Ultimately, I think Christianity and Wicca can be combined to a certain degree. Wiccans acknowledge the male/female dual nature of Deity, and we often declare the importance of our own Trinity in the Maiden, Mother, and Crone aspects of the Goddess. I think the Christian Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a good balance for the God aspect of Deity. The Wiccan God is sacrificed yearly in order to sustain life...that myth is reflected in the yearly harvest and the hunt, both sources of food that was revered by pagan cultures. While the sacrifice of Jesus was less a form of physical sustanence, it is seen as maintaining the life of the human spirit. Again, the life of Jesus is played out every year, and it does follow the pagan cycles, as you can see in the Holidays section of this site.
So what defines Wicca and Christianity as two separate religions?
According to Scott Cunningham's book The Truth About Witchcraft Today, what separates Wicca from other religions are as follows:
-Worship of the Goddess and God
-Reverence for the Earth
-Acceptance of magick
-Acceptance of reincarnation
-Lack of proselytizing activities
First of all, with that said, remember to take everything you read with a grain of salt. Not *all* Wiccans worship the Goddess and God. Some worship just the Goddess (such as the Dianic tradition), while some, including myself, view it as one Divine entity that is too abstract for us to comprehend, so we give it human trappings so we can relate better. Also, not *all* Wiccans practice magick. First and foremost, this is a religion. To those who choose this path just because they want to cast spells, I usually tell them to go back to their own religion and learn how to pray. Not *all* Wiccans believe in reincarnation. Once again, there are those who believe in the business of past-lives, while others (once again, including myself) think of it more as recycling body parts and energy according to the Laws of Conservation of Matter and Energy. The other two guidelines are pretty much self-explanatory. Finally, the sole rule of Wicca is the Wiccan Rede: "An it harm none, do as you will." Basically this means to live your life as you wish, but do no intentional harm to anyone...not even yourself. As a backer to the Rede, most Wiccans believe in a form of Karma known as the Threefold Law. This states that whatever energy you put out will come back to you three times. In other words, you reap what you sow, so you're responsible for ALL of your own actions.
Wicca does not have a "Savior" god, nor is there a devil to thwart our every sin-free intentions. Most Wiccans believe Jesus was a swell guy, but did not need to die for our "sins." (The issue of "sin" is a tricky one, and I know my beliefs will differ from those of others, so I will not go into that here.) But like Wicca, Christianity is so varied...the proof being the numerous denominations under the label of "Christianity." And while one church of a particular denomination will wax paranoia about who is and is not a Real True Christian™, there are always those in that same denomination who will believe that the only differences are in the way services are held, a few of the details of the beliefs, and beyond that the basics are the same.
So I think that if you strip down both religions to the basics, you can have a successful combination and can be a Christian-Wiccan. The only thing I really hesitate about when I hear people wanting to combine the two is that there are people who want to become "Super Witch" but not have to deal with the discrimination that they would face if they went the full nine and just decided on Wicca as their path. I don't believe you have to be one religion or another to practice witchcraft, but there are those who do...and I feel it cheapens both my religion and their own when they ask to be taught Wicca and Witchcraft, but then they say in the next breath that they don't want to believe all of it. It sounds to me that those people want to have "powers" and be considered "special" by associating with something they think is cool at the moment. I will generally hesitate to reply to people when they start asking about being a Christian-Wiccan until I get a feel for the person because I don't want to contribute to the insult they are possibly making against both of our religions.
What it all comes down to, though, is that you can study whatever you want no matter what religion you practice. If a Christian wants to study Wicca, s/he can do so without having to convert first. Then, only s/he can make the decision if and how s/he wants to combine and practice his/her religion. I will never say that Christian-Wicca is wrong...if it works for a person to feel the connection to Deity and the Universe, then it is right for that person only. It is not my place to judge another person's religion. I can't say it's wrong, but that it's not right for me.
So if you're interested in practicing Christian-Wicca, think about what you really believe first. Make your own changes accordingly, and don't accept guff from anyone who tells you that you're "wrong." Just make sure that you're making the combination because you really believe in the two. Think it out, and even write it down. People will call you on it, and the better prepared you are with explaining why and how you made your decision, the easier people will accept that you're not doing things for "fun," but because you are truly connecting to your Creator.
Books in PDF format to read:
Anonymous - Witchcraft And Wicca FaqAnonymous - Correlian Wicca
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