (Some Wiccans are open to blending ideas from all faiths EXCEPT Christianity and Islam.)

Many, however, do not find the teachings of Christianity and Wicca at odds. I know two people who have successfully blended the two faiths. Both religions teach an indwelling of divinity - Wicca says the divine is in all of us, and Christianity says you receive the Holy Spirit. Wicca has the Rede, "An it harm none, do as ye will." Christians have the words of Jesus, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

So, I can't tell you whether or not being Christian/Wiccan is a contradiction. That's subjective. However, it certainly can be done. (Much as New Orleans Voodoo has incorporated many Catholic icons and ideas.) Christian/Wiccans even have their own webring.

A description from one of the Christian Wicca e-groups says, "Christian Wicca blends the "Old Religion" with Jesus and the Goddess. Christian Wicca is an eclectic form of Christianity based on the spiritual beliefs of the Holy Bible, the Kabbalah, and the Gnostic Gospels; it is practiced via the personal spiritual methods of Wicca."

More information can be found here:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcr5.htm

http://www.christianwicca.org/

http://www.northernway.org/index.shtml

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChristianWicca/

http://azure.bbboy.net/christianwitch

http://u.webring.com/hub


I hope this information helps.
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Avatar rgypsy Nov, 24 2006 at 08:44 PM
nicely said. i think that there is one god for all of humanity(christian, jewish, buddast, etc). we all take from the different religions to suit our desires.
Avatar Rescuer Treesaw May, 23 2007 at 10:23 PM
WOW! I love this answer
Avatar AntigoneRising May, 23 2007 at 10:30 PM
Thanks.

Answer 2 out of 8

by ImNotLikeYou on Oct 30, 2005 at 11:06 am Permalink

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It depends on what you actually believe. Do you believe that Witches should go to hell? Then it is a contradiction. A friend of mine is trying to conform herself to being Christian/Wicca, and she believs in everything Wicca has to offer SPIRITUALLY. It actually seems to come out almost the same as ordinary Wicca, without the many gods and goddesses
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Avatar TulsaDavid Nov, 06 2005 at 10:12 PM
They are contradictory, not some subjective or relative belief, as much as is light (true Christianity) and darkness.
Avatar AntigoneRising Dec, 23 2005 at 10:17 AM
TulsaDavid, please moderate your subjective religious opinion.
Avatar tripwire Nov, 19 2006 at 03:50 AM
TD, that 's exactly the type of fundamentalism that people find so unattractive about mainstream religions.

Answer 3 out of 8

by Anonymous on Jun 5, 2007 at 6:53 pm Permalink

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I don't believe it is a contradiction. I am very happy to be active in both faiths.
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Answer 4 out of 8

by Mirage V2.0 AWOL on Nov 19, 2006 at 2:55 am Permalink

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This answer was last edited on: Jan 2, 2007
For what it is worth, here is an excerpt from an article that addresses this question. If you are deeply interested I recommend the reading of the entire article.

The problem I see with trying to incorporate the two practices is the enormous human effort required to examine Wicca VS Christianity without opening the door to the many secret, Gnostic schools of belief and other religions and thus complicating the issue at hand.

ADDENDUM: 01/02/07:
Despite the assertion below, I do not think you can wholeheartedly serve two masters or practice two religions that have distinct differences despite some philosphical similarities.

The excerpt:
Christian Wicca: The Oxymoron Syndrome
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can Christianity and Wicca Mix? How can that be? Isn't being a Christian and a Wiccan oxymoron? The term Wiccan does not automatically indicate “anti-Christian” – this is the single most misunderstood concept revolving around Christian Wicca. This is a stereotypical way of thinking and a spiritual prejudice. As the researcher and author, obviously I have been able to draw the parallels of communing with the Holy Trinity within the spiritual framework of Wicca. However, the numbers of people who have claimed to study both Christianity and Wicca, and have not seen the parallels have overwhelmed me.
To be very honest, I am not the original person to set about Christianizing the practices and sacred Days of Power of The Wicca, Pagan religions, or any earth-based religions. As much as I would like to take credit for this - the Roman Catholic Church did this first. The Catholics are truly in many aspects the original Christian Wiccans or ChristoPagans!
Understandingly, it is human nature for us to not see the obvious truths standing directly before us. The change that the truth brings about in one's own life is a scary thing. It is much simpler to be spiritually ignorant to esoteric concepts rather than to complicate one's mind and soul with unfamiliar ideologies. The modern Church tends to frown upon anything outside beyond the mundane.
Most people don't consider the many sects and denominations of Christianity as being oxymoronic, they are merely a different approaches. For example, when a Christian worships as Baptist is that an oxymoron? No, of course it is not! When a Christian worships as a Catholic or a Protestant, we don't consider this an oxymoron, we considered this a diversity of theory and practice within the umbrella of Christianity.
Likewise, Wiccans identify themselves by tradition. Some of the traditions include Dianic Wiccans, Gardnerian Wiccans, Faerie Wiccans, Celtic Wiccans, and Eclectic Wiccans. What is wrong with considering Christian to be another tradition of Wicca?
Spiritual labels such as Dianic, Baptist, Eclectic and Catholic only define the technique of worship the practitioner uses to commune with the Divine. This concept is the same as when a Christian worships as a Wiccan. If it helps you to think of Wicca as another denomination of Christianity in order to better understand this spiritual path for yourself or to explain to others, then by all means, feel free to present it in such a light.
So, what aspects make Christian Wicca not an oxymoron? Below, I have tried to list the most frequently asked questions and address the most commonly distorted concepts revolving around practicing Christianity in the framework of Wicca.

http://www.christianwicca.org/oxymoron.html
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Answer 5 out of 8

by robbonz on Oct 27, 2005 at 2:20 am Permalink

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This answer was last edited on: Dec 23, 2005
This is dangerous ground and will no doubt be like treading on a minefield!

If you are a Christian you believe that the Spirit of God lives within you and guides you.

Therefore if you are a Christian you should not allow yourself to be guided by other spirits, and would need to anyway.

I have modified that last paragraph in reponse to the criticism that it is not an answer, I can't see how else I can make it one!

Re raising the alarm there was of course no way of telling where you stood on the matter but thanks for asking so we could both draw attention to this.
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Avatar Alatea Oct, 29 2005 at 06:34 PM
No need to raise the alarm :-) I was asking out of curiosity because I see many are attempting to blend the two.
Avatar DazedNConfused Dec, 22 2005 at 11:47 AM
not an answer

Answer 6 out of 8

by paganwatcher on Sep 16, 2009 at 4:35 pm Permalink

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yes it is contradictory for some very small minded people.. no one can prove that any.. hmm let me emphasize ANY religion is correct in what it teaches.. it is up to a person to decide for themselves.. just like most people look down on Jehovah witness and Mormons and quickly shoo them away " ok partly because they either come at 5am or after your settling down for the night" but those are much more similar to mainstream Christianity than wicca or paganism.. my thing is when you can tell me the bible better than most Wiccans or pagans i know then ill actually have a religions debate with them.. the only problem is that most people whom quote the bible only know what they have been told and most of it is taken out of context
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Answer 7 out of 8

by mortem on Apr 7, 2007 at 10:55 am Permalink

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I'm cristian and I think of becomming a Wicca,. At first I doubted about if I should drop my Cristianity but I wil not, I can be both.

I already have a teacher for wicca and she does not care that I'm also Cristian and that I go to the Church.

The church comunity also doesn't care. Now I'll just have to tell my parents ... :(

Good luck to other Cristian/wicca out there!
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Answer 8 out of 8

by Mirage V2.0 AWOL on Nov 19, 2006 at 2:37 am Permalink

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Some Christian are flexible and open minded, respecting the beliefs of others.

From my point of view, Christianity is an evolved religion with roots in pagan traditions. Pagan, btw does not connote a negative judgment.

I believe that Christian thought offers more answers than other religion. So, If Christianity is your primary belief and you supplement it with respect for the Earth and environment that God created the two systems can be complementary.

I do not think that Wiccan practice is worship, but would welcome comments re this, but it is a celebration of the world, it dimensions and the unique planet that we are entrusted with as caretakers.

Does this offend some Christians? Or Wiccans? Probably. But how can you object to being the protector of God's creation? Tricky ground, indeed.
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Avatar AntigoneRising Nov, 28 2006 at 02:18 PM
Yes, I worship. :) (You asked for some comments about that. I worship Ma'at, Tehuti, Isis, Sekhmet, Osiris, etc.)
Avatar Mirage V2.0 AWOL Nov, 28 2006 at 07:51 PM
That's good to know. It must give you some satisfaction. Regarding the original question, are there any Christian elements in Wiccan? A simple answer will suffice, no thesis required, no religious debate, I promise.
Avatar AntigoneRising May, 23 2007 at 10:34 PM
That depends upon what you consider Christian elements. We have elements in common with Christianity, but they do not come from Christianity. Hope that makes sense. Gardner largely borrowed from Hinduism, Buddhism, pre-Christian European beliefs, and ceremonial magic. Who downrated this, btw? I am going to even you out on points.


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