Christian - Wiccan
Posted 18th September 2010 at 03:17 PM on "Interfaith Forums"
by Rev Chard
Reproduced here with the permission of Rev Chard
by Rev Chard
Reproduced here with the permission of Rev Chard
Christian-Wiccan:
I was asked by my niece if it were possible to be a Christian-Wiccan. She believed it was but had received resistance from both Christians and Wiccans.
The following is what my research and study has determined to be the basics of what I believe to be Christian –Wiccan path.
All Wiccan’s are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan.
All who follow Christ are Christian by faith, but not all are Christian by religion.
Wicca is an earth based belief system, an open minded, accepting, welcoming religion which celebrates diversity and considers all as children of the same Mother.
There are no dues to pay, no central organization, no governing body, no chairman, no president, nor are there any high priest or priestess that speaks for the Goddess.
Wiccans worship in gardens, on beaches, in the woods, in libraries, book stores, on mountain tops and in personal spaces known only to the individual.
Wicca simple is the collection of witches with their various collective beliefs, practices and traditions who share a common faith.
No one should call themselves a witch lightly. To be a witch is to set oneself apart from the majority of others and should be considered a binding contract of service to the life force.
There are solitary Wiccans, those who practice individually without joining in fellowship with others, and there are those who join with others and follow the traditions of that coven.
There are different Wiccan traditions (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Celtic, Dianic, etc) plus many family and coven traditions which have developed through the ages.
The first step to become witch is to find your path to the Goddess. The second is to dedicate oneself to an ethical system which one follows when they utilize the power and magic which she gifts to you.
The Wiccan faith has two pillars: the Great Goddess and the “Wiccan Rede”.
Christian-Wiccans dedicate themselves to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. This is the ethical system which they hold themselves to.
Time out!
How can someone be both Wiccan and Christian if Wiccans worship the Great Goddess and Christians worship God?
The Christian God is the Creator. He is the first and only parent of all mankind. Although referred to as Father, God is both male and female or neither male nor female.
The Judeo-Christian societies were, and in many cases still are, male oriented societies. So it would be natural for a creator God to be referred to as male.
Whether it is God, Goddess, Creator, Parent, Sustainer, Provider or the Eternal Universe: all these words are man’s way of describing a God he does not understand.
Time back in:
The Great Goddess is everything within the universe and she is the universe itself. She is not separate or superior. Creation is constant, it destroys only to recreate. That which is referred to as the Great Mother is the creator of all. We are all part of her. We share our very being with her and we are because of her. She is infinite and varied as fingerprints or snowflakes. She is the yin and yang, the Alpha and Omega, and both the female and male essence.
The Wiccan Rede in its simplest form states: “And it harms none, do as ye will.”
This has been passed down from witch to witch for generations, in many forms and versions. A common version is credited to Adriana Porter known as the “Rede of Wiccae”.
A common belief for Wiccans is that there are many paths to enlightenment and that all religions are equally valid. Most respect the belief systems of others and value freedom of worship for all. Live and let live, if you may, for like the Rede says: “And it harms none, do as ye will.”
The Wiccan year consists of four Greater Sabbats and four Lesser Sabbats. A Sabbat is a holiday or festival.
Wiccans see the year as an ever revolving wheel and celebrates the waning and waxing of the moon, the changing seasons, the agricultural year and the solar year.
The four Greater and the four Lesser Sabbats are:
February 2: Imbolic
May 1: Beltane
August 1: Lughnasadh
October 1: Samhain
Spring Equinox: Ostara
Summer Solstice: Litha
Autumn Equinox: Mabon
Winter Solstice: Yule
The two holiest Christian seasons are Christmas time, which includes Advent which leads up to Christmas day and Easter time, which includes Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter.
Many Christian faiths observe the following sacraments or rites:
Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion (or the Lord’s Supper), Marriage and Last Rites.
Wiccan rites usually consist of the following:
Wiccaning, Initiation, Handfasting, The Great Rite, Croning and Death Rites.
Much is available about both the example and teachings of Jesus Christ and Wicca. There are books, articles and information galore available on the internet.
Some words of caution.
Much of what is available is the opinion and beliefs of the author. Do much research, compare what you find and always remember we each have the responsibility of determining our personal paths within any faith system. What is right for others may not be right for us and vice versa.
Respect others and never forget the Wiccan Rede, “And it harms none, do as ye will.”
I was asked by my niece if it were possible to be a Christian-Wiccan. She believed it was but had received resistance from both Christians and Wiccans.
The following is what my research and study has determined to be the basics of what I believe to be Christian –Wiccan path.
All Wiccan’s are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan.
All who follow Christ are Christian by faith, but not all are Christian by religion.
Wicca is an earth based belief system, an open minded, accepting, welcoming religion which celebrates diversity and considers all as children of the same Mother.
There are no dues to pay, no central organization, no governing body, no chairman, no president, nor are there any high priest or priestess that speaks for the Goddess.
Wiccans worship in gardens, on beaches, in the woods, in libraries, book stores, on mountain tops and in personal spaces known only to the individual.
Wicca simple is the collection of witches with their various collective beliefs, practices and traditions who share a common faith.
No one should call themselves a witch lightly. To be a witch is to set oneself apart from the majority of others and should be considered a binding contract of service to the life force.
There are solitary Wiccans, those who practice individually without joining in fellowship with others, and there are those who join with others and follow the traditions of that coven.
There are different Wiccan traditions (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Celtic, Dianic, etc) plus many family and coven traditions which have developed through the ages.
The first step to become witch is to find your path to the Goddess. The second is to dedicate oneself to an ethical system which one follows when they utilize the power and magic which she gifts to you.
The Wiccan faith has two pillars: the Great Goddess and the “Wiccan Rede”.
Christian-Wiccans dedicate themselves to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. This is the ethical system which they hold themselves to.
Time out!
How can someone be both Wiccan and Christian if Wiccans worship the Great Goddess and Christians worship God?
The Christian God is the Creator. He is the first and only parent of all mankind. Although referred to as Father, God is both male and female or neither male nor female.
The Judeo-Christian societies were, and in many cases still are, male oriented societies. So it would be natural for a creator God to be referred to as male.
Whether it is God, Goddess, Creator, Parent, Sustainer, Provider or the Eternal Universe: all these words are man’s way of describing a God he does not understand.
Time back in:
The Great Goddess is everything within the universe and she is the universe itself. She is not separate or superior. Creation is constant, it destroys only to recreate. That which is referred to as the Great Mother is the creator of all. We are all part of her. We share our very being with her and we are because of her. She is infinite and varied as fingerprints or snowflakes. She is the yin and yang, the Alpha and Omega, and both the female and male essence.
The Wiccan Rede in its simplest form states: “And it harms none, do as ye will.”
This has been passed down from witch to witch for generations, in many forms and versions. A common version is credited to Adriana Porter known as the “Rede of Wiccae”.
A common belief for Wiccans is that there are many paths to enlightenment and that all religions are equally valid. Most respect the belief systems of others and value freedom of worship for all. Live and let live, if you may, for like the Rede says: “And it harms none, do as ye will.”
The Wiccan year consists of four Greater Sabbats and four Lesser Sabbats. A Sabbat is a holiday or festival.
Wiccans see the year as an ever revolving wheel and celebrates the waning and waxing of the moon, the changing seasons, the agricultural year and the solar year.
The four Greater and the four Lesser Sabbats are:
February 2: Imbolic
May 1: Beltane
August 1: Lughnasadh
October 1: Samhain
Spring Equinox: Ostara
Summer Solstice: Litha
Autumn Equinox: Mabon
Winter Solstice: Yule
The two holiest Christian seasons are Christmas time, which includes Advent which leads up to Christmas day and Easter time, which includes Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter.
Many Christian faiths observe the following sacraments or rites:
Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion (or the Lord’s Supper), Marriage and Last Rites.
Wiccan rites usually consist of the following:
Wiccaning, Initiation, Handfasting, The Great Rite, Croning and Death Rites.
Much is available about both the example and teachings of Jesus Christ and Wicca. There are books, articles and information galore available on the internet.
Some words of caution.
Much of what is available is the opinion and beliefs of the author. Do much research, compare what you find and always remember we each have the responsibility of determining our personal paths within any faith system. What is right for others may not be right for us and vice versa.
Respect others and never forget the Wiccan Rede, “And it harms none, do as ye will.”
