Some misunderstandings found in my daily tumblr read

I respect you for having your beliefs.. but in the Bible… it’s a sin to try and have power. Christian means following in God’s footsteps and trying to please him. Mixing the two just seems strange. (some bits removed)

It is a sin to have power?

James 1:5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. - Bible Gateway

If you believe that Wisdom is equal to power, then by this verse alone you are allowed to ask for power. When Solomon was offered anything in the world to be given him by God, he asked for Wisdom.

2 Chronicles 1:12 God answered Solomon, “This is what has come out of your heart: You didn’t grasp for money, wealth, fame, and the doom of your enemies; you didn’t even ask for a long life. You asked for wisdom and knowledge so you could govern well my people over whom I’ve made you king. Because of this, you get what you asked for—wisdom and knowledge. And I’m presenting you the rest as a bonus—money, wealth, and fame beyond anything the kings before or after you had or will have. - Bible Gateway

Because he mad an excellent choice, the God of Israel granted him even those things he did not ask for, or so the story goes.

Being a Christian has many meanings:

adjective: 1. Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. 2. Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus’s teachings. 3. Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike. 4. Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents. 5. Showing a loving concern for others; humane.

noun: 1. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. 2. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.

The confusion here lies in that people are always equating Jesus to a supreme God. Jesus was a great teacher and claimed to be about the business of his Heavenly Father. Notice it says, “Jesus as Christ”; which means believing that Jesus was an anointed one. In the Jewish tradition, this anointment signified the person was either a Priest or a King.

One can follow a religion that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus and still call themselves Pagan. Jesus healed the sick and helped the poor. All qualities a person ignoring a narrow definition of the term Christian can posses without the trappings involved in what most people think of as mainstream Christianity.

Mixing the two paths sounds strange when you approach the concept with preconceived  notions that they always cancel each other out. There are many out there that have found and embraced a way to mingle the two paths, most call this path The Trinitarian Tradition of Wicca.

Do not let our bias cloud your view of others, make sure your foot is true on our path and let others travel their’s.