A lot of the questions in this section are about Christianity! Is anyone else Wiccan ?
405200
I'm a Pagan.  I don't find Christianity offensive as much as I find some of the ignorant, abusive followers of Christianity offensive.  Christianity is supposed to be a religion of peace and love, yet we see much name calling and abuse directed at us from certain followers of the faith.
323392
Being Wiccan, that is a big YES!  Not only do I believe in magick I have seen it done and done it myself.  Magick is everywhere people just call it by different names, in the bible and other holy books it's called a miracle.
213699
Well, considering I'm a Witch( Wiccan ) in the celtic tradition, have been a witch of 15 years and grew up in a christian household, I'd have to say I agree with you.I've no real problem with the Christain God, it's his followers and the crap that they do in His name that bothers me.
1072882
Someone who asked a question about a book she read by Sylvia Browne and psychic phenomena wrote me to thank me because I told her about deceiving spirits who seek to lead people away from God and into the occult.\n\nIn her question she was convinced that by reading this book that she had "opened her mind" to a new world of psychic insights but after she read my answer she wrote me and thanked me and told me that I was right and that her sister who was a Christian had been trying to tell her the same thing.\n\nA couple of other people have also written me to thank me for setting them straight about something, but I give all of the glory and honor to God! I regularly ask that the Holy Spirit will guide me to posts and speak through me and accompany the words He gives me to accomplish every purpose that He would set for them in Jesus' name.\n\nIsaiah 55:10  For as the rain comes down, and the snow from the heavens, and does not return there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring out and bud, and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater;   11   so shall My Word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do.
990183
That's weired. I just met a wiccan. I didn't know you guys existed until he mentioned that he was one. He's located here in Houston,Texas. I'd send you a pic of him but he never stands still so they're all blurry! lol
1026187
I converted to wicca 7 years ago....I think the reason I like it is because all those little things christian's deam as a figment of my imagination are real to wiccan's. I can find truth in alot of things I could not explain before...it just felt like home to me.
423348
http://www.witchvox.com/vn/hm/usca.html\nhttp://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=california+wicca&submit=Search\n\nETA: Sorry, but Wiccans *are* Pagans. The only "Wiccans" I am aware of that claim that they are not Pagan are those who follow the teachings of the Frosts - and what they teach isn't really Wicca.\n\npa·gan   n. \n*** 1. One who is not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, especially a worshiper of a polytheistic religion.***\n   2. One who has no religion.\n   3. A non-Christian.\n   4. A hedonist.\n***5. A Neo-Pagan.****\n[emphasis added]\nhttp://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pagan&db=* \n\nWic·ca  n.\n   1. A polytheistic ***Neo-Pagan*** nature religion inspired by various pre-Christian western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother goddess and which includes the use of herbal magic and benign witchcraft.\n   2. A group or community of believers or followers of this religion.\n[emphasis added]\nhttp://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wicca&db=*
252326
There is a difference between being a Witch and being Wiccan. You can be a Wiccan and a Witch, but you dont have to be a Witch to be Wiccan. On the same note you can be a Witch and not be Wiccan (as I am). \n\nNow I know of Christian Witches. They believe in one God and Jesus and follow the commandments etc. They also work with herbs, cast spells, and work with magic. They believe these gifts and abilities come from their one God. \n\nTo be Christian and Wiccan is harder. You would have to monotheistic with the Christianity believing there is only one God and he is all there is. And still have the Wiccan believe in Duality believing in a Mother Goddess and Father God or Polytheism believing in Many Goddesses and Gods. \n\nMany people blend religions in order to find what is true and correct for them, myself included. Its called being Ecclectic. I suggest you think about where your beliefs lay and set up your own core belief system, pull from as many religions as you see fit and don't worry about a title unless you feel inclined to have one.
1139076
Hey Colleen, \n I feel I should inform you that Wicca is a religion with a great reverence for nature. It is not a teen clique you can join, and learn to do "spells and stuff". If you are really interested in Wicca as a religion, you can do a search on the internet, and get the basic idea of what Wicca is all about. If all you want to do is "cast spells", please do not even consider Wicca. It is not for you.
228738
First of all, it's nice to hear from Christians that you should respect another's faith.  Secondly, to hear from some of you that your way was is the TRUTH, is nothing new to me.  I understand it is how your faith operates.  Also, I just wanted to point out being brainwashed must involve a collective group of people who believe exactly the same thing.  This is not what you will find in the Wiccan faith.  As 100 Wiccans who or what is "GOD" and you will get 100 different answers.\n\nNow for the real question at hand.  I am distressed to hear that one from our faith of respect and tolerance is trying to "convert" you.  Obviously this person has not done much reading on the actual basic principals of Wicca.  One of these being that we do not convert, we only educate when asked.  This faith is one, which should be sought out and found.  To offer it up freely would be an insult to those who really wish to spend time deciding for themselves where their spiritual path takes them.\n\nAs for how to deal with this, I feel you should be blunt.  Tell her that you are not interested in participating in any rituals with her.  If this is all she has to offer in your time together then apparently you two don't have much in common.  You don't have to be rude, but don't beat around the bush either.  Make it clear what your intentions are as friends.  If one day you decide to walk in this path then you already have a point of contact.\n\nI would like to also say, that I am sorry some of the people who have posted answer have not been very supportive.  No matter what you decide to believe, always know that not one person has the right to make or persuade you to believe otherwise.
666068
I would love to join your group. I am a 24 male from the uk, Live in between avebury and stonehenge in wiltshire which is cool. I suppose i am just starting to try to be wicca but find it hard as i have a lot of christian friends. However, i respect the earth and i believe in mother nature :) my email is    shane_phil_uk@yahoo.co.uk    blessed be :)
1100056
I wasn't a witch or a wiccan but I used to practice voodoo. I wanted to harm people like my high school biology teacher whom I hated for no particular reason. I think I harmed myself far more than I harmed him or anybody else. \n\nPracticing voodoo exposed and amplified the selfishness and evil in my soul. I can see that now. I look back and realize how foolish I was, though I didn't then. \n\nI praise and thank God that He brought me to Jesus and led me to repent and ask Jesus for the forgiveness of my sins. I was raised in a church but never particularly cared for God before. My parents were scared by my sudden conversion. They thought that I was brainwashed or hypnotized by some cult.\n\nI have to laugh when I read how some a-gnostic or a-theist or a---something claims that Christians are brainwashed. I know what I was like, and I was nasty, selfish, egotistic, arrogant, and headed for no good. Jesus cleansed me and saved me. If that's brainwashing, give me more!\n\nWhat if I hadn't been saved? What if I got frustrated with voodoo and tried something like poison, or knives or guns? What people who claim that Christians are brainwashed overlook is this: Don't compare two different individuals. Compare before-and-after. I know what I was like before. The world is better off with me the way I am now.\n\nI want to encourage everybody who has dabbled in the occult to give it up. Most of it is powerless. That part of it which is not powerless is not under your control; you are under its control. There's no such thing as the force of star wars which you can tap into and use to aggrandize yourself. By the time it starts to manipulate you, it may be too late to get away from it. \n\nJesus holds the true supernatural power in His hand. He is the One who can deliver you from evil, and from being evil, the way He delivered me. Call out to Him in trust and obedience today!
991440
For me, it began in school when I was exposed to a lot of different cultures and religions.  I began to study many of  these so I could better understand others.  When I came across Wicca, the beliefs made sense to me.  It was everything I believed in but I never thought there was a name for it.  After a lot of study and soul searching, I decided to dedicate myself to Wicca.  \n\nThroughout the years I have practiced Wicca, I have questioned it as well as had it questioned by others.  Through each of  these situations, my beliefs have grown stronger and they have also changed.  For example, I now believe in the Law of Return as opposed to the more common Threefold Law.  I also follow the rede of the Lycian Tradition.  I think that by choosing a faith different from the one I was brought up in has made me want to actively study and participate in it instead of following blindly.\n\nI consider myself eclectic.  My practices are mostly deity oriented.  I have worked with with deities from Celtic, Greek, Egyptian, and Hindu belief systems but, I don't mix pantheons at a given time.  I have also worked with the more general God and Goddess as well as The All.  I think this practice stems from my interest in other cultures.
1000584
At the risk of receiving another letter from an offended practitioner of the Wicca religion, I'll offer this historical and Christian perspective on it with the disclaimer that it does not apply to everyone who calls themself a Wiccan.\n\n\nWicca Spells - What is Wicca?\nWhat is Wicca and what are Wicca spells? While it is rooted in ancient pagan beliefs, the Wicca religion, as it is practiced now, is only about 50-years-old. Wicca is a belief system cobbled together in the 1940's and 1950's by Gerald Gardner from a variety of religious traditions and beliefs as well as Freemason rituals. Since Gardner published several books espousing his system of worship, many offshoots and variations of Wicca have sprung up. \n\nThere is no particular agreement between Wiccans, or "wise ones" concerning what they believe and worship. Some worship the "Goddess," some worship the "God," and some worship both. Others worship nature. Some Wiccans say they embrace Christian doctrine, while others reject it. Most promoters of Wicca believe in reincarnation. \n\nOne thing most Wiccans agree on is the fact that Satan is not a part of their pantheon and they vehemently deny Satan-worship as one of their practices. This is because they disavow the notion of moral absolutes. There is no such thing as good or evil, because it is all relative. Wiccans have only one law that they bind themselves to, called "The Rede." It simply states, "Do what ye will, harm ye none." In other words: "Do what ever you want to as long as no one gets hurt." The Three-fold Law governs consequences, and is a law of returns that states, "All good that a person does to another returns three-fold in this life; harm is also returned three-fold." \n\nWicca Spells - Mind Control\nWhat about Wicca spells? Not all Wiccans practice witchcraft (which they call "magick" to set themselves apart from illusionists and magicians). Magick is to Wicca what prayer is to Christianity. Wiccans claim that the practice of magick is simply using their minds to control matter, while Christians call upon God to heal people and to intervene and work in their lives. Because the Rede forbids harming others and the Three-fold Law sets forth consequences for those who do, Wiccans view themselves as "white witches" or "nature witches." \n\nWicca is basically a religion that is about minding your own business and living peaceably with your neighbors and environment. Wiccans are eager to draw parallels between themselves and biblical Christianity for the sake of earning credibility, but what does the Bible have to say about this religion? You won't find the word "wicca" in the Bible, so let's evaluate the beliefs in light of what God says about them. \n\nWicca spells are idolism - Romans 1:25 says, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things, rather than the Creator…" Who wants to settle for second best? In Isaiah 40, God paints a very cool picture of how much greater the Creator is than His creation. If you are worshipping anything besides the Creator, you are just spinning your wheels.\n\n\nWicca spells bring false hope - Hebrews 9:27 says, "…Man is destined to die once, after that, to face judgment." God says we get one chance at life, and that is it. There are no do-overs. If we don't accept God's gift of Jesus in our lifetime, He judges us as unwilling to be in His presence, and we are sent to Hell. \n\n\nWicca spells bring disillusionment - Mark 7:8 says, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men". God is God, and we are not. We have a decision to make. Are we going to take God at His word and adopt His worldview, or not? Knowing God is hard work that takes a lot of discipline. Wicca is a religion that takes a pack of lies, ties it in a romantic ribb
1137226
No, honey, that is not correct.  Wicca is a nature based spiritual path.  We believe that Nature has male and female energies, hence the God and Goddess.  In my path, I have rituals, and what I do, are  offerings to the Goddess.  I don't cast "spells" on people, I don't do "black magic" and I don't sacrifice children, virgins, or pets.
829746
Christianity is not against witchcraft, the only religion to my knowledge that strictly forbids witchcraft is Islam. Some Christians may be against witchcraft and there was a stance of the church that witchcraft was evil, however this was a combination of bastardisation of the bible and bible teachings, as well as church suppression of various things that they did not like the looks of or that was seen as a threat to them. There are plenty of Christian witches, in fact there are of course far more Christian witches than Wicca and they have been around for far longer than Wicca.\n\nThe idea of Christian Wicca is an oxymoron not because of the use of witchcraft within Wicca, but because simply two religions cannot be combined, particularly not two such widely different religions. Wicca is first and foremost a priesthood, they have no laity like Christianity does, in order to become Wicca one has to be initiated after a lot of study within a coven, only then are they taught about Wicca – if someone is Christian or holds Christian beliefs as apposed to Wicca beliefs then a coven will not teach them, let alone initiate them – as such these is no such thing as someone who is both Christian and Wicca or who has combined Christian and Wicca. \n\nThere are Neo-wicca who have taken on Christian mythology and ideas, Neo-wicca is however a different animal to Wicca (Wicca initiate-only oathbound priesthood, Neo-wicca is a belief system based on loose ideas and outer-court teachings of Wicca) essentially Neo-wicca is a New Age combination of beliefs, so leaving them open to look into the likes of Christianity – remains however one cannot be two things at once, even Neo-wicca ahs some form of distinction between any other religion. \n\nI could go into this in more detail, but I tire of it, simply common sense and basic understanding of either religion will say there is no such thing as a Christian Wicca as much as some would like to argue otherwise – in most cases it is either people who do not understand either religions, people who want to be Pagan but refuse to leave their Christian roots or simply people who want to be witches without realising it is a practice that spans religions – in other words, some people are just plain ignorant. \n\nSide note – Christians suffered more from persecution from Pagans than the other way around, unfortunately the idea of Pagans being prejudiced by Christians is by large victim mentality on behalf of Pagans, for the most part it was quite the opposite situation.
62879
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiccan