Frustrated Christian with prophetic dreams consider Wicca?
Please no judge mental, rude, unhelpful comments. I was born and raised in the bible belt, in a town with a Christian college, and my family didn't attend Church regularly but it's understood that they have Christian beliefs. I'm now in my mid-twenties and starting to question my beliefs. I'm coming to question if I'm only Christian because that was the environment I was raised in and that was the socially acceptable religion I was raised around. There are lots of other unanswered question I have about Christianity that I won't get into and just say I have major doubts. I've been in churches and even though it felt good to be connected with a group of people, I never really "felt" anything. I've prayed and had faith over the years and felt like nothing came of it. Also, the majority of Christians I know are hypocrites and choose which parts of the bible to follow.
In addition, I've had prophetic dreams of major events that there's no way I could have subconsciously picked up on, regularly have a feeling of DEA VI, and usually pick up the phone before its going to ring. I know how stupid that sounds, but it happens to my mom, grandmother and sister as well. I feel strongly about nature and animals. The more I look into Wicca the more sense it makes to me. However, my Christian background is saying, "its the work of the devil trying to lead you astray". I'm looking for some input from Christians and Wiccans alike. Please only knowledgeable contributions.
This is a great period of your life and a great time to decide what your beliefs will be for the rest of your life. I went through this same type of a thing. I answered this already, and... as much as I hate just putting links down as answers, I'm going to reference my previous answer on this one.
In addition, I've always wondered about the dreams that become a reality. Like, you dream something, and not only does it happen, but it happens exactly the way you dreamed it, with exactly the same people in it. It's weird, isn't it? I don't get it... but it doesn't change my faith in the least. It neither makes me more or less faithful.
The best thing to do is to listen to yourself and what you feel your spiritual needs are. As a Wiccan, I find solace in my religion because it's relatively peaceful and celebrates the natural world. If you think you identify with that life view, there's no harm in looking into it more. Then again, if you check out other religions and realize that Christianity fulfills the spiritual questions you seek an answer to, then that's wonderful, too. I think all religions are really just different paths to the same divine truth. The same road just doesn't appeal to us all. Good luck!
It's possible you may have a sort of intuitive gift, but that doesn't mean Wicca is for you. Start little by little -- if you don't feel Christianity is a good fit, take a step back and stay spiritual, but do not commit to a religion. Then research different religions if you like. Perhaps maybe you'll find something that connects to your way of thinking, or maybe you'll just stay spiritual. Just follow your heart.
You could also consider Christian mysticism, as that tradition does predate Wicca, IF some part of Christianity still appeals to you.
By all means, I highly recommend exploring and studying other religions and belief systems until you find one that really works for you. If you don't feel at home with Christianity, then discard it. If Wicca really appeals to you, then dive right in and start studying it.
The first step I recommend to anyone who is in the midst of questioning religion is to write down a list of things you actually believe in rather than things you've been told to believe in. You want to be very sure that the things you list you actually truly believe. You may also want to make a list of things that you're not sure of and go to someone who would be able to explain them to you. If you agree with the explanations given, put them on your list of things you believe. Once you have that, start looking at different religions and find the one that best fits your beliefs rather than trying to match your beliefs to the religion that you think you should or want to follow. Some religions employ scare tactics to keep people from straying and to gain converts. You should never follow a religion because of fear. Fear makes people do things that aren't always right for them. So, if you're sticking with Christianity because you're afraid that the Christian bogeyman/Satan is responsible for other religions, you're making a mistake. If you stick with Christianity because you believe that it's the true path for you, that's completely different. Religion should be based on love, not fear.
Also, with a religion like Wicca, you want to be careful that you know what it is before claiming to be one. Far too many people have declared themselves Wiccan and neglected to do the research. Wiccans call them Fluffy Bunnies, and they make those of us who are serious about Wicca look bad to the rest of the community. Psychic abilities are not necessary to be Wiccan, although you'll probably find that Pagans in general tend to be more accepting of psychics than some Christians. We certainly don't view such powers as evil but as gifts. It seems that you may have some psychic ability, but don't choose a Pagan religion on that basis alone. Choose a Pagan reason solely because you believe in what it teaches. You can belong to any religion and posses psychic abilities, although not all religions will accept you for them. Wicca is a religion and has nothing to do with magic or things of that nature. If you're looking to get into witchcraft, that's a different story (although still has nothing to do with psychic abilities), and you don't have to be Wiccan to be a witch. If after you've assessed your actual beliefs and done the research, you still want to be Wiccan, by all means become one.
Here's the thing with the "work of the Devil" argument: neither side is ever going to budge on it. Pagans and other non-Christians insist that we don't believe in the Devil, so that argument is invalid to us, while Christians are convinced that we are all lost souls. You have to already be Christian to believe that anything is the "work of the Devil", so that argument is lost on Pagans. Besides, Pagan religions tend to teach responsibility for your own actions, love, and tolerance, and I ask you what kind of evil being would want people to follow a religion like that? What matters is what you believe. So, wherever your path leads you in life, may you find peace and happiness.
Venus Bless
Frustrated Christian with prophetic dreams consider Wicca?
