In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit; One God Amen

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In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy
Spirit One God Amen

• St. Augustine College and Graduate Class
• St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox
  Church Houston, TX
• Oct. 7th, 2007
• On the Neopagan Religion Wicca

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What comes to mind when we hear the word Paganism?
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Paganism

• pagan       (pa'g?n) n.   One who is not a
  Christian, Muslim, or Jew, especially an adherent
  of a polytheistic religion in antiquity.
• animistic, spirits-and-essences filled belief
  systems. These are based upon direct perception
  of the forces of nature and usually involves the
  use of idols, talismans and taboos in order to
  convey respect for these forces and beings. Many
  native, aboriginal religions fit this definition.

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Examples of Talismans
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Paganism The Old Religion

•  
• Venus of Wilendorf carved 24,00022,000 BCE. The
  lack of a face has prompted some archaeologists
  and philosophers to view the Venus as a
  "universal mother. Exaggerated features to make
  connection to fertility.

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Recent pagan activity

• Pagan Pride Day
• Celebrations in North America held annually,
  within two or three weeks of the Autumn Equinox.

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Pagan Pride Day

• The term "Pagan Pride" was apparently inspired by
  the Gay Pride movement.
• Celebrations of public ritual open to the public,
  press releases and public relations activities to
  encourage a positive portrayal of Paganism in the
  media.

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Pagan Pride Day

• The first Pagan Pride Day was held on
  1998-SEP-19 with 18 celebrations. By 2003, this
  had grown to over 117 events. Celebrations in
  2004 involved over 44,000 people attending Pagan
  Pride events in six countries. They collected
  almost 15 tons of food and almost 10,000 for
  local charities.

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Quote

• "When one defines oneself as Pagan, it means she
  or he follows an earth or nature religion, one
  that sees the divine manifest in all creation.
  The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth
  is our temple, its plants and creatures our
  partners and teachers. We worship a deity that is
  both male and female, a mother Goddess and father
  God, who together created all that is, was, or
  will be. We respect life, cherish the free will
  of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of
  all creation." Edain McCoy

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What do you think of when hear the word Witch?
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Wicca is Witchcraft

• The term Wica first appears in the writings of
  Gerald Gardner (Witchcraft Today, 1954, and The
  Meaning of 'Witchcraft, 1959). The word seems to
  be based on the Old English word Wicca (which
  meant "wise". Old English wicca and its feminine
  wicce are the predecessors of the modern English
  Witch

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Wiccans Practice Witchcraft and Sorcery

• A Wiccan a follower of Wicca,
• Many Wiccans continue their practices in
  secrecy,. Revealing oneself as Wiccan to family,
  friends or colleagues is often termed coming out
  of the broom-closet".

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Quote from a renowed Wiccan Priestess Margot
Adler

• We should educate people that 'Witch' is not
  evil but ancient and positive. The first time I
  called myself a 'Witch' was the most magical
  moment of my life.".

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Witch Craft and Wicca

• Wicca, is the religion and Witchcraft, is the
  practice of magick.
• MagicK with K is differentiated from Magic which
  is the entertainment magic show type not the
  occult practice. It is referred to as the art of
  energy manipulation, the art of altered states of
  consciousness.
• "the Science and Art of causing Change to occur
  in conformity with will.
• The of "psychic energy," those natural but
  invisible forces which surround all living
  things.

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Wiccans deny that they are evil and the deny
existence of Satan and Evil

• Their Moral code is
• what you believe is right, but let no one be
  harmed by your actions.'"

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Three definitions of Sorcery

• the art, practices, or spells of a person who is
  supposed to exercise supernatural powers through
  the aid of evil spirits black magic witchery
• Use of supernatural power over others through the
  assistance of spirits witchcraft
• the belief in magical spells that harness occult
  forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural
  effects in the world 

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Divination Techniques -- methods of foretelling
the future

• Astrology
• Biorhythm
• Crystal divination
• I Ching
• Palm Reading
• Rune casting
• Tarot Card Reading
• Tea Cup Reading

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Immanent religion

• Immanence, derived from the Latin in manere "to
  remain within", refers to philosophical and
  metaphysical theories of the divine as existing
  and acting within the mind or the world. This
  concept generally contrasts or coexists with the
  idea of transcendence.
• animism is the belief that souls inhabit all or
  most objects it attributes personalized souls to
  animals, vegetables, and minerals wherein the
  material object isto some degreegoverned by the
  qualities which comprise its particular soul.

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• Does paganism still exist? Is there such a thing
  as a modern day paganism?

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Neopaganism

• Even though they like to think that they are a
  New religion.they are a reconstruction of
  ancient, extinct religions. However, not all
  Neopagans are Wiccans. The umbrella term
  "Neopagan" includes followers of many other
  earth-centered faith traditions.
• based on the symbols, seasonal days of
  celebration, beliefs and deities of ancient
  Celtic society

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Wicca as Neopaganism

• Witchcraft which was founded in the UK during the
  late 1940s
• Most Wiccans do not believe that their religion
  is a direct, continuous descendent of the ancient
  paganism nor of the witchcraft in the UK.
• They see their religion as a modern
  reconstruction-a Hybrid that does not like to be
  pigeon-holed, caters to the individual.

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Prevalence

• Neopaganism is becoming a popular trend Most
  popular amongst teenagers and young people
  because it appeals to their feelingsit is
  sensitive to issues of autocracy, paternalism,
  sexism, homophobia, and the environment.

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Prevalence of the religionThe
Institute for the Study of American Religion in
Santa Barbara, California, claims that Witchcraft
and Paganism are the fastest growing religions in
the country 200,000 in the United StatesI got
2,410,000 hits on google about Wicca
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Quote

• "I don't think witchcraft is a religion. I would
  hope the military officials would take a second
  look at the decision they made." G.W. Bush (R),
  as Governor of Texas. Interviewed on ABC's Good
  Morning America, 1999-JUN-24.
• He disapproved of Wiccan soldiers being given the
  same religious rights as others in the military.

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Wicca The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing!

• Believe themselves to be a recently created and
  benign. Even though they are traced back to
  Early (800 B.C.) Celtic society of paganism and
  Polytheism
• Wiccans are prohibited from using magic to harm
  others they do not believe in the existence of
  Satan or demons

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Wicca

• In a paper submitted to the Council for a
  Parliament of the World's Religions, Michael
  Thorn writes "Modern Witchcraft (or Wicca) is
  the most common expression of the religious
  movement known as Neo-paganism.... Its
  practitioners are reviving ancient Pagan
  practices and beliefs of pre-Christian Europe and
  adapting them to contemporary American life....

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Wicca

• Wiccans focus their liturgy and worship around a
  Goddess and a God. Rituals and services are timed
  to the phases of the moon and to the Wheel of the
  Year (i.e., the solstices, equinoxes).

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Quote

• "If you take a copy of the Christian Bible and
  put it out in the wind and the rain, soon the
  paper on which the words are printed will
  disintegrate and the words will be gone. Our
  bible IS the wind and the rain." Herbalist Carol
  McGrath

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Literature and Poetry are key components

• There is no one bible or book of common prayer
  for
• all Wiccans, however, and great value is placed
  on creativity, poetry and
• the artful integration of different myths and
  ritual elements.
• Wiccan authors
• Ronald Hutton, Gerald Gardner, or Doreen Valiente.

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Pentacle

• the symbol of a spirit or energy being evoked is
  drawn.
• It is often worn around the neck, or placed
  within the triangle of evocation
• five elements earth, air, water, fire, and
  spirit spirit presiding at the top. In the
  casting of a magic circle, the four cardinal
  elements are visualised as contributing their
  influence from the four cardinal directions.
• purified magic circle. Prayers to the God and
  Goddess are said, the "Guardians" of the North,
  South, East and West are welcomed, and spells are
  sometimes worked.

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Rituals

• Wiccan ritual will involve some sort of
  creation of sacred space (casting a circle),
  invocation of divine power, sharing of
  dance/song/food or wine and a thankful farewell
  and ceremonial closing.
• Wiccans celebrate eight festivals, called
  "Sabbats," as a means of attunement to the
  seasonal rhythms of Nature.

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Ritual

• Wiccans use many items or tools to invoke their
  Magick such as the knife jewelry is important.
• Usually Rituals may be held to mark life (life
  cycles) transitions such as births,
  coming-of-age, marriages/handfastings,
  housewarmings, healings,deaths or other rites of
  passage.

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dieties

• They are sometimes symbolised as the Sun and
  Moon male/female
• pre-eminent, since she contains and conceives all
  (nature/the universe)

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Wicca Doctrine

• Some Wiccans recognize a single supreme
  being, sometimes called "The All" or "The One."
  The Goddess and God are viewed as the female and
  male aspects of this single deity.

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Wicca is duotheistic

• Wiccans often worship a female Goddess and a male
  God., often called the Lady and Lord. The Horned
  God and The Earth/Mother Nature

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The Moon Goddess
In the older form of the ritual, the High
Priestess would invoke the Goddess with the
charge, "Listen to the words of the Great Mother,
who was of old also called Artemis, Astarte,
Melusine, Aphrodite, Diana, Brigit, and many more
other names..."
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The Horned God
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The Horned GodSatan?
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Wicca is polytheistic

• Wiccans recognize the existence of many ancient
  Gods and Goddesses, including Pan, Diana,
  Dionysius, Fergus, etc

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Wicca is atheistic

• Some Wiccans view the God and Goddess as symbols,
  not living entities.
• Archetypes

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Dianic Wicca,

• Feminist branch of Wicca
• Focuses on the goddess and does not regard the
  god. the goddess is complete unto herself
• Acts 1912-41

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Artemis (Greek) or Diana (Roman) The Goddess
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Diana

• The worship of Diana (roman name of Artemis the
  greek goddess of love and fertility the pagan
  Goddess her temple in Ephesus was acclaimed as
  one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

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From Doreen Valiente.

• "I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the
  white moon among the stars, and the mystery of
  the waters, call unto thy soul Arise, and
  come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who
  gives life to the universe. From Me all
  things proceed, and unto Me all things must
  return and before My face, beloved of gods and
  of men, let thine innermost divine self be
  enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let
  My worship be within the heart that rejoices for
  behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My
  rituals. .. - from Doreen Valiente

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Are people just confused?christian Wiccas

• Syncretic shopping-cart religion
• Attribute the Holy Spirit as the Goddess Many
  even take it farther, saying the Holy Spirit was
  embodied in the person of the Virgin Mary.
• The Idea that Mother Earth and God are one and
  the same
• (Leonardo Boff is a Roman Catholic theologian who
  has argued for the divine nature of the Earth and
  was summarily dismissed from the priesthood.)

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Christian Wicca

• Dualistic male/felmale, god/goddess idea of wicca
  is superimposed on Christinaity (like that of the
  Da Vinci code-Holy Grail)

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What does this mean for me?

• And this I pray, that your love may abound still
  more and more in knowledge and all discernment.
• Philippians 19
• The Psuchikos (Greek for Soul/Psyche)
  (Mind-body/ultered state of consciousness)/ The
  Natural Man 1 Cor. 214 But the natural man
  does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,
  for they are foolishness to him nor can he know
  them, because they are spiritually discerned.
• Rightly dividing the word of Truth 2Tim. 215
• Be diligent to present yourself approved to God,
  a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly
  dividing the word of truth.

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The Old and the New

• Old Testament Urim and Thummim Yes/No
  Communication with God through Israelite
  Priesthood. (Exodus 2830 Numbers 2712-21 I
  Samuel 218 1020 286).
• New Testament God Incarnate sent us His Spirit
  to bring to rememberance all things always
  (Direct access)

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• Colossians 28 Beware lest anyone cheat you
  through philosophy and empty deceit, according to
  the tradition of men, according to the basic
  principles of the world, and not according to
  Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of
  the Godhead bodily 10 and you are complete in
  Him, who is the head of all principality and
  power.

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Through the Power of The Cross

• Colossians 215 Having disarmed principalities
  and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,
  triumphing over them in it. 16 So let no one
  judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a
  festival or a new moon or sabbaths.
• Colossians 2 18 Let no one cheat you of your
  reward, taking delight in false humility and
  worship of angels, intruding into those things
  which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his
  fleshly mind,

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Dont be deceived Divination is Satanic Acts
1616-18

• 16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that
  a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of
  divination met us, who brought her masters much
  profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed
  Paul and us, and cried out, saying, These men
  are the servants of the Most High God, who
  proclaim to us the way of salvation. 18 And this
  she did for many days. But Paul, greatly
  annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I
  command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come
  out of her. And he came out that very hour.

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The Power of the Holy Spirit

• Acts 136-12
•  9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled
  with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10
  and said, O full of all deceit and all fraud,
  you son of the devil, you enemy of all
  righteousness, will you not cease perverting the
  straight ways of the Lord?

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I Samuel 28 3-19

• Saul continued to move farther and farther from
  God to the extent that he used the occult in
  search for answers but God allowed it to happen
  to send him the message that he was walking in
  spiritual deception

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God views the occult as connected to demonic
powers and opens people to forces of evil thats
why He forbids sorcery.

• Now the works of the flesh are evident, which
  are adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
  lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
  contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,
  selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies.
  Galatians 519-20
• You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
  (Exodus 2218
• nor shall you practice divination or
  soothsaying. (Leviticus 1926

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God forbids Sorcery

• Ezekiel 13 18-23
• Luke 1124-26

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God He is Lord

• And when they say to you, Seek those who are
  mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,
  should not a people seek their God? Should they
  seek the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah
  819
• Letviticus1931 201-7

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A Final thought

• There would be no need for sermons, if our lives
  were shining there would be no need for words,
  if we bore witness with our deeds. There would
  be no pagans, if we were true Christians.
• Saint John Chrysostom

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References

• http//www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm
• www.wikipedia.org
• http//forerunner.com/champion/X0042_What_is_the_W
  iccan_r.html
• Michael Thorn, "A Portrait of Wicca," A
  Sourcebook for the Community of Religions, The
  Council for a Parliament of the World's
  Religions.
• Jan Phillips, "The Craft of the Wise," Ms.,
  January/February 1993
• Gods, Demigods and demons An Encyclopedia of
  Greek Mythology Bernard Evslin1975
• The American Heritage Dictionary of the English
  Language, Fourth Edition