Can someone explain polytheistic paganism (wicca) to me?

Question

All religions are atleast kind of dumb but this has to be the worst. Can someone explain to me why anyone would believe all of this stupid crap like nature gods and spirits.

Answer 1

well, you wanna annoy your self-righteous parents and generally be different, but you're too fat to be a goth, so you do wicca.

Answer 2

... Wow, I can taste the ignorance in the air.

Polytheistic religions have been around since as long and far back as we can even discern. The idea that the forces of nature have their own spirit just as much as humans allows them to be understood as something other than just random occurances or cold scientific fact. All religions seek to answer a "why" that cannot be answered in the end and to fit human beings into some greater story with a discernable beginning. Science does the same thing, only they come to a point going back in time where they say "we don't know".

Honestly, I'm getting a little sick of this "religion is dumb" stuff. Polytheism, monotheism, it doesn't matter. It's a basic need in all human beings to know where we came from, and why we exist. How we choose to sate that is up to each of us individually, and should be considered with equal tolerance and acceptance. Every single mind is different, and so every mind has different reconciliation and rationalization of what can never truly be known. If you don't like their own feelings on it, remember that unless they're trying to FORCE their belief system onto you (which isn't really typical among Wiccans that I've ever known), then it's none of your damn business.

So if you think you're so much better than religion, answer me these question: where did we all come from, and where did everything come from, and why? If you can give me the final logical answers to all of those without a point where you hit a "we don't know", then not only will you be the greatest human being that has ever lived in the history of ever, but you will be at last validated in calling religions stupid.

Answer 3

Wicca is an earth-based religion that appreciates the Gods and forgotten Goddesses of Christianity. It uses spells and rituals mostly like you would use prayer in Christianity. Wicca is not Satanism in any form, in fact, Wiccans do not even believe in the devil, but only in good and bad. Wiccans believe in the three-fold law which is do harm and you get harm three-fold, do good and you get good returned three-fold, pretty much like karma. I will post some sites below or you to research more thoroughly. Also, don't judge so quickly if you do not know what it even is!

Answer 4

paganism is about balance ...both male and female.
HOW can one belive the bible where your "god" states I made man in my image....ok we have male and female so why not belive that god is male and female...a balance???



The words 'Paganism' and 'Pagan' come from the Latin 'paganus,' meaning 'country dweller. In simplest terms - Paganism is a religion of place, or a native religion, for example the Native American's religion is Pagan, Hinduism is a form of Paganism. All Pagan religions are characterized by a connection and reverence for nature, and are usually polytheistic i.e. have many Gods and/or Goddesses.

Paganism is a religion of nature, in other words Pagans revere Nature. Pagans see the divine as immanent in the whole of life and the universe; in every tree, plant, animal and object, man and woman and in the dark side of life as much as in the light. Pagans live their lives attuned to the cycles of Nature, the seasons, life and death.

Unlike the patriarchal religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) the divine is female as well as male and therefore there is a Goddess as well as a God. These deities are within us as well as without us (immanent); they are us.

They are not simply substitutes for the Muslim or Judeo-Christian God. This is because the Gods of the major religions tend to be super-natural i.e. above nature whereas Pagan deities are natural, symbolizing aspects of nature or human nature. Having said that God and Goddess are split from the Great Spirit or Akashka which probably equates to the God of the patriarchal religions.

The Goddess represents all that is female and the God represents all that is male. But because nature is seen as female the Goddess has a wider meaning. Often called Mother Earth or Gaia she is seen as the creatrix and sustainer of life, the mother of us all which makes all the creatures on the planet our siblings.

There are sub-groups of named Gods and Goddesses called Pantheons, drawn from the distant past, for example Isis and Osiris from Egypt or Thor, Odin, Freya et al from Norse religion and mythology.

Ancient Pagans would have worshipped one or a small number of Gods and Goddesses, while often recognizing the validity of other people's deities.

The concept of an overall, un-named Goddess and God, the sum totals of all the others, appears to be a recent one but individual named deities represent particular human qualities or archetypes and are often used as a focus for celebrations and spiritual rites.

Paganism has developed alongside mankind for thousands of years; as cultures have changed so has Paganism, yet it is grounded in deep rooted genetic memories that go back to neolithic times and before. Thus Paganism is not just a nature religion but a natural religion.
To Pagans the four ancient elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water have special significance. The importance of these is hard to define because they have so many correspondences, for example they are associated with the four directions, North, East, South and West.

Each element is a kind of spiritual substance from which all things are made especially ourselves and at the same time are Guardians both of ourselves and of the Goddess and God, and guarding the gateways between this world and the other world.

Many Pagans believe in reincarnation in some form. It gives Pagans a substantially different view of life. Early Christians saw Karma as a kind of treadmill, trapping people in endless reincarnations, never free. But Pagans see reincarnation as, at best, a chance to improve or to continue unfinished work, and at worst just a simple recycling of souls.

Answer 5

One of the nice things about Paganism is that you don't *have* to believe it all literally. Basically, you are simply acknowledging that nature didn't make itself. It also allows you to incorporate what science has learned into your beliefs.

The following article is by someone who identifies himself as a "skeptical Wiccan"; he articulates his points really well.

Answer 6

As a long time Wiccan, I am not intrested in explaining anything to someone who obviously does not respect it. We are not like those pesky christians who try to force people to believe in their ways. Believe me, we don't want you...stay away!

Answer 7

because the people are lost in perdition to the Manifestation of a new and constantly (similar to Gods word) evolving world.

Answer 8

its just a bunch of hoopla, everyone wants to be different but we are all alike no matter

Answer 9

No, I don't want to.