Christian and Witch - Can You be Both?

This is a question that comes up frequently. Our own BriarRose, who is both Christian and Witch kindly offered to describe how she blends the two paths and manages to stay true to the beliefs of both.

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How can a Christian be a witch?

First, some definitions:

Christian: A follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a radical. Forget the sweet pictures of a pale man with blue eyes and flowing brown hair with blonde highlights. Jesus was that annoying kid who wouldn't leave the teachers at the temple alone. He was forever questioning everything. He mostly questioned the "old ways". His teachings boiled down to simply "Love yourself, love your neighbor" Sounds pretty simple at the beginning, but it's not. He stated several times that he was bringing a new message and a new commandment.

Witch: a practitioner of witchcraft

witchcraft: The practice of spells and magick, often involving the worship
of many deities or a supreme God and/or Goddess.

Wicca: Wicca is a Neopagan religion that can be found in many English-speaking countries. Originally founded by the British civil servant Gerald Gardner, probably in the 1940s, although it was first openly revealed in 1954.

Pagan: a person who follows a polytheistic or pre-Christian religion (not a Christian or Muslim or Jew) – from the Latin word for country-dweller.

Sin: Those thoughts, words, and deeds that separate us from God through our embarrassment, guilt, and shame. Also doing things that are emotionally, physically, or mentally harmful to yourself and/or others.

Salvation: This is a funny one. Ask 30 people and you'll get 30 answers. A fundamentalist will tell you that you need Salvation to save your soul from the fires of hell. A more liberal Christian will tell you that Salvation is the moment of opening one's self to God and God's eternal power. Some believe you need to be "saved" every time you "sin". Theologians have been, are, and will be arguing what exactly "Salvation" is...forever and ever, Amen. For this essay, I would like to use my definition. Salvation occurs the moment you surrender your self into the grace and guidance of God and agree to try your very best to avoid sin, that is those behaviors and thoughts that separate you from God. (see sin above).

Holy Bible:A collection of documents and letters believed to be inspired by God,
but written or passed down through oral tradition by early Christian leaders. The
current version of the Bible was put together by a council of theologians and religious leaders at the First Council of Nicea in 325, where they also defined "organized Christianity" as it would be known from then on. The Christian Bible has, prior to that and since then, been translated through several languages. Because of the nature of Greek and Latin, translating requires some interpretation to decide which word the writer meant exactly. Because of this, some of the original meanings have been lost. Also, it is believed that some stories, as is common in oral tradition, were embellished or changed as they became passed down. Also, some of the books of the Bible were never meant to be used as guidance and rules for the global community, but were letters of love and friendship written to a specific community in a specific situation.

God: A supreme being beyond definition who created the Heavens and the Earth. If God is the powerful supreme being God claims to be, then why limit God with assigning a gender and other "earthly" human qualities when we were created of God. God wasn't created by us.

I am a Christian Witch. My path isn't laid out in a How-To book in the New Age section of Amazon or Borders. I cannot speak for others who claim this path. We don't have covens or a central website or belief system. I can only tell you what I believe. I'm not open for debate or judgment. My sole reason for writing this essay is to help those seeking to follow a similar path. I'm not interested in your opinion as to whether Christian Witches can or do exist. My existence isn't in question. Before you read on, take a moment and consider the task of justifying your religious and spiritual belief system for every person who comes along, and perhaps you'll read with a gentler eye and an more open mind.

On Being a Christian:

The main part to understand is that first and foremost, I am a Christian. What do I believe? Some gents in Nicea put it into a great words in 325. It's been updated, words added, words removed,but the basis for it is what is important. Understand that you won't find this creed anywhere in the Holy Bible, in tact like this. Consider this the Cliff Notes to the New Testament. All of this is in there, in one way or another, although not verbatim.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father (and the Son)
Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

That's it. That's all I have to believe to be a Christian. Do I believe that all this "Literally" happened? No. Does that reduce my Christianity at all? No. It's metaphorical language in part. In the Christian Belief System, "Faith" is a big deal. Faith is the act of saying that even though you cannot prove something, you suspend logic and simply believe it.

Jesus may or may not have literally been "born of a virgin". The only one who knows for sure is Mary, right? Jesus may or may not have "risen" from the dead but, again, the only way to know for sure is to ask those who were there. Do I believe Jesus will come down from the sky on his cloud-chariot, whisking only those “true believers” right out of their skivvies in a “Rapture”? Maybe that, too, was a metaphor? These stories, along with all the other stories in the Bible were passed down orally years after Jesus supposedly ascended into Heaven, to be with his Father.

As I said above, in the definitions, Jesus was a radical. He wasn't an effeminate, milquetoast, fair-skinned hippy with flowers in his hair. He challenged authority. He challenged tradition. The Old ways were full of rules and regulations, from who one could talk to down to who one could kill in the name of God. Jesus simply stood up and said "We need new ways".

The verse I'm always asked about is "Thou shall not suffer a witch to live". I would think non-Christians would have more problems with John 3:16, which tells them that the non-believer will perish, or several verses in Leviticus that require them to be stoned if they work on Sunday or wear polyester, and the like. Here's the explanation. I won't call it a reconciliation, as there is no conflict. The word "Witch" doesn't exist in Hebrew. It simply doesn't.

Words that did exist in Hebrew which could possibly be what was meant in the original document were:

Diviner or Divination: Using *chance* to predict the future...for example: shooting an arrow into the air to decide which road to take. My use of Tarot Cards isn't chance divination. I use the cards, or any other oracle to occupy my mind, so I can hear God and my own sub-conscious.

Sorcerer: a person who used natural means to give the impression he had supernatural powers, to lead people into a different religious following - Sounds like a cult leader to me. I'm really reminded of "The Wizard of Oz" here...or the snake oil salesmen, and those mediums who charge you hundreds of dollars to talk to your dead Aunt Lizzy.

Wizard: The root of this word comes from the Hebrew word to know, and implies knowledge available only to the initiated and not the average Joe. Gee, not to pick on anyone, but this sounds like the description of some Pagans I've heard of and met. To use this definition, there are also Wizards in Christianity. There are wizards in the US Government. Anyone who makes others believe they have special knowledge no one else does, because they are more worthy or entitled, is a wizard, using this definition. I don't claim to know anymore than anyone else...I'll admit my ignorance openly. I do not follow my path to win friends and influence other people. As long as you're not trying to lead people to worship YOU, I don't see a problem here.

And numerous terms that all mean leading people to believe one can contact and interact with departed souls. Some denominations would have to condemn themselves, then, wouldn't they? The Roman Catholics, along with others pray to Mary, and other Saints, and the Arch-angels to intercede for them with God. I like to think I spend all day, every day, in mental communion with my mother and father, who both passed in 2003. Am I really talking to their ghosts, or is my imagination just creating from a memory what I think they would say and do? Since I'm not charging myself money for these conversations, and they help me work through the day, then I don't see any of it as bad or evil. In fact, I see it as another gift from my God, that I can remember two people I loved so dearly in such a vivid and positive way.

The old testament says a LOT of things that one shouldn't do. Do we still sacrifice bulls and lambs on the altar? Do we still lock our menstruating women in a tent for the week? Do we stone our family members to death for the offenses outlined in the Bible? Then why would you grasp one obscure verse out of an entire book of metaphor and inconsistencies and hold the world to it? To use the Holy Bible to create a Cafeteria-type belief system would make even the biggest hypocrite dizzy. We cannot claim full belief in this sentence, then declare that one out of date. It's all there for guidance, but one has to be careful to keep in mind which one worships...the God or the Book about God. The Book was created by man for man. It did not fall from Heaven, leather-bound and red lettered, on the steps of the First Christian Church of Anytown.

Also, one has to remember that the Old Testament is the “rules” Pre-Jesus. The New Testament is the companion book for Christians, i.e. “Jesus followers”. I have a strong feeling that if Jesus *did* come back today, he'd take one look around and say..."Guys...this is NOTHING like what I said". Christianity is a religious system by man, inspired by God, for man. Jesus said “Love your enemies” which means don't kill them, which is in DIRECT contradiction to some passages in the old testament.

On Being a Witch:

I use witchcraft in my practice of Christianity. I use to to bring me in a closer communion with my God. I do several types of ritual. Some are simple "prayers" where I kneel in church and offer praise and intercessions.

As a corporate group, we have a ritual we perform every Sunday. We re-inact the meal Jesus shared with his followers before he was Martyred. This ritual gives us spiritual peace and brings us closer to God and each other.

Every meal I cook from scratch (which are most the meals I cook, I rarely buy pre-packaged or prepared foods) is a magical work..infused with herbs and energy, based on what my family needs at the time. A pinch of patience for the husband who's having a tough week at work, a heaping helping of self-confidence for the teen who is swamped with performances at the end of the year.

I've been known to cast circles, burn incense and candles, and draw energy from the earth (God created the earth and everything in it) to use in my castings. I've done spell-work for myself and for others. I own a few athames. I have a shelf full of books on spellwork and witchcraft that I have read, and re-read. Some have dog-eared and worn pages because I've used them so much. My favorites are a cookbook by Trish Telesco (where did Trish go, anyway?) and Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner by Cunningham. I've called the Quarters (the arch-angels for me), and invited God in all It's aspects, as the Lord and Lady, The Holy Trinity, and many, many more facets.

I own several tarot decks and use them to help friends and family with life in general. I cannot do readings for myself, I never have been able to. I have a set of runes, but I never have made a connection with them.

What ties it together?

"All things come of thee O Lord,
and of thine own have we given thee"

Everything I am, every thing I posses is from God. I can use those gifts in 2 ways: To glorify God or to glorify myself. To glorify myself is sin. To glorify God is communion with God. It is my birthright to claim the gifts God has given me, and to use them. God gave me a brain. God expects me to question. God is a loving parent who would not condemn any child of his to an eternity of pain and suffering, no matter what the child has done. I may get angry at the actions of my children, but I cannot imagine punishing them for not worshiping me. It's all about the Love of God, and showing that Love to others.

I am a Christian who uses magical workings in my walk with my God.

Briar Rose