Why do people equate wicca and witchcraft as being interchangable???????

Question

Why is it that people who claim that they have been witches all their lives or whatever equate the religion with the practice of magic or witchcraft?? THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING!!!! The religion is about gods and goddesses and a set practice and dogma. It's a religion for cryin outloud! Witchcraft is feeling the world around you. It's being one with it. It's listening, it's understanding. It's magic, but only in the sense that magic happens naturally within the world around us every day whether we notice it or not and will continue to do so long after we have turned to dust in the wind.

Also, why do people associate Wicca (which is a modern religion) with the practices of the ancients?? They are NOT THE SAME! Granted, Wicca gets most of it's traditions from celtic beliefs, but the celts were not the only people on the earth that followed a path other than christianity and such.

Answer 1

For myself, I believe it is a not-so-desired result of the hard efforts of Wiccans to become accepted by mainstream society. There has been much talk about Wiccans being witches (but a lack of media discernment of the fact that not ALL Wiccans are witches, and not all witches are Wiccan), and the media has portrayed Wicca as "THE" witch's "religion". Furthermore, Wiccans have worked very hard to become a "legally recognized religion," which further confuses the media, which further confuses the public.

While I admire and support Wiccan efforts to educate the public, work for social acceptance, and generally create a climate of open-mindedness for all, it has created some residual consequences for those of us who are not Wiccan, but are very much a part of the Pagan community.

Many (notice I'm saying here *not all*) in "the public" believe they are "informed" by reading the news alone. They do not research deeper into Wicca to find out more, and rely exclusively on media to "know" things. This is also frustrating, because they miss the point.

I'm not pointing fingers at Wiccans. Nor am I pointing fingers at "the public" or "society." I am pointing fingers at the way the human brain works, how it processes "information," how people percieve what they hear, see, and experience. The human brain has a tendency to "lock on" to certain social attitudes, or "norms," and people don't realize they are limiting themselves and others by staying within the box. It is the human brain and its way of processing that causes "generalizations" and misinformed knowledge.

Well, that's my $.02 anyway.

Answer 2

This is a good question. I used to be Wiccan, it is actually how I started out on the Pagan path years ago. I never had a problem with magick being a part of Wicca...I never had a problem calling it witchcraft either. But I also wasn't raised with religion. I don't know if that makes a difference but I came into Paganism with an open heart and no religious restrictions or fears. I can't speak for others but maybe some of these people that shy away from the term witchcraft are still feeling a bit of their fear from their Christian roots. Or maybe they don't want to be lumped in with society's negative connotations associated with it. I have never been able to relate...but then again, I have always been a rebel. ;)

Answer 3

People consider Wicca and Witchcraft as being interchangable because they don't understand.

Wicca is a very young religion based on older beliefs, while witchcraft is not a religion at all. Witchcraft describes the practices of some, the weaving of their own magic, like prayers during ceremony, being one with nature.

People have used the word "witchcraft" to describe anything they don't understand anyway... like the entrancing effects of make up on a woman.... so, it seems likely that it's the same thing as another thing these people might not understand- like Wicca.

They just have limited knowledge of the vocabulary they use. ^_^

Answer 4

Actually, Wicca doesn't get too much from Celtic beliefs. A lot more from the Anglo-Saxons, mixed in with the Greeks, and some bits-and-bobs from other places.

Wicca is a form of witchcraft, and, unfortunately, a number of people haven't been exposed to the fact that it's not the only form out there. So, misinformed people make assumptions - who then pass that assumption on to others, etc. Correcting those incorrect assumptions is a long and hard task, and, unfortunately, there's a lot of folks who'll be quite ungrateful about it - especially if they've got an emotional investment in that incorrect assumption.

Answer 5

As I said elsewhere...
I'm a Wiccan.

In the 1970s and 1980s a particularly nasty stripe of Wiccans dictated that "real Witches" were called Witches, and the words Wicca and Wiccan (which they claimed were "properly pronounced as Weesha and Weeshan") were the terms used by poseurs and wannabes and "real Witches" used the term witch.

All I knew was I did not wannabe like those nasty people, and I've been a Wiccan, not a Witch, ever since.

The funny thing is now these "real witches" like to say they are the "real Wiccans" and everyone else is Neo-Wiccan.

Answer 6

I would have to chalk it up to confusion or ignorance. I myself do not know that much about either. I also do not profess to know anything about it. I would be interesting to understand the core belifes and the origin of this but I will not be moved from my own belief system.

Answer 7

You go girl! I keep wondering the same thing! I think it all started with Alastair Crowley and his really strong PR, but that's my personal belief. Those of us who practice, know that magic doesn't need a 'k'! Thanks for pointing it out!

Answer 8

Maybe they never bothered to read up on it or have never been exposed to either. It's just people talking out their butt about things they know nothing about. It happens all the time

Answer 9

They don't have a Wicca Bible and a list from their shouters of chapter and verses to quote? They really don't read much ....Books or newspapers....yah, know?

Answer 10

Good question, I believe it is said that way because of fear. Fear that has been instilled in people because of the "burning times".