Can Catholics share some of the beliefs of Wiccans

  • Thread starter Thread starter kylest6
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
K

kylest6

Guest
Long story short, i’m a convert to Catholicism therefore i’m very much into theology. I’ve been learning more about Wicca and Wiccan beliefs (which is confusing at times due to the diversity) but some of them peak my interest, because they seem totally acceptable even for a neopegan belief system. My question is, is it ok for catholics to believe in some of the things wiccans believe, or are we supposed to be completely opposed to the wiccans beliefs? And, could it be said a catholic can also be wiccan (to an acceptable degree, minus the monotheism or rituals) but i’ve noticed some beliefs are similar. I believe psychology and the “supernatural” are somtimes one in the same (ex: dreams can be from god) and i’ve noticed wiccans encourage followers to “look within” or to “personal experiences” for truth, similar to how a catholic would look to his or her own personal experiences to determine the will of God. What’s the line, and is there a clear one?
 
I don’t know anything about Wiccan beliefs, but I can say that Catholicism is so rich, so fruitful, I don’t see the need to investigate beliefs like this. If you are doing Catholicism in a serious way, there is no room for this. The church contains the fullness of truth. I have heard that these other beliefs can be a gateway for evil to enter your life. I would tread very carefully. As Catholics, we believe in evil. It is not to be taken lightly.
 
brian_custer said:
i don’t thnk the “wiccans” have “agreed” on what “they” believe in

imho; the only thing “wiccans” agree on is that catholicim is “bad”

what the core “wiccan” theology is; i doubt it exists

stragglers, malcontents & frankly freak-a-zoids
Click to expand...
Incorrect. Wiccans can be eclectic and I know a couple who have no problem with Catholicism. Maybe you’ve had that impression because you called them freak-a-zoids.
 
Last edited:
ColorMomma said:
I don’t know anything about Wiccan beliefs, but I can say that Catholicism is so rich, so fruitful, I don’t see the need to investigate beliefs like this. If you are doing Catholicism in a serious way, there is no room for this. The church contains the fullness of truth. I have heard that these other beliefs can be a gateway for evil to enter your life. I would tread very carefully. As Catholics, we believe in evil. It is not to be taken lightly.
Click to expand...
This 1,000%!!

You don’t need anything else other than the Church, and Wicca is opposed to the Church and could harm you.

You could spend your whole life learning and studying the richness of the Faith’s spirituality, Scriptures, writings, prayers, disciplines, theology, and art, and never come to the end of it all.

As an analogy…why go searching through the garbage to find a few good things to eat when there is an endless feast spread out on the table for you?

Stay close to Christ.
 
i think i’ll stick with “malcontents” & “no core theolgy”

so it is either atheism; or paganism;

you call it, shipmate…
 
Last edited:
brian_custer said:
i think i’ll stick with"malcontents" & “no core theolgy”

wiccan is more or less an idiot’s idea of religion for a tiny group of people who don’t believe in religion

so it is either atheism; or paganism;

you call it, shipmate…
Click to expand...
Also incorrect. There are Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wiccans with a core theology. There are also eclectic Wiccans who may or may not have a core theology.

I have never met an atheist wiccan, though I have met ones who believe in a universal spirit akin to Brahma.
 
brian_custer said:
I don’t thnk the “wiccans” have “agreed” on what “they” believe in; what the core “wiccan” theology is, i doubt it exists.
Click to expand...
I must say, I agree with this. After having researched this a bit and spoken with co-workers who call themselves ‘Wiccan’ or ‘pagan’, I get the strong impression they are making it all up as they go along, and that there really is no such thing as ‘Wicca’ or paganism, at least not in any organised, codifiable sense. As far as I can tell, they take their cue from Gerald Gardner’s pseudo-research of the 1950s & 1960s, and he was himself basing most of it on Margaret Murray’s completely debunked witchcraft ‘research’ of about twenty years prior, so in addition to having the flimsiest foundation, it doesn’t even go back a full hundred years. A ‘religion’ built on a foundation of sand, I think, and best left to its fuzzy-minded practitioners.
 
Last edited:
thank you for this

i am going to look into the sources you’ve mentioned…
 
I used to own Gardner’s book Witchcraft but mislaid it in one of my house moves. Murray’s The Witch-Cult in Western Europe is rare and very hard to find. Her thesis, that early Europe was bound together by a pagan ‘witch’-religion that was viciously and brutally stamped out by the emerging Christian faith, was apparently invented by her practically out of whole cloth, and was thoroughly debunked by her academic peers decades ago. Good luck researching!
 
Last edited:
DECLARATION ON THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH TO NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS
NOSTRA AETATE
PROCLAIMED BY HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI
ON OCTOBER 28, 1965
…Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing “ways,” comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.
Click to expand...
Now the million dollar question: What part of Wicca is “true and holy”?
 
BoomerangToo said:
Now the million dollar question: What part of Wicca is “true and holy”?
Click to expand...
Well, until we can get clear and cogent answers on exactly what the Wiccan creed entails, this will be impossible to determine. I very much fear said answers will NOT be forthcoming.
 
If there is no clear agreement on what Wicca is and people are just making it up where did the surge in support come from? Was there a television show on it or is it an outgrowth of feminist theology?

I haven’t met any wiccans (in Australia) although I heard about it on the media. Is there in fact significant support for Wicca or is it media led?
 
Last edited:
abucs said:
If there is no clear agreement on what Wiccan is and people are just making it up where did the surge in support come from? Was there a television show on it or is it an outgrowth of feminist theology?

I haven’t met any wiccans (in Australia) although I heard about it on the media. Is there in fact significant support for Wicca or is it media led?
Click to expand...
Sigh. Wicca is no more feminist than Christianity. You can be a misogynist wiccan as readily as a misogynist Christian.

The media talks about it because it’s something ignorant people can easily be afraid of because they’re called witches.
 
Depends on what part of Wiccan theology you are looking at. Is it the attitude towards acting with people? Or is it the rituals or something? It could possibly be in Catholicism all along. The Wiccan belief system seems to be very diverse. I guess the thing about dreams and interior experiences are similar, but I would advise a spiritual director for dealing with them and know what the Church fully teaches about them.
 
Last edited:
(Part One)
Many years past, I did a study on wiccan beliefs. I wanted to find out what they believed and why. Wicca is a very eclectic belief system. Practitioners often borrow liberally from other religious systems, psychology, folklore, and books and media. There have been a few sociological studies of the movement over the years (including those made by Helen Berger and Margot Adler).

From my studies, I have found that the central aspect that unifies wicca is two fold: a desire for power and a desire for knowledge (sometimes occult but not always). The practitioner is often the type of personality that doesn’t feel like they fit in mainstream society/ religion, and is seeking some sort of religious experience and community that reflects those preconceived notions. Most people who turn to the occult often feel like they are powerless, and are seeking a means to gain influence , control, and authority over something or the right to do something they usually have no control over. They are also seeking knowledge (usually hidden) that others do not have access to (for example, fortune telling or contacting spirits). To quote Fr. Groeschel, they are looking for the very same thing we are “the truth, the way, and the life”, but without all the responsibilities of giving back to God (something that most major religions share). The wiccan tries to cultivate the untapped potential or power within themselves in order to get what they want. It’s a religion that focuses on the notion of “the god/goddess within.” Sometimes the person is simply expressing some sort of positive thinking psychological notion of getting control over their lives, and, in other cases, the person may actually believe they are fostering themselves into becoming a “god.” The basic concept is simple: all power comes from within themselves.

As for the texts I consulted on this subject, I have read Garderner’s Book of Shadows and his Meaning of Witchcraft and Witchcraft Today. I’ve also read Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, Wicca, a Guide for the Solitary Practitioner_, and the Idiots Guide to Wicca. I would also add various articles on the subject online.
 
(Part 2)
I also have personal experience with Wicca. The town I grew up in was considered a major center for the movement. It was so prevalent that I have nick named my old hometown as Arkham due to the amount of strangeness (no I wasn’t born in Salem, Mass for those interested). Many of the kids I went to high school with became involved with it, and they often tried to get me to join their coven (I never did). Being an artist, I’ve also encountered and have known many people involved in wicca (including two fairly progressive Jews). Wiccans are fairly prevalent in artistic circles and the sci-fi/ fantasy community. If you’ve ever been to a Ren Faire, then you’ve no doubt rubbed shoulders with many wiccans.

This, no doubt, was the reason I made some effort to understand their beliefs. It’s not like these people are alien to me. I think it’s important that when we speak up on a subject, that we imitate the Church Father’s and intelligently engage non-Christians.

Now let me come back to what I was originally saying. Christianity differs greatly from wicca in that we are called to rely on God rather than making gods of ourselves. Christ gave us a way to turn our weaknesses and sufferings to accomplish good. We do this by uniting our weakness and sufferings with His agony and sufferings on the Cross. There is no concept of redemptive suffering in wicca, and it’s beleifs are often centered on the self rather than love of God and neighbor. All that Christians do is for love of God and neighbor and not for power, luck, money, or knowledge of the future. Also, by His example, Jesus showed us how to fully trust and rely on God the Father for everything. Everything we do is for love of the Father. It’s a relationship of real love and not power or favor.

There are two major root sins involved with the occult:
  1. A Lust for life
  2. Pride
 
Last edited:
If you’re asking the general question of whether beliefs can overlap then yes, it’s a possibility. Catholics believe in one God. Muslims and Jews do too. But Catholics believe in the Trinity while Muslims and Jews don’t.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top