********************************************************************** *From:THE DRUIDS PROGRESS, Report #6. The DRUIDS PROGRESS is * *published seminannually (Gods Willing) and is sent primarily to * *the subscribing members of ADF. For Further information write: * * ADF, PO Box 1022, Nyack, NY USA 10960-1022 (include a SASE). * *All Items acredited to "the Archdruid" have been written by and * *are (C) 1990 by P.E.I. Bonewits. All items created by other * *parties are (C) 1990 by them. All opinions expressed, save those * *specifically attributed to the Board of Trustees, are the opinions * *of the individuals expressing them and are Not official ADF * *policy. * * Reprint Procedure: Neopagan, Druidic, Midievalist and all * *cultural publications may reprint any material written by P.E.I. * *Bonewits, but his copyright notice must appear in full. If more * *than 250 words are excerpeted, one cent per word should be donated * *to ADF. * ********************************************************************** THEALOGY OF WITCHCRAFT: OBJECTIONS TO TEMPLE RELIGIONS By Maphis and Leokadia There exists in Toronto, as in several other cities around North America, a large Wicca-based Church. This churcj is very similar to most mainstream Christian churches in its style of operation, how it views itself, and in its goals. It holds large Circles which are open to the public, offers classes in various aspects of the Craft, in mythologies, and in other related topics, and it exhibits a differentiation between the clergy and laity. It has a strong desire to be treated as a "Church like any other Church" by goverments and society. The number of Wicca-based groups wishing to become Temple churches is growing. While none of the others is as large as the organization in Toronto, they all seek its large membership, priesthood/congregation structure and "respectability." The coven is teh traditional structure for Wicca-based groups. As a coven grows and matures, it spawns other covens. Each coven is autonomous. The thealogy inherant to coven-bsed structure has been taken for granted and has not been articulated. It is the emergence of the Temple-church groups which challenges us to examine the thealogy underlying the coven and the Temple structures. We fundimentally disagree with the Thealogy inherent in a Temple church structure. We feel that a Temple structure warps Wicca into something it is not. We do not know if the Temple religionsists are consciously choosing to become more like what our society says is the "proper" way to organize a religious group, to behave in ritual, or to think about the divine - whether through choice or just 'going with the flow' it is not consistant with the thealogy of Wicca. The coven structure is not systematically hierarchial. The divine may be experienced directly by any member of any coven, initiate or not, through revelation, trance (especially possesion trance), ecstatic states, or magic. The sacredness of women, sex, Nature Herself, and our bodies are central. The role of priesthood and the style of ritual differ dramatically from that practiced by Temple religionists, be they Wicca-based or Christian. Religious organizations are channels for the divine and both shape and reflect their members' experience of the divine. Ideas and experiences that are inconsistant with the shape of the structure are often not allowed. THese experiences are disregarded or relegated to a lower level of the organization's system of values. In our opinion, the thealogy and organizational forms adopted from the Christian churches are leading the Temple religionists to discard the central, most distinctive features of Witchcraft. The following chart illustrates the thealogical differences which we see between Witchcraft covens and Wicca-based churches, on a number of key issues. _________________________CHART___________________________________________ IDEA TEMPLE GROUP WITCHCRAFT ---- ------------ ---------- Revelation does not happen, or only rarely happens frequently to us all to "properly prepared and but person may need help initiated person," dangerous interpreting it. to the unwary. Ecstacy distrusted sought out as a great source of understanding. Magic distrusted, glamourized (see frequently practiced, see revelation) revelation. Training High degree of training needed High degree of ability and for initiation training needed for initiation Size oriented to large groups oriented to small groups Priesthood glamourized, made much of, teacher, first amoung equals highly trained formally Hierarchy Yes, institutional model no formal elders model and situational hierarchy Ritual liturgic, static, and mostly inspired, fluid, participatory non-participatory basic patterns & guidelines Consistency inconsistancy between life consistancy between life and religion - eg. sexist practice and belief behavior from Goddess worshippers... Energy Flow inward toward maintaining and outward toward involvement in expanding the organization the world Power hierarchic and Patruarchal enpower the individual Trust Low trust, low vulnerability, high trust, high vulnerability very high degree of roleplaying low degree of roleplaying Openess low high; self-disclosure essential Realization minimal because of the power coinsiderable - the emphasis and role games on enpowerment and revelation insures growth. Interdependence minimal High, through the creation of a group soul and the ability through trust to go higher and deeper. Thealogy ideological, dogmatic, a matter lived, dynamic, a matter of facts and ideas experiences ___________________________________________________________________________ The central differences which emerge from the above comparison can be loosely grouped under one or two of the following general themes: a) the function and view of the priesthood b) The relationship which the individual has with the divine, as directly experienced or as manifested in others; and c) the relationship which the individual has with the world. in Temple religion the relationsip between the individual and the divine is mediated by the Priesthood - so the Priesthood is built up, training is extensive and formalized, the congregation is divided from the Priesthood, ritual becomes static and non-participatory, and so on. In Witchcraft divine revelation is key. Personal encounters with the divine can come to each individual through trance, possesion by the Goddess or God through Drawing Down the Moon or Sun, vision, by working magic, or in other ways. The role of Priesthood is training the individual to understand revelation when it comes, not to stand between her and her experience. So on the one hand teh hierarchial, clerical, Patriarchal Temple religion and on the other the fluid, experiential, enpowering Witchcraft traditions. It is true that the Craft and Temple groups have common thealogical roots. We observe, however, that the Temple groups de-emphasize the "non-respectable" elements of the Craft both in published explorations and in ritual. There is no nudity, possesion trance, ritual sex, much less emphasis on ecstaitc states, and no celebration of the wonderful variety of humanity outside the norm - of gayness, 'insanity', and cultural variety. They de-emphasize the Horny/Wild Man nature of the God and prefer not to use the word Witch as a self-description. In the past the differences between radical Witches and the Temple religions were put simply in political terms. Our growing awareness that our politics and spirituality were inextricably bound up in each other, that our relationship with the Goddess mandated political action and that political action, in turn, nurtured our spirituality, has forced us to ask; what is the thealogical contant to what we are doing, and to what the Temple religionists are doing? Our conclusion is that there are groups based on Witchcraft who are moving toward the norms of society in politics and in their veiw of the divine, and other groups who are developing on the basis of the differences Witchcraft has with the Patriarchal norms. The Temple religionists are not practicing the Craft but are moving away from it.