Why do Christians hate Wicca(Witchcraft)?

[Rae]

Are those Gods, beings that really exist?

As much as your God is a being that really exists, yes.

Aren't they ALL wiccan Gods?

Seeing that I'm not a Wiccan and that Wiccans worship the Lord and Lady, not the Egyptian pantheon or my personal God of humor, no they are not.

 

[SqueezetheShaman]

oh i always thought you were a wiccan too rae. i thought wiccans could choose any god to worship, are you sure about that??? i really don't blame many people for being so ignorant with wicca, i can't figure it out either

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

Wiccans can choose any god or goddess to worship, but in the main they will refer to them as the Lord and Lady and then comes the triple aspect of the Hunter, Father, WiseMan and the Maiden, Mother, Crone which are like... divisions within the Lord and Lady as it were (who are themselves divisions of the Divine) and then you can divide the 6 divisons further by giving them individual goddess and gods's names (Isis, Osiris, Brigid, and so on)
Lots of wiccans follow the celtic or welsh pantheons, but the egyptian and even native american pantheons are open to wiccans (and all general pagans as well I might add) because all gods are one god, all goddesses one goddess and therefore the names and aspects one uses to call upon and relate to the Divine are a very personal and individual thing.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

But in answer to the question "Aren't they all Wiccan Gods?" the answer is no: Wicca doesn't have a specific set of names beyond the generic Lord and Lady both of the tripled aspects. Again, it's about finding a face of Deity that you can commune with. While wiccans are free by the nature of the religion to choose any aspect or god or goddess to fill that spot one could argue that they are all wiccan gods, but it would be inaccurate to say so. They are Greecian, Celtic, Welsh, Egyptian, and Native American gods and goddesses (not to mention Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and African also)
Most pagans and wiccans have personal pantheons that may be all from one culture or a mixture of names and faces from around the world.

 

[Tracie]

Havoc - No, you made it clear with the dates thing. I was just reading it wrong. I went back to your testimony post and read a little further. I do believe you were sincere. I don't think the people who responded had any right to say you were insincere or challenging God.

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly you were looking for and I think I'm having trouble because I've never really been in your shoes. I don't feel like I need anything to be more obvious. When I go outside in the summer and feel the warmth of the sun and realize that if it were just a tiny bit closer I'd burst into flames or a tiny bit farther away I'd turn into an ice cube, that is seeing God to me. When I see a new baby, that is seeing God to me. My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for a long time and after learning the "scientific" side of conception, it is an absolute miracle that conception takes place as often as it does and even more of a miracle that a healthy, intact baby can be born! That can only be God! When I see people who's lives are so turned around when they come to know Jesus, that's a pretty good sign for me. When I've gotten through things that should have broken me down or made me give up, but I gave them to God and let Him take care of me...that's seeing God.

Mostly, for me, it is peace. It's not lightening and thunder and visions and signs. It's peace. It's joy in times of heartache. It's things I could not be on my own. People tell me all the time "You are always so happy and smiling!", it's not because of anything I've done. Some days I want to feel sorry for myself and be grumpy and be not very nice. And, if I forget to ask God to help me in those areas, I will walk around all grumpy and mean. If I ask God to help me, it's totally different.

I'm reading a book right now by John MacArthur called Charismatic Chaos. (I know you said somewhere you've probably read most books people would recommend) I am assuming you were not a charismatic being Baptist. (although I'm not all that educated on specific denominations) I go to a Grace Brethren church and they don't teach anything about spiritual gifts or anything....they pretty much avoid the subject. Well, my in-laws go to a very charismatic church and when we visit them we go there and I just see some things that make me question what they are doing and stuff. So, I'm reading this book to get a little more insight on the subject, just so I know how to deal with what I see.
It mostly talks about prophesy, healing and tongues, but it looks like there is a section on spirituality, too. I'm not very far in, so I can't tell you all it says, but what I've read so far is pretty good. From what I've seen from congregations like that is that they are basing their faith on emotion. We are doing a discipleship right now using Navigators material and in the first section it talked about basing your faith on emotion or knowledge. Emotions change with your circumstances. Knowledge never changes. So, what I've seen is people going into church and getting all fired up feeling they've "seen" God, then they go home and crash. They have to live for that next moment of high energy and emotion. They have to be going to revivals and conferences and meetings all the time or else they feel they are slipping from God. It makes me sad to see people I know feeling that way.

I just looked in the spirituality section of this book and it was talking about a good judge of spirituality is awareness of sin, and I'd have to say that is a good point. Before I was a Christian when I'd do bad things (I'm talking like be disrespectful to my parents or say "Oh my God" and stuff like that) I didn't really feel all that bad about it. When I accepted Christ (when I was 16) it was different after that. I would feel bad about doing that kind of stuff. It doesn't mean I didn't still do it, but I felt bad about doing it afterward. I still do bad stuff like that (I don't take the Lord's name in vain anymore, though, but I do disrespect my parents sometimes), but it seems like the closer I get to God, the more guilty I feel when I do those things. What I need to do, now that I'm thinking about it, is truly repent about being not so nice to my parents sometimes instead of just saying sorry. I need to ask God to help me out in that area. Gee...thanks for making me think about that! Hehe!

I never really pray for God to reveal himself or anything like that, but I guess it's because He already has. I guess you are more like Thomas. He stood there looking at Jesus and didn't believe it was him until he saw the scars. It didn't make Thomas less of a person, though. Jesus still loved him. He couldn't believe that He could stand right there and have himself questioned, but He understood. I think God understands why we doubt and questions. He made us, He understands how we feel. And I think He does reveal Himself, we just have to look in the right places. The worst thing you can do is listen to other people when they tell you how to have a spiritual experience or how to see God. (kinda like what I've told you. hehe!) I think that the only word from God we have is the Bible and it seems like a lot of what people are searching for is in there and it seems like a lot of what people are finding elsewhere and calling it God isn't in there. I don't know. I'm not claiming to know everything...I'm not even remotely close...but I know the peace and joy He has given me and it hasn't come from signs and revelations and emotion. It's just there. And I know that when things are horrible and I open my Bible and I cry out to God, he totally calms my spirit.

I seriously doubt anything I say will change anything you believe, but I just want you to know that I am still praying for you because I feel like you still sort of want to believe. Kind of like a kid who was abused by their dad...they can go their whole life...no matter what happened in the past...still craving the love of their father. I think if you saw some sort of sign today, you'd turn back to the one true God. What I hope is that you haven't been given those signs and didn't see them because you were looking where men told you to look instead of where God wanted you to look. Anyway, I enjoy debating with you, even though we don't agree all that often (twice now, though!) I will be praying for you!!!

Tracie

 

[SqueezetheShaman]

I seriously doubt anything I say will change anything you believe, but I just want you to know that I am still praying for you because I feel like you still sort of want to believe.
Tracie

what does he do or say that makes you think that? or do you admit it is purely wishful thinking? does it bother you that others are so certain in their beliefs, because it may mean yours are wrong?

 

[Godzman]

what does he do or say that makes you think that? or do you admit it is purely wishful thinking? does it bother you that others are so certain in their beliefs, because it may mean yours are wrong?

is it wrong to be certain in your beliefs? I am not a post-modern, I am more neoplatonist in my thinking.

 

[SqueezetheShaman]

forgive me godzman, but I don't have a clue as to how that relates to the question.

 

[Tracie]

SqueezetheShaman - The words of his testimony say that to me. When he said he was praying to the wrong God for him...that says it to me. That maybe in the back of his mind he believes that God is real. I don't know that he blieves God loves him, however, which is a big part of the whole thing. Of course, it's not something I know for sure. I'm just saying that's the impression I get. The only two who know are himself and God.

Tracie

 

[Tracie]

Oh, and also...yes, it does bother me that others are so certain in their beliefs. Not because it would mean mine are wrong, but because it makes me sad that they don't have the wonderful joy that I have in the Lord. That and the fact that it makes me sad to think that they will be separated from God for all eternity. Why would I want that to happen to anyone? If I didn't care about a person, I wouldn't care a thing about what they thought.

 

[pmarquette]

Hate is a strong word for " points of disagreement ".
We , for the majority , do not believe in " good and bad witches " . Witch craft is forbidden to us , and is of the wrong spirit . We disagree with your beliefs, we pray for all men [ christian and other wise ], that they find the truth.

We all seek some authority in and over our lifes . We all strive to overcome mountains in our path . We all seek to overcome , in part , comes against us .

You chose " earth , wind , fire , water " , we chose Mark 16.16-20 [ the power of God's Spirit . Though both powers , yours and ours comes from a " spiritual " source , we believe yours is of the " wrong spirit "


Some folks hate the whites , who hate the blacks , who hate the clan .... most of us hate anything we don't understand .... Chris Christopherson ...

 

[Tracie]

Havoc - Are you out there?! You usually reply so quickly!

Well, everyone (in the US) have a GREAT Thanksgiving!!!!

Tracie

 

[msjones21]

*sigh* Wicca is not withcraft, per se. There are Wiccans who practive withcraft and Magick, but many Wiccans just appreciate the earth and respect nature. I, personally, don't see anything particularly sinful about respecting nature and relying on natural herbal remedies for ailments. It's usually more about relaxation through meditation and not so much abou casting magickal spells.

 

[Rae]

But in answer to the question "Aren't they all Wiccan Gods?" the answer is no: Wicca doesn't have a specific set of names beyond the generic Lord and Lady both of the tripled aspects.

Bingo. Wiccans can choose Egyptian aspects of the Lord and Lady to worship, but that doesn't make them "Wiccan Gods" any more than the Hindu trad Wiccan I know honoring Lord Ganesha of Hinduism makes him a "Wiccan God."

I have said before that I follow Wiccan ritual style. That might have misled some people here. I do. I just don't follow enough aspects of Wicca itself to call myself one. I'm one of those pesky eclectics.

That and the fact that it makes me sad to think that they will be separated from God for all eternity.

Don't be sad. We won't be. (Hey, I had to say it...)

 

[Myah]

I'm new here, but have read this thread pretty thorougly. I'm a Wiccan and proud to be one. I was raised in the Christian church; my grandfather, uncle, and three cousins are all ministers. As a matter of fact, I am the only wiccan in my family. Very luckily, however, my family is very understanding of my personal choices, though they may not agree with me entirely. But I have never been more at peace with myself and my place in this world since.
I have experienced hatred from Christians as well as acceptance. I have been told that I will going to hell by some and have been subjected to ridicule, only because I stand up for what I believe in, while some have accepted me for who I am and though they still invite me to church, do not try to force their beliefs upon me.

I have seen people who proclaim themselves to be Wiccan only as a farce..or to be thought of as "cool". But I have also seen proclamed Christians who go to church only to be seen as "good people", not for practicing their beliefs, while others of the christian never go to church, but follow the bible and are fine individuals who I deeply respect.

I think it is up to the person to find their own beliefs and if they are at peace with such, then let them be content. If your desire is to convert someone, do it with kindness. Don't ridicule, don't assume, don't push. I don't know about others, but if a Christian comes up to me and immediately starts with recriminations and quoting verses on what evils they think I am doing and how terribly wrong I am, it gives me no reason to even want to consider returning to the christian faith.

These are only my opinions and I wish everyone a pleasant day.
Blessed be,
Myah

 

[Carico]

We Christians are subjected to ridicule everyday for our beliefs. Our Lord was killed for His beliefs. So be prepared for persecution. The question is, what is there about your beliefs that you are proud of? I'm not just talking about peace of mind. A lot of beliefs give people peace of mind including drug addiction. The drug is the addict's god. I'm talking about truth, higher values other than gratifying oneself, and being sure enough of your beliefs to want to pass them on to others. There is also the question of the eternity of your beliefs. Will they go on even when all people die? Or are they just worldly? Are they a solution to man's dilemmas? If so, what is the solution? There are many questions to ask yourself when you subscribe to a god. Then you will know what you're proud of.

 

[Myah]

I do not see how just because Christians are/were persecuted that it gives anyone the right to do the same to someone who has different beliefs. As for passing my beliefs to others, if anyone is curious about how I believe, I am happy to discuss it. However, I believe, from seeing your previous posts, that your questions are not asked out of true curiousity but with the intent of maligning someone who does not share your opinion. I respect your beliefs, all I ask is that you respect my right to believe differently.

 

[ALW]

Carico,
We don't often agree but I have to commend you on your statement about the drug being the addict's god. Very strong and sadly true statement.

 

[Myah]

I found this while looking through a Wiccan site. I think this man has some good points and verses that other Christians should consider.





A Christian Speaks of Wicca and Witchcraft
by James Clement Taylor
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I am a Christian and not a Wiccan. 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 our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Both of these things are true of me. I am a member of St. Mary's Eastern Orthodox Church, Calhan, Colorado. In this paper, I am not speaking as agent for any church, but I am, entirely on my own responsibility, speaking the truth in love, as we Christians are supposed to do.

A Situation of Strife and Shame:

There are many Christians today who 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. But 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 we accept these words as true, and surely we should, then it is clear that heaven will contain many who are not Christians, and hell will contain many who are! Clearly, throughout the Gospels, 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:

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)

"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Matthew 7:2)

"But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'" (Matthew 9:13)

"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)

Is it not clear? Anyone who fails in these things, will calling himself a Christian save him? Anyone who obeys God in these things, will being unbaptized condemn him? Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

Yet it is not by good works that we earn our way into heaven, because there is no way we can earn the free gift of God's mercy and grace, which alone can save us. But it is clear that it is not by faith, in the sense of sharing the Christian faith, that we are saved, either. The faith which saves us is not faith in the goodness of our works, nor faith that we have the right theology and/or belong to the right church. Rather, it is faith in God, and in His mercy:

"So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16)

But the Wiccans, you will say, do not have faith in God. Yet by their own theology, they certainly do. Those who call them Satan-worshippers are entirely wrong. They do not worship Satan, or even believe that Satan exists. Instead, they worship a Goddess and a God whom they understand as manifestations of a higher and unknown Deity.

Now if you are a Christian, this will sound familiar to you, and it should. In the Bible we find the following:

"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)

The Wiccans worship the Unknown God, as manifested to them in the form of a Goddess and a God. Therefore, our Bible tells us they worship the same God we do; and if they do not know this, we should know it!

For those of us who are unable to simply stand on God's Word, and must prove to themselves the truth of what it proclaims the holy Apostle John has given us the method for doing this. You have only to 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 less than what you have experienced as a Christian, that power is clearly the power of God.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, these people of Wicca have been terribly slandered by us. They have lost jobs, and homes, and places of business because we have assured others that they worship Satan, which they do not. We have persecuted them, and God will hold us accountable for this, you may be sure, for He has said, "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40)

Let us, from this point onward, repent of our misdeeds and declare that henceforth we shall obey Christ our God, and not judge others or condemn them, so that He will not have to judge and condemn us for our sins.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Tracie]

Unfortunately, this person has taken little bits and pieces from the Bible and interpreted them to fit what he believes. What he has said in this article is completely un-Biblical. It sounds all nice and fuzzy, but it's Mr. James Clement Taylor's twisted interpretation, not God's heart. The only thing he got right was that we should not persecute Wiccans. Of course we shouldn't. We shouldn't persecute anyone. But, we also shouldn't lie like this guy and tell people their beliefs are ok with God when they aren't. Sad.

Tracie