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Created August 12 2002
Latest Update: August 12, 2002
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Syncretic Relgion:
Wiccans, Witchcraft, and Christianity

Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individual Authors, August 2002.
"Fair use" encouraged.

Religious Tolerance.com Site with lots of good information on religious tolerance. I haven't had a chance to review every segment, but if you are careful to question authority, I think you'll find it useful. jeanne August 12, 2002.

The Religious Tolerance site tries to answer one of the most frequent questions about Wiccans: Link on Wiccans in the left-most frame on the site, then read the Overview. Scroll about three inches down the file. Backup of Overview file

It is quite possible for a person to follow a syncretistic religion -- a faith involving elements from two or more religions. For example, a person could be a Christian and yet incorporate certain beliefs and practices of Wicca. They could worship the Christian god, while believing in the resurrection of Jesus, virgin birth, second coming and other historical Christian teachings. They could integrate this with important elements of Wicca: respecting nature, caring about the environment, celebrating at solstices, equinoxes, harvest festivals, etc.

Merging the conflicting beliefs about deity found in two religions is considerably more difficult. Most contemporary Christians regard themselves as monotheists, and believe in the Trinity, composed of the Father God, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Wiccans believe in a duo theistic deity structure: a Goddess and a God. At first glance, the beliefs of Wicca and Christianity concerning deity appear to be hopelessly at variance with each other.

Wiccan beliefs vs. conservative and liberal Christianity

Conservative Christians reject the concept that a Wiccan can be a Christian. 1 They might define a Christian as one who has repented of their sins, has trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and believes many traditional Christian teachings. (e.g. the Trinity, resurrection of Jesus, virgin birth, heaven, hell, sin, salvation, original sin, the existence of Satan as a living entity, etc.) Many conservative Christian denominations teach that women should not be in a position of power over a man in church or home; such a belief is totally at variance with Wiccan beliefs. They teach that homosexuality is unnatural and inherently sinful; most Wiccans disagree with this belief. Thus, a Wiccan cannot match the requirements of conservative Christianity without bending her/his belief system totally out of shape.

However, among present-day liberal Christians and within the early Christian movement, the term Christian has been defined very differently. For example, some believers might accept as a Christian any person who holds Jesus in reverence, views him as the greatest of prophets, and tries to follow his teachings. Many Wiccans, Humanists, Unitarian Universalists can match this definition.

Depending upon one's precise definition of "Christian" used, a Wiccan may or many not match the requirements of being a Christian.

Resolving the deity question

Many Wiccans (perhaps most) believe that there is a single ultimate deity which/who is unknowable. A common Wiccan saying is that "All Gods are the ONE GOD." This deity is often visualized as having two aspects: a male facet who is called the God and a female component, the Goddess. Christianity also teaches the existence of a single God. 2 But most denominations teach that God is a Trinity, composed of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

There were about 50 gospels and dozens of letters and essays written by the early Christian church. However, only four gospels and various letters that were accepted into the Christian Scriptures (New Testament). They tell of a unified Christian movement which regarded Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ) to be the Son of God and a deity. Other documents -- which never made it into the official canon -- describe a divided Christian movement. They explain that, after Jesus was executed by the Roman Army, (circa 30 CE) and a few years before Paul returned to organize his churches (circa 35 CE), Jesus' disciples organized a reformed Jewish movement that is normally referred to today as the Jewish Christians. They regarded Jehovah, as described in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), to be a single, indivisible God. They regarded Jesus as a human, and a great prophet-king. Details are lacking, but they may well have regarded Wisdom as a type of female supernatural presence who was with God at the creation of the world - a type of Goddess. Wisdom is described in a number of places in the Hebrew Scriptures as a separate, female personality . So, a Wiccan might consider these non-canonical gospels and writings to be accurate and adopt beliefs similar to those of the Jewish Christian movement as described in those documents.

Resolving the question of Jesus' nature

Throughout the past 2 millennia, there have been many beliefs among Christians about the nature of Jesus of Nazareth. He has been considered by various Christians a secular / religious King, a God, a Lord, a gifted prophet, a spirit being who only appeared to be a human, and various combinations of the above. This diversity of thought continues today. Some liberal Christians believe that Jesus was the greatest of all of the Prophets, but not the Son of God, and not a component of the Trinity. Muslims believe that he was a great Prophet and teacher. Modern conservative Christians believe that he was God, one of three components of the Trinity (along with God and the Holy Spirit). Certainly, the most primitive Christian movement, the Jewish Christians, did not view Jesus as God. Many Wiccans view Jesus as a great teacher and prophet. So, one could be a Wiccan, believe that Jesus was a great teacher, and be in accordance with many believers in the early Jewish Christian movement, and with some liberal Christians today.

Resolving the 10 commandments problem

Some of the 10 commandments do present a problem:

• "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Interestingly enough, this passage seems to indicate that the author of the 10 commandments acknowledges the existence of other gods beside Jehovah. However, the commandment does seem to prohibit worshiping the Wiccan god and goddess, whose personalities are very different from Jehovah's.
• Concerning graven images: Many Wiccans do use statues on their altars; these would violate the commandment. However, others use candles, feathers, etc. to represent the god and goddess symbolically ; these should present no difficulty.
• Concerning taking the Lord's name in vain: This should not present a problem.
• Remember the Sabbath (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) and keep it holy: This conflicts with the Wiccan worship schedule which includes 8 Sabbats, 13 or so full moons and perhaps 13 new moons per year - a total of about 34 Sabbats and Esbats -- less than the approximately 52 Sabbaths of Judeo-Christianity. The former are based on the phases of the moon and on the sun, not on a seven-day week. However, most Christians have deviated from the Ten Commandments by observing Sunday as the Sabbath. Perhaps a further change would be acceptable.
• Concerning the honoring of parents: Many Wiccans would have difficulty expecting children to honor very abusive parents, but then so would liberal Christians.
• Concerning murder: The prohibition matches the Wiccan Rede.
• Concerning adultery: This also matches the Wiccan Rede.
• Concerning stealing: Most Wiccans probably believe that stealing is acceptable in certain unusual circumstances - in life-threatening circumstances, for example. But then, liberal Christians would as well.
• Concerning perjury: Again, this matches the Wiccan Rede.
• Coveting the neighbor's possessions: In the original Hebrew, the word that is translated as "covet" contains the meaning of desiring inordinately -- a real craving. Many Wiccans would probably agree that obsessing over a neighbor's possessions is undesirable. However, Wiccans in general would reject the concept that a male neighbor's possessions include his wife and slaves.

Wiccans would certainly have difficulty following all 10 commandments and harmonizing them with their own theological and moral beliefs. However, Christians have similar problems: most don't worship on Saturday; many have statues of the Virgin Mary and crucifixes. Yet they still consider themselves to be Christian.

Important teachings of Jesus

Hell:

Jesus is described as believing in a Hell where evil people will be tortured with fire, heat, and worms for all eternity. They will live in "darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:30). The adjacent passage (Matthew 25:31-46) describes how those destined for heaven will be separated from those who will be sent to Hell on the basis of their works while on earth -- specifically their kindness to the poverty stricken, sick, disabled, imprisoned, and hurting. Essentially all Wiccans would assert that the existence of Hell is incompatible with their concept of a loving and forgiving Goddess and God. Liberal Christians generally regard the material about Hell in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) to be symbolic in nature. The passages are seen to reflect the growing theology of the early Christian movement and may not represent the original teachings of Jesus. Other Christian denominations teach different views. A Wiccan can thus reject the Bible's concept of Hell and still agree with some Christian faith groups.

Role of women:

Generally speaking, the Hebrew Scriptures severely restricted the status and roles of women. Jesus preached a revolutionary message about gender equality. St. Paul continued these teachings, and put them into practice with the selection of many female co-workers. Subsequent authors, writing in the name of Paul, gradually reverted to teaching a subservient role for women. Many of the more liberal Christian denominations reject the Hebrew Scriptures' view of the status of women, and ignore the later Epistles in the Christian Scriptures. These are seen primarily as expressions of Jewish and Pagan culture. Liberals give much greater weight to the teachings of Jesus. Most Wiccans hold very strong beliefs in gender equality. They would feel more comfortable with the teachings of liberal Christian faith groups.

Biblical teachings about Witchcraft

Most conservative Christians believe that the Bible contains many specific condemnations of Witchcraft, and that these denunciations apply to Wicca as well. (e.g. Exodus 22:18 - "Thou shalt not allow a Witch to live.") Liberal theologians point out that the word in the Hebrew Scriptures that is commonly translated as Witch or Witchcraft really refers to the practice of reciting curses which are intended to hurt or kill other people. The Greek word in the Christian Scriptures that is translated Witch is unrelated to Wicca. It would be better translated as "one who concocts potions to kill people," or simply "poisoner." Such activity by Wiccans is, of course, prohibited by the Wiccan Rede which does not allow believers to harm, manipulate, control or dominate other people. It may be safely concluded that references to Witch and Witchcraft in the Bible do not relate to Wicca.

Biblical teachings about divination

There are many verses in the Bible that prohibit certain methods for foretelling the future by the ancient Israelites. These include Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:26-26; 19:31; 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-11; Isaiah 8:19 and Malachai 3:5. Of these, Deuteronomy 18 is perhaps the most important. They forbade the Israelites from engaging in eight specific practices. Various translations of the Bible use various ambiguous terms or phrases here: augur, black magic, calls up the dead, charmer, consults with spirits, divination, enchanter, fortune teller, interpret omens, look for omens, magician, medium, necromancer, observer of times, sorcerer, soothsayer, spiritist, weaves or casts spells, witchcraft, and wizard. The terms magician, sorcerer, spiritist, and witch have many different meanings.

Clearly, translators have had a great deal of difficulty selecting unique English words or short phrases to match the Hebrew text. Returning to the original words:

• yid'oni Making contact with spirits (not of God). This would probably forbid the New Age practice of channeling.
• sho'el 'ov Making contact with the dead. This would probably prohibit a medium from contacting the dead, as in Spiritualism.
• qosem q'samim Foretelling the future by using lots. This would condemn casting runes, using the I Ching or a similar system
• m'onen Predicting the future by interpreting signs in nature. (e.g. predicting the harshness of a winter by looking at moss on trees, or fur thickness on animals in the wild, or whether the groundhog sees his shadow)
• m'nachesh Enchanting (perhaps related to nachash, a snake; i.e. snake charming)
• chover chavar Casting evil spells by magical knot tying
• m'khaseph evil sorcery; using spoken spells to harm other people
• doresh 'el hametim Literally "One who asks the dead", probably via another method than sho'el 'ov

Divination techniques are used by many, but not all, Wiccans. They typically utilize only a few: #3 prohibits runes, perhaps tarot cards, the I Ching. #4 prohibits prediction of the future by interpreting natural signs. The Biblical passages appear to apply to persons who are directly engaged in the various practices (e.g. mediums, channelers, astrologers, etc.); they do not seem to refer to people who simply observe the activity.

However, there are a number of instances in the Bible where respected leaders were involved in divining the future, apparently without any condemnations by God. Some are:

• In Genesis 44:5, Joseph's household manager refers to a silver drinking cup "...in which my lord drinketh and whereby indeed he devineth". Later, Joseph accuses his brothers of stealing the cup, saying "that such a man as I can certainly divine [the identity of the thieves]". These passages show that Joseph engaged in scrying to foretell the future.
• The Urim and Thummim were two objects mentioned in Numbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6 of the Hebrew Scriptures. They were apparently devices (perhaps in the form of flat stones) that the high priest consulted to determine the will of God. They might have worked something like a pair of dice.
• The prophet Daniel was employed for many years in Babylon as the chief occultist to the king. He was supervisor "of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers". See Daniel 5:11.

In conclusion, Wiccans could avoid the relatively few divination techniques that are forbidden. They could use those methods that Joseph, the priests and Daniel used. They could also use techniques that are not specifically prohibited. Or they might not directly use any method of foretelling the future and merely observe others.

Christian Wiccan Covens

The Witches' Voice list hundreds of Wiccan covens at: http://www.witchvox.com/network/xgroups.html At least one Christian Coven is listed there. It is located in New England.

Books of Ann Moura:

In her book "Green Witchcraft," she describes how her mother and grandmother were able to merge Roman Catholicism and traditional Witchcraft/Pagan practices and beliefs. The Christian belief in Jesus being born of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit found resonance in the widespread Pagan belief that the God impregnated the Goddess who gave birth to the God. Her mother and grandmother looked upon the Christian Trinity as the male aspect of the divine and of Mary as the Mother-Goddess. Her book is: Ann Moura,: Green Witchcraft: Folk magic, fairy lore and herb craft," (1996). You can read many dozens of reviews and/or order this book safely from Amazon.com's online book store

Conclusion

Some Wiccans might feel comfortable considering herself/himself to be a Christian in the sense that they regard Jesus to be a great prophet and religious teacher, and that they attempt to follow his teachings. It is quite impossible for a Wiccan to match the definition of a Christian that is used by conservative Christian faith groups.

References

1. "Witchcraft," Part of a Spiritual adultery bible studies series, at: http://www.acts17-11.com/witchcraft.html This is a conservative Christian essay which attempts to prove that Wiccans follow Satan.
2. J.C. Taylor, "A Christian Speaks on the faith and path of Wicca," http://www.hemisfear.com/wcs/jtaylor.htm James Taylor attempts to harmonize the ultimate deity of Christianity and Wicca. This web page includes a rebuttal from a conservative Christian.
3. "Can you be a Wiccan and a Christian?" at http://www.spiritonline.com/wicca/discussion-xianwicca.html This is an exchange of opinions on this topic, mostly by Wiccans.
4. Norm Vogel, "Can you be a member of another religion AND a Witch?," at: http://www.normv.com/corner/another.html
5. "Christian Magick and Perceptions," at: http://www.paganvillage.com/christian/cwroom.html This page is part of the Pagan Assistance Network. It currently contains three links to essays about how to combine Christianity and Paganism.

   Copyright © 1999 to 2001 incl., by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
   Latest update: 2001-JUN-4
   Author: B.A. Robinson