The Modern Wiccan Movement
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Posted On :
Nov-05-2011
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Article Word Count :
1874
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Many Wiccans will often claim that the Wiccan religion is an ancient pre-Christian religion. Such an assertion is usually made to give an air of maturity, and hence authority to the religion. It is most certainly true that there were many pre-Christian religions that worshipped a Goddess, and it is entirely possible that a hereditary tradition could have been passed down throughout the ages, but such a position is very difficult to prove.
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Many Wiccans will often claim that the Wiccan religion is an ancient pre-Christian religion. Such an assertion is usually made to give an air of maturity, and hence authority to the religion. It is most certainly true that there were many pre-Christian religions that worshipped a Goddess, and it is entirely possible that a hereditary tradition could have been passed down throughout the ages, but such a position is very difficult to prove. The Encyclopedia of Magic and Witchcraft states:
"It is now fairly well established that modern witchcraft was formulated in the early 1950's. A significant minority, however, claim that they do belong to an unbroken inherited tradition, that comes to them through their own family rather than any social inheritance. Scholarship on this subject has so far failed to provide any proof to support these claims." (The Encyclopedia of Magic and Witchcraft, p. 206). It would appear that Wicca can be traced to more modern times, mainly from one man - Gerald Gardner. Phyllis Curott observes:
"Contemporary Wicca is a modern, vital, dynamic religion. This statement flies in the face of the myth of our origin that many have subscribed to for a long time…There have been some thorough and carefully researched work published recently…that challenges the belief that modern Witchcraft is a historically unbroken, organized, hereditary tradition that can be consistently traced back to a golden era of matriarchy and worship of a single Great Goddess. However, there have always been individuals who claim they were initiated in traditions which remain hidden behind veils of secrecy - and there may indeed be hereditary traditions waiting for a safer time to emerge…The fact is that the origins of much of our current practice can be traced back to the creative genius of Gerald Gardner who surfaced publicly in England in the late 1940's and early 1950's…" (Phyllis Curott, Witch Crafting, pp. 5-6). Doreen Valiente was initiated into the Craft in 1953, by Gerald Gardner, and eventually served as his high priestess. Gardner claimed that he had been initiated into an ancient tradition of Witchcraft by a Witch called "Old Dorothy", in 1939, in the New Forest, England. However, despite what Gardner himself claimed, it seems that even at the very beginning of her involvement with Gardner, Valiente had some doubts about the validity of some of the things he said:
"Valiente said that her initiation was virtually identical to that described in High Magic's Aid except that it included something called "The Charge" (a ritual utterance from an invoked deity) which she recognized as containing passages from Leland's Aradia and parts of Aleister Crowley's writings. When she confronted Gardner with the inclusion of this material, he replied that he had had to supplement the fragmentary material from the old coven."(The Encyclopedia of Magic & Witchcraft, p. 200). It appears that Valiente continued to doubt Gardner's claims of the origins of at least some of his teachings throughout her life. An example of this is seen in a speech she gave at the Pagan Federation Conference, in Croyden, England, on November 1997:
"At first I did not question anything Gerald told me about what he said were the traditional teachings of the Old religion. Eventually, however, I did begin to question, and to ask how much was really traditional and how much was simply Gerald's prejudices." (Doreen Valiente, Pagan Federation Conference, Croyden, England, Nov. 1997, as quoted in Wiccan Wisdom Keepers, p. 34).
"Another teaching of Gerald's which I have come to question is the belief known popularly as 'The Law of Three'. This tells us that whatever you send out in Witchcraft , you get back threefold, for good or ill. Well, I don't believe it. Why on earth should we assume that there is a special law of Karma, which applies only to Witches? For the Goddess' sake, do we really kid ourselves that we are that important? Yet, so I am told, many people, especially in United States, take this as an article of faith. I have never seen it in any of the old books of magic, and I think Gerald invented it." (Doreen Valiente, Pagan Federation Conference, Croyden, England, Nov. 1997, as quoted in Wiccan Wisdom Keepers, p. 34).
As Valiente herself seemed to recognize at her initiation ceremony, the ideas for Gardner’s religion seemed to come from a number of wide and varied sources. Some of the sources that researchers have identified are as follows:
Gardner himself. His own ideas and imagination.
”Old Dorothy” (according to Gardner’s claims).
Margaret Murray's books The Witch Cult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches..
Charles G. Leland’s book "Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches".
The poet Robert Graves.
High Magic's Aid.
Freemasonry.
Rosicrusionism.
The Ordo Tempi Orientis (OTO)
The writings, life, and ideas of Aleister Crowley.
The latter source is particularly interesting, as Aleister Crowley was an infamous Black Magician. Today, however, most Wiccans would seek to distance themselves from anything to do with black, or “left hand path” magick. Concerning the influence of Crowley on Gardner Susan Greenwood notes that:
"As an initiate of Aleister Crowley's Ordo Tempi Orientis (OTO), Gardner was also deeply influenced by Crowley’s ideas and, according to one view hired him to write witchcraft rituals for him." (Susan Greenwood, The Encyclopedia of Magic and Witchcraft, p. 190).
Likewise, Doreen Valiente also admits:
"Indeed, the influence of Crowley was very apparent throughout the (Wiccan) rituals." This, Gardner explained to her, was because the rituals he received from Old Dorothy's coven were very fragmentary, and in order to make them workable, he had to supplement them with other material. Even the Wiccan phrase "an it harm none, do what thou wilt" appears to be a modified version of Crowley's "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
Another point worth mentioning here from the list of possible sources for modern Wicca is found in Margaret Murray. Christian author Brooks Alexander writes:
“Murray [Margaret]...established the terminology of the “Sabbat” and the “Esbat.” She contributed the concept that the witch cult was organized into “covens” of 13 people, consisting of 12 witches and their leader or priest.” (Brooks Alexander, Witchcraft Goes Mainstream, p. 198). So, the above concepts and terms only came into being during Murray’s time (1863-1963) and were consequently taken up and promoted by Gardner.
Despite Gardner’s original claim that the Witchcraft he was initiated into was an unbroken line of ancient Paganism, the evidence would appear to suggest that he actually combined a number of various sources, some possibly ancient but the vast majority were new, to make a brand new religious movement – Wicca. Despite the belief in a Goddess being prominent in ancient times, it simply cannot be maintained that Wicca is an ancient pre-Christian religion as no evidence can be brought forward to demonstrate that such a belief system, with its intricate ceremonies and ritualism, ever existed until Gardner introduced it to the world in the 1950’s.
Many people who practice Witchcraft may be unaware of any harmful effects that can result from its practice. Here's are some Christian reasons for not accepting Witchcraft in any form (Wiccans, Black and White Magic, Paganism, ect).
1) Many Witches will often turn to deeper, more esoteric, and sometimes darker practices, in an effort to find spiritual fulfilment. This experimentation into the spiritual realm is essentially a search from the human heart to connect with God. Indeed, the motivation of many Witches is often a noble one. Many seek to better themselves as human beings, help others, and find fulfilment. Unfortunately, rather than finding fulfilment, a nagging void is left that can never be filled by such practices. The only way that this void can be filled is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who brings us back to God, the source of all life and fulfilment. Jesus said:
2) "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35) Although they may not realize it (or admit it), Witches are connecting themselves with powerful spiritual forces that are not what they appear to be. These forces (whether they believe them to be personal entities or some sort of abstract non-personal forces) are unstable and unpredictable. The reality is that the spirits that operate in the realm of Witchcraft are malevolent beings that do not have people's best interest at heart, but rather seek to ruin them spiritually. Some people have testified of very bad experiences through contact with such forces. For example, see the testimonies page of this site: Stories of Freedom.
3) It should also be remembered that another reason why Christians are concerned that Witchcraft is harmful is because God commands us to keep away from it (e.g. Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Lev. 19:26, 31; 20:6; 2 Kings 17:10-17; 21:1-6; 23:4-7, 24-25; 2 Chron. 33:6; Acts 13:6-12; 16:18; Gal. 5:20; Rev. 9:21). God, as an all knowing and caring God, knows the spiritual difficulties that can come from the practice of Witchcraft. This is why He commands us to keep not engage in it.
4) Although there are some Witches who do have a respect for Jesus, most begin to develop a very distorted image of who He is, and the message that He preached. Often this can be linked with a mistrust of the Bible. Through my own observations, and reading, I have noticed that a lot of literature on the subject of Witchcraft, and Neo-Paganism in general, often impresses on its readers that the Bible is unreliable and not to be taken seriously. If people read such repetition often enough, they will begin to believe it rather than to examine the facts for themselves. As a result of this, many Witches and Pagans of all persuasions soon begin to mistrust God's written revelation about Christ, and consequently, not believe what it says about Him. Many Witches believe that the Bible is unreliable and has suffered additions and deletions throughout history. Many believe that such teachings as reincarnation were originally contained within its pages, but were taken out by the Church at a later date. There is no evidence for this, however, and the record actually shows that the transmitted New Testament record, that we have today in our Bible's, is a very good and trustworthy copy of the original. As well as this, it is worth taking notice of the fact that the early Church Fathers, who wrote prolifically, and quoted the New Testament extensively in their writings, never discussed reincarnation as a legitimate Christian belief.
It is clear that there are dangers involved for those engaged in the practice of Witchcraft. Many are driven into deeper, more esoteric, and sometimes darker practices. The spirits which operate in the realm of Witchcraft are not what they appear to be but rather seek to draw people away into disobedience against God and from the salvation that is found in the name and blood of Jesus Christ.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The Modern Wiccan Movement _100611.aspx
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Author Resource :
Wiccans, Witchcraft, Wikipedia
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Keywords :
wiccans, religion, witches, vital, myth, time, Christianity, magic, proof, rituals, influence, spirits, white, black, pracitice, trust, God, d,
Category :
Society
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Religion
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