Simply put, Christian Paganism is a blending of two openly opposing faiths into one creed. Sounds rather straight forward, but therein lies the rub. No two walks of faith could be more different from each other.
In order to understand what these two spheres combined would be like, we need to understand what each half brings to the equation. Let us begin by looking at the basic tenants of Christianity.
- Belief in on God, having three aspects, yet are one in thought and deed. This entity is sometimes called the Godhead and is comprised of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Bear in mind that not all Christians believe in this Trinity in the same way, but it is a basic in most walks of that faith.
- Belief that God was made flesh in the personification of Jesus the Christ1.
- The belief that through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the sentence of eternal death is overturned, and is replaced with eternal life.
These are the three major beliefs of Christianity, all the rest is built on top of these concepts. Now, let's see how Pagans differ on these same three points2.
- Belief in many deities, although some Paths sum the idea up as: Goddess, God, and the One (who is the sum of both the Female and the Male deities).
- Belief that we all are parts of the One, incarnate upon this Earth, to tend and care for it.
- Belief that, like the Moon, our lives follow a pattern of Birth, A Lifetime, and Death, then we repeat this cycle many times.
These are three of the basic principles that are a part of many Pagan beliefs system. As you can see, there is a tiny bit of similarity in the two. Now, taking the same three areas, let us look at how we can combine the two hemispheres into one cohesive sphere.
- Belief in a Trinity composed of God manifesting through Jesus and the Heavenly Mother. By following the life of Jesus, as we can explore it in the Scriptures3, we can see how to live a life that is more like that of The One. And,when Jesus left this plane of existence, he asked our Heavenly Mother to comfort and guide us on our Path in this life.
- Jesus is our example of what we can accomplish in this lifetime. We are all Divine creatures and through discipline in our words and actions, we can reflect that Divine light that is within all of us. And, again, by examining what Scripture has to say about his life, we can be more like our Heavenly Mother and Father.
- Belief that we are not limited to just one life on the Earth. We have experienced many lifetimes and will continue to do so until we have learned all we need to know for what will become of us in the Next Life.
As you can see, both belief can be intermingled. In some areas it is easier than others. Christian Paganism is a very young movement and not all the concepts I think of hold for all those who claim to be on this Path. The thoughts presented here are merely a springing board. Please feel free to leave comments about you feel this Path is about. This blog has been planned to always be a two way street, your comments will help us understand more about the concept we are trying to bring forth in becoming Christian Pagans.
Notes
- Jesus the Christ. I use this phrasing because most people forget that Christ is only a title, meaning the Anointed One, and not part of Jesus' name. If you want to get right down to it, Jesus would have been called "Joshua Son of Joseph", but we're not splitting hairs here.
- There are in Paganism, as in Christianity, as many different forms of the practice as there are people who observe it. Not all share the same main points that I used in this illustration. Here I used what I am most familiar with, and that is Wicca, and even there, not all Wiccans agree with these statements. Isn't it nice to know that we are all unique in this world?
- When I refer to Scripture, I am referring to all that springs forth from the Divine and has been recorded in words through the ages. This includes, but is not limited to, the Bible, Koran, and Torah. To me, all writings from all faiths are worth of consideration and to be called Scripture.
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