Ghosts Goblins And Things That Go Bump In The Night!
I wanted to share this article I wrote to a Christian site just before Halloween and hope it helps you in some way to show the similarties and differences between Wicca And Christianity. I hope this information is helpful and comforting as well as informative, I just wanted to give Christians a glimpse of what really happens during the Samhain Sabbath celebration most Wiccans observe during the fall time of year and hope you understand that these people are not worshiping Satan or plotting against Christians during this sacred time of year.
A few nights ago when I was riding in my neighborhood I noticed the Fall Halloween themed lawn decorations were starting to be put up and I couldn't help but to smile a bit.
Halloween was always one of my favorite Holidays with "New Years Eve" being my favorite one to celebrate because the end of the year was always a chance to reflect what you did during the year and to wish "Peace On Earth, Good Will To All" Through Christ! I was always an optimist and secretly prayed for a new era to be brought in each year for God's Honor!
Halloween was a strange holiday for me to understand as a child, I never understood the fear and evil people thought the night stood for? The mischief, the costumes, the tap into the primal self, the fear of death? It was all foreign to me, but then again, hee hee, spirits were always around me, so i secretly wondered to myself, could these strange human creatures actually see for one night what I see on a daily basis?
As I rode through my neighborhood I couldn't help wonder the complexity this day brings to so many cultures both religious and secular in general! Farmers used this time as a harvest period and ancient governments used this time to collect taxes. A lot of modern governments still use this time to collect taxes and very strangely regard the time the same way witches do as "The New Year".
"Dias De Los Muertos" or "Day Of The Dead" is a sacred holiday that ties in with All saints Day that is usually held on the 1st or 2nd of November. Some people are a little squeamish about the macabre nature of the holiday but I never saw it as a day of death but a chance to celebrate the life of the ones who touched our hearts when they were alive and to pay homage to the preciousness of life itself!
Samhain from Neo Wiccan Witchcraft and ancient Celtic and Galeic Celebrations is the 3rd and final Harvest Fire celebration of the year. For the elders of the time it was a festival to mark the end of the harvest and the beginning of Winter and the longer darker nights that will soon come to the region. This time was also thought of as the thinning of the veil that hides the underworld from ours where the dearly departed souls, spirits, and fairies could roam close by to our world. Different cultures from all over the world have various customs regarding the dearly departed souls and the thoughts of death that the longer darker nights of winter will bring to their area. I always thought it was healthy to realize our mortality because it always lead back to the preciousness of life in my opinion!
Some of the Wiccan Witch coven rituals I have attended over the years involved a cleansing ritual to purify oneself before casting a circle, a calling of the quarters of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit, to open the magical circle, a time to give thanks for the blessings we received throughout the year, a moment of reverence and reflection for the ones who passed away, and a time to banish any problems/sadness/regrets we acquired over the year to write on a piece of paper so that it can burn away in the fire. Afterwards, a feast similar to a Thanksgiving meal is usually shared between the coven and guests that attended the peaceful and family ceremony.
The witches I attended with never had a ceremony to call upon Satan, I found it very strange that there are Christians to this day that still think that happens with Wiccan Services? The witches I know are very Earth and Nature centered around the seasons of the year and mid points of the seasons. There are 8 major wiccan holidays that celebrate Life, Nature, and Earth that continually loops as life evolves throughout the ages. Samhain or Halloween is the most important holiday a witch will celebrate during the year.
I still don't understand how Halloween had an association with evil from a Christian perspective? Perhaps the fear came recently from Hollywood horror movies exploiting the fears of people from ancient times. Perhaps it came from Christians themselves equating the eve of a religious holiday as an opportunity for evil spirits to run a muck the night before as a form of rebellion to God?
Regardless of the motives, the mischief and the fears of some people that regard the day as evil I can't help but to smile as I enter my home from my evening ride knowing full well the peaceful nature the Wiccan rituals have on that sacred day and the only power evil has to gain is the power you give to it with your fear! I want to end this article by quoting my favorite Psalm verse that gives me strength during this time of year. Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff they comfort me!
I am comforted by the fact that God loves me, even when the darkest time of year approaches and death is on my mind, I am not alone because God is with me, and God will be with you too!
Replies
Thank you for sharing. It all depends on Who/who leads your Church. With The Lord it is an open door to all. He died for all. To sadly some church leaders, their church is only for those they deem fit. That fitness, can throw out any they feel undesirable. This includes the poor, the physically ill or mentally ill, and to any that just don't agree with how they "should" believe. We go to The Lord's Church, who are Believers that Believe on Him, and obey Him. That means reading The Bible, and not skipping over Verses about Love. Some can look at Halloween and think demons and goblins, while others can see it as handing out candy to little kids, so they can have a night of fun. It is all perspective. As Christians, we need to look to Our Lord Jesus Christ to give us always the True perspective. I hope this made sense. Thank you and God Bless.
Hi
Interesting article but religion has more in common with wicca and witches not Christianity.
Religion is what man does for god.
Salvation is what God did for man and Christianity is a person who loves, believes and follows Christ to the best of their abilities while on this fallen planet.
I myself have never known anyone to be a witch or in wicca and the pagan religions have nothing to do with Jesus.
That's what the bible says.
I understand there's a "christian witch" gathering on Easter sunday. I call it Resurrection Sonday myself.
But God cannot and is not ever connected to any man made religion.
Hi MrsOtto I am so glad you had a chance to comment on my article it really means a lot to me! Wicca is not a woman made religion or a man made religion for that matter lol. It is a religion that is centered around the Earth and Nature, not humans. I am sorry you are misunderstanding what the Religion entails for a Christian Witch and I will try to resolve the confusion you have about this Nobel way of life. A Wiccan Witch is an observer of Earth and Nature. Some are Masters of their craft because they know when is the best time to plant crops, what roots and plants are best for medicinal purposes and some of the ancient ones were midwives who were around to assist with births long before Christians ever came on the scene and I'm not saying this in a condescending way only as a matter of fact.
You are right that the Wicca/Pagan religions have nothing to do with Jesus, it also have nothing to do with the Christian concept of Satan either. Satan is part of the Christian religion so if a Christian were to talk about Satan to a Wiccan Witch they would dismiss their mythical evil creature as quickly as a Christian would dismiss Wicca. Unfortunately if you were to use this strategy to a Wiccan Witch you would be wasting your time because it would clearly demonstrate to them you know nothing of the Wicca religion and how it can apply to Christianity. I also want you to know that if you introduce the concept of Sin, in your discussions to a Wicca witch your conversation will go nowhere with them because "Sin" is a Christian concept and not a Wicca one. Wicca Witches make mistakes just like Christian people do, but they are mistakes to a Wicca Witch and not Sin. Christian have Laws in place to keep it's followers to be as pure and righteous in the eyes of God and that is a beautiful thing. Wicca also has guidelines to "Harm None" To keep their thoughts pure and righteous too! Here are 2 completely different religions yet despite their differences they have so many similarities and goals to do the right thing, to care for your family, to love the strangers you meet and help them in any way you can. I think that is a beautiful affirmation of how people choosing to worship on a spiritual path can work together for the benefit of humanity and the Divine we worship in love and peace.
Up to this point MrsOtto I only talked about Wicca Witches but since I am a Christian Witch I will show you exactly why witches have the right to call themselves Christians and love Jesus. Yes we are witches, we are observers of Earth and Nature, Most of us have spiritual gifts and chose to use them for the glory of God! Some of us are healers, some of us have the spiritual gift of sight, as the definition of Witch entails we are the wise dwellers of the Earth. This means we observe our Sacred Earth and Nature for our entire life so that we can better understand the life forces that are around us.
I know this is going to be hard for you to understand, but as a witch I know the Earth is my mother, and Nature is my comforter, but what makes me a Christian is the fact that God is my Creator and Jesus is my Savior! Earth and Nature is nothing without the glory of God and the forgiveness of Jesus so in that essence I am not a Wicca Witch because I don't put Earth or Nature above God. I honor the Earth because God created the Earth and I see HIs good works in our Earth and Nature, it just makes me love Him more and I am so awed by His beautiful and Sacred Creations He made for us to enjoy! I seriously doubt you will ever understand what I just wrote, but I still wanted to let you know I am in no way diminishing God's importance or glory of what He has done for me and everyone else in this Universe. I understand God's greatness from a completely different perspective than what a Christian understands. I hope that brings you comfort in what I wrote.
I have a real concerns with Christians because they are so quick to dismiss or demonize people simple because they have a different view of what The "Divine Goddess or God" is that created our universe. I have a very strong connection with God through Jesus Christ, we are a family and that is something a discerning Christian can never take away from me no matter how many bible verses they know! I have so much love, faith, and respect for my God that I am not afraid to talk to people of other religions to see what it is they believe in. It helped me to see the many different views of what "God or in some cases "Goddess" looks like from a person or culture that is trying to find out the same questions I have about our Divine.
I have found in every culture and in every religion I was privileged to observe that they all have moral clauses similar to Christianity and that gives me hope for the future of our species. (Wicca "To Harm None") (Thelema Law ""Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will.") (Taoism "Living in harmony with the path of Righteousness") (Confucius an extraordinary Chinese Philosopher and the similarities He has with the Christian Proverb teachings in the bible) Even modern Satanist founder Anton LaVey has a clause of accountability of using your free will on others. I bet you didn't know that Anton Lavey was an Atheist Satanist. He didn't believe Satan or God exists but liked the principles of what the mythical Satan stood for in Christian Theology. If you ever have the opportunity of meeting a Satanist, please have the maturity and respect of asking if they follow LaVeyan Satanism, Luciferianism, or the Theistic followings of The Temple of Set. Like Christianity, Satanism has different denominations and some of these religions are completely different forms of Satanism. I included Michael Aquino Temple of Set as a Satanist organization even though their God is based more on the Egyptian deity than the Christian Concept of Satan. I don't know if you realize this or not MrsOtto, but when I talk to people about religion there is no taboo subject for people to be worried about when they discuss their beliefs with me. I will listen, share what I have learned about other religions, and make anyone feel comfortable and safe while they explore their beliefs with my Christian Beliefs. That is what the essence of Christianity is to me, to be able to have mature, loving conversations between people I consider family about what they believe in life while having faith and prayers that I am representing the beauty of Christianity and why it is so important to me!
In case you haven't realized by now I am a legally ordained Christian Witch sanctioned from the government and people of Canada that is also recognized in the United States, I can legally start a 501c exempt church in my area if I wanted to but I choose not to, because I strongly feel it is more important and effective if I have one on one relationships and love with the people I am honored to meet and have in my life. As an ordained priestess, I have the honor of having contact with over a 100 different religious philosophies, people and organizations throughout the world and in getting to know the people, their beliefs and how they worship, it helped me understand my relationship with God, Jesus and how important it is to have God in my life!
Christians are confused with me because they do not fully understand my motives or place in this world as a Christian. My job is not to convert people to Christianity that is not my place to do so. My job and commandment from Jesus is to show people the love God has for His Children and if they are ever interested or have a relationship with God, I would be honored to help them in any way I can!
As a mature Christian I have to understand people have the right to Free Will and chose whatever Goddess or God they desire to worship. I also understand that my God is a patient, loving God that will always be there for the people who once rejected Him but now desire a relationship with His greatness! I have this much faith in God that when I reach out to people of other faiths, I am showing them the tremendous love God has for them and if they ever want to have a relationship with Him I would be honored to help. If not that is fine, I still will be honored to have them as part of my family and to remind them that the door to God is always open for them to come home whenever they are ready. I can't scare a person to love God, that is deceitful, I can't hate a person that rejects God that goes against the commandment of Jesus to love your enemies and I certainly can't shun a person who rejects God that would show my lack of faith in Jesus because I know that as long as the unsaved wants to be in my life I have opportunities to share with them my love and passion for Jesus and the love He has for them as well! I may never see the conversion a person has to accepting Jesus but I am honored and humbled to God that He used me to plant a seed, an ideal, a desire to know God by meeting me and that is what I am all about!
I found my place in this world, I am so honored and thankful that God can use me in this way to reach out to people that the average Christian would reject, so that the unsaved can have an opportunity to have a relationship with God through Jesus and not be afraid of persecution, condemnation, or shunning, that regular Christians have with people of other faiths. I concentrate on the Love that God has for the unsaved, but in time I can use comparative reasons why Christianity has Laws and guidelines that God wants us to follow that are similar to the religion they came from.
I can even use my background to show the comparisons of Christian guidelines to Atheistic guidelines as well. I am so sorry to tell this to you Mrs Otto, but Christianity does not have a monopoly on moral ethics, decency, or the desire to live a righteous life. That is one of the biggest propaganda misinformation Christian leaders propagate to it's followers. Most people in general whether they are Christian, Pagan, or Atheistic are trying to live a righteous life to harm none, to forgive trespasses, to treat others as you wish to be treated. To not be demonized because you think differently than what they do, to care for you family your community, and the nation you are from.
These are fundamental beliefs of humanity at its best, but we are far from perfect. We make mistakes, we get angry, jealous, confrontational with differing opinions, but in the end it is ok to disagree and still see the person that is standing before you! Keep them close, love them as family, invite them to your Christian gatherings and worship services and make them feel comfortable and part of the family if they attend your function, celebration, or worship service!
That is what God has directed me to do and I hope it can be a goal of the Christian as well. We are not here to demonize, condemn, or exclude anyone from Christianity! We are here to provide loving support for people who are hurting just like we were before we had Jesus in our life. The rules the Laws the regulations will come later in a person's relationship with God and they have to grow at their own pace. If someone says they have a great relationship with Jesus, I take their word at full face value and I am happy for them because they came home and found God like I did. That is a beautiful affirmation that a Pagan, An Atheist, even a powerful witch, can happily say there is no shame for any of these people to say that they love Jesus and want to come Home to the family of God!
Hi
I'm biblically inclined to say i have nothing in common with witches or pagans and there's no such thing as born again witch n Gids eyes.
That said I just scanned your response and i wont respond further.
If you should decide to admit your sins, believe that Jesus died for your sins and you choose to submit your life to following Him and only Him, then perhaps we can talk further on the things of God like His sovereignty over all things and His will for His chosen people.
Romans in the bible by Paul is a great study.
There are only saved people with God, there's is no jew or gentiles, free or slave, there's no distinction this there's no christian witch or Christian muslam etc.
Paying for you to know God only
Ps..ppl can call themselves anything they want.
Born again or saved believers understand is that God has called them, us to be His children.
We have no rights as we are under the blood and promises of God.
We do nothing without the Holy Spirit guiding us, we own nothing on this earth as our all beings to God and comes from God and we worship only God
I can tell by your responses though are not well versed in the bible and you have much to learn but only if you submit to God
Ill be praying for you.
I will be praying for you too MrsOtto I am sorry you feel the need to shun me because I love God differently than what you do. You demonstrated exactly what I feared about Christians who are afraid to have meaningful discussions and love about God. I still believe you are saved, I have faith in God that you are, I am looking forward to seeing you in Heaven one day when we can embrace and show our love for each other and the AWESOME GOD that created us out of love! God bless you and just know I am always here if you ever need to talk about any problems you have, how your day was, or if you have any questions or concerns about the God we serve! Love you dearly sis!