what's the difference between wicca and witchcraft?

Answer 1

In most cases - like has been mentioned - Wicca is a semi organized religion - nature based, usually centered around a Goddess but there is usually a God there too. Most (not all) Wiccans practice some witchcraft - spells and such - calling on the Goddess and spirits and elements to help them. Wiccans may belong to a group or work alone. Witchcraft may be practiced by a wide range of Pagans, not necessarily who go by the Wiccan faith. I am a Witch, and call myself Wiccan as it is the closest to what I do.

As far as anyone feeling we are evil and such, I guess that is your right but that's not going to make us change.

Answer 2

As I was taught, witchcraft is a particular type of magic, and Wicca is a religion that includes that kind of magic in its spirituality. (Rather like "what's the difference between Christianity and prayer?")

Some people use the words interchangeably, because the english word "witch" grew out of the saxon word "wicca"--they had the same meaning for a very long time. They started to shift into two different words sometime in the last 50 years or so, after the anti-witchcraft laws in Britain were repealed, and those witches (or wiccans; it was the same then) who had been practicing their religion in secret could come forward.

Today, it's common to hear:
All Wiccans are witches, but
Not all witches are Wiccan.

(There are people who claim some Wiccans are not witches. That's very controversial--to me, that's like someone claiming to be Christian but not believing in the bible or in prayers or in heaven... it's not that they can't have a religion like that, but I'm not sure they've picked the right label for it.)

Answer 3

Depends on who you ask. There is some debate about this among Wiccans.

The most basic difference is that Wicca is a religion that includes a belief in a higher power, and Witchcraft is an art that doesn't necessarily require a belief in a higher power.



To Panacea - Wicca and Satanism are not the same, and I challenge you to find a post in the Yahoo!Answers section from a Wiccan that is "spreading hatred against Christians".

As opposed to the several posts in this thread alone that are spreading intolerance and hatred against Wiccans... such as Erynn, n9wff, you, EightBitHero...

Answer 4

Witchcraft or spellcraft is practiced by more than just Wiccans. Wicca is a religion. Spellcraft, as it is more properly termed, is used by many of the Pagan religions. What is Pagan you ask. Well, this is about the easiest way I can think to define it. Paganism is a form of religion. It is to Wicca as Christianity is to Lutheranism. If that makes sense. And I know some people out there will kill me for that example, but, eh. ::Shrugs:: hope that helps.

Answer 5

Wicca is a religion. Witchcraft is a tool. Not all Wiccans practice witchcraft.

Answer 6

Wicca: A collective group of hippies, geeks, nerds and blondes attempting to nick a religion invented in the 1950s (possibly as early as '48) by a cocain adict, gaining true popularity in the 1970s and enjoying a revival primarily among rebellious or depressed christian teens, in the hope of attaining some spiritual validity (and in the case of the rabbles, something that's rebellious but not going all the way to satanism, because secretly, they still believe in hell).
Also popular among mid-life crisis females and gay men in their early 20s.

Witchcraft: an oft debated word, usually denoting a form of magic-use, but occasionally a form of herbalism. Lately fashionable and often adopted into the varying groups in neo-paganism.

Answer 7

Wiccans make great furniture - I just bought two Wicca chairs. Witchcraft deals more with knitting and pottery and Martha-Stewart-like things.

Answer 8

http://www.churchofsatan.org/vera.html

Are you aware of the satanic source of wicca and the type of "witchcraft" you are talking about?

Most wiccans are not. They are too busy spreading hatred against christians to bother to research the matter.

Answer 9

Only the names.
Both are the same, one may be deceived in their beliefs, the other may be more upfront about it.

God hates witchcraft.

Answer 10

To panacea: Wiccans dont even believe in your concept of satan anyway.

they consider the concept of "ultimate evil" vesus "ultimate good" to be the stuff of children's fairy tales.

Given that they don't believe in satan, it's pretty hard to accuse them of worshipping satan.

So, panacea, you are a liar and an arrogant a**hole. Grow up and the next time you have the urge to speak about something that you know NOTHING about.... resist it.