Does the God of Christianity exist? Other than the testimonials of believers, there is no proof that any God or Goddess exists. Using the Bible as proof that the Christian God exists is tantamount to UFO researchers in the year 4000 using the eyewitness accounts of 30 or so priests, rabbis, and ministers from today as proof that UFO’s and aliens from other planets exist. The credibility of the witnesses and the circumstances of the times can’t be objectively interpreted by people who weren’t there and who want to believe that UFO’s do exist. By definition, all religions are based on faith and belief, not on scientific theories and proofs.

 

 

A Pentecostal woman would not appear in public wearing the clothes, cosmetics, and jewelry of the typical Baptist woman. A Jehovah’s Witness would not repeat the Pledge of Allegiance as a Pentecostal would. A Baptist family would not forbid their children to celebrate their birthdays as a Jehovah’s Witness family would. How can Baptists, Pentecostals, and Jehovah’s Witnesses all be considered Christian since they have contradicting beliefs and practices?

 

Contradictions in certain areas of a religion does not invalidate an entire religious structure. If that were so, your particular beliefs and practices could be seen as untrue based on the beliefs and practices of other denominations of Christianity.

 

I do not believe in a religious system where I cater my religion to my desires. Wicca, unlike Neo-Paganism in general, has specific beliefs and practices which can include personally tailored elements but, the basic structure and core beliefs of the religion are not ‘cater-able.’ The use of invocations, symbolic decorations, and God/dess names based on personal preference does not mean the entire religious structure is changed, reconstructed, or otherwise destroyed and rebuilt by each individual.

 

Yes, it would be. However, my religion wasn’t constructed by me and is no more my invention than Catholicism is the invention of the modern priests and parishioners who believe that certain long held beliefs need to be re-examined based on the current circumstances of our society.

 

Wicca is a very young religion and, while many who call themselves Wiccan understand that it isn’t an “anything goes” system of beliefs, there are those who use the term to describe any conglomeration of beliefs and practices that they manage to cobble together. Most of these ‘cobblers’ eventually come to understand that they are practicing a unique religion loosely based on Wiccan beliefs and practices. This could be compared to groups such as those led by David Koresh. While they call themselves Christian, they are not adhering to the basic principles of what is considered “main-stream” Christianity.

 

Also, Brigham Young constructed a religion based on his own beliefs and desires. It is loosely based on Christianity but there are very many points of difference between the two. This reconstruction does not invalidate the Mormon religion in any way, it merely makes it different from other Christian denominations. Likewise, Gerald Gardner constructed a religion that conformed to his beliefs regarding nature, the natural world, and the Divine. It was based on many different belief systems, both from the ancient world and from his time (1945-1955) being incorporated into one cohesive -by his interpretation- system. This religion came to be known as Wicca or Witchcraft. While minor details may be changed or adapted to suit an individual or tradition, the basics set forth by Gardner form the core beliefs and practices of today’s Wiccan practice.

 

Some of the basic practices and beliefs that are central to the Wiccan religion can be proven to be true or false while others, much like many of the beliefs and ideas of Christians, are totally non-verifiable. Historical evidence can be produced to show that people have celebrated the solstices and equinoxes as days of power relating to a God or Goddess for millenia longer than people have been celebrating the alleged birth and resurrection of Jesus. Although historical evidence exists to prove that certain people, places, and events mentioned in the Bible did actually exist, there is little to no evidence to prove other people, places, and events actually existed.

 

Scientific proof exists, in the form of quantum physics, that supports theories, beliefs, and practices regarding an individual or group dynamic having the ability to affect change on the world around them. This practice of affecting change may be referred to as casting spells, calling on the energy of the Earth, praying to God, or simply the power of positive thinking. There is no "falsifiable" proof that any God or other form of Divine power is behind any of the results of these actions.

 

How do Christians know that when they pray to God, it is his power that brings them results? If a Christian prays for something and his or her prayer is answered, who is to say that a sinister force didn’t fulfill their request in direct opposition to what God’s wishes would be?

 

For example, a woman may pray to God for months on end that a specific man be brought into her life. When this man eventually notices her, they become acquainted and eventually get married. She thanks God for finally answering her prayer. She later finds out that her husband is an adulterer and wife-beater.

 

Did God answer the woman’s prayer after so many months and ultimately make her life a living hell, or was the prayer answered by a more sinister force acting in total opposition to what God‘s intentions were? I would say something less than “Godly” decided to answer a prayer that "God" had no intention of answering. My interpretation of that situation would be that God knew the man wasn’t right for her and was waiting for her to figure out why he wasn’t jumping right on her request to get this guy into her life. When the man finally noticed her, she assumed that since her prayer was being fulfilled it must have been God who did it.

 

In Wicca, asking to have a specific person brought into your life would go against the “rules” of spellwork. Spells are supposed to be general and open on some points and very specific on others so you don’t get stuck with something that you didn’t really want after all. Casting a spell asking for a kind, gentle, humorous, hard-working man to be brought into your life without destroying or hurting another man, woman, or family would be the acceptable way of wording such a request.

 

If the woman meets a man that seems to be all these things until she finds out he’s separated from his wife and unsure of what he’s going to do, she must assume that this man was not sent to her as a result of her spell. If she turns a blind eye to the obvious hurt and turmoil her relationship with him could cause, it isn’t because she is being coerced by a sinister force, its because she is choosing to believe that her spell has been successful even though the evidence shows it hasn’t.

 

Only someone who thinks their religious beliefs are the only “right” beliefs would associate something sinister with the basis of Wicca or any other religion. Wicca is a very positive, life affirming religion that encourages its practitioners to be open minded and accepting of an individual’s right to chose their own path to the Divine.

 

What I find sinister are the various religions, including Christianity, that encourage their practitioners to think of every other religious belief and practice as sinister and dangerous. A short trip backwards in the history of man will show that time and time again, religious prejudices and bigotry based on religious “rightness” has caused millions of deaths through war, genocide, and outright insane fanaticism.

 

The candles, knives, and such are purely symbolic and help the individual focus and concentrate on what their ritual is about. Why do Christians think wearing a cross or rosary and going into a building to pray and worship on a regular basis, at the direction of a man or woman who is just as mortal and flawed as they are, will affect change in their lives? Why do you think dunking people under water, rubbing holy water on their heads, or performing a confession and then receiving a punishment will grant absolution or a free pass into heaven? These are all symbolic gestures that are supposed to affect change in a person and the way they view the world around them.

 

Would sitting outside on your lawn in the middle of the night and praying to God change the likelihood of him answering your prayer, or are all the accoutrements of your specific religion required for an answer? I have performed rituals with no more tools than myself, a leafy stick I picked up off the ground, a shell from the dirt road in front of my house, and a soft patch of grass to sit on.

 

The shell, once a container of new life, represents the feminine aspect of the Divine while the stick represents the male aspect in his role as Lord of the Green. The ritual I performed that night was no less or no more effective because of the tools I used. Ultimately, your own intent, will, and devotion make the difference in the outcome of your prayer or ritual. All the rest is just bling, as my teenagers would say.