Christian wiccian

[Mosseywossey]

Sorry in advance I am typing in my phone.
I have always been drawn to wiccian/pagan and Druid belief and rituals, however I am quite a strong believer in God and Christian.
I am thinking about mixing the two together.
Prayers are like spells when we come down to basics, they are also another form of worship to God, aren't they? I would be worshiping God and as God is in all things, eg natural, it does support some of the Wiccan belief system.
So in essence I would be merging aspect of both faiths. I know some people think they are polar oppersites but I actual think they have big similaries, (which I won't go into as I don't want to turn this into a full brown religious debate, but feel free to pm if you want to discuss it)
Am I just being silly? Or this is possible? And are their people out their who identify as Christian pagan, wiccian or Druid ? Or interested in it. Please be kind

Outwith, is pointing out the differences in the beliefs involved in Christianity versus witchcraft, whilst noting similarities between witchcraft and Christian practices othering?

This whole thread is questioning whether certain Pagan practices are compatable with Christianity, so some discussion regarding differences in beliefs must be entered into.

I don't think there has been any demonising of any beliefs other than Christianity on this thread, just discussion and acknowledgment of where Pagan and Christian beliefs might differ.

Because the belief systems differ it follows different things might be viewed as good or bad, according to each belief system. A simple acknowledgement of this is not 'demonising' anybody or 'othering', each person must decide for themselves which most fits in with their own beliefs.

I'm not "othering". I'm just interested in historical accuracy. (I'm an atheist, if it's relevant)

Hildegarde, was a woman of her time. She was a mystic, and a scholar and held the beliefs about healing which were prevalent at the time - by everyone, not just witches!

I can see that I am on my own in thinking Hildegard had witchlike traits!

Rock I was referring to the Church and the Bible demonizing those who follow other/no religion(s) or who practise magic.

e.g.

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur.

I just don't think witches were that bad.

Terry Pratchett may have been a writer of fiction, but I actually think there might be some truth in his understanding of what it meant to be a witch and how he portrayed witches in his books.

Certainly witchcraft for Tiffany (book character) has very little to do with magic as people generally understand it. It has an awful lot to do with taking responsibility for yourself and taking responsibility also for the less able people and, up to a certain point, guarding your society. This is based on how witchcraft really was, I suspect. The witch was the village herbalist, the midwife, the person who knew things. She would sit up with the dying, lay out the corpses, deliver the newborn. Witches tended to be needed when human beings were meeting the dangerous edges of their lives, the places where there is no map. They don't mess around with tinkly spells; they get their hands dirty.

Outwith

As I have said, it is in the belief systems involved, where witchcraft and Christianity differ.

Both involve the supernatural and similar ritualistic practices but the belief and reasoning surrounding them is different. In Christianity the practices are believed to be a result of and conduit for God's power in witchcraft the power comes either from the practices themselves or the individual performing them and maybe harnessing the power from other spirits. So in this way what is 'magic' is different to what is miraculous or a result of God's power.

In Christianity what is viewed as Godly is good. According to Christian belief Christ shows us what is good / godly. Witchcraft / magic, in that it involves no Christian belief, by definition, makes no reference to what would be seen as good or Godly. This is not required in order for it to be seen as a practice which is 'worthwhile'. There is much more leeway for practitioners to self validate. This conflicts with Christianity, as the Bible reference showed. It is the element by which witchcraft and Christianity are incompatible.

If you disagree with the Christian perspective over what is good (i.e. Christ shows what is good), then you are simply not a Christian. Does not mean you possess no good or Christlike qualities at all. The quality of goodness is understood differently by different people. What witches are, and were historically, is understood differently by different people. I'm not sure Terry Pratchett, although I enjoy his books, understands any more about witchcraft than anyone else.

The 'taking responsibility' is actually something that really resonates with me. I always think, 'what a huge responsibility, too big a responsibility for a person' whenever contemplating anything to do with magic / sorcery / witchcraft / wizardry etc - if the power was there. Being a Christian gets round this, as God will not exercise His power to do anything bad which would be against His will.

" Being a Christian gets round this, as God will not exercise His power to do anything bad which would be against His will."

Blimey. So Christians can't do bad things? Really?

I didn't mean that Bertrand! Wow, if only!

I meant in terms of engaging supernatural forces. If you managed to do this, as a Chrisistian who prayed only to do God's will, only did anything supernatural by God working through you, you could not do bad by accident, supernaturally.

Christian. Typo.

Thanks, guys you have given me some great advice and links to look at. I know I'm going against the orthodox religion but I feel like there is no correct path to worship. I honestly don't want to be rejected by either religion but i guess the merging of mine own beliefs go against the established for of worship.

Traditional Witchcraft is my way and tbh I don't see how it can be merged successfully with Christianity unless you restrict the definition to the practices of the cunning folk (folk or granny magic). Even then some of the Christian overlay would be considered heretic by many.

Have you looked at neo druidry? It's a practice rather than a belief and does mesh better with a Christian mindset. OBOD in particular is very compatible and you'll find all sorts of belief systems there and they have a dedicated group for the Christian practitioners. Definitely worth a look if you haven't already.