Differences Between Pagans and Wiccans?

Question

Is there really a difference is so what are the differences?
What are each pratices?

Answer 1

A pagan is a person that follows a religion that isn't one of the major world religions (e.g. not Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism). They can be irreligious and just have pre-Christian beliefs. Wicca is a pagan religion essentially. Druids are also considered pagans as are Asatru etc. There are no set rules for pagans, as their beliefs can vary from person to person. A lot do follow the rule of three, anything you give out comes back threefold, regardless of whether it is good or bad.

Wiccan belief centres around the reverence of a God and Goddess. They believe in a Triple Goddess, meaning that She has three phases; Maiden, Mother and Crone. Wiccans often incorporate magic into their religion. Although there is a lot of misinformation regarding witchcraft which is the practice of magic by witches as wizardry is the practice of magic by wizards. Both are magic, its just that they are often classified in this way according to their gender. A general term is magician which is simply a practitioner of magic and is also synonymous with the word wizard. So all who practice magic are wizards (when using the word in a general context) although a male magician is a wizard and a female magician a witch. Magic isn't a religion though it is the art of altering events and circumstances of a person using the powers possessed within them. Another point is that magic ought not to be spelt with a "k", the idea of doing so comes from the "need" for some to justify magic and differentiate from stage trickery and hocum. Well there is no need. Only those who are magical (witches and wizards) need worry about magic not non-magical people. However, not all Wiccans are witches/wizards and vice versa. The basic principle is; "An Ye Harm None, Do As Ye Will" (although this has many versions) which means that as long as what you do harms no one then it is acceptable.

The sign of The Triple Goddess is; )O( which is representative of the moon phases. Waxing moon being Maiden, full moon being Mother and waning moon being Crone. There are many variations of Wicca including;
Gardnerian
Alexandrian
Dianic
Faerie.

There is debate amongst followers regarding the age of Wicca itself. Some say it is thousands of years old others say only sixty years. Gerald Gardner, rightly or wrongly called it founder, popularised the faith in 1950's England when he published many a book on his beliefs and practices, under the name Scire. This being because it was illegal to be openly practicing magic and there were certain laws surrounding it, later when they were declared obsolete, he went fully public.

Wicca is considered a religion by many, especially in America where it is legally recognised, however division still thrives in Britain as to whether it is a religion or a spirituality. Some say one cannot be a Wiccan, or call themselves one, unless they have been initiated into a Wiccan coven (a coven is a gathering of magicians) that can trace its lineage back to Gardner. Others reject this saying it is up to the person and isn't determined by initiation alone. What is certain though is that there has been a huge following from teenagers seeking an alternative to spirituality.

Within Wicca there are eight festivals celebrated annually;
Samhain 31st October
Yule c.21st December Winter Solstice
Imbolg 2nd February
Oestara 21 March Spring Equinox
Beltane 1st May
Litha c.21st June Summer Solstice
Lammas 1st August
Madron 21st September Autumn Equinox

Some pagans also celebrate The Wheel of The Year, as it is a called. It originates from both the Celts and Norse. The Norse celebrated only four of those as did the Celts, Wicca incorporates both to mark the seasons and mid-seasons.

Paganism is often mistaken as a religion, however this is not so. Paganism is the practice of being a pagan and encompasses many beliefs, pantheons and practices. Paganism is most certainly thousands of years old and has roots from all around the globe. Often people think that it is the same as heathenry which again is incorrect. I myself am a heathen. A heathen is a person who follows a religion that is not established. Although similar to paganism is not the same because not all pagans follow set beliefs and religions etc. Some pagans do venerate a Mother Goddess and also a God, however some equally worship impersonal Gods and refer to the Devine or the Universe. Most pagans have a great love and respect for nature and like heathens believe that we are all part of nature. A handfasting is a type of pagan wedding, there are others, but the most popular are handfastings where the couple jump over a broomstick thrice and swear to be together for a year and a day, after that they are free to go their separate ways, as the lore says. However nowadays most declare to be with one another until the end of their days, some even swearing to do so in the next life.

Basically a Wiccan is a follower of Wicca and a pagan is a follower of paganism. Most Wiccans identify with being pagan also, however not all pagans are Wiccans.

Answer 2

You can be both a Wiccan and a witch, these two words are not the same

One of the biggest sore points among Wiccans is the improper usage of the terms "Wiccan" and "Witch". Too many people use the terms interchangably, presuming that they both mean the same thing. They do not.

Wiccan
Wicca is a religion, and someone who follows that religion is called a Wiccan. Sometimes it can be difficult to accurately define Wicca, and not all Wiccans will define themselves the same way. Observing the 8 Wiccan Sabbats, honoring the Gods and/or Goddesses, creating sacred space for rituals, to name a few. Many traditional Wiccans also feel that belonging to a coven is also a requirement and that those who practice their religion as a solitary, should not refer to themselves as Wiccan. Personally, I'm still not sure on that point. Typical Wiccans also practice magick, and therefore are also witches.
You cannot be a "natural Wiccan" any more than you could be a "natural Christian".

Witch
The practice of witchcraft is not associated with any religion, therefore you can be a witch and yet also be a member of any number of religions (or none). Using the natural energies within yourself, along with the energies of herbs, stones or other elements to make changes around you is considered witchcraft. Though the skills and gifts that are part of witchcraft can be inherited from parents or grandparents, you aren't automatically a witch just because your grandmother may have been one. The use of magick takes practice, experience and learning. On a side note, a male witch is called a witch, not a warlock.

Pagan
While I'm explaining terminology, I thought I would throw in "Pagan" as well. Paganism refers to a variety of non-Christian/Jewish/ Islamic religions that are usually polytheistic and are often nature-based. Wicca is only one Pagan religion, but there are others such as Santeria, Asatru, or Shamanism. Many people do not necessarily identify with a specific religion, and just use the broad term "Pagan" to define their spiritual path. Pagan religions are distinct and separate from each other, and it should not be assumed that they are just different names for the same faith.

Answer 3

Pagan covers all belief systems that are not Christian, Jewish or Islam. It is an umbrella name. Wicca is a religion as is Witchcraft. But you do not have to be Wiccan to be a Witch. However generally speaking if you are Wiccan you are a Witch. Although some may argue that. Up until the 1980s There was no separation between being Wiccan and being a Witch. However there are other forms of Witchcraft that are not Wiccan. And other Pagan Religions that do not call themselves Witches, Such as Heathens and more.. You have to research it.... Good Luck

Answer 4

Wiccans are one type of Pagan. Not all Pagans are Wiccans, all Wiccans are Pagans. It is like how a square is one type of rectangle, but not all rectangles are squares.

Wiccans essentially follow a path based on northern European traditions, essentially reconstructed by a man named Gerald Gardner. They have 8 major holidays, fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, all based on traditional holidays of northern Europe, though somewhat different from historical practice, but with the same essential function (Lughnasadh is one day in Wicca, vs. 3-4 weeks in Celtic history).

Essentially, Pagans are those who follow non-Abrahamic religions. That is, religion not based on the story of Abraham. This includes Shinto, Norse, ancient Egyptian, Celtic, and various indigenous faiths.

Initially, the Latin term was used as a general term for people who lived in the countryside, but after the Roman soldiers converted to Christianity, it became a generic term for civilians. As the soldiers were stationed across the Roman world and were generally the only Christians, Pagans and civilians were used interchangeably and eventually Christianity spread to the countryside and it became used only as a term for those who followed non-Christian faiths.

Judaism pushed for recognition of the similarities between the two religions, as part of a Judeo-Christian solidarity and Judaism and Islam were seen as having more similarities to Christianity than differences and were incorporated as non-Pagan. This was only fairly recent in history, but seems logical, as the three faiths have a lot of common history, practice, and belief.

Some definitions have also included Hinduism and Buddhism as non-Pagan, but I take issue with this, because it is done solely on the basis of population. I think that this is especially problematic as if one defines Pagan as any religion which is not one of the big 5 world religions, Judaism could find itself being a Pagan religion in the future, which would not make a whole lot of sense.

Answer 5

There are many paths in paganism. Wicca is a path of natural magick that focuses on creating a healthful and peaceful relationship with the world around you. Other paths in paganism focus on different things. Some on the secrets of the universe, some on secrets of the human soul. All paths can be solitary or practiced with a group(coven). There are no set descriptions, because the beliefs change with the world. Information is changing all the time, why should a religion be limited to set beliefs?

Answer 6

Wicca is a specific subset of Paganism - likely the largest and most well-known, but not the only type.

This is a bit complicated by a number of "near-Wiccan/Wiccanesque" practices that occasionally get presented as "generic Paganism." This leads to quite a bit of confusion for some folks.

There's a number of varieties of Wicca with their own practices - I refer you to the Wiccans for details. For Pagans in general, there's nothing that really qualifies as a practice that applies to all Pagans.

Answer 7

Pagan is actually Latin for "Country dweller". The Romans used the term as a derogatory label for the polytheistic peoples of the countries they invaded. So pagan in today's terms is a catch all for the poly theistic religions. Wicca refers to the British traditional witchcraft tradition. It's best summed up as Pagans and wiccans are like rectangles and squares. All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wicaan

Answer 8

Paganism is a huge group of religions. Like Abrahamicism means Jews, Christians and Muslims, and they have very different beliefs, so Paganism means a lot of religions including Wicca.

Paganism, itself, merely means non-Abrahamic.

As for the practices of Wicca- no religion can be properly described in so limited a forum. Here's a link:
http://www.cuew.org/whatiswicca.html

Answer 9

There's really not much difference, as far as practices go. Wicca is more of a generalized religion, claiming a Goddess and a God as their deities. Pagans, in general, normally follow a certain culture or pantheon - Egyptian, Celtic, etc. Wicca is recognized as a religion by our Gov't, whereas Paganism is just a blanket label for many religions, each one would have to go after recognition.

Neither one of these labels says, definitely, that the person uses witchcraft (this seems to be a common misconception of Wicca and Pagans alike). I see many claiming Witchcraft itself is a Religion... it isn't. It's a tool, like rituals in other religions.

Answer 10

The word "pagan" in the dictionary means anyone who is not a Christian. That includes atheists.

The way the word is used today, "pagan" usually means the nature-based religions like Wicca (there are several different kinds: Dianic, Seax, Alexandrian, etc), but it can also refer to the religions of indigenous people (Native American, for example), Asratu (Norse), the gods of ancient Egypt or Greece, and others.