Comparing Paganism And Wicca Religion

The second theme I explored was the nature of the religious world. This theme includes non-human actors, religious communities, and religious landscapes. Pagans believe in all sorts of different non-human actors. A non-human actor is something that’s not human, but you still believe in or talk too. Pagans believe in polytheism, meaning they believe in multiple gods or goddesses. These gods and goddesses are considered non-human actors. However, “there is no single deity or set of dieties whom they worship” (Magliocco 97). Another non-human actor they believe in are ancestral spirits. They believe their ancestors come back as spirits. They honor these ancestral spirits by worshipping them in their domestic worship practice. Religious communities are a big part of Paganism mainly because the religion is made up of different communities. Some of these communities include Wiccans and other religious groups. However, not every group focuses on the same beliefs, but they do share some commonalities. These religious communities are

They follow the Wiccan Rede, “a rule that instructs Wiccans to do what they will, as long as it harms none,” (Pike, 2016, Online). It is this rule that shapes the foundation for the Wiccan ethical systems, healing practices, and rituals. Wiccans revere deities both in the male and female aspect, however, the female aspect tends to hold the most power. Their goddess is depicted in three female forms that represent the three stages of a woman’s life: the maiden, the mother, and the old woman. Their god is portrayed with horns and is believed to be the deity that represents nature. This deity’s portrayal with horns leads to the common misconception that he represents the Christian devil. Another basic principle describes how this misconception could not be further from the truth while at the same time bringing up another difference between the Wiccan religion and Christianity, “We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “The Devil” as defined by Christian traditions,” (Zimmermann & Gleason, 2000, p. 11). In the Christian religion, they believe there is only one God. Unlike Wicca, they do not hold the elements sacred. The Christian form of sacred is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Their deities are both believed to have three manifestations; Christians have the Father, the Son, and

The following paper will talk about Wicca and Paganism as a religion within the United States. Wicca is a diverse community as a religion, but is not yet considered by any Supreme court case but some aspects such as traditions are recognized by the federal and state courts. This will be further touched upon further later on.

In Native American religions a dance called the Sun Dance is used as the rite of passage for young men. You men would stick a rod though their peck and dance around a pole of three days as a way to become connected with the Spirit World. The pole is used to show strength and the boys would quickly have to get the rod out by dancing. Another rite of passage in Native Americans religions is the Vision Quest. Young boys and girls partake in this to find their spirit animals. They go into the woods mostly naked and sometimes covered in body paint and fast in the woods for days. Eventually a spirit comes to them, most of the time as an animal but it can be in human form, and is said to be their guardian

Wicca is actually a modern pagan religion, and is concentrated on a more peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of life. It is actually a belief system that is of pre-Christian that is mostly how our ancestors lived

Today, there remains a relic of the European witch-hunts predominant at this time of year. Halloween decorations are flooded with depictions of tall thin hats, and haggard old women flying on broomsticks. For a time period of approximately the middle fifteenth century to sometime into the eighteenth century witches were thought to be a

     Wicca and Pagan are two religions, which have many similarities as well as many differences within each area. Wicca is a sect of Pagan in which each has their own variations on the religion. A good way to put it; all Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. Witch is a term used for any practitioner of Wicca. The Webster's II Dictionary defines witch as 1. A woman who practices sorcery or is believed to have dealings with the devil, 2. An ugly, vicious old woman; hag. Wicca is described by the American Heritage Dictionary as the cult of witchcraft. Pagan is the religion under which many different religions are practiced. Webster's II Dictionary defines pagan as one who does not

Although some Wiccans focus on particular gods from particular world mythologies, Wiccans may worship many gods and goddesses by many different names. Most worship some form of the Great Goddess and Her consort, The Horned God. Such duo-theistic forces are often conceived as embodying complementary polarities, not in opposition. In some traditions worship of the Goddess is emphasized, although in others the Goddess and God are seen as complementary co-equals.

Paganism branches off into : Wicca, Druidry, Astru, Kabbalah, Shamanism and Discordianism. Wicca now has the most followers of the branches of Paganism, it is a polytheistic practice and is prevalent most commonly in the United Kingdom. Druidry is closely aligned with the ancient practices of Wicca, it is based on ancient Celtic Druidism. Astru is rapidly growing but is still the smallest, it is most prevalent in Iceland, Germany, and Scandinavia. Even though Wicca, Druidism, and Astru are very closely related, they all developed independently. Kabbalah is a practice where the mystical and magical aspects came in, it was created by the Jewish during the middle ages. Shamanism is one more common among Native American cultures, they use drumming to send for the shaman to the

Many pagans have deemed the earth itself as sacred. Pagans have reverence for all life, and continuously seek out harmony between humanity and the earth, between our industrial world and the natural order. Paganism has far reaching roots

One of the many old belief systems is witchcraft and sorcery. It is often believed that

The Wiccan religion is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States as well one of the most misunderstood due to the controversies surrounding its history and mystery shrouding its beliefs and doctrines. Due to a series of popular TV series that have shown Witchcraft in a positive light, such as Sabrina, the Teen-aged Witch and Charmed, the popularity of Wicca has grown, especially amongst teenagers; but sadly this popularity has not been partnered with a growth in understanding and respect (Kaminer). Although Wicca offers a nature-oriented, egalitarian belief system with a rich collection of customs and rituals, ignorance and historically-rooted misconceptions still dominate public opinion.

The Pagan religion has been around for forever and is thought to originate from Europe. Paganisms traditions place an importance or homage for nature. Most Pagan groups can trace their roots to around the 1960s. Paganism is not a traditional religion because it does not have any official ideology, but it does have some familiar traits. Growth in the Pagan religion is thought to be based off of the cycles of the earth and the earth’s ecological status.

In the epic Beowulf, there were references to both paganism and Christianity. Many people are aware of Christianity, but some may find paganism more difficult to comprehend because they aren’t completely aware of what it is. To clarify, paganism is a religion that was practiced during and after the Middle Ages when the monks orally performed epics, such as Beowulf. Pagans do not worship one God, but instead they worship several gods, often referred to as polytheism. Pagans also base their religion and practices off of nature, their cultural backgrounds, or their location.

These religions were based on the celebrations of the seasonal cycles of nature.¨ Witchcraft has came a long way from our ancestors because back then they had it all memorized plus more people were fond of the religion. Today, most write down things to remember or people buy a