How do you feel about wicca and witchcraft?

Question

Like if you saw somebody on the street wearing a pentacle, would you automatically assume its wicca (or they are wiccan)?

Would you laugh, avoid them, what?

opintions please.

Opinions that is

Answer 1

Usually when someone wears a pentacle they're Wiccan or Pagan or some variety thereof, including myself. Wicca is a totally benign earth religion that does not try to recruit anyone or tell anyone what to do or think.

Anyone who says Wicca and Paganism are Satanic is either uninformed, or interested in controlling other people's beliefs. Pagans and Wiccans do not believe in any Christian deities, including Satan, the Christian Anti-Deity, so why would we worship them? We believe in freedom of thought and worship.

I'm also very heartened to see so much openness and willingness to accept that I'm seeing on here. The young people on here who have open enough hearts to accept different beliefs really are the hope for the future.

Answer 2

Wicca is a religion created by Gerald Gardner sometime in the 1950's (some say 1954, but it was developed over a period of years.) It was basically created so Gardner could have a release for his fetishes of nudity, saod-masochism, and knives. While American Wiccans dispute Gardner's bent, in England Wiccans accept it as fact. Witchcraft simply means sorcery and isn't a particular religion.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApPY1sSxhurAHRXVkLIT7s3sy6IX?qid=20060915145049AAkDSCG

When I used to go to nightclubs I would see people with pentagrams and ask them if they were Wiccans and they would always act shocked and say "How did you know"? It was really quite funny. Then the next thing you know you're hearing about the goddess and the four elements, etc.. It was hardly a secret even in the 90's that the pentagram was the symbol adopted by Wicca, and surely they knew this. The reason Wiccans wear them is for the shock value anyway, and perhaps as a recruiting tool. Just like the bumperstickers that say "My other car is a broom" or "How dare you assume I'm Christian!", or simply "Wicca" with a pentagram next to it. Subtle. Very subtle.

Answer 3

I wouldn't laugh (unless they had the pentacle tattooed all over their face or something like that, then I'd have to laugh). I would assume they follow a Pagan path, as that symbol is generally Pagan.

As for how I feel about Wicca itself, it definitely has changed since I was young. It was a lot of "fluffy" idealism in the 80's. I left Wicca when I was about 19 because of that... nothing is that friggin good *wink*. But now that I see how it has grown, how seriously some ( I should say FEW ) people are taking the History of Paganism and Witchcraft, I may just venture back to it to see just how far it is willing to go.

Answer 4

I think Wicca is great. It's about basically about respecting the people and environment around you. It is also about becoming the best person you can be. You'd be very surprised at the similarities between the basics of Wicca and that of some eastern religions, especially Hinduism. It's not evil and anyone who says it is obviously hasn't looked into it themselves.

As for seeing people wearing pentacles, I spend a lot of time in Birmingham (UK, not Alabama) and I see a lot of people wearing them. I don't think much of it as there is quite a big rock scene there and most of them wear the symbol for shock value. I went through a phase of it when I was teenager so to me, it's no big deal.

Answer 5

If I saw someone wearing a pentacle I would not assume anything. I am Not Wiccan, I am a Pagan, I practice Traditional Witchcraft, I wear a pentacle at times. There are many flavors of Pagans and there are people that think a pentacle is a chic fashion statement. By pentacle alone you cannot tell which Witch is which.
I think every-ones spiritual path is a very private matter and I harbor no ill towards anyone of any faith or lack of.

Blessings )O(

Answer 6

You are actually asking two questions.

1) Wicca, assuming that you are talking about the religion - and Witchcraft, assuming you talk about the practise are as far as I am concerned alternative models of spiritual life. They are relatively new - unless you accept their claim to unbroken links to the past, which is a whole other story - so it is easy for people to discredit them as a fabrication. When we get to that argument though, what religion / spiritual practise is not a fabrication?

2) The pentacle is not simply a symbol of Wicca and witchcraft, it can also be worn as a symbol of power, balance etc. without the wearer being identified as a Wiccan/ witch. Don't judge a book by its cover, the old saying goes.

Answer 7

I was Wicca,and I still wear my pentacles every now and then.My rule of thumb is Never Assume.Laughing at someone isn't a good practice and avoiding someone doesn't always work.Before I became Wiccan,I asked a lot of people what their beliefs were when I saw a pentacle or Celtic jewelry.Few people mind answering if you approach the subject with an obviously open mind.

Answer 8

I have no problem with it. I would feel more uncomfortable with people who do have a problem with it. Since I'm very interested in Wicca and have done a lot of research into it, I hate when people try to pretend it is in any way associated with the Devil or evil. There are people going on about how clueless followers of Wiccan are, but it's obvious they're the ones who know nothing about the religion. I hate the idea that if it's not about Jesus, it's about the devil. It's ridiculous. Who figured that one out?
Back to the actual question, I have a lot of respect for people who are open about being Wiccan, especially as it is so misunderstood.

Answer 9

I think that Wicca can be a beautiful path for those who are called to it. Witchcraft can be a useful skill for those with the patience to practice.

If I saw a stranger with a pentacle, I would probably smile and nod a greeting. If I saw a new co-worker wearing a pentacle, I would privately and casually ask them about it. Then I would carefully listen to determine if they are serious or a playgan. Both of these situations have happened to me numerous times over the years.

Answer 10

Depends on what the pentacle looked like -- could be anything from Freemason to Satanism or a number of Pagan religions (including Wiccans)

I would do none of the above -- just another religion.