Aren't Christians tectonically Pagans?

Question

O.k. Witchcraft was around YEARS before Christianity, right? The bible says not to practice Witchcraft, yet Christianity gets a lot of its customs and practices from Witchcraft... So in a way doesn't that mean Christians are Pagans and are going to their "Hell" for practicing Witchcraft?

Answer 1

Maybe, Christianity did “borrow” a lot from Witchcraft… some of you might be saying HOW? Or NO! Or even NO THAT’S A LIE! Well let’s see… where to begin?

Ah yes, holidays, yes that’s a good place since one is almost upon us, Christmas, Dec. 25 (Christianity), Yule, Dec. 21, Oak King’s birthday (for the “green witch”), Dec. 25 (both Pagan). Candlemas (Christianity) is Imbolc (Pagan). May Day (Christianity), is Belthane (Pagan). Halloween (Christianity) is Samhain (Pagan).

Next lets talk about the customs and rituals and items. (There are a lot but I’m only going to list a few). There is the altar, (need I say more) then there’s communion (Bread and wine (Christianity), Cakes and Ale (Pagan)).

The last thing I’ll talk about is the “Devil” and cults. First of all Paganism is NOT Devil worshiping, Pagans do NOT believe in the Devil. They believe to give evil a name is to create evil (That’s all we need to do is create more evil). That’s another thing Christianity “borrowed” is the horned hunter, he is also know as Pan the God of the Forest in greek pantheon and use Pan’s image for their “Devil”. Then there are cults (this term doesn’t just relate to the craft but to Christianity as well one well know “Christian Cult” was The “Cult of Mary” (Catholicism) but the funny thing was and is The “Cult of Mary” was worshiping the Goddess (Pagan).

Answer 2

Very frequently, the pagan influence fallacy is committed in connection with other fallacies, most notably the post hoc ergo proper hoc ("After this, therefore because of this") fallacy—e.g., "Some ancient pagans did or believed something millennia ago, therefore any parallel Christian practices and beliefs must be derived from that source." Frequently, a variant on this fallacy is committed in which, as soon as a parallel with something pagan is noted, it is assumed that the pagan counterpart is the more ancient. This variant might be called the similis hoc ergo propter hoc ("Similar to this, therefore because of this") fallacy.

When the pagan influence fallacy is encountered, it should be pointed out that it is, in fact, a fallacy. To help make this clear to a religious person committing it, it may be helpful to illustrate with cases where the pagan influence fallacy could be committed against his own position (e.g., the practice of circumcision was practiced in the ancient world by a number of peoples—including the Egyptians—but few Jews or Christians would say that its divinely authorized use in Israel was an example of "pagan corruption").

To help a secular person see the fallacy involved, one might point to a parallel case of the genetic fallacy involving those of his perspective (e.g., "Nobody should accept this particular scientific theory because it was developed by an atheist").

Whenever one encounters a proposed example of pagan influence, one should demand that its existence be properly documented, not just asserted. The danger of accepting an inaccurate claim is too great. The amount of misinformation in this area is great enough that it is advisable never to accept a reported parallel as true unless it can be demonstrated from primary source documents or through reliable, scholarly secondary sources. After receiving documentation supporting the claim of a pagan parallel, one should ask a number of questions:

1. Is there a parallel? Frequently, there is not. The claim of a parallel may be erroneous, especially when the documentation provided is based on an old or undisclosed source.

For example: "The Egyptians had a trinity. They worshiped Osiris, Isis, and Horus, thousands of years before the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were known" (Robert Ingersoll, Why I Am an Agnostic). This is not true. The Egyptians had an Ennead—a pantheon of nine major gods and goddesses. Osiris, Isis, and Horus were simply three divinities in the pantheon who were closely related by marriage and blood (not surprising, since the Ennead itself was an extended family) and who figured in the same myth cycle. They did not represent the three persons of a single divine being (the Christian understanding of the Trinity). The claim of an Egyptian trinity is simply wrong. There is no parallel.

2. Is the parallel dependent or independent? Even if there is a pagan parallel, that does not mean that there is a causal relationship involved. Two groups may develop similar beliefs, practices, and artifacts totally independently of each other. The idea that similar forms are always the result of diffusion from a common source has long been rejected by archaeology and anthropology, and for very good reason: Humans are similar to each other and live in similar (i.e., terrestrial) environments, leading them to have similar cultural artifacts and views.

3. Is the parallel antecedent or consequent? Even if there is a pagan parallel that is causally related to a non-pagan counterpart, this does not establish which gave rise to the other. It may be that the pagan parallel is a late borrowing from a non-pagan source. Frequently, the pagan sources we have are so late that they have been shaped in reaction to Jewish and Christian ideas. Sometimes it is possible to tell that pagans have been borrowing from non-pagans. Other times, it cannot be discerned who is borrowing from whom (or, indeed, if anyone is borrowing from anyone).

4. Is the parallel treated positively, neutrally, or negatively? Even if there is a pagan parallel to a non-pagan counterpart, that does not mean that the item or concept was enthusiastically or uncritically accepted by non-pagans. One must ask how they regarded it. Did they regard it as something positive, neutral, or negative?

Ultimately, all attempts to prove Catholicism "pagan" fail. Catholic doctrines are neither borrowed from the mystery religions nor introduced from pagans after the conversion of Constantine. To make a charge of paganism stick, one must be able to show more than a similarity between something in the Church and something in the non-Christian world. One must be able to demonstrate a legitimate connection between the two, showing clearly that one is a result of the other, and that there is something wrong with the non-Christian item.

In the final analysis, nobody has been able to prove these things regarding a doctrine of the Catholic faith, or even its officially authorized practices. The charge of paganism just doesn’t work.

Answer 3

The only thing that Christians have in common with pagans is various holidays. Everything else is quite different.
How is Christianity witchcraft? There is a HUGE difference between praying and casting a spell. Here's an example.
A Christian prayer:
"Lord, if it's YOUR will..."
A spell:
Light ritualistic candles and/or incense; sometimes an incantation is necessary, sometimes not; if not, use symbols, such as Runic spells.

See any similarities?
Now, it IS true that Catholics sometimes light candles for loved oneswho have passed on, or for a prayer. But, it's not to make their prayer request be granted. It's simply a symbol.

Answer 4

DEAR CHILD OF CHRIST - Your misunderstanding of both Christians and Witchcraft are off the charts. Yes, Christians of today, unless they were Jewish converts, were the Pagans of the time of the life of the savior. The Pagans were not witches, lol. The history of witchcraft is nothing to be ashamed of no matter who we are. GOD BLESS THOSE WHO COME HERE, AMEN.

Answer 5

I guess you're refering to practices such as Christmas which replace the (pagan) festival of Yule. I don't think it makes Christians pagans, because generally speaking, they replaced Pagan festivals and practices with their own and attempted to instil their religion into the Pagans - they didn't adopt a Pagan way of life at all. The Christians basically substituted all Pagan beliefs for their own - to the point of enforcing feminity as a negative and submissive force....

Answer 6

Having studied comparative faith, and bought a bachelor of theology, after which as an elder Hps of over 25 yrs I dont feel that you'll be able to be each efficiently. The indians have a announcing " stroll your speak" which to me implies that you have got to train what you hold forth, and to be a pagan or witch working towards your ideals and worshiping the god/goddess of option might be incompatible with a christian train. I consider you might with ease evolve from one to the opposite, as I have in my existence, however to hold to be religious or at one with each might be complex if now not unattainable. Now there are a few (most often catholic) to my possess enjoy, who consider that a pagan worldview isn't always towards their devout train, with the emphasis on Mother Mary and the saints as good as Jesus, the Son, once more a seeming evolution of notion from historic pagan to olde catholic and merging the 2 someplace. I additionally recognise local american citizens who probably regarded pagans, who're reasonably comfortable with a symbiotic overlay of christian symbology on best of a few historic lakota ideals, however they relatively dont agree upon deeper information. To sum up, I feel to get essentially the most profitable enjoy, and robust groundwork, you might be sensible to opt for one or the opposite after which do your nice to be "high-quality" to your train ..this may deliver approximately a individual enjoy and connection so that you can be very pleasurable and supportive to your every day existence.

Answer 7

The word used to apply to Christians yes, during the time of the Romans. It no longer does. Instead, Christians call anyone that isn't Christian a Pagan. Well that and other much more insulting words.

Answer 8

In what way do we get our practices and customs from witchcraft?..I'll tell you...we don't!...I think you are sadly mistaken..and witchcraft may have been around years before Jesus came, but God was here before it all.

Answer 9

Do you mean technically?
Tectonically has to do with geology and plate tectonics, the movement of the plates on the earth's surface.

And you have a good point by the way...with your Q...I think you may be on to something...

Answer 10

Hmmmmm, Christians "tectonically" being Pagans?

THAT would be earth-shaking news!!



But, seirously, no.

They are not us.
Really.
That's something both groups will agree on.