Compared to how old other world religions are, Wicca is still a new religion. So, how can there be a new Wicca?
2006-09-07 15:54:35 · 7 answers · asked by Becca 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Actually, it depends on who you talk to. Modern Wicca was started by Gerald Gardner in the 40's.
2006-09-07 15:59:47 · update #1
I have absolutely no idea! I have never heard that term untill today. But my guess is, perhaps they are attempting to differentiate between ecclectic wicca & British Traditional Wicca. Ecclectic wicca didn't exist until about the early 1980's... that makes it newer than BTW. This is just a guess, seriously I have been a witch for 21 years and have never hear the term "neo-wicca"
wicca is not ancient folks... is is less than a century old, it is an amalgam of European folklore and masonic ritual, with a bit of ceremonial add-ons for good measure (calling the quarters & the fivefold kiss for example). Wicca cannot be traced back to neolithic times.. goddess worship can, but the ancient practice of goddess worship is NOTHING like a wiccan rite.
2006-09-07 16:12:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
the term would be Neo-Pagan,
or New Age Pagan.
Wicca falls into the New Age category of religions.
and was started inthe 40's by gerald gardner.
he claims that it is derived from a much older european pagan line, but there is no proof of this. the Celts are the oldest known euro-pagans and they are similar to Wicca but they have many beliefs that are not Wiccan. they do not follow the Reede for example.
It is likely that Wicca was derived from many different pagan traditions, as they honor the same holidays and have similar rituals and such.
as far as the oldest known religion i think that that would go to the Native Americans, they have oral histories that go back 15,000 years, i dont think that anyone else can come close to that today..
2006-09-07 16:07:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Good point. I think some misinformed people still call it that because they believed that Wicca is ages old, passed down through family, ect. This theory was disproved a few years back, and you'll be hard pressed to find serious people claiming a long standing family tradition.
I think somehow Neopaganism got turned into NeoWicca by some well meaning people, hence the confusion.
2006-09-07 16:55:46 · answer #3 · answered by ravencadwell 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Wicca(as Paganism) is not new as most people in the past used it as their idea of how the world works.
The new(Neo) comes in as people are trying to reconstruct the religion back to its original form after the witch trials and loss of direct information.
Just like the Christian bible is still being pieced toghter from found fragments.
2006-09-07 16:03:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
No offense, but...perhaps you haven't delved into the subject very deeply. There's nothing "new" about Wicca.
It's a pre-Christian nature religion, and with some justice could be labeled "The FIRST Religion."
Or are you attempting to confine it to merely the late 19th century revival?
Sorry, Wicca isn't that simply defined.
2006-09-07 16:05:59 · answer #5 · answered by St. Hell 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
If you read up on Wicca, you will find that Wicca is THE oldest religion
2006-09-07 15:57:50 · answer #6 · answered by funguy 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Most Wiccans that I know consider themselves neoPagans. I've never heard the term neoWiccan.
2006-09-07 15:57:37 · answer #7 · answered by N 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋