*Christian Witch* in ♥ Christian Witch

Can you be a Christian Witch? And, while we are on the topic: Can you be a Christo-pagan? A Christo-eclectic? or a Christian Wiccan? The simple answer is: yes. But since a simple answer never clarifies anything complex...we shall have to go on to the complex answer. The reason it is not an oxymoron to call oneself a Christian Witch, Christo- pagan, Christo-eclectic or Christian Wiccan is very simple...it all depends on your definition of the terms. Religion is a man-made institution anyway so it would seem appropriate to form "religion" in such a way that most closely defines each individual.

Buddah said: “In theory there is but one religion, in practice, there are as many religions as there are people.”

Some people don't care about labels and some do. For some a label like Christian Witch...is meant more to clarify a concept within their own mind than to be agreed upon by the public at large. But I'm rambling and getting off the topic here: Basically we have to look at what someone means when they use one of these terms (and if you ask 100 people, don't be surprised if you get 100 different answers.)

When someone says that they are a Christo-pagan and someone else says: "You Can't be a Christian and a Pagan at the same time!" 99% of the time, the Problem is with each person's definitions. The truth is, they are probably both more in agreement about the topic than they think they are. One example is that most people who say you can't be a Christian and Pagan at the same time are usually defining their terms like this: Christian = "Fundie Christian" (you know...take the King James Bible as if it is the ONLY reliable version and before that all versions before and after were wrong...and don't take into account that words and meanings sometimes change over time according to culture, etc) Pagan = "non-Christian."

Can I say "DUHUH" here? No kidding? You really can't be a Christian and a non-Christian at the same time??? No wonder people who don't understand us think we are neurotic and indecisive...I would think that too if that was the way we were actually defining our words.

The same can be said about the concept of a Christian Wiccan. Can you be a fundie Christian and believe all the party dogma of the fundie Christian and at the same time, be a Wiccan and believe everything in the Wiccan religion? Well, no...for example...do you believe in sin or not? Salvation needed or not? Jesus God or just good guy? Reincarnation or die once then afterlife? Heaven or Summerland? The list goes on and on. It would be logical then to understand that when someone says they are a Christian Wiccan you need to look a little deeper.

I can't define the words: Christo-eclectic, Christo-Pagan, or Christian Wiccan because I don't use those labels for myself personally. I mostly use Christian Witch, or witchy Christian. So, all I can define here is the term I use, and even then, I can't define it categorically for every person, I can only tell what the words mean to me personally in my own spiritual path.

First of all, before I go any further...I'm going to mention what many people think when they hear the words Christian and Witch.

Christian: most non-Christians hear "fundie Christian" when they hear the word Christian...because unfortunately these are the loudest Christians making it appear that all Christians are fundies.

Witch: among non-witches...who know very little about the term except what they've heard in passing, you usually get one of two definitions: 1. Devil-worshipper, evil...blah blah blah (which is probably the most inacurate definition.) 2. Wiccan, much closer to the truth, except for the fact that all witches are not Wiccan and some Wiccan's don't practice witchcraft.

Witchcraft, while it may be a religion to some, in and of itself is not a religion. (Wicca is, and many other paths that welcome witchcraft. Also, it's been brought to my attention that many who practice Trad. Witchcraft consider it a religion in and of itself. But Trad. Witchcraft is different from witchcraft with a little "w".) Witchcraft, is a practice. You can be a witch and be ANY religion. Just like you can practice Yoga and be any religion. Not all Yogis are Hindu.

And, you don't have to convert to Hinduism to practice yoga or even for it to be a spiritual excercise. I am laying out my own definitions here, however if you are considering this spiritual path...you will have to lay out your definitions too. The only way you can combine any two paths, or incorporate a seemingly "controversial" practice into your spiritual life is if you get your definitions straight first.

My definitions:

1. Christian: To me, being a Christian means believing in the following things:

• One God in three persons: Father, son and Holy Spirit.
• Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.
• Salvation by Grace and Faith in Christ.
• A personal relationship with God.
• The bible as an inspired source for spiritual wisdom.

One of the most important things to me about my Christian faith is that Christianity is NOT about "bible interpretation" it's not about "doctrines" and theological mud slinging. It's not about being perfect or judging other people. It is about a person and a relationship. It's about God loving the world so much that he became a man and sacrificed himself to show that love. (I know some people believe this is a myth, but I'm not one of those people.)

1. Witch: To me, being a witch means the following things:

• Having a connection to nature.
• Respecting all life and taking care of the earth and helping people.
• Someone who has an intensely personal relationship with the divine, however he/she sees him/her.
• Someone who believes in and uses ritual and magick to bring about needed change.

In the end analysis...the only "problem" is with the concept of "magick" It seems that the bible strictly prohibits any magickal practice whatsoever. But if one looks closely with an open mind one will see that that isn't the case. The definitions of what the bible says on it, is outside the scope of this article, but there are a few wonderfully written articles on it: "Doesn't the Bible forbid Witchcraft?" by: Rawna Moon "Am I Damned?" by: Ambrose Hawk "Can Christians be Wiccans?"

if you would like to study that topic further.

One thing to remember is...there were many "magickal" practices that were used in the bible but not condemned: For more on that, see "Am I Damned? Part 2" by: Ambrose Hawk

So, common sense would tell you that what is prohibited in the bible is hurting others or manipulating others.

God is not a manipulator and doesn't interfere with our free will. If we are to follow him, we should follow that example. The other common arguement against magick is that you aren't supposed to use it if you are a Christian because you are supposed to rely fully on God.

Well, yes, that's true...but you also have to use common sense. We get jobs and work don't we? We earn money to buy food and pay bills, all rather autonomously...God provided manna from Heaven for the Isrealites in the desert, so it's clear he could drop all we need in a bundle from Heaven every day, but it's preferable for us to work and earn things ourselves, so why is magick any different? (Whether you believe this story is literal or not, it still makes the same point.)

Also, if God is going to allow free will then he can't "magickally" intervene in every situation or we are puppets who only have "free will" as long as we do what we are supposed to do.

After rambling on and on, I'm going to close this article with this thought:

Maybe right and wrong is more about motivation, attitude, and how you treat those around you than it is about exact methods of getting things done.