Christian Wicca 2876499 223703377 2008-07-05T10:17:36Z SpellingBot 6773085 Charasmatic → Charismatic {{Refimprove|date=August 2007}} '''Christian Wicca''' is a [[syncretism]] of [[Christianity]] and [[Wicca]]. Christian Wiccans adhere to the polytheistic nature religion known as [[Wicca]] and profess belief in the teachings of [[Jesus Christ]]. Christian Wicca is a particular denomination of the also syncretistic system of beliefs known as [[Christo-paganism]]. Common elements transplanted from Wicca include [[reincarnation]] and [[fertility]]; however, the key points of the divinity of [[Jehovah]], [[Christ]], and the [[Holy Spirit]] are retained from [[Christianity]], often with a renewed emphasis on the latter two.<ref>Nancy Chandler Pittman, [http://www.christianwicca.org/ ''Christian Wicca: Trinitarian Tradition''] Accessed [[3 February]] 2008.</ref><ref>B.A. Robinson (2008), [http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcr5.htm ''Can a person be both Christian and Wiccan?'']. ReligiousTolerance.org website.</ref> The combination of two religions, each traditionally considered at odds with the other, is frequently criticized by those who are members of only one.<ref>[http://wicca.timerift.net/christianwicca.shtml ''The Problem with Christian Wicca''](Wiccan perspective)</ref><ref>[http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usva&c=words&id=10439 Why 'Christian Wicca' is a Misnomer ](Wiccan perspective)</ref><ref>[http://www.acts17-11.com/witchcraft.html Spiritual adultery series: ''Witchcraft'' ](Christian perspective)</ref> ==Principal tenets== A significant set of issues within Christian Wicca, and between Christian Wiccans and other Christians, are the details of [[Christology]], interpretation of the [[Bible]], and the nature of the [[Trinity]]. According to historic Christian [[Doctrine]], held by the majority of Christian movements and Churches, God is personified as one indivisible God in a Trinity or "Tri-Unity", as [[Father]], [[Son]], and Holy Spirit. Even so, God is referred to as a "Seven-Fold Spirit" in the book of Revelations, alluding to other, yet-unknown aspects of God. For some, [[Mother Earth]] was commonly viewed as the [[Goddess]] of common Wicca in past eras, however this is changing as more Christian Wiccans become aware that Christ himself called the Church to be his Bride, and therefore His Goddess. Because of this knowledge, Christo-Wiccans see themselves as [[The Goddess]], while other Wiccans worship a Goddess outside themselves. Because of their Goddess status, Christo-Wiccans believe they have great responsibility toward Christ their Bridegroom, one another, the people of the earth, and the natural world, because as Goddess beneath their God, it is the duty of Christo-Wiccans to serve and care for the creation given to them by their Bridegroom God while awaiting the consummation of what Wiccans refer to as [[The Great Marriage]], and Traditional Christians term "[[The Marriage Supper of the Lamb]] - a future wedding festival specifically set for believers in Christ and Christ himself - or the uniting of God and Goddess in eternity. The earth is seen by Christo-Wiccans as the temporary home which Christ has given to his Bride and Goddess to care for the spiritual children that are born into the family of Christ, which is cared for by his Bride. Spiritual Children are created whenever a an individual embraces Faith in Christ, and this is an especially important event in Christo-Wicca. In Christian Wicca, the Holy Spirit is Feminine, and is thus may be regarded as the Great Mother Goddess, as spoken of in Traditional Christian thought. Many even take it farther, saying the Holy Spirit was embodied in the person of the [[Virgin Mary]]. Other Biblical passages believed to refer to the Holy Spirit as Feminine Goddess include the "Wisdom" character of the [[Book of Proverbs]] (see also the [[Gnostic]] concept of "[[Sophia]]"), the Bride of the [[Song of Solomon]], and the female figures depicted in the [[Book of Revelation]]. Other Christian Wiccans dispense with complex Trinitarian arguments, and simply believe that Mother Earth and God are one and the same. This is a controversial concept in Christianity. ([[Leonardo Boff]] is a [[Roman Catholic]] [[theologian]] who has argued for the divine nature of the [[Earth]], and was summarily dismissed from the priesthood.) Some worship the holy Goddess as [[Shekinah]], or the radiance of God, an originally [[Judaism|Jewish]] concept. A related concept used as a name for the Goddess is [[Matronit]]. Another of her names is the Greek goddess-name Sophia (literally meaning 'wisdom') or the Latin equivalent Sapienta. These beliefs depend on how closely the individual reads, studies and interprets the Biblical Scriptures, and what they gain from studying the original languages from which modern translations are derived. Another Christian Wiccan position is to embrace Mary as a goddess-figure, and [[Jesus Christ]] as their god-figure. Sometimes this 'Mary' is not the Virgin Mary of the Bible, and mother of Jesus, but [[Mary Magdalene]] or [[Mary of Bethany]]. According to traditions recounted in the book ''[[Holy Blood, Holy Grail]]'', one of these women was said to be the wife of Jesus. Many also see evidence of a romantic link between Mary Magdalene and Jesus in the [[Nag Hammâdi]] [[Gnostic Scriptures]]. This is, however, not obvious. (There is no direct reference to her being his wife, for instance; also the scripture that reads that Jesus "loved to kiss her on the..." is missing a portion of the document, and therefore does not designate where Jesus kissed Mary - one could assume that he kissed her in a romantic way, but more likely, he kissed her on the cheek, a common way to kiss a disciple in antiquity, and a means which had no romantic inuendo whatsoever. This type of kiss is mentioned in the New Testament as "a Holy Kiss".) Another common practice of not only Christian Wiccans but simply Christian mystics is to embrace the idea of a Holy Quaternity. Most of the time this will include the God-the-Father and feminine Holy Spirit, but also will include Jesus as their Son God and Mary Magdalene or the Gnostic Sophia as their Daughter Goddess, or a worship of both a male and female trinity (Holy Trinity and Trinosophia). ===Interpretation of Biblical injunctions=== The most common objection to Christian Wicca are the direct objections to witchcraft found in the [[Old Testament]], particularly in [[Exodus]], [[Leviticus]], and [[Deuteronomy]]. A common counter argument is that the term 'witch' is a loose translation of the terminology used in the original Hebrew, which was more specific in its implications. As with other aspects of Christian Wicca, wide disparities exist in the arguments used to reconcile these injunctions with Wiccan practice<ref>[http://members.aol.com/RawnaMoon/bible.html Doesn't the Bible forbid Witchcraft?]</ref><ref>[http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/sufferawitch/ About.com: Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live?]</ref>. However, common elements generally agreed upon include: * The ancient Hebrew and Greek v.s. modern definitions of ''witch'' do not coincide - for example the Greek word "pharmakiah"-meanig pharmaceuticals- is translated as witchcraft into the English Bible; on the other hand, the term "witch" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "wicca" (pronounced witch-a), and literally means "to bend or twist in conformity with will, and may allude to supernatural occurrances, as well as deliberate changes in the human psyche or in the world at large. * Some elements of modern Witchcraft, such as divination and meditation, are clearly endorsed by the Bible, such as [[lot casting]], [[dream interpretation]], [[healing]], [[exorcisms]], [[Vision (spirituality)|visions]], [[signs]], and miraclulous/supernatural events * The prohibitions in the Bible forbid particular ''practices'' of witchcraft, including: ** necromancy, or calling up the spirit of the deceased, and commanding ghosts and spirits (see [[Witch of Endor]]); If the deceased makes visitation upon a human being, there is no commandment against that however, for Moses, who was clearly listed as deceased at the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, appears with Jesus at the [[Transfiguration]] before Jesus' disciples. ** poisoning, or mis-use of drugs to harm others or the self (at one time pharmaceuticals were unregulated, and people could be hired to concoct poisenous herbal concoctions to bring death to their enemies, hence witchcraft was associated with this type of evil) ** compulsion or deception through magical means ** use of polytheistic rites to deny the Biblical God ** use of magic in rebellion against God, or for selfish purposes ** [[Egyptian Magic]] and religion may be the basis of Jewish and Christian religious doctrines and forms a commonality between the ancient world, Abrahamic Religions of Judaism and Christianity, and Wicca; This is important as a cross-over between Wicca and Christianity because in Wiccan High Ritual Magic (the Basis for some Wiccan beliefs) the use of Egyptian Magic is extreemly important. For example, some common elements between Wicca, Egyptian Magic and Christian Magic include belief in a Pharaoh, a representative of God on earth, who wields magical powers: the Prophet [[Moses]] is now equated with the Pharaoh Akhenaten/Amenhotep IV, the first Pharaoh to institute monotheism, according to [[Ahmed Osman, Egyptologist]], [[http://ahmedosman.com/home.html]]. As an Egyptian Pharaoh, Moses would have been considered God on earth, Mediator between God and man, as well as prophet, priest and king/political ruler of his Egyptian Kingdom and people. According to Osman, both the Biblical Moses and Akhenaten left Egypt for the Sinai Desert with a large group of people and formed a new culture and a strictly monotheistic faith. An Old Testament prophecy about Moses suggests that "one like him (Moses)" will come in the future, and Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is this foretold replacement for Moses. Therefore Jesus' function as a resurrected King and therefore Pharaoh fits the "job description" of an Egyptian Pharaoh, a position held by Moses many centuries prior. Traditional Christian Doctrine holds that Jesus is God on earth, Mediator between God and mankind, Prophet, Priest, and King of an eternal/spiritual Kingdom. This is the same description of an Egyptian Pharaoh of antiquity, an ancient belief system held sacred by many forerunners to modern Wicca. Jesus Christ also fulfilled the greatest pinnacle of Egyptian expectation which was resurrection; in Egyptian magic a series of spells leading up to resurrection is the "big picture" theme of the Egytpain Book of the Dead, a writing misnamed by archeologists. The Book was titled by the Egyptians themselves as the "Book of the Dawn" (inferring physical and spiritual resurrection), and resurrection is therefore the greatest result of casting spells in Ancient Egypt. The result of Egyptian Resurrection stems from a series of spells in that text, with instructions for making it through the tests of the afterlife so that one could be awarded [[resurrection]] from the grave - the pinnacle of Egyptian Magic. As such, "The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead", is the oldest known written scripture in any religion as well as on magic, andone of the most important Egyptian scriptures known in the ancient Egyptian world. **[[Resurrection]], is the highest goal of Egyptian Religion and the purpose for which the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead was written; This event is considered the highest demonstration of Egyptian Magic and also the pinnacle of Christian Miracle. This theme carries over into modern Wicca, because Neo-Pagan magick and the term "wicca" itself literally means 'change'; change, normal or miraculous, is what constitutes magic, and is the very meaning of the term. Therefore Resurrection from any standpoint is a supernatural type of change occurring over body and/or soul. This ancient text includes supernatural spells which bring a faithful soul resurrection and eternal existence. The spells focus on repentence from wrong/sin and erasing the wrongs done in life by a series of "negative confessions" which function to determine the true intent of the individual's heart (the changed heart), even though he or she may have physically done the wrong deed (a changed heart results in a changed intention regarding past deeds); the weighing of the heart/intentions against one's own inner truth/desires; and safe passage into eternal life through forgiveness from Osiris, who is similar to Jesus in function. Hence both faiths focus on repentence from wrong deeds based on the true desire of the individual's heart to do right and the act of contrition or sorrow before the highest God in order to receive forgiveness for that wrong. In Neo-Pagan wicca this theme is repeated in the axiom "Do what you will, but harm none" - to carry this "commandment" of Wicca out, one must change their inner intentions before they carry out a deed, whether natural or magical, to bring change. The "The Ancient Egytpain Book of the Dead" by Ani has many parallels and themes that coordinate with the Jewish and Christian Scriptures while its magical theme correlates with Wicca; this text includes a moral code similar to the 10 commandments, the similarity between Osiris/Horus and Father-God/[[Jesus]]-the Son, and [[Isis]]/The [[Virgin Mary]], and a beautiful and worshipful style of writing. These ideals are further reflected in brief in the Wiccan Rede. Christianity's greatest miracle is the Resurrection of Jesus, the "New Pharaoh" who was predicted to replace Moses; and Resurrection is the pinnacle in both Egyptian Magic and Christian Expectation for all faithful followers. While modern Wicca is not known to embrace the concept of resurrection, it certainly does not deny it and the theme of supernatural change through resurrection fits quite well the supernatural expectation of wiccan magic - because Wicca does embrace supernatural change, resurrection could well be counted as an acceptable concept inside the modern faith of Wicca. Further, many stories and movies, such as [["Practical Magic"]] demonstrate witches who have the capability on some level to resurrect the dead, therefore demonstrating that some Wiccans at some point in history, have believed in it one way or another, and that theme is known in folk and pop-culture alike to belong to witches as well as Egyptians, Jews, Christinas and Muslims. More controversial arguments used against the anti-witch provisions include: * The prohibitions against witchcraft are part of the [[Halaka|Jewish Law]], and are inapplicable to Christians, who are freed from the Law ([[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]]); Even so, much magic is part of the Old Testament, such as testing a woman for adultery by asking a priest to write something on a parchment and after soaking the parchment in water, asking the woman to drink it; the result is that a guilty woman dies, and a non-guilty woman remains unharmed; and Joshua marching around the city of Jerico seven times in order to make the walls fall down miraculously, which has literary counterparts in other oriental magical literature of the same era; or clay pots which had things written upon them broken in a potters field to demonstrate bringing harm or a curse to someone; and the Jewish tradition of writing the name of the evil King upon their shoe sole to tread evil upon him was considered an act of evil magic against an enemy in the near-east centuries ago - this Jewish tradition is part of the Jewish Festival of Purim as told in the Old Testament Book of Esther, and has counterparts in ancient oriental magic of non-Jewish origin * The legislations against witchcraft were primarily intended to prevent conversion to foreign polytheisms, and are now obsolete * These portions of the Scriptures have only limited relevance ==Symbolism== One symbol used in Christian Wicca is the [[Crucifix]] with the word God across the horizontal 'beam' and the word goddess down the vertical. Another common motif is a [[Celtic cross]], with the [[pentagram]] of Wicca inscribed in the circle about the cross. Another symbol is the Egyptian Ankh, which is a cross-shaped symbol that means resurrection and life. The same meaning applies to the Christian crucifix where Christ died and was resurrected. The [[Pentagram]] or five pointed star was once used as a symbol for the crucified Christ, whose head, hands and feet received puncture wounds from his crucifixion; This symbol also decorates modern Christmas Trees and is symbolic of the traditional Christmas Star of Bethlehem leading the Pagan-Zorastrian Priest/Astrologers to visit the Baby Jesus. A common practice in Christian Wicca is to associate [[archangels]] with the elements and/or the called quarters. Four, five, or seven archangels are used; the names they are given vary, but include the names mentioned in the Scriptures and the Apocrypha: [[Gabriel]], [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]], and [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]]. Many of these associations can be traced to Christian ceremonial magic, such as how the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]] associated Gabriel with water, Michael with fire, Raphael with air, and Auriel with earth. All symbols on the Wiccan Altar have Christian meaning, for example - the double edged sword or athema is described in the Bible as God's word of Scripture - this symbol is depicted in the Book of Revelation as coming out of the mouth of Jesus when he returns as a Warrior against all evil; The chalice of wine and bread/cakes are a common communion symbol in Christian churches and represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ, while in Wicca they represent the coming together of the Goddess and the God. Because Jesus Christ has called his Church of Believers his Bride, the Wiccan symbolism ties in well with Christianity: While Wiccans insert the athema into the Chalice to represent the coming together of the Goddess and God, Christianity may embrace and build on this theme using the sword/athema to represent Christ's word, which is expected to enter the believer-Bride/Goddess of Christ, represented by the Chalice: Christ's word and his blood are therefore inside the believer, represented by the Chalice. In Christianity, the purpose for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in the believer is to symbolically "empregnate" the believer with immortality via God's word and his immortal blood, and assist them in sharing this immortality and new life/birth with other potential believers. Therefore the sexual inuendos of Wicca are transcended in Christianity and Christo-Wicca to a higher spirituality where the spirit is born through a coming together of Jesus the God, and his Goddess-Bride - the believer - to yield new life in a new believer. The five elements on the alter of Wicca may also have Christian and Christo-Wiccan meanings - salt is mentioned in the Bible as a ritual purifier; Water represents new birth; Fire represents the spirit of God upon a believer; earth represents what mankind is made from; and air represents the breath of God that animates all living things such as when God breathed life into Adam. Almost all Wiccan Symbols have Biblical counterparts. Further many Wiccans have explained that their feelings of [["Drawing Down the Moon]] - (a term that means to bring into the Wiccan the spirit of the Highest Divine/Goddess), is similar to what Christians describe as the [["Indwelling of the Holy Spirit"]] - a time when Christians feel that the Spirit of the Highest Divine is within them. In Christo-Wicca the themes from the two religions combine beautifully so that Drawing down the Highest Divine (God) causes the believer to literally 'become' the Goddess and absorb that divinity and immortality from him - a process called [[Theosis]] in the early church and a doctrine still taught in Orthodox Christianity. Most Christo-Wiccan home groups function much like a Wiccan Coven or a Christian Bible Study Home Group - there is a time for worship, a time when prayers/spells are requested, and a time when the worship service is concluded and attendees enjoy light refreshments. Christo-Wiccans may keep both holiday cycles and have more opportunity to meet than do Traditional Christians or Wiccans. ==Pagans in the Bible== Many pagans appear in the pages of the Bible, and are called supernaturally to serve the Biblical God. They do not resist but instead are drawn to the supreme power of the Highest Divine, and do as they are asked; Examples include: [[Enoch]]; [[Noah]] - a pagan who heard God's voice and did as instructed, building a huge ship even though his Pagan community mocked him for doing so; [[Abraham]] - a pagan from Babylon who left behind Idol worship to receive God's blessings; [[Moses]] - a baby believed by the Egyptians to be given to an Egyptian Princess by the Nile River God, making his "birth" a type of virgin birth to that Princess from a god of Egypt, and his Egyptian birth story mimicks the Egyptian story of [[Isis]], [[Osirus]] and [[Horus]], as well as containing elements that are similar to the story of Jesus' birth, death and Resurrection. [[Moses]] was regarded by the [[Hebrews]] as their kin, and through a voice that came from a [[burning bush]], Moses was called to serve the Biblical God and leave behind his position of power as a [[Pharaoh]] in Egypt. Many believe that Moses may have been [[Akhenaten]], the first Ruler in Egypt to institute [[monotheism]], and who eventually left Egypt with his followers to dwell in the [[Sinai Desert]] after facing opposition; [[The Three Kings]] - they were really [[Zorastrian]] Priests who used [[astrology]] and [[dream interpretation]] among other forms of knowledge to locate and visit Christ. They are currently burried at the [[Cathederal in Cologn, Germany]]; Luke a New Testament Writer is often thought to be a Greek Pagan physician who converted to Christianity and wrote one of the most important books in the faith, the [[Gospel of Luke]]. Some of the first Christian Churches built in Europe were in response to British Druids who recognized foundational aspects of their own faith inside the new message of Christianity - an ancient text reflects a Druid Prophecy about the coming of the tonsured-headed priests to Britain with this new faith, and therefore they accepted it and made quick change of their meeting houses into Christian Churches. Christianity is therefore a religion that calls upon the Pagan community through supernatural means; Pagans respond to the message of God because they take the supernatural seriously. Therefore Christianity is a fluid social group and religion that sees people of many religious origins come into the faith in order to do the will of the Highest Divine. By demonstrating that Pagans have a position of great importance to the God of the Bible in Jewish and Christian scripture, the Pagan world is invited to make their spiritual home inside Christian faith and practice - Christo-Wicca is a perfect place for them today, offering a transition which is natural for them and deeply spiritual. In antiquity, the Pagans who dared to heed the call of God did not have set doctrines to follow - instead they listened to the supernatural voice of God and did as they were directed without changing their lifestyle except as God directed them. Christian Wicca therefore could be viewed as the oldest religion where the Biblical God calls Pagans forth in order to obey God and receive supernatural abilities as given to them by God. ==Prayer and Witchcraft== Many Christian Wiccans consider [[prayer]] and [[witchcraft]] to be two similar or identical practices because prayer may be a form of sympathetic magic, where a request is made after a physical model is designed in the physical form in order to display to the divine what is wanted by the asker. Others believe that [[priest]]s are actually performing witchcraft when they are in service, but that their actions are called by another term. There have been comparisons made between the Christian method of prayer and the Wiccan tradition of magick (prayer being defined as "passive magic" and spells as "active magic"). the only problem with the term "spell" is that it is Norse in origin, and as such, literally means "curse". However, when most Wiccans, Christian or otherwise, use a spell, it is to heal, bless, or fix a problem of some kind. However, Christianity is full of Patriarchs who both bless and curse, depending on the commandments of God, and do so by extending their hand outward towards their target, just as wizards do. ==Celtic Influences== When one looks at the [[Carmina Gadelica]] (collected by Alexander Carmmichael), this is rooted in a Christian background, but mixes prayers, blessings and invocations and charms together - more than likely from European and Celtic influences - and includes, for example, a [[Beltane]] blessing. This is because as the faith of Christianity spread through Europe, it absorbed the other ideas of other communities that were similar to itself. These things are not necessarily in conflict with Traditional Christianity or to Christian Wicca. ==Worship and Holidays== Christian Wiccans may celebrate the faith based on a combination of both Christianity and Wicca, or emphasize one more heavily than the other. Most will consider their own home as a place where their own spiritual sacred space is recognized, and will perform worship of God by any number of formal or informal rituals, depending on the background from which they came, as well as what appeals to them, and also through application of what they have learned and read. Christian Wiccans see no problem forming a spiritual circle of protection around their worship space, and believe that it represents the endlessness of God, who has no beginning and no ending.<ref>Emily Alexandra (2003) [http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usva&c=words&id=7541 ''Christian Wicca''] Witchvox website, accessed [[3 February]] [[2008]].</ref> ==Concepts drawn from Wicca== Many Christian Wiccans hold beliefs remarkably similar to other Wiccans or Pagans. They may embrace reincarnation because Jesus' cousin [[John the Baptist]] is believed to have once been [[Elijah the Prophet]] who lived in Old Testament times and return to finish his mission in a later era; Reincarnation remains an uncommon topic in mainstream Christian thought however. The belief in reincarnation usually includes a stop at the [[Summerlands]], associated either with [[Purgatory]] or occasionally [[Heaven]]. It may also include a belief in such magical and spiritual beings as [[fairies]], [[elves]], [[dragons]], [[Elementals]], or others. These beings are equal to Biblical angels and demons, and are mentioned in the [[Book of Enoch]] (a gnostic text once held as part of the New Testament by first century Christians); They are referred to as [["The Watchers"]] or "Children of Heaven" in the Book of Enoch; The Bible refers to the Sons of God as angels and divinized human beings, but refers to evil spiritual entities andnegative energy as devils and demons. A more New Age Belief - that every human being has a [[divine spark]] in their soul or spirit matches up with the Biblical story of [[Noah]], who is believed by many Christo-Wiccans, to have an angelic geanology, for Genesis 5-8 states that the "Sons of God" (Angels) saw the the women of earth were beautiful and married them...their offspring became the "Heroes of Old, the Men of Renown". Noah was and is such a man - a hero of old and a man of renown. Because of his divine heritage and the fact that we all descend from Noah, Christo-Wiccans believe that all of humanity has this same angelic heritage, and therefore have access to supernatural and divine powers, which are 'turned on' by faith in Christ, who promised that his followers would be endowed with supernatural [[spiritual gifts]], and have similar powers to what he displayed while he was on earth; his Apostles display examples of such supernatural powers in the New Testament Book of Acts. Ancestor worship and a divine pantheon is a Pagan/Neo-Pagan/Wiccan belief that also finds a home in the Biblical Scriptures in the story of Noah, who had a wife, sons and daughters-in-law - all who lived on a mountain-top with the ark as their temple-home, and perportedly had supernatural powers based on the experience defined in the Biblical story. When their offspring eventually resided in the valley beneath, no doubt these individuals would have remembered Noah and his family, worshipping them as a pantheon of gods and goddesses in order to remain connected to Noah. After the languages were divided in the "Tower of Babel" story, these gods and goddesses took on different names, but their duties remained - hence pantheon systems world wide have similar deities who have different names. This is the Christo-Wiccan reasoning behind the Pantheon system. ==Reasons for belief in Christian Wicca== Many individuals feel lost in large religions or denominations and their inner spiritual needs are not being met, even in small Christian home groups that are spin-offs of extreemly large churches. For an example of how large and impersonal some Christian churchs have become, refer to "The Wall Street Journal", Friday June 13, 2008, Section W, page 1 - INSPIRED BY STARBUCKS: Charismatic pastors grow new flocks overseas, using satellites, DVDs and franchise marketing to spread their own brand of religion" by Alexandra Alter. Many Christians feel that while the New Testament Book of Hebrews teaches that a believer is entitled to his or her [[Priesthood]] status through faith in Christ, the church does nothing to make this status feel official, even though there are numerous volunteer positions available. Most churches expect hours of volunteer work from members but never bestow upon them the office of Priest or Priestess beneath Christ, even though it is Biblical to do so. Because churches are large and must teach multitudes of people, many church sermons and studies are kept to a level far to simple for the educated person in today's world - hence people continue to search for spiritual meaning that goes beyond what they may be receiving in a church study. While some individuals feel no connection to their Christian faith and leave for another religion altogether, others remain spiritually connected to the basic concepts of Christianity, and can not revoke their hearts from the core doctrines of the faith. Instead they maintain Traditional Christian beliefs and values, while instituting other beliefs that have no bearing on Christian salvation, such as prayer-format, meeting place or style, or the belief that ancestors become divine and helpful to the living, an ancient Orthodox doctrine called [[theosis]] which has long since been abandoned by more modern Christian-Protestant movements. Further the [[Pew Poll]] has recently reported on a new trend called [[churn]], a social trend where many people of many faith groups make drastic religious changes approximately every three years, going not from denomination to denomination, but from one faith to a drastically different faith in search of inner truth. According to recent reports, church growth reports are greatly minimized by the statistics of their losses to other denominations or faiths, who actively report where their new members came from: the % of new converts into one faith group, for example Baptist, reflect an equal and opposit loss from another, say Catholic. Therefore there is a static flow of the same number of people who float between one denomination or religion to the next but never settle in permenantly. The steadiest permenant religious retention has yet to be determined by statistics. ==See also== {{Portal|Christianity}} {{Portal|Wicca}} *[[Cunning folk]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{refbegin}} *Browne, Sylvia (2004) ''Mother God'', Hay House, ISBN 1-401-90309-6 *Browne, Sylvia (2006) ''Father God: Co-creator to Mother God'', Hay House, ISBN 1-401-90533-1 *Carmichael, Alexander, ''[[Carmina Gadelica]]'' *Jennings, Victoria (2003) ''God as Mother'' *Moltmann-Wendel, Elisabeth ''A Land Flowing With Milk and Honey: perspectives on feminist'' *Pearson, Joanne (2007) ''Wicca and the Christian Heritage'', Routledge. *Pittman, Nancy Chandler (2003) ''Christian Wicca: The Trinitarian Tradition'' 1st Books Library, , ISBN 1-410-75347-6 *Tovey, Phillip ''Praying to God as Mother'', Grove Books {{refend}} {{Template:WiccaandWitchcraft}} [[Category:Wiccan traditions]] [[Category:Christo-paganism]] [[Category:Christian denominations]] [[an:Cristowicca]] [[es:Cristowicca]] [[gl:Cristowicca]] [[it:Cristowicca]]