what are the differences between a true wiccan and a pagan. are wiccans light and pagans dark?????????????????

Question

uh......... NO i dont even watch Charmed! My mother was a witch not a wanabe.she is dead now.I always belived she practiced dark magic. my sister is also dark but hides behind the word wicca so as not to reviel her true self. My child would like to learn more but there is so much bull out there, i dont know were to guide her for the true "old" beliefs of wicca. Is there a wiccan out there willing to help that is not cought up in the modern hipe?

Answer 1

Actually, no. Wiccans are followers of a religioin founded by Gerald Gardener in the fifties (so glad you put "old" in quotation marks!) that is based on what was believed at the time about pre Christian religioin, and was heavily influenced by his time spent in India. Wiccans are forbidden to be "dark" by their religion (not that I haven't seen some of them try), but just because someone isn't Wiccan, doesn't automatically mean they're "dark". Wicca is included in the umbrella term of "paganism". All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan.

Paganism is a much broader term. It is considered these days to mean any religion not of the Abrahamic family of monotheistic faiths. In the past two centuries it meant specifically classical (Greek, Roman) and has also been meant as a derogatory term (in the Victorian era) for people considered to be savages. It originally (probably) meant a follower of localised deities, or a worshipper of anything other than the state religion. Ronald Hutton can tell you more about that in his excellent book The Triumph of the Moon. It's a good history about modern paganism (specifically in England) and how it came to be.

Modern pagans might be Druids, Wiccans, reconstructionists, or a great many other things. It is impossible to categorize the entire group as light or dark. It is my opinion that people will behave according to their true natures regardless of their religion. If they want to do the wrong thing, they'll find a loophole in their religion that will allow them to do it. Also, just because someone doesn't have a religion doesnt mean they're necessarily bad people.

Anyway, I wouldn't steer your child away from non-wiccan pagan practices. There are many groups out there who are perfectly decent; to say nothing of more historically accurate. You'll just have to use your best judgement. A lot of people who do "dark" magic often do it for all the right reasons, and may surprise you.

Answer 2

1. Since "evil" is a relative term, it would completely depend upon your definition. As a Wiccan though, I would say no. I wouldn't classify my gods or any aspect of my beliefs as evil. 2. We believe in multiple gods. Wicca is not a monotheistic religion. 3. There are too many differences for me to count. Roman Catholicism is monotheistic, Wicca is polytheistic. Roman Catholicism has a concept of absolute good and evil, Wicca does not. The creation of each religion was was influenced by different ideas and each was developed during different social climates...the list goes on and on. 4. By "traditions," I assume you mean practices done by all Wiccans. As has been said by others, the celebrating of the Sabbats. However, it should be noted that different, traditions, covens, and even individuals engage in different practices. 5. In my opinion, no. To do so would be to attempt to combine both religions, which is possible, but it would not represent the beliefs of either religion and would be a completely different religion all together.

Answer 3

Not at all. Wicca is a type of paganism, just as Methodist is a type of Christianity.

Other pagan paths include Asatru, Druidism, Shamanism, Voudoun, etc. Many of the paths have different beliefs with regards to ethics and such. In most cases, you can't say "All pagans are..." any more than you can say in many cases "All Christians are..." because the specific beliefs change from path to path.

Answer 4

All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. Wicca is a branch of Paganism, like Lutheranism is a branch of Christianity. Blessed be.

Answer 5

Wiccans are a subcategory of what is known as neo-pagans--those who choose to practice what they see as folk beliefs that usually involved earth reverance/worship, usually based on practices that are known or believed to have existed either prior to Christianization or during and in defiance of it.

There can be negative people in any religion. You sound like you've seen Charmed a bit too much. It's never a good idea to get information on a religion solely from TV.

Answer 6

I think that pagans just have a polytheistic religion, such as the Romans or ancient Greeks. Wicca is an actual religion. So depending on the gods that pagans worship, they can be light or dark.

Answer 7

Pagans are people who worship Gods other than the Christian God. Wiccans are people who specifically honor the sacred duality of the Triple Goddess and Her Divine Consort. All Wiccans are Pagan. Not all Pagans are Wiccan.

Answer 8

What now? Wiccans light and Pagans dark? What are you talking about? They don't really have anything to do with each other. Although some people use "pagan" as a term for people who don't follow Chrisitanity. I guess "heathen" would be a synonym.

Answer 9

"Pagan" is a general term for those who don't follow one of the major religions. "Wiccans" follow Wicca. Pagans can be self-involved or "dark", but aren't most of the time. Wiccans, by their religion, should cause no harm.

Answer 10

A Wiccan follows the religion of Wicca. Wicca is one of the many neo-pagan relgions. Other neo-pagan religions include Druidry, Reconstructionism, and many eclectic faiths. There is no "light" and "dark".