The Wiccan Rede says "An it harm none, do as ye will."?

Question

Does that mean a Witch can do anything they want and its OK if they justify the action to themselves?

Answer 1

I can't speak for witches as a whole since they come from all religious backgrounds, but for Wiccans, no. The Rede, itself, doesn't say what to do if an action causes harm. However, there are other ethical principles in Wicca to consider, such as the Law of Return, which essentially means that you get back what you put out. Wiccans don't act on every negative impulse they have because we realize that our actions have consequences and our religion stresses personal responsibility in this regard.

Answer 2

answer: actually its a lot more binding than some mainstream religious rules.  Stealing from someone harms them.  Raping someone harms them.  Lying to someone harms trust between you and them.  Adultry harms someone.

Its very hard to justify harming someone.

That said - not all pagans adhere to the Wiccan Rede.  We're not all Wiccans.  Personally, you hit me, I'm going to hit you back and you aren't likely to hit me again.

I judge my actions based on this: do my actions bring honor or dishonor to me, my family or my community?

Answer 3

If it doesnt hurt anyone, we can do as we want.

Thats one of the things I like about Wicca; the freedom. Not as many restrictions as some other religions have.

Answer 4

Basically,.. yes.

Answer 5

Certainly... But, it takes much more to justify something to your true self than it does to justify it to the words of a book written by long dead men.  

Answer 6

Ha ha ha, yeah I wish it were that easy...

No no no, that's not the idea of the Rede at all.  The goal is to try and harm none in your actions, so as long as you stick to that you're okay.  It's much trickier than you'd think, because that includes everyone around you as well as yourself.

So if you physically hurt someone, it goes against the Rede.  If you verbally hurt someone, also against the Rede.  Even if you think unjust thoughts in your head but don't say or do anything, it's still hurting yourself because your thoughts effect your mood and your actions, ultimately effecting you in a negative way.  You can try and justify these things, but that's just hurting yourself as well.

Also keep in mind that many Pagans/Wiccans/ect. who follow this also believe in karma, so whatever you do comes back to you.  The Rede and the Threefold Law (karma) work hand in hand.  If you follow the Rede, that's less bad karma that comes back to you.  If you don't, more.

Answer 7

I suppose that's one way of reading it that an untrained person might come up with.

Frankly, I don't see it.

The Wiccan rede teaches "An it harm none, do as you will" not "no matter what you do, if it's okay with you, do it" and certainly not "don't ever harm anyone/thing ever."

I honestly can't understand how one could get from one to the other. The words don't say that. It's not hard to understand. It's English....it's my native language, and I assume yours.

If you're interested in a traditional (and literal) understanding of the rede, I suggest this link:

http://www.paganlibrary.com/ethics/wicca...

I don't see how one could get to your view from the rede, nor the silly view that we mustn't harm anything ever.

Oh, darnit, there I go harming things by breathing in innocent bacteria.

The rede says "an it harm none, do as you will."

In otherwords, those things that do no harm are gravy and we can do them as much and as often as we like. Woo HOO!

Those things that actually do harm are covered in all our other ethics.

Edit: Personally, to build on Frau Asher's point, as a Wiccan, if you sincerely hit me, you're not doing it a second time, and you're likely not doing it to anyone else, and since I'm a good Wiccan, when the cops arrest me over your collapsed body I'm going to tell them that I did it, why I did it and get into the back of the car without complaint, accepting the responsibility for my action and the consequences thereof.

THAT, not being a doormat, is part of Wicca.

Answer 8

Basically? Yes. Because all the Rede means, in plain English, is "do what harms none freely". Which really ISN'T a restrictive statement. All it means, to me, is think about what you do. If you are truly weighing your actions against each other, and choosing a course of least harm, you could effectively say you "justify" a particular action.

However, you must truly think about the action. You can't just do something because you feel like it, and say "I justify it!"  It must truly be what you have determined to be the path of least harm, in order to be a justifiable action. Often a person will cause harm without realizing it - at least not until it is too late. That's ok. Thinking about your actions takes practice, and dedication, and so does taking the path of least harm. If you mess up, you won't have to "confess" your sin or be "saved" from it. You will get a cosmic repercussion of sorts - you may have set off enough events to bring the law of return upon yourself.

SIDE NOTE: Not all Wiccans are witches. Witchcraft is the practice of magic, and not necessarily religious. You can be a witch, and be part of virtually ANY religion. So a witch may not necessarily follow the Wiccan rede. On the same token, Wicca is not witchcraft - Wicca is not the practice of magic. Wicca is a religion focussed on spirituality and connection to deity.

Basically, it is a faux pas to call a Wiccan a witch, and vice versa.

Answer 9

It means that the action is ok as long as it has no negative effects on anyone (the actor included).

Answer 10

It has nothing to do with justifying. It means to actually THINK about your actions. Think exactly of what they will/might do and what might possibly happen. You can't just do what you want without consequences, witch or not.

Answer 11

Absolutely not.  If the action will cause harm to no one, then you can do it freely.  Period.  That's all it says.  

The Rede says nothing about actions that do cause harm.  A lot of us try to find the option that causes the least harm, and we accept that we much take responsibility for any action we take, even those done for altruistic reasons.  Just because something is honestly the best option doesn't mean ther will not be negative ramnifications.

Answer 12

It is the basic principle of Libertarianism.

Answer 13

As long as it's not hurting anyone (this is including animals, nature, etc.) then what's so bad about it.

It's not about justifying. It's about finding a way to think about what you do, not just follow arbitrary rules without necessarily knowing why. Why is it bad if it's not hurting anyone?

Answer 14

as long as it hurts no one physically, mentally or emotionally.

Answer 15

It's not as simplistic as it appears.

'an - is a middle English word that is basically equivalent to "if and only if"

What it means is that those actions that cause no harm can be done freely.

The other misunderstanding comes from confusing "Will" and "want"

What you Will is what you put all your intention, your heart, mind and spirit into.  It is *not* the equivalent of "if you feel like it"

The next part of Wiccan ethics is the Law of Return, a recognition that you get back what you put out.

So someone who decides that the Rede means they can do whatever they want if they can justify it to themselves will end up facing the consequences of their actions if they *are* harmful.

I don't know too many that don't learn the lesson sooner or later.

EDIT:

And just a side note, Wiccan is not synonymous with Witch.

There are plenty of Witches who do not subscribe to the Rede at all, it isn't part of their religion.