The New Grimoire

One of the stranger articles on CARM is the article, "Is Wicca Falsifiable?".

   The Argument presented by Slick in this article is strange and self contradictory:

I have come to the conclusion that Wicca is not falsifiable. In other words, Wicca cannot be proven to be false -- or true. Falsifiability is an important part of evidence and even of belief.

   He then attempts to compare Wicca and Christianity in the area of falsifiability.

Christianity on the other hand is falsifiable. It can be proven to be false if, for example, the body of Christ was discovered and it was conclusively demonstrated that it was his body.

   Really? How could we ever know if we found the body of Jesus. That is an impossible idea.

   In my post answering CARM's objections I gave three things that are the foundation of Wicca.

1. The Divine, a separate realm of existence both a part of and separate from our material world exists.
2. There is a spiritual force that pervades this world and through it we commune with the Godhead
3. The Universe is fundamentally interconnected at an Atomic Level.

   If these three things can be shown to be false then Wicca crumbles. And unlike the preposterous idea of discovering Jesus' body, these claims can be shown false through Scientific Discovery.

Similar to Hinduism, the serpent is believed by Wiccans to be a symbol of eternal life and female spiritual awakening or power.  In Hinduism, yoga and meditation results in enlightenment from awakening the kundalini, or power known as the serpent power believed to be coiled at the base of the spine.

   Most Wiccans do look at the serpent as a positive force like most religions through the ages. The Second Sentence is only describing one tiny sect within Hinduism however, not all Hindus practice Kundalini Yoga.

One hurdle that will have to be crossed in witnessing to a person involved in Wicca is their lack of belief in a need for forgiveness or salvation.

   Not in the Christian Sense no, but to say their is no idea of sin and forgiveness in Wicca is a falsehood.

To the witch, there is no sin therefore no need for forgiveness.  There is no need for salvation, as there is nothing to be saved from.

   We are not Christian, we do not have the same ideas of what "Sin" is.

The main tenet of Wicca is the "Wiccan Rede" which states "And it harm none, do as ye will".  Basically, as long as you don't hurt anyone, anything goes.  Of course, views of what actually causes harm vary from person to person.

   This is a gross misunderstanding of the Wiccan Rede. "Do as ye will" is actually taken from Aleister Crowley and his Law of Thelema: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law, love is the law, love under will." Will doesn't mean doing whatever you want but instead means to embrace your true destiny and your inner divinity. It isn't some stupid childlike "Do what you want".

Views of an afterlife vary widely among groups.  Witches do not believe in a heaven or hell and will usually espouse the concept of karma and endless reincarnation. 

Some do, this was Gardner's idea.

Backed up by "memories" of "past lives" they insist the idea of living only once is ridiculous.  Others believe in reincarnation until enlightenment, or endless rebirth until such time as the person is enlightened enough to pass on to some other existence.  Again, what makes a person enlightened varies from person to person.  Still others will openly admit they have no idea what will happen after death and say the will find out when they get there.

   True. Wicca isn't too focused on the Afterlife. There is much speculation amongst Wiccans on what the   Afterlife is but there is no set dogma on this issue.

As with other humanist religions everything goes as long as it doesn't oppose their claim to being god/godess or hold them accountable to a higher power.

   Just wow. Humanism to the people of Contender Ministries is a cardinal Sin. But the most glaring thing that people that critic Wicca from a Christian point of view don't seem to get is that "anything goes," is not a Wiccan idea. People can interpret and misuse the Bible but anyone who is honest won't say that Christians believe anything goes as long as you slap the Christian label on it. Groups like Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian groups because they deny fundamentals of the Christian Faith such as the Trinity or the incorporeality of God. In the same manner those that call themselves Wiccans  but worship only the Goddess, or those who pull apart Pagan pantheons and worship those deities claiming them to be the God or Goddess are not Wiccan.

Contender Ministries ia a Christian Apologetics Organization that I've seen quoted many times by fundamentalists and others seeking to attack Wiccans and our beliefs. This is a critique of their "Wicca Beliefs and Practices" page.

• Everyone has the divine (or goddess) within.

I've met some Witches who believe in a very dualistic model where man is completely creature but this is true, most Witches, myself included, believe that we are by nature divine.

One should develop natural gifts for divination or occult magic (often spelled 'magick' by occultists.)

I don't think this author understands the difference between Wiccan "Magick" and other forms of Occultic Magic like Thelema or the Golden Dawn. Wiccan Magick is more of a form of prayer or direction of desire rather than a taming or controlling of some supernatural force. unless this distinction is made there can't be a blanket statement like this point.

Divine forces or nature spirits are invoked in rituals. 

The Practice of Invoking the divine in Ritual and for Magic is called Theurgy, and yes, Wiccans practice this. In fact, it's a center point of our religion. Nature Spirits on the other hand, not so much. Some Wiccans do believe in Sprites and fairies and such but the majority of Wiccans do not. Belief in these sorts of beings are not required.

The Goddess, as either a symbol or a real entity, is the focus of worship.

No, the God and Goddess are the focus of worship. The Only  groups that places a huge emphasis on the Goddess is Dianic Wicca and some extreme Dianics fall out of the label of Wicca entirely.

Nature and the earth are sacred manifestations of the Goddess.

More like Emanations, not manifestations. And it's the God and Goddess.

Everyone has his or her own spiritual path to follow.

 Well, yeah. Not in the sense that we all just make up our religion.

Rituals and celebrations are linked to the seasons and moon phases.

Yep.

Meditation, visualization, invocation (calling on forces or gods/goddesses), chanting, burning candles and special rituals trigger a sense of the mystical, thus reinforcing the core belief system.  

No, reason and fact confirm the "belief system" not experience. And this whole point seems to pre-suppose the falsehood of Wicca.

These beliefs will often be mixed with a combination  of mystical traditions, Celtic or Norse paganism, Greek and Roman goddess worship, ancient Egyptian spirituality, Eastern Shamanism, or even Native American spiritual practices depending on the group.

Practices perhaps. But wholesale addition puts one out of the field of Wicca into an Eclectic Paganism of sorts.

This aspect of Wicca is very similar to the New Age Religion supported by the United Nations and many of it's members, NGO's and leaders. 

:Sigh:

1. Do the gods and goddesses of Wicca actually exist?

 Well, the question isn't formed properly, either that or it betrays a misunderstanding of Wiccan Theology.

There is only 1 God and 1 Goddess.

I would argue that they are two distinct persons that share the same nature and manifest different aspects of their Divinity.

So yes, any Wiccan will say that the God and Goddess does exist.

2. If they actually exist, how do you know they exist?

There are many ways to know the divine exists. I hold the view that belief in the Divine is properly basic.

If I was talking with someone who challenged me to prove the existence of the Godhead I would appeal to three Arguments.

1. Argument from Contingency
2. Transcendental Argument
3. Above all the testimony of personal experience.

I think it's pretty obvious the Divine Exits. It only takes a little logic and reasoning to come to the conclusion that this Divinity is closest to the Wiccan conception of it.

3. If your tradition contradicts the tradition of another Wiccan, can they both be objectively true?

The thing is that some Wiccans believe that there is no set belief or principles that make one Wiccan. Some believe that you can pretty much believe whatever you want and still call yourself a Wiccan. I'm one of those new breed of serious Wiccans who understand that there are certain things that you must believe in order for you to actually be a Wiccan.

The only thing that a Wiccan must believe is that there is both a Goddess and a God who really exist. Other than this we can have disagreement.

4. How do you feel about believing in the religious system where you cater your religion to your desires? 

This is a gross mis-characterization. Wicca is a religion with one core belief. As Wiccans we can have healthy debate and disagreement amongst ourselves on various concepts and beliefs. We do not cater to our whims. If we add an element that helps our spiritual practice that is not "catering" to our desires.

5. if you cater/construct your religion according to our desires, then isn't it nothing more than your own invention? 

I reject that notion that we craft our religion to our desires, therefore this question is nonsensical.

6. Is Wicca able to be shown to be false or is it all non-verifiable ideas? 

Wicca rests on three foundations that can be falsified.

1. The Divine, a separate realm of existence both a part off and separate from our material world exists.
2. There is a spiritual force that pervades this world and through it we commune with the Godhead
3. The Universe is fundamentally interconnected at an Atomic Level.

If any of these three propositions can be proven false then Wicca is false.

7. If your spells and incantations produce results, how do you know that the power behind the results is good or not? 

Assuming that the Wiccan Conception of what allows magic to take place is true, then the notions of "Good and bad mean nothing to this because it isn't personal. The only way the questioning of the morality of the magical force could be asked is if the Christian pre-supposition that Demons are the source of magic is placed at the forefront. Needless to say I, and all Wiccans, reject that notion out of hand.

8. How do you know that there is not something more sinister behind Wicca?

This question is simply ill founded. The question can easily be turned around to ask, "How do you know Satan isn't responsible for Christianity." Think about it for a moment. Assuming the Trinity is polytheism, more at home in Wicca than in Monotheism, wouldn't the huge numbers of Christians around the world have made Satan's mission a success?

9. Why do you think that rituals dealing with candles, knives, and such are able to affect nature?

Because human Evolution has allowed our conscious minds to be able to affect our environment. An Aspect of Wicca is the eminence of the godhead in the world. Magic is the projection and focusing of the will through the Godhead in order to affect the world around us. It's more of a hyper form of prayer or a self-focus then it is some ultimate solution to life's problems.

There you have it. All of CARM's questions answered. Maybe they'll come up with new ones soon.

   CARM is a well known Christian Apologetics Website. It's forums have a huge number of participants and the discussions are many and varied. Part of their Apologetics work is toward other world religions.
   Under the "Major Religious Movements" banner CARM has listed Wicca as a new religious movement. They have several articles that demonstrate a higher level of respect for Wicca than most conservative Christians do.  They actually have a page making sure that people understand that Wicca does not equal Satanism.
   While this is a positive step forward the questions posed and pre-suppositions taken by CARM in their articles is bewildering. I'm going to respond to each article and specific points in upcoming posts.

Wicca is an often misunderstood and misrepresented faith. This blog is here for apologetics and to ensure that the faith is presented accurately.

One of the issues with modern Wicca is the question of "What is a Wiccan?" This is a personal project of mine to streamline and re-discover the amazing depth of the Wiccan Tradition.