Wicca

[CoreIssue]

Note: The first 6 posts here are reposts from the old board by CoreIssue.

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:22 pm by CoreIssue

From my files. Not my creation.

Wicca is, first and foremost, a decentralized religion varying between “Traditional Witchcraft” beliefs and “New Age”/”Modern” Wicca beliefs. As many Wiccan websites will tell you:

"If you ask one hundred Wiccans what Wicca is, they will probably give you one hundred different answers."

With this comes the problem of contradictory beliefs between various groups and the complete absence of any means with which to declare any set of specific beliefs correct.

Here are some examples of the contradictions between various Wiccan groups:

Example #1: There is central disagreement as to who or what "the Gods" really are. Wiccan literature and rituals use general names such as "The Gods," "The Goddess and The God," or different gods by name. However, the varying personal beliefs by many Wiccans are as follows:

1) Polytheism - the worship of many gods and goddesses.

2) Duotheism - all the female gods worshipped are really different forms, names, appearances, etc. of the one true female god . . .

AND

. . . all the male gods are really different forms, names, appearances, etc. of the one true male god.

3) "Monotheism" - "The God" and "The Goddess" are two halves of a single, divine force.

4) Pantheist - various forces or items in nature are considered "godlike."

5) Psychological Archetypes - god(s) are merely figments of the individual mind representing various meanings.

6) Symbolic Entities - god(s) many be symbols of certain thing(s).

Example #2: Rules and rituals vary considerably between groups of Wiccans.

Example #3: There is disagreement as to what Nature and the Earth really are. Beliefs range from the earth being the "Mother of the Gods" to the earth simply being a single living organism that exhibits intelligence.

Example #4: Opinions vary on the meaning and significance of the term "witch." Some consider it a dirty word that should not be used, while others use it with ease.

While many Wiccans have personal beliefs about "what Wicca really is," they completely lack the ability to prove what beliefs are truth and what beliefs are not truth (such as in if one should become an "eclectic witch" or not).

This problem violates the Law of Non-Contradiction, where there can only be one non-paradoxical truth. With the total absence of the ability to determine what is truth and what is not, Wicca thereby becomes a completely subjective religion defined by the whim of the individual.

Question: What are the true or correct beliefs of Wicca?

[CoreIssue]

Discussion I have archived on Wicca. Not my own, but used with permission from another member on another board.

Part 1/3
Hi xxxxxxxx,

Of course you know I would be one of those who were once wiccan so maybe my answer here isn’t what you were looking for. However, you are asking the question of people whom you already assume know nothing about your beliefs. By placing them in this position and then asking them to tell you what they don’t like about wicca gives you an opportunity to then refute everything they say by telling them they don’t know what they’re talking about. Do you see the vicious circle here?

I used to do something very similar to this. When I went from Christian faith to wicca, I wanted “proof” to back up my contention that Christians were bigoted hypocrites who had no love for anyone outside their circle. I needed to validate my reasons for turning to wicca, so I would purposely antagonize them and ask them to “prove” what they believed while citing their ignorance of my wiccan beliefs. This is pretty much the same thing you seem to be doing here.

The truth of the matter is that many Christians, however well meaning, really do not know very much about wicca and other pagan religions. Too often, we confuse what we believe about others’ practices and beliefs with what they actually believe and practice. In no way am I saying I agree with wiccan beliefs. I’m pointing out that we should have a basic comprehension of what others believe before we attempt to critique it. As Christians we would want no less from someone else who disagreed with our beliefs.

I’m not advocating Christians go out and buy pagan materials or look up a coven in their area. I would suggest finding material in your local Christian bookstore that has been well researched. I would recommend “Witchcraft, Exploring the World of Wicca” by Craig S. Hawkins. He does an excellent job of presenting what wiccans actually teach and believe, then contrasts it with what the Bible has to say. Much of my work here is drawn from his book, as I no longer have my wiccan source books in order to quote what various wiccan teachers have written. I’ve also used the New King James and Amplified Bibles as my Biblical sources.

[CoreIssue]

Part 2/3
1.Deity
Wicca teaches:“The goddess is the female force, that portion of the ultimate energy source which created the universe. The god is the male force, the other half of the primal divine energy acknowledged by wiccans.” Scott Cunningham

“And those neo-pagans in the craft, the followers of wicca, might well be considered ‘duo-theists’, conceiving of deity as the goddess of the moon, earth and sea, and the god of the woods, the hunt, the animal realm.” Margot Adler

Bible teaches:
“Know, recognize and understand therefore this day and turn your mind and heart to it that the Lord is God in the heavens above and upon the earth beneath; there is no other.” Deuteronomy 4:39

“Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is: Hear O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord.” Mark 12:29

“For there is only one God and only one Mediator between God and men, the Man Jesus Christ.” 1 Timothy 2:5

2.The devil and demons
Wicca teaches:
Most witches deny the existence of a literal devil and reject the accusation that they worship him. Most witches view the devil as a Christian invention. However, there is a difference of opinion among witches regarding demons and/or other evil entities. Four major views include: A)demons do not exist; B)demons may exist but witches don’t interact with them; C)demons exist and witches should be careful because, although the witch may not wish to contact demons, the demons may contact them; D)demons may or may not exist; nevertheless, various evil entities exist. This teaching is taken from various sources including Margot Adler, Isaac Bonewits, Raymond Buckland, Scott Cunningham, Sybil Leek, Starhawk, Doreen Valiente, and Marion Weinstein, to name a few.

Bible teaches:“Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he (satan) said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1

“How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with strength and ability and power, how He went about doing good, and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38

“Be well balanced, temperate, sober of mind, be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring (in fierce hunger), seeking someone to seize upon and devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

“And it is no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light,”
2 Corinthians 11:14

“But the Holy Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach.” 1 Timothy 4:1

“You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder.”
James 2:19

3.Hell and sin
Wicca teaches:“They (witches) do not understand why other religions should wish to convert everyone to their own way of thinking. Surely no one can believe that a god, who made the whole world and everyone in it, should choose one group more than any other, and condemn the rest to an everlasting hell.” And “The whole idea of burning forever in a blazing pit is very farfetched, and certainly doesn’t tie up with a god of love. This idea was invented to frighten uneducated people into being ‘good’ and going to church.” Arnold & Patricia Crowther

“We are aware of our own goodness and strength, and we are not afraid to admit it. We are not sinners and we know it. We don’t have a devil to blame our mistakes on and we need no Savior to save us from a non-existent hell.” Valerie Voigt

Bible teaches:“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
Psalm 9:17

“The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below.”
Proverbs 15:24

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand ‘Depart from Me you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Romans 5:8-11

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

4.Polytheism
Wicca teaches:
“They (witches) feel that all should be free to choose the religion that best suits them. It would seem obvious that there can be no one religion for all.” Raymond Buckland

Bible teaches:“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Proverbs 16:25

“Jesus said to him ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

[CoreIssue]

Part 3/3
5.Magic & divination (fortune telling)
Wicca teaches:
“A spell is a mental projection, either spoken, written or thought. It is sent out into the universe to effect some change.” Laurie Cabot

“Wiccans don’t curse or hex. It simply isn’t practiced or taught.” Scott Cunningham

“The witches own conscience is and must be the final arbiter, and if it rebels against some suggestions from high priest, high priestess, or anyone else, he must follow his conscience.” Stewart Farrar

“Magic is the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of various techniques such as incantations and presumably assuring human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.” Sybil Leek

Divination methods are as varied as pagans themselves and include astrology, crystal gazing, the I Ching, necromancy (spiritism), numerology, palmistry, runes, scrying, trance channeling and tarot cards. The following all atest to some form of divination as part of their practice: Margot Adler, Isaac Bonewits, Raymond Buckland, Laurie Cabot, Scott Cunningham, Stewart Farrar, Sybil Leek, Starhawk, Doreen Valiente, and Marion Weinstein.

Bible teaches:“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12

The following Hebrew words are used in the above passage and others elsewhere in the Old Testament:
Nahash – to practice divination, divine, practice fortune telling, observe signs or omens or learn by omens.
Qesem – divination, augury, witchcraft, sorcery, fortune telling, omen, lot, oracle or decision.
Habar and Heber – casting a spell, tying a person up by magic, to tie a magic knot or spell, charm.
Kashap – To practice magic or sorcery, to enchant, to use witchcraft.
In Revelation 9:21 the Greek word pharmakeia is interpreted as magic arts. This word is where we get our word for ‘pharmacy’. Interestingly enough, many wiccans are very interested in holistic medicine and healing with plants and herbs.

Whether or not Christians “like” wicca is really beside the point. It’s clear that the teachings of wicca and what the Bible teaches are very much opposites. As far as your question regarding Catholics, hopefully what I’ve written above has answered your question, but let me clarify by saying that if someone is a Catholic and reads the Bible for herself, she would see that she could not justify her Catholic beliefs in many areas with what the Bible actually teaches. Likewise, it simply isn’t possible to be wiccan and Christian at the same time, based upon what we have seen above.

In an earlier post, Xxxxxxxxx, you stated that wicca is a comforting and exciting religion. I have to grant you that, in the beginning, it was for me too. But no matter how many circles I cast, how many times I contemplated the goddess, she was nothing more than wishful thinking. I may as well have been praying to a fairy godmother. And to tell you the truth, in the year and a half that I practiced, I missed talking to Jesus! As time went by and I found that other wiccans were just a harsh and judgemental as some Christians my interest in wicca began to fade. My spells were never as effective as the prayers God has answered in my life. Sometimes it’s hard to admit that we just want to “do our own thing” and that we are being rebellious against God. In my case (and I suspect maybe in yours as well) this was the real truth underneath my search.

God shows how He allowed the children of Israel to turn from their pagan ways.
1 Samuel 7:3-4:
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths (Canaanite goddesses) from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

Those who have been caught up in pagan religions can do the same. God is loving and gracious, and I know from first hand experience He will forgive a person’s involvement in pagan religions.

Xxxxxx, in all of this keep in mind how much Jesus loves you, and please know I write these things to you in keeping with 2 Timothy 2:24-26:
“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

[CoreIssue]

I sure believe a lot of this stuff is filtering into Christianity cloaked in various forms.

WoF, in example, believes God's power is in the words he uses and not him. We as well can use those power words on our own.

[CoreIssue]

thanks for posting this.

and it truly has infiltrated.