Why I Am Wiccan?
I am Wiccan. I am not a Christian.
The history, stats, beliefs, practices, and ethics of every religion vary. Many cultures base themselves off their religion, following a path set and ruled through their community. While most children pursue the beliefs of their parents, I was determined to find my own self-righteous path, detaching myself from the Christian beliefs of my parents and those before; my grandparents, and set forth on living life through the belief of Wicca. Growing up, my siblings and I were educated in the ways the Christian religoin and though they chose to continue to learn under my grandparents, I had adhered to the beliefs of the Goddess and sustained the way of the Wicca.
Christianity is the belief system surrounded by …show more content…
the teachings of Jesus Christ, the son of God. A Christian is one who has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who has made a personal, free-will decision to commit himself and all his or her life to the Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Traditional monotheist Christian beliefs exist of one God, the son of God, and the Holy Spirit. Christians follow the sacred text of the Bible and focus their morals through the Ten Commandments. They worship in a church studying God’s word and engage the world in Gospel. In order to reach the Lord, Christians pray, asking for his forgiveness and thanking him for life. Their ideals surround the judgment process of Heaven and Hell. Christians dedicate their lives on living through the lord and receiving salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Christians expand in their beliefs branching out into multiple denominations: for example, Baptist, Catholicism, protestant, etc.
Many Christians today believe that anyone who is not a Christian is doomed to an eternity of suffering in Hell. Any decent person, believing this, would be compelled to try to save as many people from this fate as possible. Is this belief correct? Jesus Christ, having noted the faith and righteousness of a Roman centurion, a Pagan, proclaimed, “Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:10-12). If these words are accepted as true, and surely are, then it is clear that heaven will contain many who are not Christians, Jesus Christ sets forth the criteria for entrance into the kingdom of Heaven, and those criteria include love, kindness, forgiveness and a refusal to judge others: “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:36-38).
“Not everyone who says Me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 7:21). “It is clear that it is not by good works that you earn your way into heaven, because there is no way to earn the free gift of God’s mercy and grace, which alone can save one.” Says Dan Wilson, a pastor at First Christian Church “But it is clear that it is not by faith, in the sense of sharing the Christian faith, that one is saved, either. The faith in which saves us not faith in goodness of our works, nor the faith that we have the right theology and/or belong to the right church. Rather it is faith in God, and in HIS mercy.”
There is gossip that wiccans do not have faith in God? Yet by our own theology, we certainly do. Those who call Wicca Satan-worshippers are entirely wrong. We do not worship Satan, in fact, Wicca do not believe that Satan exist. Instead, Wiccans worship a Goddess ad a God whom we understand as manifestations of a higher and unknown Deity.
Witchcraft is known as magic or “The Craft of the Wise” due to the vast knowledge of herbs and nature. Evil is known as immoral and, in terms of Christianity, can be associated with Satanism and/or not withholding the belief of their God. When one reflects on Wicca, many assume “witch” or “evil.” Contrary to people’s beliefs, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious, and balanced way of life promoting oneness with all that exists tracing back to pre-Christian times. Wiccans respect nature, and seek to live in harmony with the rest of the ecosphere; and like Christians honoring their God, have great reverence to the Earth, for their Goddess and her consort. The Wiccan religion allows the free thought and will of an individual, as well as teaching responsibility by demonstrating that the results of the choices we make are encompassed around our actions and deeds, not by outside entities. Existing within the Wiccan religion has led me to believe that humanity is never superior to nature, the Earth, and its creatures. Instead, I deem that we are a part of a whole working to sustain balance. Differing from many religions Wicca recognizes the female as the dominant gender and our positive attitude towards human sexuality, viewing it as a gift from the Goddess. A term people tend to confuse, as Wicca, is Pagan. Wicca is not Pagan, but a branch of Paganism. Pagan is an umbrella term for all of the religions, belief systems, and philosophies that are not dealing with the Abrahamic religions. In order to explain the difference of Wicca and Pagan, I describe a simple tree. The thick body (trunk) of the tree is Pagan. The branches stemming off the trunk are the religions under the category of pagan (ex. Buddhism, Wicca, Druidism, Hindu, etc.). At the end of the branches are the leaves representing the different traditions of those specific belief systems. Unlike Christianity, Wicca is a decentralized religion with each person developing his or her own beliefs and rituals, as well as other practices. Therefore, in Wicca, our beliefs and practices are what most Wiccans hold in common. In comparison to Christianity, I too am monotheistic. Instead of conforming to the central belief of Jesus Christ, I do believe in a single supreme being.
Those who are Christian can find this passage to be similar. In the Bible the following can be found: “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23). As a Wiccan, I worship the unknown God, as a manifestation in the form of a Goddess and a God. Through this connection it could be considered that we worship the same God that those of the Christian faith do.
Within the Christian community, those who are unable to stand on God’s Word and must prove to themselves the truth of what it proclaims the holy Apostle John has given the method for doing so. Attend any public Wiccan ceremony, and test the spirits which are there, to see “whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). You will find that, while the power manifested there may be slightly different than what is experienced as a Christian, would be similar to the power of God. Or maybe not?
In retrospect the Wiccan and Christian religion differ in so many ways.
The ancient roots and influences originate in the Celtic and Norse Pagan religion for the religion of Wicca but originate in the Hebrew region for Christianity. Another difference concerns the main symbol of the religion. Wicca tend to associate themselves with the Pentagram, a five pointed star encompassed within a circle. As for Christians, The symbol of the Cross holds importance within the religion. Other distinctions between the two religions are the rituals; containing spells, dancing beneath the moon, and circle casting on behalf of the Wiccan religion, and singing and prayer designed within the Christian religion. Wiccans celebrate eight holidays, or sabbats; Samhain (Halloween), Winter Solstice (Christmas), Imbolic (Ground Hog’s Day), the Spring Equinox, Beltane (May Day), the Summer Solstice, Harvest Eve, and the Autumn Equinox, to Christian’s many holidays (ex. Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, etc.). However, it is not pleasant to consider the differences between any religions because of innumerable conflicts. Therefore similar to Christianity, Wicca falls under many other denominations like Alexandrian Wicca, Celtic, Gaelic, and countless more with both beliefs viewed as eternal. Honoring life is held important to the Wiccan and Christian system and considers all brothers and sisters gathering to love one
another.
Focusing on the two notorious yet unlike religions of Christianity and Wicca was not to make one out to be better than the other. In fact, it has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the both religions and develop a considerable amount of respect for Christianity. Each way of life has followed a different path and in doing so has accumulated similar view points in regards of one higher being, good and evil (light and darkness), and promoting self responsibility. In conclusion, both set of beliefs contain their own set of denominations, traditions, doctrines, and viewpoints constructing its culture.
The history, stats, beliefs, practices, and ethics of every religion vary. Many cultures base themselves off their religion, following a path set and ruled through their community. While most children pursue the beliefs of their parents, I was determined to find my own self-righteous path, detaching myself from the Christian beliefs of my parents and those before; my grandparents, and set forth on living life through the belief of Wicca. Growing up, my siblings and I were educated in the ways the Christian religoin and though they chose to continue to learn under my grandparents, I had adhered to the beliefs of the Goddess and sustained the way of the Wicca.
Christianity is the belief system surrounded by …show more content…
the teachings of Jesus Christ, the son of God. A Christian is one who has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who has made a personal, free-will decision to commit himself and all his or her life to the Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Traditional monotheist Christian beliefs exist of one God, the son of God, and the Holy Spirit. Christians follow the sacred text of the Bible and focus their morals through the Ten Commandments. They worship in a church studying God’s word and engage the world in Gospel. In order to reach the Lord, Christians pray, asking for his forgiveness and thanking him for life. Their ideals surround the judgment process of Heaven and Hell. Christians dedicate their lives on living through the lord and receiving salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Christians expand in their beliefs branching out into multiple denominations: for example, Baptist, Catholicism, protestant, etc.
Many Christians today believe that anyone who is not a Christian is doomed to an eternity of suffering in Hell. Any decent person, believing this, would be compelled to try to save as many people from this fate as possible. Is this belief correct? Jesus Christ, having noted the faith and righteousness of a Roman centurion, a Pagan, proclaimed, “Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:10-12). If these words are accepted as true, and surely are, then it is clear that heaven will contain many who are not Christians, Jesus Christ sets forth the criteria for entrance into the kingdom of Heaven, and those criteria include love, kindness, forgiveness and a refusal to judge others: “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:36-38).
“Not everyone who says Me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 7:21). “It is clear that it is not by good works that you earn your way into heaven, because there is no way to earn the free gift of God’s mercy and grace, which alone can save one.” Says Dan Wilson, a pastor at First Christian Church “But it is clear that it is not by faith, in the sense of sharing the Christian faith, that one is saved, either. The faith in which saves us not faith in goodness of our works, nor the faith that we have the right theology and/or belong to the right church. Rather it is faith in God, and in HIS mercy.”
There is gossip that wiccans do not have faith in God? Yet by our own theology, we certainly do. Those who call Wicca Satan-worshippers are entirely wrong. We do not worship Satan, in fact, Wicca do not believe that Satan exist. Instead, Wiccans worship a Goddess ad a God whom we understand as manifestations of a higher and unknown Deity.
Witchcraft is known as magic or “The Craft of the Wise” due to the vast knowledge of herbs and nature. Evil is known as immoral and, in terms of Christianity, can be associated with Satanism and/or not withholding the belief of their God. When one reflects on Wicca, many assume “witch” or “evil.” Contrary to people’s beliefs, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious, and balanced way of life promoting oneness with all that exists tracing back to pre-Christian times. Wiccans respect nature, and seek to live in harmony with the rest of the ecosphere; and like Christians honoring their God, have great reverence to the Earth, for their Goddess and her consort. The Wiccan religion allows the free thought and will of an individual, as well as teaching responsibility by demonstrating that the results of the choices we make are encompassed around our actions and deeds, not by outside entities. Existing within the Wiccan religion has led me to believe that humanity is never superior to nature, the Earth, and its creatures. Instead, I deem that we are a part of a whole working to sustain balance. Differing from many religions Wicca recognizes the female as the dominant gender and our positive attitude towards human sexuality, viewing it as a gift from the Goddess. A term people tend to confuse, as Wicca, is Pagan. Wicca is not Pagan, but a branch of Paganism. Pagan is an umbrella term for all of the religions, belief systems, and philosophies that are not dealing with the Abrahamic religions. In order to explain the difference of Wicca and Pagan, I describe a simple tree. The thick body (trunk) of the tree is Pagan. The branches stemming off the trunk are the religions under the category of pagan (ex. Buddhism, Wicca, Druidism, Hindu, etc.). At the end of the branches are the leaves representing the different traditions of those specific belief systems. Unlike Christianity, Wicca is a decentralized religion with each person developing his or her own beliefs and rituals, as well as other practices. Therefore, in Wicca, our beliefs and practices are what most Wiccans hold in common. In comparison to Christianity, I too am monotheistic. Instead of conforming to the central belief of Jesus Christ, I do believe in a single supreme being.
Those who are Christian can find this passage to be similar. In the Bible the following can be found: “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23). As a Wiccan, I worship the unknown God, as a manifestation in the form of a Goddess and a God. Through this connection it could be considered that we worship the same God that those of the Christian faith do.
Within the Christian community, those who are unable to stand on God’s Word and must prove to themselves the truth of what it proclaims the holy Apostle John has given the method for doing so. Attend any public Wiccan ceremony, and test the spirits which are there, to see “whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). You will find that, while the power manifested there may be slightly different than what is experienced as a Christian, would be similar to the power of God. Or maybe not?
In retrospect the Wiccan and Christian religion differ in so many ways.
The ancient roots and influences originate in the Celtic and Norse Pagan religion for the religion of Wicca but originate in the Hebrew region for Christianity. Another difference concerns the main symbol of the religion. Wicca tend to associate themselves with the Pentagram, a five pointed star encompassed within a circle. As for Christians, The symbol of the Cross holds importance within the religion. Other distinctions between the two religions are the rituals; containing spells, dancing beneath the moon, and circle casting on behalf of the Wiccan religion, and singing and prayer designed within the Christian religion. Wiccans celebrate eight holidays, or sabbats; Samhain (Halloween), Winter Solstice (Christmas), Imbolic (Ground Hog’s Day), the Spring Equinox, Beltane (May Day), the Summer Solstice, Harvest Eve, and the Autumn Equinox, to Christian’s many holidays (ex. Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, etc.). However, it is not pleasant to consider the differences between any religions because of innumerable conflicts. Therefore similar to Christianity, Wicca falls under many other denominations like Alexandrian Wicca, Celtic, Gaelic, and countless more with both beliefs viewed as eternal. Honoring life is held important to the Wiccan and Christian system and considers all brothers and sisters gathering to love one
another.
Focusing on the two notorious yet unlike religions of Christianity and Wicca was not to make one out to be better than the other. In fact, it has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the both religions and develop a considerable amount of respect for Christianity. Each way of life has followed a different path and in doing so has accumulated similar view points in regards of one higher being, good and evil (light and darkness), and promoting self responsibility. In conclusion, both set of beliefs contain their own set of denominations, traditions, doctrines, and viewpoints constructing its culture.