Following two religions?

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Can a person be both a Christian and a Wiccan?

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Some quotations:

	"Trinitarian Wicca is the correct name of the tradition often generalized into a practice called Christian Wicca. Trinitarian Wicca is a path of American Wicca (or Non-British Traditional Wicca) that works exclusively with the Christian Pantheon. ... There are no church trappings or conflicts with the Bible, because we work directly with the Gods and Goddesses; church dogma does not have a place in our ritual structure. Concepts such as the original sin, salvation, baptism, heaven, hell, and satan have no place in Trinitarian Wicca.  Nancy Chandler Pittman 1
	"Harry Potter remains a hot potato, polarizing Christians left and right because of three words: wizards, witches, and magic. Deuteronomy 18:10-11 warns us to avoid engaging in pagan rituals and sorcery, and for sure, Christianity and witchcraft don't mix." 2
	"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer." 3 Deuteronomy 18:10-11, from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).

Overview of "the problem"

It is quite possible for a person to follow a syncretistic religion -- a faith involving elements from two or more religions. This is sometimes disparagingly called "shopping-cart religion." It is a common practice, particularly in the Far East. In North America, many New Agers blend certain Christian and New Age beliefs and practices. Similarly, a person could take elements from Christianity and Wicca by:

	Worshiping the Christian God, and selecting some historical Christian teachings to believe in, perhaps including Jesus' resurrection, his virgin birth and second coming, etc.
	Simultaneously believing in selected elements from Wicca, such as respecting nature, performing healing rituals, celebrating solstices, equinoxes, harvest festivals, etc.

However, they might not necessarily be viewed as either a fellow Christian or a fellow Wiccan by more traditional followers of these two religions.

Conclusions:

Some Wiccans might feel comfortable considering herself/himself to be a Christian in the sense that they regard Jesus to be a great prophet and religious teacher, and that they attempt to follow his teachings. It appears to be impossible for a Wiccan to match the definitions of a Christian that are used by conservative Christian faith groups.

Topics covered in this section:

	The main difficulties combining Wicca and Christianity
	Resolving the deity questions
	Resolving problems associated with the Ten Commandments and Jesus' teachings
	Resolving biblical teachings about Witchcraft and divination
	Links to "Christian Wicca" resources

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. Nancy Chandler Pittman, "Christian Wicca: The Trinitarian Tradition," 1st Books Library, (2003).  Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
2. Russ Breimeie, "Redeeming Harry Potter," Christianity Today Movies, 2005-NOV-15, at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/
3. King James Version of the Bible

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Copyright © 1999 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update and review: 2011-DEC-26
Author: B.A. Robinson
Links updated: 2008-NOV-12

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