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Christianity Vs. Wicca |
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| Types of Wicca |
| Christianity | Wicca |
| Monotheism. Christianity is monotheistic, meaning there is only one supreme God. A Christian is supposed to worship none other than God. | Duotheism/Polytheism. Depending on the person's beliefs, Wicca is duotheistic or polytheistic. This means that there are more than one deity. For most Wiccans, there are two -- the God and the Goddess. For others, there are entire pantheons of gods (like the Greek gods and goddesses) each with different characteristics. |
| Heaven. Heaven is the eventual destination of the soul of a "good" Christian. | Summerland. Summerland is the place where the Wiccan's soul goes to rest before being reincarnated. |
| Afterlife.
Heaven or Hell for eternity
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Afterlife. Life seen as a series of lessons learned through experiences. The
Soul takes as many lifetimes as it takes to learn all that it can through the human
experience. Upon learning all that it can, the Soul proceeds to the next plane of existance. There is no concept of Hell in Wicca |
| Salvation. Acceptance of Jesus Christ to be God in the flesh, and that he died on the cross to pay the debt for all sin. Followed by admission of sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ into one's heart, thereby beginning a life of service to God. | Salvation. As Wiccans do not believe in Hell, the most common thought here is, "saved from what?" Progression to the next plane is outlined in the Above section on the Afterlife. |
| No Reincarnation. After death, the soul remains in Heaven or Hell eternally. | Reincarnation. After death, the soul is reincarnated into a new physical being. (This cycle just keeps going and going.) |
| Satan. In Christianity, there is a supreme evil known as the Devil or Satan who is considered the ruler of Hell. | No Satan The God and Goddess represent both the dark and the light, the balance. There is no supreme evil in Wicca. |
| Hell. The sinners/those who did not let Jesus into their lives are sent to eternal damnation in Hell. | Karma. In Wicca, there is no Hell. The three-fold law or karma returns all negativity that a person sends out back to that person. This is how a person "pays" for their evil deeds. Rather than burn in Hell for eternity, they receive a just punishment from the gods. |
| Prayer. A Christian requests help or guidance from God/Christ through prayer. | Ritual. Wiccans pray, too. But rituals or spells can be considered the equivalent of Christian prayer. A Wiccan asks their God/Goddess to provide the protection, help, or results they need through their magickal workings if not through simple prayer. |
| Divine Power. Christians communicate their needs and wants to God through prayer with the belief that God will always answer them. | Divine Power. Wiccans channel the Divine energy that is in all to a desired end result, calling on the God and Goddess to support them and provide the power through them. |
| Healing. Christians believe in natural healing and in medical science. Many believe in the "laying on of hands" to channel the power of God to heal. | Healing. Wiccans believe in natural healing and in medical science. Wiccans also channel the Divine power to heal |
| Bible. Scriptures that tell of the life of Christ and guidelines for Christian living. Told through the eyes of the Christian prophets. | Book of Shadows. Wiccans have no set book of scripture. The Book of Shadows is what Wiccans make on thier own. It is a compilation of all the lessons and experiences while on the Wiccan path. It is most often used as a reference book. |
| Sex. Christians see sex as sacred. Sex is to be bound within marraige and commitment. Though, a very small percentage (we hope) have been known to ignore this. | Sex. Wiccans see sex as sacred. Wiccans have very high morals that govern sex. Most often, sex is bound within marraige and commitment. Extremely few Wiccans see "open" relationships as okay with them. They do not judge ones who choose to do the open relationship as wrong, however. And, a very small percentage (we hope) have been known to go outside their marraiges |
| Ten Commandments. Have no other gods, make no "graven" images of anything, don't take the Lord's name in vain, pray and rest on the Sabbath day, honor your father and mother, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not "bear false witness" against your neighbor, don't covet anything that's not yours. | Wiccan Rede. One very simple rule. "An it harm none, do as ye will." |
| Holidays Christian holy days, like Easter and Christmas, celebrate important days in the life of Jesus Christ (birth, resurrection). Sabbaths are based on important events in the Bible and in Christianity's history. | Sabbats. There are eight sabbats which are celebrated by Wiccans. They have little difference from the main Christian holidays because the Christian holidays have their origins in pagan celebrations which existed BEFORE Christianity. Christmas originated from the pagan Yule celebration, and Easter comes from the pagan sabbat of Eostar. |
| Church/Temple Sanctuary of Christian worship or the house of God. | Circle/Coven Some Wiccans may have temples, but most worship and practice rituals within a circle cast anywhere necessary. Others may consider their covenstead (where their coven meets) a place of sanctuary. |
| Judgementalism. Christians are taught "judge not that ye not be judged" but many are judgemental anyway. | Judgementalism. Wiccans are taught "judge not that ye not be judged" but many are judgemental anyway. |
| Right or Wrong. Christians usually see that anyone who isn't one is doomed for Hell. Christians often believe that there is only one right and true way to spirituality and enlightenment and Heaven. | Right or Wrong. Everything
written in the cell just to the left of this one is the only specific problem that most Wiccans have with Christians. Wiccans see many paths to spirituality, enlightenment, and the Summer Land. |
And a parable for you...
There was once a family in a small boat. The father, the mother and a small child were there. They were peacefully floating between two islands. The islands were part of Hawaii. The island on the starboard side was Maui. The island on the port side was a small island that most never knew the name of. Mom and Dad sought to teach the child a lesson about life, so Dad dove to the bottom of the ocean. He pulled the plug at the bottom of the ocean and the water began to drain out. He rejoined his family in the boat. They said to the child, "Look at Maui, what do you see?" The bright child looked to the starboard side and said, "I see beautiful things! I see big pretty buildings, pretty people, pretty trees, pretty flowers and pretty beaches. Everyone there is having a great time! There are water falls and jungles and all kinds of life and energy."The parents then said, "Look to the port side, what do you see?" The child said, "I see great ugliness, Mommy, Daddy, why is that island so ugly and dead looking?" They told the small angel, "This is a tiny island that the military has used for many, many years to test their munitions. They tested their guns and all sorts of bombs there. After years of testing, there is no more life left on that island. No one really goes there anymore." after, they said, "so tell us what do you see?"
The child replied, "It’s gray and dead, and generally yucky! There are no people and no life, no tall beautiful buildings. I like Maui much better!" By then, the boat was beginning to fall with the level of the water. The parents said, "look at both islands and tell us what you see." The child replied, "I see seaweed and rocks and shells and things." The parents said, "keep looking and tell us what you see about both islands." The child continued to look back and forth alternating between the starboard and port sides. He commented, "Coral over here, and coral over there.... greenish brown plants over here, and greenish brown plants over there. Clay here, and clay there." The child saw a pattern forming. He said, "The farther we go down, the more things look the same on both sides!... It looks exactly the same on both........CLUNK!....... uh sides! Hey! We just hit bottom!"
Dad asked, "are these really two different pieces of land?" Mom said, "sweetheart, on the surface, the islands appear to be very different. But as you can see, that is not really true. At the lowest level beneath the surface of what we can see, they are connected..... and that makes them the same. They are one down here, while up there, they appear to be separate. On the surface, the illusion of separateness, while in truth, the reality of oneness."
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