What Is Wicca? ?

Question

As for your unpleasant final comment - if you've already decided that witches are evil, while knowing precisely nothing about them, I think that's called prejudice.

No, it's called tautology

Answer 1

Yes, Wicca is something that people honestly believe.

Excuse you, whether you're intending too or not, this comes across as offensive. I use pagan at times, because it is simpler for most people to comprehend. I've used polytheist in places and had to actually spend time explaining what a polytheist is, only for them to turn around and go 'Oh, you're a pagan."

And why, in real life, must all witches be evil? I'm not a Wiccan, I never have been, but I am a witch. That does not make me uneducated (I was a  major in Physics until I had to drop out for health reasons). Just because I practise witchcraft and have since I was a kid does not make me evil. It does not make my grandmother or my father evil either. My father is an active member in his (our) church, and all of us do what we can to help others and contribute to charity.

Answer 2

answer; Why ask a question if you already have a closed mind?  No, witches aren't evil, neither are pagans.  

Wicca is a pagan religion that reveres nature, recognizes multiple deities, believes in karma and harming none and reincarnation (not all pagan religions believe the same, btw).  Animals and children are sacred and must be protected.  

There is no sin, there is self responsibility

There is no eternal torment for not believing in the right deity

There is no Satan - we don't need a bogeyman to keep us in line

Try learning about other religions before insulting them, please.

Answer 3

Wicca is a religion started in the 1960's that claims to harken back to pagan religions of antiquity.  They believe that the divine is the force behind nature and worship both the male and female aspects of the divine.  Some wiccans refer to themselves as witches and think they can cast spells.  Doesn't seem much different than praying to me.

Answer 4

It's a spiritually corrupt set of nonsense sent here by the devil. Yet another trick to keep ppl away from the one true God.

Answer 5

Why do you bother to put your biases "in the form of a question?" Childish.

You have done a service I'm sure you never intended in that I have learned a lot and that's why I came here.

Go tell that to your buddies at your mandatory Men's Group, Friday Revival, Saturday evening and Sunday morning services. They'll be proud that you were "Stylin..." Whatever the h**l that means...

Answer 6

Merry Meet,

Wicca is a nature-based religion, that is a modern expression of pre-Christian beliefs. Gerald Gardner in 1954 referred to his Tradition of Witchcraft as Wicca. It has been stated that the root word for Wicca comes from the Anglo-Saxon "wicce / wicca" referring to feminine and masculine witches/wizards. It has also been theorized that the root word may come from the Indo-European "weik." Nevertheless, there are main tenets of Wicca, such as the Wiccan Rede, the Threefold Law, the belief in the Earth as sacred, balance in the Masculine and the Feminine of Deity, the solar festivals(Sabbats), as well as the lunar(Esbats). In Wicca each person is responsible for their actions. We also believe in re-incarnation. There is no "Devil", or "h**l", or "Sin". We are also our own Priests and Priestesses. Their are more Eclectic, and more Traditional Wiccans as well, and varying degrees in between. I hope some of this helps.

Always in Light and Love,

Bryan

P.S. The word pagan actually comes from the Latin 'Pagani,' referring to a country dweller. Likewise most of our Country would be considered pagans by that definition.

P.S.S. Also we generally don't refer to the Good v.s. Evil dichotomy. That actually stems in part from the teachings of Zoroaster in Persia, as well as the belief that the body is 'lower' than the soul and therefore is 'negative.' In most Traditions of Wicca, and many Pagans, and Witches refer to positive/negative(because we believe for there to be dark and light aspects in everything), good/bad(the intention of an action), and light/dark. Also we see our bodies as sacred, and quite enjoy them(though for the most part respectfully). Our bodies are our original temples and altars, and should be treated accordingly.

Blessed Be

Answer 7

Your logic is false.  Just because Christians (just one of the world's religions) used the term pagan as an insult, it does not mean there is no validity to the various pagan religions. Using the word is simply an accurate description.  It does not imply that the people who claim that title verify there is what you believe in as the 'one god' but don't believe in it (contorted thinking if ever I heard it).

As for your unpleasant final comment - if you've already decided that witches are evil, while knowing precisely nothing about them, I think that's called prejudice.  

People do indeed have sincere beliefs within Wicca.  It is most certainly not merely 'fashionable'.  If you want to get some informative answers, it's probably a good idea not to insult the people who know about it first.

EDIT:  Definitions from Chambers Dictionary.

Tautology: use of words, esp as an error of style, that repeat something already implied in the same statement

Prejudice: judgement or opinion formed prematurely or without due consideraton of relevant issues; prepossession or bias in favour of or against anything; unthinking hostility

I think you will find that my use of the word 'prejudice' was justified and accurate; your use of 'tautolgy' seems to be an error.

Answer 8

the term 'pagan' is from the latin 'paganus' which means country-dweller, and it was used by early roman christians to refer to people who did not convert to christianity because, like most ancient religions, roman paganism didn't have a name and because christianity was primarily an urban religion at the time.  it only became derogatory when christians began using it hatefully.  we are reclaiming it now because it reflects the earth-based nature of our beliefs.

the term 'witch' is of uncertain origin, but referred to people knowledgeable in herbs and other occult arts before christians began using it hatefully.  most people accused of witchcraft were not witches; they were women with land and power or people who got in the way of somebody's ambitions.  none of the 'salem witches' were occultists; they were victims of rotten grain or petty feuds.  real witches were smart enough to lie low.

i don't verify the christian god by calling myself pagan--quite the opposite, and the witches i know are all better human beings than almost all of the christians i know.  in fact, the most selfish and petty people i know flaunt the fact that they are christians.

the dictionary is your friend.  look up word origins before you start criticizing others' beliefs.  or better yet, we're not harming you so just leave us alone.

Answer 9

Wicca is a pagan religion with distinctive ritual forms, seasonal observances and religious, magical and ethical precepts. Wiccans practise a form of witchcraft, but not all witches are Wiccans — other forms of witchcraft, folk magic and sorcery exist within many cultures, with widely varying practices. Most Wiccans call themselves Pagans, though the umbrella term Paganism encompasses many faiths that have nothing to do with Wicca or witchcraft. Wicca has also been described as a Neopagan or a Mesopagan path. Since there is no centralised organisation in Wicca, and no single orthodoxy, the beliefs and practices of Wiccans can vary substantially, both among individuals and among traditions. Typically, the main religious principles, ethics, and ritual structures are shared, since they are key elements of traditional teachings and published works on the subject.

As practised by initiates in the lineage of Gerald Gardner, Wicca is a variety of witchcraft founded on religious and magical concepts. As such it is distinguished not only by its beliefs, but by its practice of magic, its ethical philosophy, initiatory system, organisational structure and secrecy.[7] Some of these beliefs and practices have also been adopted by others outside of this lineage, often termed Eclectic Wiccans, who generally discard the institutions of initiation, secrecy and hierarchy, and have more widely varying beliefs. Some Eclectic Wiccans neither perform magic nor identify as witches. Within traditional forms of Wicca there are three degrees of initiation. First degree is required to gain membership of a coven; those who aspire to teach may eventually undergo second and third degree initiations, conferring the title of "High Priest" or "High Priestess" and allowing them to establish new covens.[7] At initiation, some Wiccans adopt a craft name to symbolise their spiritual "rebirth", to act as a magical alter-ego, or simply to provide anonymity when appearing as a witch in public