Religion of any type cannot be scientifically proven beyond a reasonable doubt. We know it to be truth because we feel it in our hearts. The controversy can happen when one religion tries to deny the validity of another, sometimes by force, sometimes by slander. Wicca is a controversial religion. It is a religion that people tend to fear and know very little about. My goal is to acknowledge the typical stereotype of a follower of Wicca, also known as a witch, examine briefly the historical basis for that image, and define WIcca in terms of today so taht you can use this knowledge to make an educated opinion on the subject matter. In this text the terms Wicca and witchcraft are used interchangeably.
According to the book, Wicca For Life by Raymond Buckland, for hundreds of years the word "witchcraft" has conjured up pictures of ugly old hags flying through the air on broomsticks, stirring bubbling cauldrons, worshipping Satan, and doing evil (ix). The Encyclopedia of Religion states that it was in the medievil and early modern Europe that this concept came about when a heretic was considered to be a witch. Based on charges, the Church's courts determined that some of the main components of witchcraft was: a pact with the devil, a proclamation against Christ, sacrificial killings, and secret nocturnal meetings.
Today, Wicca is by definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "a religion influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices of Western Europe that affirms the existence of supernatural power (as magic) and of both male and female dieties who inhere in nature and that emphasizes ritual observance of seasonal and life cycles. The website religioustolerance.org defines it further as a neo-pagan (or new pagan), very nature based religion focusing on symbols, seasonal days of celebration, beliefs and gods of ancient society. [Author's note: I am paraphrasing here, to see what they have to say exactly, click on the link provided.]
Wicca, like most religions, is a combination of a way of life, spirituality, and magick. Magick, as defined by myself and a fellow Wiccan, is the combination of the energy one puts into obtaining a specific goal mixed with obtaining divine intervention to achieve that goal. [Author's note: My collegue and I are by no means experts in the field, but rather novices. Some references believe that one does not need to be religious nor call upon the assistance of any diety in order to do magick.] In Christianity, magick is prayer. In Wicca, it is spells and rituals.
Also, like other religions, there are extremists and radicals. However, in general, Wiccan's are taught to respect other religions and do nother to harm another living thing, both mentally or physically ( the exception is of course in the case of survival, such as when eating meat.) There is a three-fold rule that says: What ever you do will come back to you times three. Three times better if your actions were good, three times worse of your action were bad. This concept is also known as Karma, or ,'What comes around goes around.' Despite popular belief Wicca is in no way, shape or form associated with Satanism. From what I can find, Satanists are purely and expressly atheists. Satanists do not like Wiccans, they call them a "white light religion"
With this text I have strived to define what Wicca used to be known as, why, and what it is today. It has not been my intention to convert, merely to inform. I have the utmost respect for most religions. |
