I recently left Christianity and am looking at Wiccanism because it seems like an interesting religion and one that I already feel connected to. Unfortunately, I can't find a lot of info. How would you describe Wicca to someone who wanted to learn more but only knew the basics? What are some ways you worship? What are some of your major deities? How do you pray?
Responses (3)
Wicca (English pronunciation: /ˈwɪkə/), also termed Pagan Witchcraft, is a contemporary Pagan new religious movement. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca
Get the point? It was made up by somebody. Fiction. Nothing more than a stage presentation. One of the principles is that you don't learn it from a book because it can't be trusted to stay the same all the time.
Now let's get sensible. If God is real, He ought to give a book so that people can always check the accuracy of their beliefs. One of the things that book says is that not everybody has to agree all the time, but still the standard does not change. Since not everybody agrees, you don't ask people to tell you what the bible says. Many people will make up stuff because they don't know what it says, and many will make up stuff because they wish it would not say what it says. You just have to read it for yourself. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Proverbs has 31 chapters so you can keep your place by just looking at a calendar. There is no religion or nothing in Proverbs and you don't have to believe anything. Just read to find wisdom. When you are comfortable with that, then read the bible from Romans to 2 Thessalonians over and over until you start to remember what it says. That is the part that applies to Christians.
Yeah, ok. You've been told.
Hello! I read your comment and I see what you're coming from. A lot of people are fed up with what they are being taught. The thing is what you were being taught is not in the Bible, and that's why it didn't make sense. if you like I would like to answer your questions for real. Give me five questions you had and I'll promise to answer them, not from my thinking and interpretation, what straight from the Bible.
I appreciate what you're offering. I don't think it's possible as many of my problems stem from the Bible itself, as I have read it, but I'll give it a go anyways. Sorry that I'm going to be replying with multiple short comments since Question.Com ignores anything I write over a few paragraphs (the answer above is the single exception out of seven and I don't doubt that the number will continue to climb if I keep sending long answers). Some of these things I'll be bringing up aren't directly questions but explaining them is still appreciated.
Question 1:
Starting with a large one I guess, why does God hold us accountable for sin when he knows what we are going to do? This is probably one of the worst contradictions in the entire Bible, at least through my eyes. Because God is supposed to be omnipotent and know what choices we are going to make, yet at the same time we are free to choose our own path? Those directly contradict each other and yet both are supposedly true but it is literally impossible for God to know every choice you are going to make and still have a belief in free-will. So how can God stand knowing that there are people who are going to hell?
Now there is an example of baloney that you have learned from random people. The bible does not say any such thing. People say God knows what you are going to do. Well, so what? I know that if I drop a key ring, a dog's ears will perk up and a cat won't notice, and if I drop a feather duster the dog won't notice but the cat will attack immediately. Just because a dog is a dog and a cat is a cat. Well, God knows that a human is a human, but you are still free to choose what you do. God says "I set before you life and death. Therefore choose life." (Deuteronomy 30:19 ) If God knew in advance what you would choose, that verse would be a lie, and God can't lie. The Epistle To The Romans carefully explains that sins don't count any more. Either you believe in Jesus and are saved or you don't and are lost. You just forget all the crap you have been told and read the bible like I told you before. It has almost no resemblance to what you have been told it says.
Psalm 139:16 you saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
There is no verse that directly speaks about free will but Proverbs 16:9, Joshua 24:15, John 7:17, Revelation 3:20, 2 Timothy 2:26, Romans 10:9-10 and many others strongly suggest that we have free will.
"Free will" is a man made concept. God gives choices.
Joshua 24:15
Choose you this day whom ye will serve: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Choices and free will are one and the same, if you can choose then you have free will. But if God knows what you are going to choose then there is no free will. The problem is the exact same. I would like to add that you keep insisting I read the Bible, not seeming to think that maybe I actually have. I have read the Bible, not in its entirety or in order but how many people have? I have heard claims that it is impossible (which is not true but clearly there are people who believe it).
While I'm at this I might as well add another 'question': How can God be good and perfect when he kills people without remorse (Noah's ark, Sodom and Gemora, etc). Also the rainbow at the end of Noah's ark story, you don't promise to never do something again if you don't think that what you did was right or justified.
Lots of specially trained smart people have looked hard for evidence of a world wide flood. They found two. Neither of them was Noah's flood of 2349 BC. Nevertheless, people all over the world recorded a flood that year and they all agreed on all the details. You might be surprised to learn what actually happened. This is long, but it's all there:
saturniancosmology.org/
If you don't care to read the whole book, here is the section about Noah:
saturniancosmology.org/noah.php
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah shows how God got His people out of the town where they were in physical danger. God held back the danger until His people were safely out of the way. The book of Job tells us that the devil uses natural disasters, diseases, and other people to accomplish his aims. So the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is the opposite of your perception. You should also remember that the Hebrew language has a verb tense that is translated "I do" but actually means "I am forced to allow". For example if you kick a curb, your foot will hurt because that is right. God being the God of rightness, He is forced to allow it.
The English word “witchcraft” comes from the Old English “wicce” and “wicca,” referring to female and male practitioners respectively.
Some say that witchcraft has become one of the fastest growing spiritual movements in the United States. Throughout the developed world, an increasing number of people, inspired by feminist movements and disenchanted with mainstream religions, seek spiritual fulfillment in various forms of witchcraft. In fact, so numerous are the forms of witchcraft that people disagree even on the meaning of the word “witch.” However, professed witches often identify with Wicca—defined in one dictionary as “a pagan nature religion having its roots in pre-Christian western Europe and undergoing a 20th-century revival.” Consequently, many also refer to themselves as pagans or neopagans.
For more information on this subject and others, please go to www.jw.org "Online Library." Also for free downloads, publications or read online.
I appreciate what you are trying to do, but the Bible isn't as accurate as many people think and as I'm sure you noticed I recently left Christianity and currently want very little to do with it. I admit I am bitter but when you go to your pastor to get questions answered that you couldn't find in the Bible because he is supposed to be an expert, and he is dismissive and constantly says 'just have faith' you tend to get a little bitter. Simply put I have no interest in going back to Christianity at this point in time and while that may change I want to look into other things. Additionally, Wicca, the modern-day Neo-Paganism one is based on the Old Religion, a Religion that predates modern Christianity and was almost entirely wiped out because of Christianity and it's determination to cover the entire globe with only itself because it thought that it was superior to every other religion.
Now 'let's be sensible' IF God is real (and at this point in my life I really want him not to be) you'd think that he would give you a great deal of information about Heaven, the 'result' of where you're supposed to end up. It's like there are at a competition and people tell you what every ranking gets for a reward. Except, the descriptions of Heaven are vague and frankly, terrifying. That's like the above example except that you don't know what first place prize is, all you know is that the judges are raving about it. Whop-de-do.
Also, there are multiple translations of the Bible which are often very different. For example, the King James version has a unicorn in it, the Jehovah witnesses have an entirely extra book and to be honest, because Christianity comes after Judaism we technically added a whole ton of books to THEIR holy book and then had the audacity to call it our own. And that isn't including some of the very crazy sects out there that use the Christain Bible either slightly altered or even just ignoring books or verses so that they can look at it to suit their own needs.
Also Proverbs chapter 1 verse seven: The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. I'm sorry, but that's pretty religious. Also that verse there nearly sent me into a tizzy. Because essentially what it says is 'be scared of God, and that's how you'll learn' excuse me if that doesn't sound like a slightly abusive relationship. It's just like Matthew 19:14 Let the little children come to me for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. In other words, be nieve and gullible and believe whatever you are told just like a child. Well, I'm not a child, and I just wanted to learn about other religions because right now I simply cannot look at Christianity without feeling angry and betrayed because I followed this religion for THIRTEEN years and I feel like it was entirely a lie. Hence why I'm asking. So thank you but no thanks.