Christian witches

I think what Brysing meant was that the bible itself repeatedly speaks against magick that is practices outside of God and Jesus as a source of power, as power born outside of God (and Jesus, etc) is generally considered "evil," or of the devil.

But I suppose one may call one's self a witch because of practice similar to Hebrew crafts, or something along those lines, wherein God, Yahweh, etc. is typically invoked or otherwise involved. Otherwise, you're straying outside the teachings of Jesus and generally picking and choosing this and that, and so more eclectic than "Christian."

But then the bible was put together by Roman Christians in the early mid ages; the very people who had Christ crucified. Christ was a Jew who stepped outside the box of orthodox Judaism and was persecuted for his progressive (for the time) thinking. So who's to say all of the gospels are exactly as he intended or that that variants of Hebrew magick or Wiccan craft dedicated to his name could not be Christian Witchcraft with some creative corruption of language?

Something to remember is - A Christian need only belief and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in order to "be" Christian.

From what I can recall, Jesus himself never once spoke about witchcraft or sorcery. Old Testament makes it very clear as to the feelings on the subject, but belief or following of the bible itself is not what makes a person Christian.

I have Christian family members who do not pay attention to anything other than what they believe Jesus said. They're a bit more open to other ideas as well. ;)

I'm a Christian Witch too. :)

I have written a short essay on being a Christian Witch in my Book of Shadows, and it's also posted on my blog. (http://kevinthechristianwitch.blogspot.com/p/my-belief.html)

Basically, the Bible is very mistranslated when it comes to Witchcraft and Magick. The words used to condemn Witches and the practice of Witchcraft were really just words meaning things such as one who uses magick to harm others, poisoner, etc. Words that do not apply to Witchcraft as a whole.

Sorry, but witchcraft goes against all Christian teaching. Try telling a Catholic priest that you are a witch, or any Christian Pastor for that matter. They will bombard you with Devil Worship, and other (mainly stupid) beliefs. Christians believe in one God, we believe in many. Christians believe in heaven and hell; we do not. Of course, it is up to anybody to believe what they wish. If people wish to believe in a mix of religions, that's okay.
But witchcraft it aint!

To me, Witchcraft isn't really a religion, it's just a craft/art. The way I interpret the Bible, I can practice Witchcraft whilst being a Christian. Yes, most if not all ministers would say it's of the devil, but most ministers are brainwashed by fundamentalism and mistranslations. It's ok if you don't believe it to be possible, but it's working well for me. :)

Blessed Be,
Kevin

I forgot to add that one must first define witchcraft.

Here's a definition that is how I define it:

"The art of performing rituals, casting spells and doing other magickal work. Often part of various Pagan beliefs, it is not a particular belief or religion in itself. Witchcraft does not involve the summoning of demons or worshiping Satan."

When I say I practice witchcraft, I'm not referring to it as a religion. I'm a Christian who performs rituals, casts spells, and does other magickal work.

Just thought I'd clarify that.

Brysing, you seem very hung up on generalizations and semantics.

I am a witch. It is a label I choose to use. I worship no god and believe in hell (in a very non-Christian way). According to your very limited definition, I cannot use that label.

These are just words. Nothing more. A word only defines you as much as you allow it to define you.

If a person chooses to call them self Christian and witch, chooses to worship one god and practice magick, that is entirely up to them. It is between them and their god.

It seems you have very negative experiences with the Christian churches, which many have had. I would think, to find opened minded Christians would be a positive encounter. Not a negative one.

1)I feel compelled somewhat to speak up on Byrsing's behalf to attempt to convey what he is trying to say, as I do not necessarily believe it to be simple generalization or stereotype, but rather a more traditional view of witchcraft than has become conventional these days. I will explain below.

2)On the other hand, I can see somewhat where these views may be seen as stereotypes and interpretations and there is the simple fact that we need to attempt to respect all views on faith if we wish our own to be respected. Dismissing ''Christian Witches,'' though the concept may be born out of unconventional ''wisdom'' and misinterpretation of language, without trying to understand can be equally disrespectful and will achieve nothing. Also, more below:

In so far as what Byrsing is trying to say...

I feel that he is not necessarily hung up on generalizations. He is merely practicing and speaking of an older version of witchcraft and I would wager he is quite aware of its roots and history. Byrsing has been a witch, or solitary pagan, for 50 years. The new concepts of witchcraft most of us partake in are very new, and are generally born of a trend that allows for deviation with the old traditions intended to appease and appeal to the masses for the sake of being political correct while marketing to the masses.

Yes, some people pick and choose from various faiths or interpret Christianity, Wicca, or Magic as they see fit. But this concept of blending Christiianity and Witchcraft is twenty to thirty years old. Prior to this, it was almost never called Witchcraft. It was only a deviant of Christian faith. Acceptance has blossomed in calling christian mystics christian witches mostly as ignorance grows and people forget that the very word ''Pagan'' refers to people who worship more than one God, or is not Christian. Acceptance of the term has been born mostly as people stop reading or understanding the history of their own faith and fail to recognize that the very etymology of the word Witch stems from corruption of saxon/germanic language referring to sorceress, magicians, and mystics outside of Christianity.

The ''true nature'' of being a witch, was born as a concept wholly outside of Christianity. Originally, witchcraft does not acknowledge Christ's divinity, or, at the very least it does not recognize Christ's the only true god as the Christian faith dictates him to be. Witchcraft, as the original concepts, does not worship Christ. Wicca itself, originally, worships the God and Goddess as incarnations of pagan deities; possibilities far outside of anything represented or believed by Christianity. This is the witchcraft That Byrsing speaks of. Not some broad generalization or social hang up.

The modern practices that make this seem only stereotype and generalization are born the more modern variety of witchcraft that has been diluted and made politically correct to appease the Christianity-dominated and influenced culture of the masses for marketing purposes. The very same culture that leaves modern magicians,mystics, and witches looking down upon books that deal in ''black'' or ''death'' magic or anything else they don't understand. Do you even realize how the need for social and marketing acceptance influences the literature you read? They don't even print the satanic bible or other such ''left hand path'' books any more, as the pressure from more mainstream organizations generally left the publishers unable to function. I work for a distributor of such products, and the requests are made for them every day; they were not put out of print because of a lack of demand.

If anything, Byrsing better understands the true nature of being a witch than any of us, as he has been able to witness the revival of old pagan faith and then see it diluted back to something wherein one can take rituals to the old gods and apply them to Christ. Is this not what happened to our pagan ancestors? Did they not see their heroes and gods become corrupted versions, given the names of saints? Did they not see their holidays warped into Christian feast days?

I think that this experience would certainly leave me outright dismissing the notion of anything like "Christian Witchcraft" existing.

For the record, I don't really care what anybody calls their faith. If anything, such oxymorons as ''Christian Witchcraft'' just make me smile, shake my head, and wonder at how the world has evolved beyond the apparent need to understand the significance of language or the roots of their own faith. I do feel, personally, that what you call your faith and mystical practice is generally just a matter of semantics. But I also wholeheartedly feel that the practice of our elders, who forged the way for us to grow and blossom within our own magical practice, should not be dismissed outright. A christian "witch" is not truly a witch, but more a mystic as they were regarded of old. But then... this is semantics and wordplay to most.

On the other end of the spectrum, Brysing, this means that if people want to call themselves Christian Witches, ''so mote it be.'' It is far better to attempt to educate than condemn outright. After all, a few kind words and and insight from your expansive experience and understanding of the craft may go a lot further.

And as a side note, the key of Solomon and such concepts within ritual and ceremonial magic are largely Hebrew, and generally condemned as heresy by most Christian practice outside of neo-mystic spiritual practice.

I've gotta agree with AwakeTooLong here.Well Brysing, Eventhough you practice a slightly older form of The Craft, it's more commonly accepted now that Christian Witches are just as valuable, and worthy to study the craft as anyone else. From what I've learned in the 11 years I've been practicing, there is a good deal to do with finding balance. I'm not wanting to sounds like a know it all, but IF a Christian Witch is able to find a calming balance, and instead of spells, uses their prayers, or instead of Invoking the Lord and Lady, they invoke God, and that balance for them exists, then really it's not that different from what we do.

Oh and Awake, they still print the Satanic Bible Love. I find new copies in my local Walden's Book Store with updated copyrights, but you are right. There is a lot that influences even the learning books from which many solitaires learn from. Personally I've been solitary most of the time as a Witch, but I don't actually look down on anything that one would consider "dark". I do however warn those who are very young that Meddling with these things, or anything they don't understand can be dangerous and I would prefer if they would stay away until such time they understand it better.

As I stated in the beginning, everything is about balance. For a Day there is a Night, and in the case of things dark such as "Dark or Death or Black Magic" there is a "Softer, lighter, White Magic" (even though magic doesn't actually have a color) It's just another way to see the balance without realizing the balance is there. I honestly believe to maintain a decent energy flow, not only must you give, but you also must take. So the way I see things, it's really all about the balance in the world, and it even applies to those who are newer who state they are Christian Witches.

Brysing and others, here's a little link that can help you guys out if you don't understand. Brysing practices something older than most of us alive, so as some of the kids say, he's not quite, "Hip with the Age". Since Brysings time, the world has become more tolerating and understanding, and new forms of witchcraft are popping up all over the place like wildfire.

http://www.christianwicca.org/ - anyways, here's the link and I really do hope this helps.

They still print the Satanic Bible? No kidding. Tons of people have a hard time getting their hands on it and generally the answer they receive is that it's out of print. I'll have to get my employer to look for it.