A Question for Christian Pagans.

[cartweel]

Today I witnessed one of the holy rites of Christianity: communion. This got me to thinking- do Christian Witches, Wiccans, or whathaveyou practice these rituals? Do they baptize their children, take communion, and have Christian weddings??

There are plenty of threads concerning the philosophy and reasoning behind Christian Paganism- this one is about practice. How do you practice your particular mixture of religiosity? Do certain Christian rituals still hold their significance to you?

[Aine of the Fae]

I took communion today. I practice the Christian rites, and follow the Christian holidays, many of which are based on their pagan counterpart.

[blithespirit]

I remember back when I started at my job (church secretary-United Church of Christ), I was amazed at how similar some of their Rites were to mine. I'd been raised a Baptist--they didn't do communion, infant baptism, follow the lectionary, liturgical colors, etc. It helped me to settle in better, I think. And Advent-what nice, purple candles!

[Tobias]

I don't regularly practice any kinds of religious rituals, as I've found they lose their meaning through obligatory repetition.

I have no problem taking communion or occasionally praying for a meal. I know that the Diety I serve now is the same one who found me out in Christianity and revealed Himself to me as the Christian God.

I also can cite plenty of evidence from the Bible that He is the same God who is responsible for a lot of the stuff attributed to Him there. He is the same God who shows up to give peace and guidance to the Fundimentalists, and brings the Anointing and Power of the Holy Spirit to the Charasmatics. I feel comfortable mixing in and finding common ground with either group; knowing that the God I serve also must do the same to be accepted by "His people".

[mystic_firefae]

I'm not a Christian Witch, but I have an Aunt who is a Catholic Witch....I'll ask her to visit the site and answer your questions.....

Love & Light
Camie

[Ninjakitten]

I practice communion during ritual in rememberance of what he did. I had been baptized 6 years ago when I was a fundamentalist Christian (wasn't raised Christian), but would do it again as a Christian Witch. When I invoke the quarters in circle, I call upon the earth as being the essence from which we were made (you know, made from dust), the air as being the breath of life (into the dust), the fires of the Spirit of God/dess (that cleanse our spirit), and the water of Baptism (that cleanse the physical and show our commitment to Christ). I not only celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year, but I celebrate the major Christian holidays, Easter (I call it Resurrection Day), Good Friday, and I celebrate Christmas, but on that one I only do so for family, not because I believe it was when the Christ was born. Most of my family doesn't know I'm a witch.

[Morning Star]

What is a Christian pagan? I understand Christian witch, but a Christian cannot be pagan by definition. Pagan is non-Christian. Wouldn't a non-Christian Christian pose a problem? I think you would call these people gnostic.

[djmixon]

I took communion today. I practice the Christian rites, and follow the Christian holidays, many of which are based on their pagan counterpart.Ditto

[Mab]

I haven't taken Communion in ages. I pray every night. I go to church on occassion, but I haven't really found one I'm comfortable in. I go at the holidays, and I will go with my SO. His daughter (2) likes us all to hold hands & say a blessing before eating, and so we do that. I follow Christian holidays & celebrate them in all their Christian/Pagan glory (most of them incorporated Pagan rituals).

[DarkHeart13]

Today I witnessed one of the holy rites of Christianity: communion. This got me to thinking- do Christian Witches, Wiccans, or whathaveyou practice these rituals? Do they baptize their children, take communion, and have Christian weddings??

There are plenty of threads concerning the philosophy and reasoning behind Christian Paganism- this one is about practice. How do you practice your particular mixture of religiosity? Do certain Christian rituals still hold their significance to you?
Well....first off, I don't believe in baptizing infants...To baptize is to realize you have accepted Jesus and been saved...Infants don't even know who Jesus is.....But thankfully, that's where Christo-Paganism comes in hand....You can bless the child with a ritual. You can involve your High Priestess/Priest, even sprinkle the child with holy water, as long as you do it as a BLESSING ritual. Unlike baptizing, blessing rituals for newborns are like giving thanks to God for your baby and ensuring him that you will love your child. Baptism however, just makes you think your child is sin free and if it dies it's going to Heaven. There's no need for baptism on babies cuz if they died they'd go to Heaven anyway. Yeah, they may be 3 years old and lying out their teeth but if they die the next day it's not like they're going to Hell. They don't understand what they're doing and they don't understand the way Christianity works so baptizing is just ludicrous if you ask me...

Now, that I'm off my rant...lol
I celebrate all the Christian holidays as well as the Wiccan ones. When I cast my circle I call upon God, Jesus, Mother Mary, Magdalene, and the angels to assist me. I've only been practicing Eclectic for almost 2 years. I'm really interested in Enochian Magick so we'll see what happens from there. But anyway, being a Christian Pagan is very fun indeed! I don't get to go to church so I make up for it by reading my Bible.

Blessed Be,
Jada Raine

[Morning Star]

*shakes his head and runs off*

[DarkHeart13]

*shakes his head and runs off*
I seem confusing, yes? lol......Er....sry, but I don't know what to tell ya............
Blessed Be,
Jada Raine

[Gypsy Wyccan]

Communion is quite easy to work into the circle's ritual - it's already called "Cakes and Ale" or "the Simple Feast" in Paganism. There is every indication that Jesus' Last Supper was more akin to what Neo-Pagans call "Cakes and Ale" than the ritual it has evolved into today. To me, it is a rite of the highest honor: breaking bread and communing with both the Lord and Lady. I do not believe in the original sin - but that does not make me not Christian or a follower of the Living Jesus or the Cosmic Christ. I support the Gnostic Demiurge theory (Samael/Yaldaboath is the bastard son of the Goddess Sophia, which Jesus calls his sister in the Gnostic Gospels) As comical as it may sound - Jesus came to earth to save us from that asshole nephew God of the Old Testament: Mr. Doom, Gloom, and Destruction!! Geez, if I wanted that, I'd visit my in-laws!! LOL!!

[arctic splash]

I never belonged to a Christian church, nor did I practise any Christian rituals, aside from watching Jesus Christ Superstar on Good Friday. ;) I guess you could call me a Christian Pagan, though. Baptism -- or my peculiar brand of it -- is something I do to myself, immersing myself in the waters of a holy river or lake, becoming closer to the Divine. Other than that... I can't think of anything.

Rituals among Christian groups are very different from one to the next, and some groups don't have very much ritual at all...