{"id":1022,"date":"2016-11-09T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-11-08T22:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/?p=1022"},"modified":"2018-01-24T13:32:07","modified_gmt":"2018-01-24T03:32:07","slug":"the-christian-witch-contradiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/2016\/11\/the-christian-witch-contradiction.html","title":{"rendered":"The Christian Witch Contradiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
When faced with the existence of the label \u201cChristian Witch\u201d or \u201cChristo Witch\u201d or any variation therein, many Pagans and Witches have exactly the same initial reaction \u2013 and it\u2019s not a nice one.\u00a0 The most common, not too awful, words you will see or hear flung around in reaction to Christian Witchcraft are \u201ccontradiction\u201d and \u201coxymoron\u201d.<\/p>\n
The idea of a witch also being Christian \u2013 ie. Of the faith that once spent centuries burning women for being maybe witches \u2013 does indeed seem like a contradiction and an oxymoron.\u00a0 How can someone be of a religion that hates witchcraft, whilst also practising witchcraft?\u00a0 There is also the argument that to be a real Witch (and by extension, Pagan) one cannot believe in and certainly cannot honour, worship or work with, Christian deities and entities.<\/p>\n
But if you spend more than a moment thinking about it\u2026<\/p>\nBy Baker, Joseph E., ca. 1837-1914, artist. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Goetia<\/h2>\n
We\u2019ll begin with the most obvious of all, Goetia and its appearance in modern Witchcraft \u2013 which is actually fairly common.\u00a0 But even if it isn\u2019t common it is commonly accepted within Witchcraft.\u00a0 And what is Goetia?\u00a0 In simplistic terms, Goetia is sorcery wherein you summon or work with demons and angels \u2013 Christian ones for the most part.<\/p>\n
Now, Goetia isn\u2019t itself considered to be witchcraft \u2013 not by everyone anyway.\u00a0 However it is something that is practiced by some Witches and it is an accepted thing within Witchcraft.\u00a0 A Witch who practices Goetia, or really any form of sorcery, is not considered a fake witch or contradictory or oxymoronic.<\/p>\n
But Goetia is, whether you like to admit it or not, a Christian form of magic because it relies almost exclusively on Christian entities.\u00a0 Thus, to practice to Goetia you must believe in Christian things and must work with Christian entities in some way.\u00a0 You will also use and rely on Christian symbols, Christian language and many other things that are Christian.<\/p>\n
If Goetia is an accepted practice within Witchcraft, then why is plain and simple Christian Witchcraft considered contradictory and oxymoronic?<\/p>\n
Santeria<\/h2>\n
Santeria is a hard one to pin down because it is, well it\u2019s just hard. It\u2019s a syncretic religion, which is like our own eclectic Paganisms, but it\u2019s more specific than that.\u00a0 Santeria is, generally, a blending of three or more religions \u2013 Caribbean, Yoruba and Catholicism.\u00a0 It shares some elements with Vodoun, with its honouring of the orishas and indeed this is where a lot of the syncretism occurs \u2013 the orishas are generally merged with Catholic saints.<\/p>\n
I, honestly, don\u2019t know a lot about it so I won\u2019t say much more because like as not I will be wrong! However, I do know that it is both Pagan and not Pagan.\u00a0 It depends on who you talk to.\u00a0 Some people who practice Santeria also identify as big-P Pagan, but some do not.\u00a0 And yes, there are big-P Pagans who incorporate Santeria into their practice, and they generally aren\u2019t given a sideways glance when they mention it (except maybe via accusations of appropriation, but that\u2019s another topic entirely).<\/p>\n
No matter how you look at it though, it is a blending of pagan religions and Christianity \u2013 thus it shows us how Christianity and pagan religions can be merged quite well.\u00a0 If it is good for Santeria, why is it bad for Witchcraft?<\/p>\n
Qabbala<\/h2>\n
Qabbala is an esoteric magical tradition that originates with the Jewish Kabbalah.\u00a0 In itself it is no longer Judaic, but it does, of course, still have traces of the original tradition within.\u00a0 As a western tradition is has been used in multiple religions and cultures and has evolved over time.\u00a0 Interestingly it had its stint of popularity within Christianity itself, where many new ideas and systems were incorporated into it.<\/p>\n
In Paganism the most notable usage of Qabbala is in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which is, plain and simple, one of the main progenitors of our modern witchcraft and Paganism and has influenced a large number of our traditions.\u00a0 And of course the tradition of using Qabbala was continued and popularised further through Dion Fortune and Aleister Crowley.<\/p>\n
Two of the most adulated people within our modern Witchcraft practiced this system that partially originated in Judaism and was further evolved by Christianity.\u00a0 Interesting, wot?<\/p>\n
The Saints<\/h2>\n
Not just confined to Santeria, the Saints are actually honoured and\/or utilised by a fairly significant number of Witches and Pagans and the like.\u00a0 For some they are seen as a kind of boundary between ancient Paganism and overt Christianity.\u00a0 Given that quite a few of the Saints were Pagan before converting to Christianity, it stands to reason they can serve as an intermediary between the two (well more than two) traditions.<\/p>\n
Much of the lore surrounding many of the Saints includes some pretty fantastical things, miraculous births and childhoods, as well as feats of wonder throughout the lives \u2013 even some that happened to\/by the pagan ones before they converted.\u00a0 Some of them are attributed with certain forms of magic.<\/p>\n
The most notable of those honoured in Paganism and Witchcraft is perhaps Saint Bridget.\u00a0 This stands to reason, her conflation with or evolution from the Goddess Brigid does make her a likely one for Celtic Pagans to look at.\u00a0 Given that a lot of our Celtic history and lore is only preserved through Christian writers, a lot of what is known about the Goddess must necessarily come through what we know about the Saint.\u00a0 Whatever the reasons, the conflation of the two and honouring the Saint herself is generally deemed acceptable by the majority of Pagans and Witches.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
This isn\u2019t all of the Christian elements that can be found in, and are deemed acceptable within, Paganism and Witchcraft \u2013 these are just the ones that came to the top of my head.\u00a0 But I think these are enough to go with for now, to show us that when it comes to merging Christianity with various Pagan traditions and religions, especially Witchcraft, it is actually more common than people seem to realise.\u00a0 I wonder how many of the detractors actually practice some form of these themselves \u2013 or idolise big name Pagans, Witches and the like who did\/do so.<\/p>\n
And to be really annoying I could point out that the most recent definition of the word \u201cwitch\u201d before we came along and ruined everything, was \u2018someone who worships the devil and practices Godless magic\u2019 or something similar.\u00a0 Given that the Devil is a Christian entity, this would mean that witchcraft can only be practiced by those who believe in and work with Christian entities.\u00a0 Thus, witch = Christian, just not a very good Christian.<\/p>\n
And that is the sad thing about all of this.\u00a0 Christian Witches today have no supporters.\u00a0 In a Facebook group I am in someone asked the question, \u201cWhat is the first thing you think of when confronted with the term \u201cChristian Witch\u201d? My answer was, \u201cUnfortunately a person who will persecuted by both Christians and other Witches and Pagans alike.\u201d<\/p>\n
I probably should have added, in the case of Pagans and Witches persecuting them, it is unfairly, hypocritically and contradictorily.<\/p>\n
Because as we can see, Christianity in Witchcraft is actually quite normal.<\/p>\nBy Luca di Tomme [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The idea of a witch also being Christian – ie. Of the faith that once spent centuries burning women for being maybe witches – does indeed seem like a contradiction and an oxymoron. How can someone be of a religion that hates witchcraft, whilst also practising witchcraft?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2764,"featured_media":1024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,13,70],"tags":[132,18,31,20,32,59],"class_list":["post-1022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pagan-community","category-paganism101","category-witchcraft101","tag-christianity","tag-debates","tag-misconceptions","tag-opinion","tag-paganism","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"Can](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/690\/2016\/11\/1024px-Salem_witch2.jpg\")
![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/690\/2016\/11\/1024px-Luca_di_Tomme._Virgin_and_Child_with_Saints.1362.SienaPinacoteca.jpg\")