1 of 20

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 2

should be followed ('You cannot walk along beside Me if you won't rise up from your knees'). In this, the primary respect, Satanists are more Christian than the Christians. They exhibit the traits of tolerance, forgiveness, and love for mankind - all of Jesus's core messages. The Church, on the other hand, is the opposite, full of 'unforgivable sin' and damnation for independent thought.

Satanism is largely a return to Paganism, but filtered through the Church. Neo-Paganism, the modern Pagan movement, seeks to reclaim that which came before the Church started the whole mess to begin with.

Wicca, as a specific branch of Paganism, draws its roots from the Celtic faith. Wicca, as many know, means 'Wise One' in the ancient tongue, and has nothing to do with other European beliefs any more than the followers of Thor could be considered Islamic.

It is a common misconception to confuse Wicca with some of the ancient Greek beliefs - this too is linked to the Pentacle. The Celts and the Greeks both independently discovered that the orbit of the planet Venus describes a Pentagram shape in the sky, as it drifts about the heavens on its eight-year cycle. Of course, so did the Chinese, the Mayans, the Egyptians, and many other star-gazing cultures.

Wicca's origins come from the era just after the arrival of the Christian 'Missionaries', who slaughtered the Celtic Druids (some say the massacre was because the Christians couldn't win a civilized debate against them). Left without their spiritual guides, the Celts turned to the next best resource; the tribe Wise Ones, who understood many of the Druidic ways, and served as best they could. This coincides with the modern divide in Wicca: not all Wise Ones agreed on the methods and reasons for various ceremonies and holidays, which evolved into a divide in the root belief behind those things.

In the modern day, most Wiccans believe that each of the faith's myriad paths all go to the same place, so to speak. The differences between invoking the Elements, the Four Winds, or even the Lords of the Fae, are superficial. The thinking is that all magick draws on the same fundamental Source, no matter what it is called, and the form of practice is merely a matter of personal preference.

So, in the end, Wicca and Satanism share one item above all in common: they are both a result of sinful acts of the Christian Church, in its refusal to embrace the Word of the one they call 'Savior', and exhibit the love of all mankind he was best known for. It was this ignorant intolerance that directly led to the formation of both faiths, who, in the ultimate irony, now embrace those very qualities that Jesus preached, and his own Church lacks.

Learn more about this author, Bryan Belrad.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2

Add your voice

Know something about Critique of Wicca: Roots in Satanism?
We want to hear your view. Write now!