Are Witches Really Condemned to Hell?
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If you walk a Pagan path, sooner or later you'll be told by a Christian friend or family member that practicing Witchcraft or magic will "condemn you to Hell." Christians feel this way because they THINK it's what their Bible teaches. Most will quote the following infamous scripture that appears to support this belief: "Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live" (Exodus 22:18). |
Categories: Your Journey Down an Ancient Path, Wicca and Witchcraft Workshop
I totally feel the same way thank you for this confirmation
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I have felt torn by religous beleifs and the fact that i have always been drawn to Nature magic.I am very intune to plants and animals, the earth and crystals. I practice herbalism and most of the people who know me will come to me when not well to find a natural way of healing. Friends and family have often asked me if Im a witch and My daughter says Moms a witch she just doesn't know it. My hesitancy to being called a witch has come from my religous backround, but time and again I see the natural laws manifest in our world with the help (spells) I always say that this is a form of symbolic prayer with intention. It was a knowlegde that my grandmother taught me she would tell me this plant is good for an upset stomach, while at the same time telling me another was good if you had to go to court. My prayers for others have always been very effective and in my heart I feel that the words combined with the candles and the right crystals and herbs make them that much stronger.
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Being someone who grew up in the bible belt of America the words you stated are somewhat ingrained into your head from birth even if you are part of a particular Christian church. I grew up in small Oklahoma town of no more than maybe 5000 people yet there were a total of 8 churches in our town. Through my years I attended all but one of them. Having the calling of Druidism/Wicca since I can remember, it was a rough obstacle to overcome. Yet in time it was accomplished. Do not solely rely on the words of someone else to lead you where to go. Search out the answers for yourself, asking for guidance and wisdom. It will be given to you, no matter how long it may take... Allow each one their individual pathway in finding their spiritual quest.
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In my spiritual studies I have read that most of these Bible quotes, are only found in the King James version. That during his reign, King James had the Bible rewritten to reflect his own prejudices, including those against witches, witchcraft, fortune telling, and majick. These quotes read differently in other versions, especially those from before King James came into power, such as the version still in use by the Catholic church.
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Most of the Biblical translation we know today, The King James Version, The Living Bible, New American Standard, etc are all translation created for a purpose. King James as you said was translated and molded per King James wishes sprinkling his beliefs as well as influences throughout. The Living Bible was written in a simple form as to make it palpable for anyone to read and understand. Not that this is necessarily wrong yet in translating and changing you tend to not get the true definition of the original words thus losing some of the true meaning that was initially given. I studied the book of 1st Timothy (short) in a manner that took each word and broke it down to its true Hebrew meaning. Very time consuming and tedious yet an extremely eye opening lesson. Many of the words have multiple meanings depending on the manner in which they are used. It is not as simple to decipher as some may think. It was amazing how differently it came out when done this way. As always one should do their own search for spiritual fulfillment.
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I wonder why no one ever pointed out that if prophecy were truly condemned then all of those prophets famous in the Old Testament should have been condemned/executed for committing a sin and breaking God's law. Just a thought. Thanks for posting this.
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Hi Rosemoon: The biblical test for a "true prophet" was to be 100% accurate. If they used the phrase "thus saith the lord" and the event did not come to pass then they were false prophets and were put to a public death by stoneing. Incidently many true prophets were put to death simply because the people did not like their message. Blessed be, Jon.
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I was raised Old Southern Baptist.. we were taught anyone who was NOT Old Southern Baptist.. I was told by Catholic's { when I was growing up } that if you were not raised their wway in their faith you would die and go to hell... same { at the time } was how many faiths believe.
Hmm .. so is everyone going to die and go to hell? .. nope..lol .. no such thing.
Its all about HAVING Faith and BELIEVING in something that gives us our Spiritual Insights.
I believe when we leave this World .. we travel to another Realm.. home... where we rest and become renewed with our Learnings and Teachings.. to make ready for a NEW WORLD comming.
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Something else I have always wondered... Why haven't Christians condemned the Apostles for "casting lots"? If they casted lots, why are Runes and Tarot cards bad? (rhetorical)
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I told some of my group that I wanted them to join a celebration with me on Samhain to be joyful and thank the Lord and Lady for everything. They all scrunched their faces and politely refused. I realise that talking of any religion is socially calling people to clam up but c'mon now, this is rediculous. It's not like I'm going to sacrifice a goat and smear blood on their faces or engrave a pentagram into their arms. Aparantly I was out of the loop when the Wicca religion was dubbed unspeakable.
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Quite inspiring,
This is a really interesting post, i will check my bibles now,
Thanks for writing, most people don't bother.
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I have no interest in trying to justify being a witch to christians. One can find so many inconsistencies in their bible. Let alone the parts that seem to spew hate. I feel fortunate to be able to rise above their rhetoric, and wish them the best.
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Gracias, por esos datos me dan plena seguridad de que el mundo en que vivimos es naturaleza, espirituaidad.
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No... don't think one will "condemned" to Hell for witchcraft. The use,or misuse of it might give you your own personal heaven or hell however; I believe we cross over to a better place, to the Summerland...and a wait our next incarnation.
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I can't tell you how much I appreciate your blog on "Are witches really condemed to hell". You see I have a sister who is constantly telling me that I will go to hell. When I tell her I don't believe in Hell, she quotes her bible. So it is nice to have a solid explaination of this verse to send to her. I am sure it won't change her mind about who or what I study and practice, but it will hopefully give her something to think about. So again thank you for posting this blog.
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The Bible is very clear in condemning all acts of divination, sorcery, fortune telling, spell casting, idolotry, and astrology. To state that "This was because most of them were fakes who gave false prophecy for money" as the reason is a personal opinion, there is no Biblical evidence of this whatsoever. The
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, “Let no one be found among you who… practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells…Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD
2 Kings 21:6
"He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking Him to anger."
Isaiah 47:12-14, “Stand fast now in your spells and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you may cause trembling.You are wearied with your many counsels; Let now the astrologers, those who prophesy by the stars, those who predict by the new moons, stand up and save you from what will come upon you. “Behold, they have become like stubble, fire burns them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; there will be no coal to warm by, nor a fire to sit before!"
Rev. 19:21, "and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts."
The Bible is clear that there is one way to Heaven, and that's through Jesus Christ alone. It is clear God is a jealous God who desires us to worship Him alone and there are many examples in the Bible of His righteous anger when people worship other Gods. I do not condemn anyone to Hell, I am humble enough to know that God alone will decide who spends eternity with Him and who does not, that includes Christians and non Christians alike.
I believe the scriptures are very clear and should not be taken out of context. Prophesy, as referred to in the Bible, is a spiritual gift, IF used for His glory and for the expansion of the church.
1 Corinthians 14:1-5
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
I'm not telling anyone how to practice their own faith, however when you try to justify yours with mine, that's when I will speak up.
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Thank you so much for your comments. You are correct … the suggestion that this passage is only condemning false prophets and fortune-hunting fortunetellers is just a personal opinion. You were also correct to clarify that the Bible considers prophecy a gift (although it does not actually add IF it is for the expansion of the church). It seems we both understand and agree that prophecy cannot be both a curse and a gift. There may not be biblical evidence of the greedy false prophets being a problem, but I did learn about this in my Sunday school class at church. It was presented to me as historical evidence that provided an explanation for the discrepancy surrounding prophecy.
As for condemning witches in general, I don't believe the Bible intended to condemn people based on their label or the name they were called, as is clearly noted by Jesus in the parable of the good Samaritan. So I did some research to try and determine what behavior was actually being condemned. It seems the word that was translated as witch, basically referred to someone who was dealing with poisonous herbs that were harmful to others. Today we would call them drug dealers, and this behavior is STILL condemned in our society.
If passages are properly interpreted, the Bible simply discourages behavior that causes harm to oneself or others and it praises actions that promote peace, joy, love, happiness and so forth. It all boils down to the idea that we should simply love one another ... or as some would say … harm ye none!Reply to this
Any time the gift of prophesy is spoken of in the Bible it is within the context of edification of the church. Paul said that specifically in the passage of 1 Corinthians I quoted, and that passage falls within the larger context coming from the day of the Pentecost which happened solely to spread the gospel and expand the church.
I also stated it is the ACT of practicing divination, sorcery, fortune telling, spell casting, idolotry, and astrology, which the God of the Bible detests. If, we believe the Bible, sin is what seperates us from God. You are completely correct that the Greek translation of the word "witch" is pharmacopeia and could be equated to a modern day drug dealer, I never said the Bible condemns people based on labels. I was pointing out that the act of practicing these things are strictly forbidden, I could name countless examples of God's righteouss fury coming down on people in the Bible who did.
The greatest command is to love one another, no doubt about that, this included extending compassion towards Samaritans and outcasts, it's not about the salvation of the Samaritan at all, but about how we should treat others. I don't believe that translates into the Wiccan rede, the Bible is not about doing whatever you want as long as it harms none. It is just as much about obedience and forming us in His likeness as loving your neighbor. I belong to a church which is HUGE on studying Greek and Hebrew translations, I do believe there are a lot of misinterpretations, the KJV of not permitting a witch to live is probably one of the biggest ones. If you look at the overall nature and charecter of El Shaddai, He is not a God that promotes "harm ye none do what you will".
If Christianity is not someone's thing, I fully respect that. However, I feel like there is a huge trend of being Christian when it's convenient, taking passages of the Bible out of their intended context, and twisting them to fit into pagan beliefs. It is especially frustrating to have those words infused with personal opinion and told that this ___ is what the Bible really meant because a Sunday School teacher said so. Coming from a Christian standpoint, I accept someone not believing in Hell much more readily then someone trying to claim the Bible condones modern day pagan worship or acts of magick in any form. Not because of the good or evil impact of others in these acts, but because they remove our dependence on Him.
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We agree on the point that prophecy is a gift … and yet in certain circumstances, it is clearly condemned. Perhaps it's not the behavior or ACT of prophecy that is wrong, but rather the INTENT of the act. The Bible is well-known for prophecy, and prophets are highly regarded throughout the scriptures. Maybe what really determines whether it is a gift or condemned, is the way a person uses the ability.
I believe we were advised to avoid fortunetellers simply because there are too many fakes out there who are willing to tell us whatever we want to hear if it will line their pockets. We should be focusing on TODAY and not worrying about the future!
As you noted, Christians are willing to accept prophecy as a gift if it is done within the Church. I just like to think that God works through those who are outside of the church as well. But this prophecy subject seems to be a point that we will have to agree to disagree on. J
As for the Wiccan Rede, if it simply said you could do whatever you want, that would be cause for concern. However I see the Harm None portion of the Rede as a condensed version of the 10 Commandments. We were given free will, and I believe the wisdom provided in the scriptures was intended to help us live a happy, peaceful life, without harming others. So I would argue that the Bible IS about doing what you want as long as you harm none.
I believe the way I do because when I started to study the Bible in depth, I began to realize that some of the church doctrine I had been taught was not really supported by the scriptures. Then, when I ventured into the Essene (early Christian) manuscripts I discovered that many of the original teachings were much closer to Pagan traditions than they were to those of the modern church. I loved what I learned and I feel closer to God now than I ever have.
I'm not sure what your purpose for coming here was, but I'm glad you did. I want to thank you for taking the time to post your comments in here, and especially for being open-minded enough to listen to mine!Reply to this
I agree, the gift of prophesy will have to be something we agree to disagree on. I believe every spiritual gift given by God was to be used for His glory alone, prophets were used to be a mouthpiece for God. Living in the moment is also something I believe in, Jesus told us to let tomorrow worry about it's own problems.
We will also have to disagree on the harm none portion being a condensed version of the 10 commandments. There are many things in the Bible that someone who believes the truth in it strives to follow which pagans don't, even those with a Christian tradition; such as modesty in dress. I just think it's using the Bible when it's convenient.
I have seen MANY churches which have doctrine that isn't supported by the scriptures. To me, when someone realizes that is going on, it means they have done a thourough job reading the scriptures, which is to be commended. Many people rely solely on what their church leader says as though it were the word of God without reading the Bible for themselves. When the realization happens that the church doctrine isn't in line with scripture, it's time to find a new church which is.
Christian mysticism was a trend in the 2nd century and I'm not surprised to see it coming back. I believe these trends come and go, and the truth will always stand firm. Jesus admonished the Sadducees in Matthew 22, I don't believe He condones Pharisees, Sadduceees, or Essenes.
Thank you for listening to my opinions. I found you from Facebook and since I have a loved one who is a fan and is very stand off-ish regarding my faith, marginalizing mine and all the while touting how tolerant they are. I decided to come and express how I felt. So often, Christians are generalized by the pagan community and it can be frustrating.
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I believe every spiritual gift SHOULD be used to honor God, but it seems not everyone will use his or her gift for Divine purpose. That doesn’t mean they don’t have the gift … just that they may not be using it the way they should.
A passage in the OT suggests that the best way to worship God is to feed the hungry, clothe the poor and simply help those in need. I think we HONOR God in the same way and when we do these things, we are doing the work of the Divine, regardless of the label given to our path.
If you believe the first century historian Josephus, (and I do) it seems the group we think of as the early church were referred to back then as the Essenes. Jesus would have been known as an Essene. His teachings and the teachings of the early church (as recorded in the Bible) are virtually identical to those of the Essenes. A summery of this info can be found at: http://www.wicca.com/kardia/nic/essene01.html
I started to research witchcraft when the man I had been married to for 20 years informed me he considered himself a witch. In the beginning, he was somewhat negative regarding the Christian faith, as so many Christians tend to reject and/or condemn the beliefs of those on a Pagan path. He created wicca.com in 1997 and as the site was built, we worked together to keep the content nonjudgmental, focusing on the common ground between our paths. Our goal was to create a site that educated visitors about the Old Ways, in an environment that promoted tolerance and made guests from all paths feel welcome.
I do understand how frustrated you feel about being generalized by those whose beliefs are different. Unfortunately it happens on both sides. I share the information that I do, not to convert anyone from one path to another, but in hopes that people might just think twice before claiming their way is best for everyone and/or marginalizing the beliefs of others. Thanks again for listening.
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Unfortuantely, by the Bible's standards, many of the practices done by pagans dishonor Elohim. Again, I do believe this is using the Bible when and where convenient, while completely ignoring the rest.
All the research I've done on first century sects (with the exception of your own link) states that the Essenes were a Jewish, law abiding, sect made up of males. Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, who came to fulfill the law and begin a NEW covenant. I believe interest in these sects are coming back because their aspect of mysticism is appealing to many people.
I think the very different world views of Christians and Pagans needs to be appreciated and respected. We do believe in one God, one truth, and one way to Heaven. That alone makes us "intolerant" in the eyes of many pagans, but it's a basic theological difference. We don't share the belief that all paths lead to the divine. Sharing the gospel is something we are commanded to do and we do it because we want everyone to go to Heaven, it's not done out of hate, but out of love and concern based on our truth. I do think there are better ways to go about sharing our faith then what many people use, I myself as a professed Christian have been offended on occasion from people trying to share the good news! Now, treating people badly is never, ever, excusable and Christians need to keep in mind to exercise the golden rule in our treatment of people.
I don't think using our Bible as a tool to argue in favor of occult practices is ever going to be effective toward a devout Christian. Maybe one who was raised in Christiniaty and never made their faith their own, just accepting the faith of their parents, but those of us who read the Bible everday will most likely not be convinced that your way is acceptable to our God. There are many misintrepretations suffered in translation, I think encouraging a Christian to bring it back to the Greek without arguing specifics is a great way to go.
I personally think a better way to promote peace is just to acknowledge our differences while aleviating misconceptions. I thought your reply to Steve was perfect!
I appreciate your transparency and honesty in this discussion, thank you for giving me the opportunity to have this conversation with you! I wish you the best!
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Personally I'm very confused by the many bible teachings. Yes, I agree with you that if you are going to live by what the bible says there are some things that pagans do wrong. (I don't count myself among the pagans or christians just yet because I'm still searching my path.) My question is: Why, out of all the books that were written by prophets and "saints" were those picked to be in the bible? There are many ancient scripts, some written by people who shared their lives with Jesus Christ, that contradict themselves with the ones used for the bible. Most of the contradictions are based on men being "more important" than women. I'm still very confused by this topic and would like your views as a christian and Kardia's as a pagan on this and whoever has some kind of answer.
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Also, I feel like comments such as what Billy J wrote, are what Christians are hearing constantly when we have loved ones who follow a pagan path. Now, if you want to promote tolerance, peace, and acceptance, why constantly marginalize our beliefs referring to "inconsistencies in our bible"? This type of language automatically puts most Christians on the defense, same when you are pointing out that you are "rising above our rhetoric". I feel like pagans are tolerant towards everyone except Christians, and then wonder why your faith isn't treated with more respect or why we aren't open to attending Wiccan ceremonies. I feel like the Wiccan community as a whole is very condescending towards us, all the while promoting how you behave just the opposite.
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To Isabel, I understand how you want to defend the Bible when inconsistencies are pointed out. I personally believe the Bible was extremely accurate when it was first written. In my opinion, virtually all inconsistencies, (such as those you pointed out regarding prophecy in your earlier comment), stem from mistranslations and/or misinterpretations of the original passages. If you read my comments carefully, you'll see that they tend to eliminate these so-called inconsistencies with simple and logical explanations. I firmly believe that it's the misinterpretations that have divided us and caused so much conflict between our paths.
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I believe that as there are christians who treat pagans as "devil worshippers" there are pagans who treat christians as "close minded" or say that there are inconsistencies on the bible. My belief is that not all christians are the same and not all pagans are the same. I disagree with your opinion that the Wiccan community as awhole is very condescending towards you. Maybe some are, but then again some christians are the same way towards whoever isn't christian. The best way in my opinion to act is by not generalizing.
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Isabel, your knowledge about the bible es very strong...just for curiosity, what christian path do you follow?
about the article I think that no believing in hell is one of the characteristics of pagans, so it is kind of weird to be worried to go to hell because you sara pagan...well, that is just my opinion, may be because I am not very familiarized with christian witchcraft, for me it is kind of ambiguous...
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you are a witch & its a good thing ! i know because i am one to
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A lot of innocent people, in both the UK and US, were slaughtered because of missinterpretation of the bible. The true meaning and message has been lost to us. Why were we given the gift of healing, as well as the knowledge to heal by the Divine if it was supposedly bad. I don't think that witches will be condemned to hell for helping people.
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I don't think that witches will be condemned to hell, to be able to heal people in a natural way is a gift from the Divine, as is Prophecy.
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If I may post a thought or two about religon, it's my understanding that all religons/practices are based in the notion there is a higher being and that we all should do our best in life to honor "him" and all life. There are so many paths to follow and all lead to a similar destination, a form of hevan and a higher power. I also believe that the foundation of all paths is to be good and not hurt anyone. So if that be the case than I believe that we should follow the path that feels strongest to us and feel free to change as often as you wish. I myself never stayed on one path because I find it to be too constricting. No freedom to test what's right and wrong on my own. My coming to the path I'm on is based on the notion of which religons practice what they preach. 1st, thou shalt not kill; name the number of religons that DON'T kill others in the name of GOD. Is that how we are supposed to honor a Divine? By killing others in his/her name? 2nd, honor thy neighbor; does trying to convert your neighbor to what you believe by force a sense of honor? How many religons have NOT tryed to convert others by force? By looking at the history of most religons/paths, I've found only a handful that don't do either...ever. When's the last time a practitioner of Voodoo or Wicca started a war in the name of God? Or how many time have you seen or heard of some nutbag holding mass suicide cerimonies in the name of Mother Earth? Most "earth based" religons, to my knowledge, don't have these issues because they follow a path that's already part of them. One that asks simply to honor the spirit and harm no one. DO these things and you can lead a happy life. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think any religon sould be held accountable for a couple wack jobs. But I don't think any religon should view themselves as the only one and preach damnation to those who don't follow. Further more, if I'm to love my brother, it should be unconditional. Not as long as you follow these rules. God doesn't want us to judge others no matter what form he/she takes or by which manner you worship. He/she noly wnats us to honor him/her, honor and care for the world we live in, and to love all others and all life as if it was our own. If anyone diagrees, GOOD! Feel free to express your thoughts and share any respones with me. I welcome them. In closing, care for eachother, look upon the world with childs eyes and an open heart. Let everyonw around you know that you care for them and love them wholey. If I may quote Garth Brooks "If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I love her; did I try in every way to show her every day, that she's my only one;...is the love I gave her in the past, gonna be enough to last, if tomorrow never comes." Blessed be, Amen, and all that other good-bye jazz. Be well everyone.
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A simply divine post Steve!
If we DO judge people, we should judge them on how they apply the Divine teachings in their personal life, and not on the past actions of others who have followed their path. By avoiding negative generalizations like ... Christians do this ... or ... Wiccans do that, perhaps some of this tension would be eliminated, which would make it easier to keep our focus on the spiritual teachings of a path!
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Kardia,
I think you're a very wise and loving person. Someone who reades between de lines and uses her brains well...
The witchcommunitie may be thankfull foor people like you...
In love and light....blessed be
Sirenia
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Steve,
I am glad to have seen at least one person on here who holds the open opinion like that. (it also saved me writing a bit of an essay as it pretty much mirrors my view on a lot of things)
I also have personal experience of prejudices going both ways between many religions due to having quite a lot of friends who are of conflicting religions and we have held big debates on this in the past, the result of which was basically what you put. that all religions are similar in the fact that they preach to honour your god/goddess/deity to the best of your ability, and follow a set of precepts about how to live your life in the best way to help others and yourself. as far as I am aware no religious text anywhere specifically tells its followers to go out and kill/wound others in its name, despite what certain people might say or think.
in fact many state the opposite
(Christianity "thou shalt not kill", "love thy neighbor as thou lovest thy self". Paganism and wicca "these eight words of the rede fulfill "an it harm none, do as ye will"")
as just 2 examples
religious tolerance is, in my view, one of the greatest gifts someone can have, and is sadly lacking in much of the community at large.
and finally to isabells comment
"I feel like the Wiccan community as a whole is very condescending towards us, all the while promoting how you behave just the opposite."
I could give examples of people who are completely the opposite of that, being Christian and completely condescending against wiccans and pagans.
for trust and acceptance to grow, one or both sides need to offer it up first/together.
I hope this happens in the future.
Blessed be to all who read this.
elneache
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Just a thought...wouldn't the three 'wise' men be considered Astrologers? Didn't they prophesy Jesus' birth through the stars??? So were does that leave them?
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Actually, the word that was translated here as "wise-men" was translated as "magician" or "sorcerer" in other passages. I guess "wise men" just sounded better in this story.
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True. In spanish they are called "Los tres reyes magos" which means "The three magician kings"
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I would love it if you wrote an article on your research so that we could all shall in its wisdom!
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Actually, I have written a whole book called The Christian Witch - Talking To Christians About Wicca and Witchcraft. It is being edited now and should be available in stores this summer.
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I can easily relate to this article since I'm still bounding back between Wicca and The Craft. I'm leaning very much toward Wicca because it seems to be more structured and since I'm the same way I feel more at ease with it. I know that Wicca, The Craft, and even Asatru are going through their reconstruction since there's so much that's been lost in history
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I was raised Christian. I did my best to walk a path that constantly made me feel like I was a bad person who had to continually try to gain favor with a God that would never be happy with me the way I was. My father still takes every opportunity to tell me that my faith isn't strong enough, my path straight enough, and that I risk going to hell. He still thinks I go to a Christian church with my husband and kids every Sunday. I think if I told him I gave it up a year ago to fully explore my own path, he would a) never speak to me again (oh, he would still yell...) and b) probably have another heart attack. I have only told 2 people in my family and 1 thinks I'm crazy but says to do what I want and the other thinks I'm worshiping satan and going to hell and is trying to still love me while ignoring the fact I told her we don't believe in satan or hell. My husband is super supportive and my kids are fine with it. My youngest girl says she is a witch too and has me read her the medicinal uses of herbs as her bedtime story. My husband's family doesn't know about my path either. My question is this; I feel like the dirty little secret in the family. Does anyone else feel this way? I don't feel the need to hide who I am but you almost have to if you don't want to constantly be on the defensive. I know that traditionally witches have had to keep their path to themselves. I guess it still is kind of the same way now isn't it? I have studied many different religions and the premise behind them is the same recurrent theme: Love each other, care for each other. Right now, I feel alienated. Any thoughts?
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Sounds like a lot of us have the same issue with fear of acceptanc. I was raised Christian but my parents were very open minded. Mom studied all religions & my Dad would sit in the woods or on a hillside & say he was absorbing nature. My Grandma was part Indian & she had a strong belief in the power of nature. I can't talk to any of my family about this except my son (thank God) & one cousin. I suppose it shouldn't bother us as long as we are not pushed into some kind of public altercation. That could get very nasty & hurtful. I just 'KNOW' in my heart that the way I believe is right. I agree with you about loving each other - follow the Golden Rule.
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I was raised Christian too. But I never felt comfortable at church. I felt fake and that's what pushed me to explore outside the faith. I've only told my husband that I can't believe in christianity because I feel tied up obligated to act a certain way out of fear. He doesn't quite accept it but he's trying. He thinks its a phase or something. Back when I was a teen I bought a book on wicca, The moment my mother saw it she pretended she was ok with it but a few weeks later my book 'misteriously disappeared'. She tries to be open minded about religion, but truth is that she thinks I'm going to hell because I don't go to church. She thinks that by scaring me into christianity I'll be saved, but it won't work because the only way I'll go back to christianity is if I understand the whole heaven-hell thing and all the confusing contradicting details in the bible. I'm also afraid of rejection so what I do is keep quiet about it and share with nobody. It has left me currently without people to talk to so it's a very lonely life.
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You shouldn't feel alienated. I understand keeping to yourself about your path to keep from creating a family dispute. Some day though your family will probably find out. If you husband is being supportive and your kids are not weirded out, I wouldnt worry about anyone else. I was lucky enough to grow up in a home of open mindedness. My parents never forced me into going to any church, if I wanted to, I could go. However I have only ever met three real Christians that actually believed in God and tried to follow his ways everyday, and not just on Sunday (or Saturday for 7th Days.) To me, Christianity is a hypocrisy. Most (not all) say one thing but then turn around and do something that is completely the opposite. If you are following the divine everyday, doing everything you can to follow the rede as best as possible, then I would say you have a better set of morals than just about every Christian I have ever met.
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Interesting, I have learned more than I ever knew about withches here !
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I have looked over this blog and I do not understand why there is any reason to constantly bring up Christianity. Wicca is not Christianity. I also don't see much of a "Celtic connection".
My problem is, why so concerned about what Christians believe? You do not worship the Christian god or even believe in him. You don't believe in the Christian devil. You are not a adherent of the religion. And being Wiccan you certainly do not believe in hell. So why on earth do you think this should bother you? It should not. And I don't think you should be at the throats of Christians either. Most of them do not bother Wiccans or you.
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i have to add here that if i am going to hell for my way so be it..i have 2 moms with very different christian beliefs,one has said i am going to hell and the other has said that as long as i believe in the creator and follow my path in light i will be ok.i believe in the creator and i follow the wiccan path. i do not judge others for their path and allow them freedom to express thier views..why is it so hard for others do do the same??i feel closer to my creator when i am in the outdoors!!not in a multimillion dollar building..
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Christianity has marched all over the planet, since the inseption of the early Church anything and everything that was not deemed to be Christian if it could not be Converted then it must be destroyed, Right wing Christian values have not changed that much to this day . Christianity has marched steadily toward man's destruction and not his Salvation as many would like to think.
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iz there a wiccan on here grounded in the faith i can talk to thru email? i have some questions i'd like to ask, my email is suitman.stoddly76@gmail.com thank you
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you can talk to me and ask questions if you like, my email is whitewiccan1@gmail.com
talk soon
blessed be
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