I understand that paganism is a growing religious force in the world today. Also, there are quite a number of forms of paganism - Druidism, Wicca, Witchcraft just to name a few. Perhaps you feel that your rituals and other spiritual activities will help to save the Earth from self-destruction. You may distrust Christianity for quite a few reasons. You can't stand the doctrine of eternal punishment, and you probably feel that most Monotheistic religions, especially Christianity, are a hindrance to spiritual development.
Most pagans are polytheists (they acknowledge and worship more than one god or goddess). You probably believe that these divine powers are within you and you need to get into harmony with them. You may be a Nature-Worshipper of some form.
Some Preliminaries
1. Points we may have in common.
a. We believe in the reality of a spiritual world that exists now in parallel with the physical universe. Many churches are spiritually dead - emphasizing "club rules" and not a personal encounter with the divine. But more and more churches are coming alive and are learning what it means to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has greater power than all the rest of the angels and demons combined.
b. We believe that it is good for us to care for our environment. As a Christian, I believe that God gave us this world to look after and enjoy, but not to abuse. So I would sympathise with attempts to limit ecological destruction and the spread of pollution. In my view it is sinful to ruin the environment for personal or corporate profit. The Bible talks of God "destroying those who destroy the earth" (Rev. 11:18).
But the very fact that we have potential to harm Nature proves to me that Nature itself is not divine. A deity which can be destroyed is not worth worshipping. Christians see the beautiful things in Nature as part of the "created order". Just as a beautiful musical piece points to the existence of a gifted and creative composer, so Nature points us to am infinitely wise, good and caring Creator.
The basic error is to "worship that which is created instead of the Creator". Which is better - the work of art or the artist, the book or the author, the created or the Creator? To worship that which is created is to be truly out of harmony with the Creator and that which is truly enduring and eternal.
Our God has been answering prayers and doing wonders since the world began. Whether you like it or not, there is nothing you can do to directly harm Him. Surely one day you will stand before Almighty God and give an account for your life, even including your secret thoughts. What will you say then?
c. I believe that Christians should not seek political power in order to persecute those with other beliefs. As this has been done by the Historical Church over the years, all I can say is I'm sorry and hope not to be a part of such a thing. As Christians we DO have our standards of beliefs and ethics, but hopefully Christians will realise that the weapons with which we attack deception and evil are primarily spiritual. Our swords are made of words, not metal.
A truly wise Christian does not get involved in "witch hunts". "He who searches for evil, it will surely come to him." A lot of innocent people have been killed, especially by the apostate Roman Catholic Church during the middle ages. It was not only witches, but also many innocent people AND many born-again evangelical believers that were tortured and put to death by the Inquisition.
Of course a Christian who knows the Bible rejects many of the fundamental tenets of paganism. We believe though that these tenets must be demonstrated to be wrong. Our God is greater than all of your gods put together. And of course, our Ultimate Victory will be when Jesus Christ returns as King and Judge. Until then the Kingdom of God will only manifest in part, mostly where it is welcomed and embraced. We will continue in prayer and fasting, Christian meditation and acts of truth and mercy so that more and more may taste of the goodness of God personally before it is too late.
As for the spiritual harm that some pagans do through witchcraft and magical arts, God is well able to deal with that and return any curses back to the sender. We will pray on for you that you will have a revelation of God's love and truth before it is too late.
PROBLEMS WITH PAGAN BELIEFS
1. How can you be sure that your "gods" are not deceiving you?
That there are spiritual forces behind the various gods of men no informed Christian would deny. But how can you be sure that these spirits are who they say they are? If they make you feel good at times when worshipping them does that make those spirits good? Even Satanists "feel good" when they perform the most horrible things. An evil spirit has the power to give a buzz, a thrill, a surge of power or whatever. They have a limited power to give people what they want also - be it fame, fortune or power. However, all those things are only temporal and will pass away forever.
If you are communicating with spirits by whatever means, let me ask you: Has your spirit always told you the truth? Did it work out always the way the spirit said it would? Has it ever seemed to you that the spirit was somehow mocking you? If so, all this should be a clue as to the deceptive nature of the spirits with which you have entered into contact.
I say that if your spirits deny that Jesus Christ of Nazareth came in the flesh and is now Lord and God that they are LIARS. Those spirits have come to seduce, enslave and destroy you (its a progressive action). For God's sake wake up! If those spirits ARE in fact deceptive then you are in BIG TROUBLE. Upon death you will be taken by the Satan you may or may not believe in. Not to some kind of spiritual paradise - but rather, to everlasting shame, torment and mockery. Satan will laugh in your face in hell one day if you worship false gods of any kind, because he stands behind them all.
Please consider that God loves you. He has given you a choice. He has provided a Savior - Jesus Christ, who became a SACRIFICE FOR YOU - so that you could be made clean, pure and righteous by God and ready to enter into the joy of the Creator forever. Jesus loved you that much. You will find in truly knowing Him the most loving, awesome, faithful, true and powerful person you could ever imagine. He is able to change your life and give you total spiritual fulfilment.
Jesus promised to give rest for the souls of those who serve him. Not more burdensome rituals, but a river of life! It would be a wonderful thing for you to experience the blessing of knowing Him for yourself.
Be at least a little bit willing to consider the evidence for the Good News of Jesus Christ and the message of the Bible. There have been many abuses, since Satan has also been at work inside the church - not only outside. But if you seek for God with all of your heart He will be found by you.
Perhaps it is not too late for you to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Why not check out some of the testimonies on this and other sites.
If you want to communicate over the internet, send me an e-mail. I want to pray for all who write to me, and God-willing and time-permitting, I would like to write back. I will try to make time.
You might like to read some related ideas in my special short message to New-Agers. Also of interest may be this article on reincarnation.
Michael
I understand that a Witch Proper does not believe in the so-called Wiccan Rede - or "An ye harm no one, do as thou wilt". Witches are supposed to "take responsibility" for their actions. I would like to ask this: TO WHOM ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE?
It is NOTHING to be "responsible to yourself". That is a contradiction in terms as far as I am concerned.
Know for sure that you are ultimately responsible to God, and you will reap what you sow. There is a terrible judgment coming down on all witchcraft, sorcery and demon worship in the last days. My urgent counsel to you is: FLEE TO JESUS CHRIST FROM THE WRATH TO COME.
Jesus will not reject you if you come to Him humbly. He has the power to set you free from all covenants with the powers of darkness. You CAN be delivered - IF you are desperate.
There's not much time left ...