Wicca is not a single organized religion like Christianity or Islam, but is
an umbrella term for modern revivals of a variety of ancient European
traditional religions. These are pre-Christian and usually polytheistic. Today,
there are about one million Wiccans and other "NeoPagans" in the USA
and Canada.
Origins of Neo-Paganism
A Neopagan religion is a modern faith which has been recently reconstructed from the beliefs, deities, and practices of an ancient religion. For example, the Druidic religion, popular in Great Britain and northern Europe, is based on the faith and practices of the ancient Celts. Followers of Asatru adhere to the pre-Christian Norse religion and worship several gods including Odin. Wiccans also trace their roots back to the pre-Celtic era in Europe but are more nature-based. Other Neo-pagans follow Roman, Greek, Egyptian or other ancient traditions.
Wicca Sacred Texts
Wiccans have no sacred texts. Each individual is responsible for discovering his or her own true nature and developing it fully, in harmony with the outer world.
Behavior is guided by the Pagan Ethic: "Do what thou wilt, but harm none". This saying emphasizes personal freedoms, as long as one does not harm themselves or anyone else. The "Law of Return" is similar to the Golden Rule and states that "All good that a person does to another returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned three fold." This belief strongly motivates each Wiccan to avoid harming or controlling another person.
Wiccan Beliefs
Some people confuse Wicca with Satanism, but Wiccans do not
worship the devil
- they do not even believe in such a being. Although Wicca is pre-Christian, it
is not anti-Christian. Wiccans are considered to be pagans because some of them
worship several nature gods instead of a single supreme god.
Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called "The One" or "The All". Most regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities envelop all the world.
Wicca is non-centralized, non-hierarchical, and doesn't posses a strict set of dogma. NeoPagans believe in love for and kinship with Nature. Rather than trying to dominate over Nature; NeoPagans revere the life force and its ever-renewing cycles of life and death.
Wicca is a natural religion, grounded in the earth. All things (including stars, planets, humans, animals, plants, rocks) are regarded as having a spirit. Many Wiccan rituals deal with bringing harmony and healing to nature. Wiccans tend to share a great concern for the environment.
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