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 Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:42 am
I've been raised in a heavily Christian home, and they told me that ghost and magick are Satanism and worshipping the devil. And you go to the hot place.
Becoming a wiccan appeals to me, but I don't want to go to hell! Is there anyway I can do both? Any websites that can help me out? My cousin is a little wiccan, but I don't know if she realizes it.
Just writing and thinking about it feels like betrayal...
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:11 am
Mara Earth I've been raised in a heavily Christian home, and they told me that ghost and magick are Satanism and worshipping the devil. And you go to the hot place. I was raised Catholic too so perhaps I can put some light on this one. I don't know about spirits but I know that the bible verse stating that "thou shall not suffer a witch to live" is a mistranslation of the orginal language. Someone else has already proven it here for me so I can just link to their work :XP: The only reason you would go to Hell is because all people who aren't Christian go to Hell. In less strict guidelines just all people who don't worship YHVH will go to Hell. So while Christianity doesn't think that witchcraft or other religions are Satanism, they are the other and as such they are wrong and may as well be Satanism. Quote: Becoming a wiccan appeals to me, So why are you interested in becoming a preist or a preistess in the Wiccan Lord and Lady of the British Isles fertility cult? I think a lot of people throw around that term and don't know what it means if you are really interested in Wicca I suggest you go here because there is a lot of good links and conversation in that thread about what Wicca is or isn't. Quote: but I don't want to go to hell! Going to Hell is something Christians or a Wiccan oathebreaker should worry about. IF you don't believe in Christianity, then you don't need to follow their rules. You follow the rules of the religion you believe in. wink Quote: Is there anyway I can do both? What be Christain and Wiccan, no there is no way to do that. Quote: Any websites that can help me out? Sure. Most of them are in the thread I posted above, but I'll throw them down here too ^.^ Garnder's Book of ShadowsWicca for the Rest of UsWhy Wiccans Suck Quote: My cousin is a little wiccan, but I don't know if she realizes it. You can't be a little Wiccan, you either are Wiccan or you are not Wiccan. Also you usually have to be 18 or older to be Wiccan because Wiccan's require you to sign a legally binding contract that doesn't allow you to reveal their mysteries.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:07 pm
I used to be Christian, but then I just lost faith. A little while later, I was introduced to the ways of science. I'm finding a nice balance between science and spirituality. I believe in evolution, but I also believe in psionics and hermeticism, and that the Earth has a "soul." I believe that Mother Nature has a spirit, and that there is something greater than us out there. I believe in what feels true to my heart, not what a book tells me to.
Being a mere mortal, I couldn't tell you if there's a heaven or hell. Then again, I don't really believe in either. I think there are consequences for our actions here on Earth, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that hell is one of them. You have to make your own path. You can follow some guidelines if you're not sure where to go, but make some decisions for yourself. I think that if the Bible really is right about all of the things that people get "condemned" for, then we're all going to hell. Many people violate the Ten Commandments and do things that the Bible says isn't right. (eg. murder, divorce, cheating, stealing, lying, any of the seven sins...) I think that the true meaning has been lost over time as society grows, and lost in a pool of hypocracy and contradictions. That's just my personal opinion. I'm sorry if I sounded offensive to anybody.
If you're worried about your family trying to get you exorcised or calling you a demonchild, just don't tell them about your interst in Wicca. It may sound bad if you're the type that hates lying to family, but it'd be for the best. Your family will be happy thinking that you're Christian, and you'll be happy with Wicca. I often have to watch what I say around my family, since they're all Christian or just wouldn't understand my beliefs. There's a lot of things that parents don't know about their children, and this is just one more of them for me. I can't see anything good coming from me telling my mom anything. She's too stuck in her ways to listen to anything different.
As for the having to be 18+ part, I've never heard of it. I don't know a whole lot about Wicca, but I think that anybody can follow it regardless of age. Nobody can stop you from speaking, and 18 is only the legal age in certain countries. If you want to be Wicca, go for it. If you still want to be Christian, maybe you can find a balance? The belief in a "clockmaker" God balances two opposing forces: science and Christianity. Wicca says to take what you want, and only that. It doesn't make you take everything like other religions do. Maybe you can take bits from Wicca and bits from Christianity? If you're really worried about going to hell, then don't start down the path of Wicca and stay on what you consider to be the safe side.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:20 pm
QueenMaeve As for the having to be 18+ part, I've never heard of it. I don't know a whole lot about Wicca, but I think that anybody can follow it regardless of age. Nobody can stop you from speaking, and 18 is only the legal age in certain countries. If you want to be Wicca, go for it. If you still want to be Christian, maybe you can find a balance? The belief in a "clockmaker" God balances two opposing forces: science and Christianity. Wicca says to take what you want, and only that. It doesn't make you take everything like other religions do. Maybe you can take bits from Wicca and bits from Christianity? If you're really worried about going to hell, then don't start down the path of Wicca and stay on what you consider to be the safe side. No Wicca doesn't say take what you want and only that. Ecclectic Paganism and Universalist Unitarianism say that. And while it is possible that the Lord and Lady of the Islses contact one personally and initiate them into Wicca, it would be very rare and I would be very skeptical. Short of that one needs to find a coven that has a lineage which can be traced back to Gerlard Garnder who will initate you. Of course 18 isn't the legal age in all countries, but I am sure that in most cases you can't become Wicca until you are of age to enter into a legally binding contract where you swear not to reveal the mysteries. While no one can stop you from claiming Wicca, no one can stop me from saying I'm a nun either, but that will not make the claim true. I can say whatever I want, I am not actually part of a group unless I follow the rules though.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:20 pm
Oh, so I have to wait to become Wicca.
I'll stay Christian then.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:47 pm
First off, I would disregard just about anything a Christian declares as part of Satanism. Most Christians know ******** all about it and just use it as an umbrella term for anything that doesn't fit their personal take on Christianity. Hell, I'm willing to bet a good portion of them think Satanists are out running around in the woods raping virgins, eating babies, and sacrificing goats.
Second of all you seem to take religion too lightly. Choosing your religion because you have to wait to join the other one? The religion you profess as your own should be a reflection of your deepest core values and beliefs. It's not something you just choose on the wispiest of whims.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:21 pm
If you're really interested in Wicca, research it. You may not be able to properly label yourself as Wiccan if the 18+ thing is true, but that doesn't mean you can't follow the beliefs. What is a label, anyway? Just something for communication, if somebody were to ask what your religion is. I'm not quite an athiest, I just don't believe in the Christian beliefs or the way they portray their so-called benevolent god. I'm not agnostic, either. I don't know for sure what is right or wrong, but I do know what makes sense to me. It's a bit hard to explain in few words when somebody asks me, but I don't need a label.
Like I said before, make your own path. Pause a moment to figure out what you really want, but don't let anybody stop you.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 4:10 pm
OKay,
You can be Wiccan (Although it does not mean you're truly one.) And not go to a coven. I suggest being Pagan but thats just me.
As for Christianity. Not to be rude but Christianity made hell to scare people into believing that if they don't believe in the Christian god then they'll be in eternal pain.
If you try Paganism or Wicca you'll probally come to a time when you'll have to choose as it gets very hard to follow reach religions rules and not break anothers.
Thats what happened to me and I took the Pagan path.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:35 pm
The real question is: is it really Wicca you're interested in, or neopaganism in general? Wicca is the Fertility Cult of the Lord and Lady of the Isles, created by Gerald Gardner in the 1950's (approximately). If that's not what you're into, then perhaps look into other neopagan faiths. I created my religion-esque philosophy myself. I may join an organized religion if I can find one that allows me to properly practice my beliefs (and has gods that I can get along with, of course ^_^ ), but until then I have no gods and follow my philosophy of True Balance. You can do what I did, or find a religion that interests you and join that. Also, no need to worry about Hell unless you ARE a Christian. XD Personally, I believe in reincarnation and astral incarnation, or at least in the choice of afterlife.
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 7:47 pm
Well lets see - the question is, do you think that to be a Christian is to think ghosts are bad and to not believe in magic?
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:33 am
Mara Earth I've been raised in a heavily Christian home, and they told me that ghost and magick are Satanism and worshipping the devil. And you go to the hot place. Becoming a wiccan appeals to me, but I don't want to go to hell! Is there anyway I can do both? Any websites that can help me out? My cousin is a little wiccan, but I don't know if she realizes it. Just writing and thinking about it feels like betrayal... I also come from a heavily Christian family. There are branches of paganism that overlap into Christianity. Lots of spells are written to incorperate arch angels rather than gods, and involve prayer to the virgin Mary rather than to Isis or another diety. At first I was afraid of going to hell, too, but according to the pagan faith, there really is no hell, and since I never really believed much from Christianity anyway, it wasn't hard for me to let go of that little piece of brain washing, either.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:26 pm
The truth be told, my father is a Baptist Minister. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of having his son become Wiccan. However, I still intend to keep the morals that I learned as a Christian. Converting doesn't change the fact that you were a good person. Just practice magick and work with spirits for the greater good.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:59 pm
Zealot_of_Duty The truth be told, my father is a Baptist Minister. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of having his son become Wiccan. However, I still intend to keep the morals that I learned as a Christian. Converting doesn't change the fact that you were a good person. Just practice magick and work with spirits for the greater good. Having non Christian morals doesn't mean you aren't "good" just as having them doesn't mean you aren't "bad".
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:41 am
Zealot_of_Duty The truth be told, my father is a Baptist Minister. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of having his son become Wiccan. However, I still intend to keep the morals that I learned as a Christian. Converting doesn't change the fact that you were a good person. Just practice magick and work with spirits for the greater good. Wiccans don't just practice "magick" and work with spirits. They are clergy in a fertility cult to the Wiccan Lord and Lady. I'm pretty sure worshiping other deities is against Christain morality. As a side note, much like Resurrection mentioned, Christian morality isn't good or bad it just is. To my own personal thinking a lot of Christian morality is bad, but I'm not a usually a "turn the other cheek" person and I think that selfishness and hedonism can be good things. That is of course just me.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:50 am
LadyAnubis I also come from a heavily Christian family. There are branches of paganism that overlap into Christianity. Lots of spells are written to incorperate arch angels rather than gods, and involve prayer to the virgin Mary rather than to Isis or another diety. At first I was afraid of going to hell, too, but according to the pagan faith, there really is no hell, and since I never really believed much from Christianity anyway, it wasn't hard for me to let go of that little piece of brain washing, either. Small knit picky things to bring up. Branches of paganism don't overlap into Christianity, some forms of paganism tried to continue to worship the old ways while outwardly appearing Christian. Christianity helped this by assimilating a lot of the local traditions into their religion. This isn't singular to the pagans. During the Spanish Inquisitions, where Spain expelled, killed, or converted all the Jews in their lands, many of the Jews who converted did little things as a sign a passive resisitance. So those aren't separtate branches of Christianity, and I don't think the pagans or Jews who orginally took part in this form of worship considered themselves Christians. Also what pagan faith are you refering to. Pagan is an umbrella term that simply means a person of non-Abrahamic faith. And there are many pagans who do believe in Hell or a version of hell. So while there are many faiths who don't believe in Hell you can't just make a blanket statement like that. Also I find the term brainwashing highly offensive. Maybe its your opinion that you were brainwashed and if that is the case you have a pretty weak mind. Christians don't generally brainwash anyone. There are some branches and some cases, but for the most part, while a large part of their doctrine is to spread the works of YHVH it isn't to brain wash anyone.
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