Photo above by Sarah Cartwright. Pentagram Photo by Epimetheus. Witch Photo by Helena.
Back when Christianity was first forming, most cultures had their own religions or Gods, and no single religion was considered “universal.” Although the Romans attempted to equate the Gods of other cultures with their religion and enforced a state sponsored religion, these efforts were far from being uniform in application or success. For the most part, folks worshiped the Gods their parents worshiped, and gave the religions of conquering cultures as little attention as they could get away with. The alternative was to join a mystery religion - cults whose membership remained secret and whose worship was not always acceptable by the rest of society.
Christianity was lumped together with the mystery religions, as an off-shoot of Judaism. However, this religion, was different than the other mystery religions. The fledgling religion was forced into secrecy instead of choosing it, did not allow their adherents to worship other Gods as most mystery religions did, and appealed to all people, regardless of race or culture. With it’s message of salvation regardless of heritage, Christianity represented the first truly universal religion. As the religion grew and became more centralized, the spiritual leaders emphasized the universal appeal of Christianity by calling their church “Catholic” - which means “universal” in Latin.
Two thousand years after the birth of Jesus Christ, one could hardly call the Catholic Church universal anymore. Not only have the several schisms with Christendom given rise to the Protestant religions, but Christianity as a whole is shrinking as a result of religious freedom in Western
culture. While it is still the most popular religion in the world, Islam is quickly closing the gap between itself and Christianity. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but does tend to give rise to the question of whether Christianity was as universal as it purported to be in the first place.
The loss of the universal appeal of Christianity could only be attributed to one important truth of the modern world: the desire for creativity. Modern conveniences and ample leisure time has given rise to a greater focus on individual creativity. Traditional forms of worship and social structure within Christianity seems stifling in comparison to the new egalitarian social structure and mutual artistic evolution of the internet. The only religion that I know of which shares these egalitarian and creative elements in Wicca.
Only having emerged in the last fifty years, Wicca is the newest of the world religions. It is a particular blend of European folk lore which focuses on the rhythms of nature and cycles of life instead of theology. Drawing heavily from the ancient Pagan beliefs, Wicca takes the Roman attempt to consolidate deities of different cultures to a new extreme by reducing all Gods into one God with two aspects (God of Darkness and of Light), and all Goddesses into one Goddess with three aspects (Maiden, Mother, and Crone). They also practice ritual, which they call witchcraft, with the intent of influencing reality in a manner that mirrors modern occultism.
Wicca’s greatest strength; however, is in its structure and liturgy. Wiccans usually worship in small groups of 3-13 individuals, called a coven. Even though one man or woman serves as the head priest, all of the individuals in a coven are considered priests in their own right. This puts each individual on equal footing - there are no “followers,” only leaders who allow someone else to lead for a time. The social structure is more akin to family than in Christianity; no one person is more important than another.
This is reflected in the way in which Wiccans worship. Although one member of a coven serves as the lead, the actual rituals, prayers, and practices need the input of each
member. Even those rites which are considered “tradition” are up for reinterpretation by an individual coven. Theology, preaching, and passive participation are absent from Wiccan worship. For those looking for worship to be a creative outlet, this religion seems custom made.
These qualities, found in Wicca, make this religion potentially more “Catholic” than Catholicism. Everyone can identify with family, with nature, and with the cycles of life. Any individual can look at the God or Goddess and see a deity that looks like themselves and represents humanity as a whole. More importantly, there is no authority to appease or to declare you heretical simply because you choose to do things a different way. Is it truly any wonder this is the fastest growing religion in the world?
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January 30th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Wwe should all pray to Papa Legba, the Met Carfour because he answers prayer!
January 30th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
What is truly “universal” about Christianity is its message, not its organizations, which are temporal and limited in nature, by definition. The Good News (”gospel”) of Christ is indeed universal; the Catholic Church is not — and the fact that it’s called the *Roman* Catholic Church is sufficient proof of its non-universal character.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Hi John,
I found this post thought provoking.
1. Was Christianity the first? I’m wondering about Buddhism with its concentration of the cessation of suffering - surely appealing to all. And (in some variants) its hostility to gods. Perhaps it is more a psychology than a religion.
2. I think the universalist claims of Wicca could be paralleled from the mystery cults - even the ones who identified with particular aspects of nature. My guess is that Wicca will split into various larger groupings. The problems usually come when the religion gains secular power - so I don’t see Wicca having this problem in the near future.
January 30th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Hello Micheline!
Welcome to the Pageless Book. While I do have respect for the religion of Voodoo, I have to admit I find it a bit impractical. I don’t personally feel it’s necessary to spill goats blood every time I feel the need to connect with the Divine. Yes, I know that’s a gross generalization of Voodoo ritual, and I’m sorry if that offends - the fact that animal sacrifice is a part of the Voodoo religion just doesn’t sit well with me. If I’m going to partake in occult practices and rituals, I would much rather either work within the Western Tradition. That’s just my preference.
I look forward to hearing from you again,
Namaste.
January 30th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Hello Brooks!
Welcome to the Pageless Book! I agree, whole heartedly, but you have to understand that before the Eastern Orthodox Church broke away, the Roman Catholic Church was just the “Catholic Church” It was truly the only game in town, in terms of Christianity, and in comparison to other religions up until that point, they alone represented the universal truths within Christ’s message. I was using that historical fact to contrast with the newer religion of Wicca, and its possible claim to universality… and because I’ve always wanted to see the juxtaposition of “Wicca” and “Catholic” in the same article title.
Thank you for commenting, and I look forward to hearing from you again.
Namaste.
January 30th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Hello Evan,
Thank you! That was the intention. Could Buddhism be called the first universal religion? Yes… I guess I was focusing more on Western religions as oppose to world religions. I want to make it clear, however, that Wiccans themselves do not claim their religion to be universal; this was a suggestion I was making for the sake of my article. Wicca has already split into numerous factions and traditions. For this reason alone, the religion will never have secular power. However that may in fact be a blessing, as it allows them to keep their integrity and keeps politics out of the witches circle.
As always,
Namaste.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:23 am
Hi, the interpretation that any Wiccan is a priest/ess is an affirmation from the Ecclectic movement(s) in this religion, and by no means is a common belief. Wicca started in England and it did so as an *initiatory* religion, i.e. you can only perform rituals after having gone through a process of initiation by the elders. Worship to both the male and female divinities is also not shared by all trends, because many choose to worship only the female form. Wicca is also basically inspired in Celtic mythology (although it is certainly not a modern version of the “religion” of the Celts), and therefore it is hardly inspiring for those who have no connection with Celtic culture in the British Isles and Central Europe. Finally, it is hard to agree that Wicca can be a new “catholic” religion when it has already split in hundreds of sects and schools in less than 50 years since its inception…
February 2nd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Hey Jaume,
Eek… you have a point there. Yet, I still feel that the way in which the religion is moving and developing has a very strong tendency towards an Eclectic or Universal appeal. The fact that this religion has already split into hundreds of sects, most of which still hold respect for one another, shows that there is a trend away from authority and towards individuality. I admit I may have over stated my case in the article, but the spirit of what I was trying to say still rings true to me.
Namaste.
March 16th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Hi John,
I tend to agree with your assessment that Wicca is a more broadly appealing and flexible belief framework - particularly if you don’t operate within a restrictive coven structure. I wouldn’t exactly call myself “Wiccan” - I have studied Wicca extensively on my own, and while I find it difficult to practice in a regular, dedicated manner (there are many ritual observances), I occasionally still use the ritual framework to focus my intentions and “calm down” when I’m feeling scattered.
This being said, I think one of the nicest things about Wicca is that coven practice can be optional - many proponents are supportive of the solitary practitioner. This leaves a great deal of room for personal interpretation and creativity in one’s spiritual practice, for tailoring rituals, spells, meditations, and observances to fit one’s own lifestyle and preferences. This is something I have found extremely appealing (though I’m sure some would claim I’ve been “doing it wrong.”)
Owing largely to its inherent flexibility, Wicca is the only spiritual framework I have ever been truly comfortable within. While Jesus, Muhammad, and other messianic figures have certainly brought powerful messages, it is very difficult to trust those who have claimed to speak for them throughout the centuries.
March 17th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Hi all, as a practiceing (still not got it right) wiccan, I will take you to task about Christianity being the first religion….. Pagan practices were around 50,000 years ago (see the painting on cave walls) . The christians were the victors in the war over religion many (1850) years ago so they write the history (just like we did in WW2) so it is biased towards the ‘good’ christians and against the ‘evil’ pagans who worship the devil (Horned god to you n me, the devil being a christian concept).
I wholly agree that Wicca is a very flexible and friendly religion but like all ‘families’ it has a sting in the tail most call it Whitchcraft and Wicca, to some of us it is also known as Bitchcraft and Bicca. Politics is slowly seeping into the craft, Lexi’s and Gardenerians still argue about who is best.
I have found tho that this only happens up to a certian degree, as you learn more of the ‘occult’ teachings you are shown a truth which in my experience blows away the ego of who’s best or right, also lets us intergrate with christians as at the end of the day we all talk to the same god/s we just deal with them differently is all.
Blessed Be
Marc
March 17th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Hello Marc
Welcome to the Pageless Book! I think you misunderstand what I’m trying to say; I’m not claiming that Christianity is the first religion, but rather was the first Universal Religion that welcomed all people. The religions that existed before Christianity were largely regional or cultural. For example, only the Romans seriously worshiped the Roman Gods. Even though they mandated that all people throughout the empire had to show respect for their Gods, they did not mandate that people abandon their own Gods. Thus, it truly wasn’t a Universal Religion. Christianity, however, changed all that by accepting people of all backgrounds into their church.
Politics happens whenever you get three or more people together… I have no illusions about Wicca having their own problems. My point, however, is that Wicca has more universal appeal than what Christianity did when it first started, so it has the potential to become a truly Universal Religion. Does that make sense?
Namaste.