Re: Wicca and varients. By: Brysing Moderator / Adept
Post # 11 Sep 07, 2015
Yes, well maybe I misunderstood. But Cunningham, et al, wanted to change Wicca from the original. He actually left Wicca later in his life. It is why I have said that Newbies should read the original writings; and avoid such writers as Cunningham, Raven Silverwolf, Magaret Murray, etc.
Re: Wicca and varients. By: Brysing Moderator / Adept
Post # 14 Sep 07, 2015
Not so much a myth! Gardner and Valiente did write of ancient "traditions" of witchcraft. Witchcraft does, indeed, go back a long way.Back to when Man first walked on two legs!
Yes but wicca was "introduced" in the 20th century.
Re: Wicca and varients. By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 16 Sep 07, 2015
Indeed, Gerald Gardner created Wicca in the 1930's and 1940's and introduced it publically in 1954 with the repeal of the anti-witchcraft laws in England. Prior to that Gardner was part of a witchcraft group that had its roots in one of the magical lodges of the early 1900's. As Brysing says, witchcraft goes back for centuries, Wicca not more than 70-80 years. Wicca is an amalgam of folk magic, ceremonial magic, and Freemasonry.
Just one thing: (Roman) Catholicism isn't the original Christian church. The original Christian church is the one we find in the New Testament, plainly, the Church. Most dogmas which are exclusive to the Roman Catholic faith were established from the 4th century AD on.
:-)
Re: Wicca and varients. By: Brysing Moderator / Adept
Post # 18 Sep 07, 2015
Yes, we know that! The Catholic Church as we know it, was established at the Conference at Nicea, by the emperor Constantine.
Even though I'm not a Christian any more and that I believe the whole thing has been made up, etc., one can say that the biblical NT texts are far older than the First Council of Nicaea. The dating for NT texts goes as far as the second century CE (which means that the actual dates of the original documents may be even older), and in the early church there were no dogmas about the assumption of Mary, the perpetuity of her virginity, "latrias" (adoration and prayers addressed to other people rather than God, such as the saints and Mary) just didn't exist as the do now in the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches. The source is the Bible itself. You can't find all the typical teachings of the Roman Catholic church in the Bible, you'd rather find them in councils and papal documents, not in the "Holy" Book.
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I don't want to derail the thread, I only wanted to add some information and to reply. :-)