wicca or christian??plz help!!!

I partly agree there. I don't believe the ancestor thing, but hey, its what you believe, I'm not gonna try and change it.

Also, perhaps I was unclear. Yes, We are also individuals, but we are part of the great energy at the same time....I don't really know how to explain it, perhaps there is no way, or perhaps I'm just lack the verbal prowess to do so... Furthermore, I don't believe humans have seperated themselves, I simply think that many choose to think that they have.

 

RE: To be either christian or pagan, as in truely believe one or the other, you cant combine them. Your christian beliefs would be sorely comprimised.

I respectfully disagree.

You could read the OT to be the attempt by the Yahwist priests to usurp and rid the Habiru people of the worship of Asherah, the Goddess of the Habiru pantheon. Mind you, Genesis refers to God as multiple (in OUR own image --- Male and Female created He Them ????) and the fact that Moses refused to upset the female principle and erected the brazen serpent attests to at least a nod to a female deity in the pantheon.

Some people just tack different names to it and call the Father and Mother Yahweh and Asherah. There's entire cults that do this.

The fact that Voodoo, Hoodoo, Santeria, Palo Mayombe, Cao Dai and other Christian-animist, Christian-pagan etc. blends do exist is testament to the fact that Christianity, having argued the point early in its inception, came to the conclusion that it was more about a relationship with Christ and God, not necessarily adoption of Habiru culture and religious belief - hence Christians eating shellfish and wearing different kinds of cloth in the same garment.

 

Of course, you could very well argue that Cao Dai and others are not pure expressions of Christianity, but then again what is?

Flip open any phone book and look up "Churches" - I've seen arguments between reform Southern Baptists and Primitive Baptists about the meaning of Pheloponeicans 12:11.

Whether you end up thinking of God in loose terms or very strictly as YHVH as depicted in the Torah - or what have you - what it boils down to, really, is what you as a person believe.

Heck, there's even people who shoot the works and say "I have no clue what God is - so I'll just design a pantheon I can relate to." I've seen people, no word of a lie, worship Lovecraftian deities and Smurfs (not at the same time) but not in an idolatrous sense (this is true) but in a "trying to put a face on an unknowable construct" sense.

 

I really think this is a matter of point of view. I could argue both ways. First, you can combine anything, because, like you said it all boils down to the individual choices and the definitions a person holds. I you feel that 'God' is all about love and that the concept of 'God' càn be described as a omniscient being that created everything but at the same time has so many different sides that you can evenwel depict God as male/female and/or a total 'energy' that is in everyone and is everywhere.. than sure.. you can indeed combine paganism with Christianity.. since the Christian God and the Bible would describe your most narrow definition but it wouldn't exclude breaking up that one concept of 'God' into more specific dieties (male/female). If in the Bible it says 'there is only ONE God', than you do agree, because you believe in that ONE God who is a total energy blahblah etc. etc.

However, if you take the definition a bit different and the Bible more litteraly, I don't think Christianity and Paganism can be combined. Ofcourse there are a huge amount of traces of Paganism in Christianity, but at the same time Christianity also takes distance from a lot of Pagan things. For one, they say 'there is only ONE God'. If you take that very litteral, than you can never be ok with 'calling upon some diety'.. because you wouldn't see God as an accumulation of a lot of dieties, like in the above view. Also, if you are wicca, the whole casting a circle and doing a spell thing would be viewed upon as to 'magical', since only God can interfere in your life and all you can and have to do is pray.. not trying to change things on your own.

So.. it really depends upon your own philosophy if you are able to combine Christianity and Paganism. That's why, if you ask a lot of people this question, the answers will be very divers. If you ask a strict protestant, they will surely say it can not be done because it's blasphemy and a sin.. whereas you might ask some more liberal churches, they will agree that the two are already a lot alike.

I hope you understand what I mean. I'm just trying to say that it's not as black and white as 'yes' or 'no' when it comes to answering this question..

 

What everyone seems to not understand is that
the "christian god" isnt a concept, he's a god.
a real one, just like all the other gods.

There is a blurred line between the biblical
god and the true creator one. The biblical
god doesnt want to be worshipped along
side another, he specifically says so.

Other gods, of polytheistic culture arent the same
they are more easily mixed. But Yahweh overthrew
the other hebrew gods, read some semitic mythology,
to become the supreme god to them, you cant
combine him with anything else, period. It is that black
and white.

Teachings of Jesus? sure combine em, but the dogmatic
worship of the biblical god? cant do it.

 

Oh yeah, Shaitan, just read your stuff, well researched, but still, Yahweh was a cultural god, that got lots of credit for things he didnt do, like most cultural gods. He didnt create anything more than the Gaels Father god Bael did, he was just the first ancestor, therefore, the God of the people.

Stop confusing "God" with a capital g, with a "god" thats where the confusion comes in.
Even Jews will tell you that there are other gods.

Besides, can or cant, why would you want to combine them?

Its like oil and water, you can pour the in the same glass, yeah, but will they ever mix up?

 

Well, Heron, I was trying to answer the OP who found spiritual truth and comfort in the trappings of both faiths.

I see no philosophical problems in combining the two. Then again, there are logistical problems (thou shalt have no other gods before me) but then again there always are - e.g. Deuteronomy 52:16 or Matthew 19:12? Your point is well taken that you can't exactly belong to a Southern Baptist fundamentalist church and a coven. But the idea of worshipping the Christ and Cerridwen is technically possible, especially if you read the Bible as God being multiple entities in the Godhead e.g. "let us create man in our own image - male and female created he them" and saying "well, I'm using a Celt word for Asherah here, really..."

 

You can worship christ, and cerridwen, but only from a christian angle such as Catholocism, who worship Christ, as a god, who never said you had to worship him only, BUT like i said before, the christian faiths that worship the OT god, as well as Christ, have a little harder time.

 

RE: You can worship christ, and cerridwen, but only from a christian angle such as Catholocism, who worship Christ, as a god, who never said you had to worship him only, BUT like i said before, the christian faiths that worship the OT god, as well as Christ, have a little harder time.

One is technically free to do whatever one likes.

I think we are in violent agreement, Heron.

 

yes one is technically free to do whatever, but one cant expect a god to listen.

If you worship a god that only likes sage incese, but you insist that using myrrh is what makes you feel closest to that god, are you doing any good?

 

everyone seems to be running in circles now...

 

i definatly agree. Ive said the same point ten times now lol.

Im out..for now.

 

wow! all this is making my head spin! well something drew me back into christianity, and i truly beleive that i just cant bring myself to believe neting else, so im going with it, i beleive i was made for it, so that is where my path is leadong me, and i will follow, u cant argue, with something like that.

 

My answer to this would be that you have to look inside yourself to find out what you think you are.. maybe it's neither, maybe it's BOTH!!

Why assign yourself a label? follow your own path, not one set by someone else as that path might not be for you.

What aspects of christanity do you like? what aspects of wicca do you like? if you find there are conflicts between the two of them, then sit down and work out for yourself what you believe...

(Although, personally, as an atheist, I don't believe in any gods or supernatural powers at all, but just because I don't have a god (or unicorn, fairy of anything else of that nature) dictating what I do, that doesn't make me a bad person, maybe rather than trying to look for signs and symbology, pick up and scientific text book and discover how the world really works).

 

I don't understand why you can't practice both... if you believe in both practices, find a way to blend them together.

 

Simply, the dogma of christianity condridicts the spirituality of wicca.

 

yes i agree, christianity simply just forbids anything of the occult, but, what i love about wicca is, its love and connection with nature, i love nature i love animals, hell, im even a vegetarian i love it so much, so, that part i can blend with christianity, i mean God wants us to have a connection with his creation so why not, its all seeming clear now.

 

Hmm... that's not strictly true, I'm sure the other Christians would want her to give up wicca and be solely Christian because they think their way is the only right way. But it's up to you, and I think it's OK to mix and match parts you like out of different religions. Just keep the practices and beliefs that feel right for you. If you like praying to Jesus and Mary, go for it! If you still enjoy doing spells. go for that too! If you still want to go to church by all means keep going. I myself am wiccan as well as buddhist, and I also work with Christ, Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and the angels.

 

Many people combine two or more faiths in their own personal beliefs.

You don't have to choose.

 

First of all, you should forget all those labels and try to find out what you really believe in. Think for yourself. There isn't any perfect religion, in each path you'll find atractives and things you don't like.
Why can't you mix your beliefs? Because there are dogmas that don't allow you to? Think for yourself, girl. Do you really believe in those dogmas? Do you agree with them? Why?
Some Christians would tell you "You can't do that" and would give you some good reasons... Some other Christians would tell you "It's alright", my mother would! You see, spirituality is about faith and you can express it in so many different ways!
In your case... I actually think it's easy to blend both, you just need to be observant... Did you ever think that Mother Mary can be one of the faces of the Godess? Look deep and you'll see it isn't that hard... And why don't you study more about the roots and development of the Christianity? You'll find out that many christian traditions are related to pagan rites...
But then again... ThInK fOr YoUrSeLf!