Why do people refer to Wiccan seperate from Pagans? ex. Wiccan/Pagan?

Answer 1

Because all Wiccans are Pagans but not all Pagans are Wiccan.The word Pagan is a blanket term which technically applies to all religions except Judaism,Christianity and Islam- so it covers thousands of religions.

Answer 2

Wicca and Paganism are different. Writing it like that is the same thing as writing Catholic/Christian. Wicca is a form of Paganism. All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan.

Answer 3

"Pagan" is an umbrella term that includes several religions and philosophies, just as "Christian" is an umbrella term that includes several denominations.

All Lutherans are Christian, but not all Christians are Lutheran.

Similarly, all Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan.

For me, I refer to myself as "Wicca-based Pagan" because most (but not all) of my beliefs are from the Wiccan faith. However, I have some differences and also have never been initiatied, so according to some "strict definitionists" I am not truly Wiccan. The label isn't important enough to me to tick off the "strict definitionists" so I use "Wicca-based Pagan" instead.

The Gods know my path and my heart, and that's what matters. Not what label I put on it.

Answer 4

Wicca is a subgroup of Paganism. There are lots of Pagans who are not Wiccans. (For example: Asatruar, Druids, goddess worshippers, Celtic reconstructionists). Technically speaking the Wiccan part of "Pagan/Wiccan" is redundant, but I suspect that question askers are thinking primarily of Wicca when they ask their question. I also sometimes use it when I talk about beliefs that are particularly Wiccan and then mention something that is applicable to Paganism in general, just to keep it clear that WIcca is still included in that and I'm not changing the topic entirely.

Answer 5

Wicca is just one of many Pagan religions. Pagan is generally used to describe any religion which is either a) not one of the big 3 Middle-eastern monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, or Islam) or b) not one of the big 5 world religions (Those three plus Buddhism and Hinduism), depending on your definition.

Originally, the term comes from Paganus, which literally means "one of the countryside" in Latin. That term probably came from the Greek word πάγος (hill), but the exact origin is uncertain. However, Paganus(Pagani) was used initially as a term which just meant civilian. The Roman military primarily consisted of men from Rome, but they were frequently stationed out in the countryside. They refered to the locals as Pagani (country people), but it became used as a reference for anyone not in the military. As the military was encouraged to convert to Christianity before anyone else in the empire, it essentially became synonymous with somebody who practiced the traditional religions.

The term "paganismo" started popping up in Latin, Italian, and Spanish in reference to Greek and Roman Paganism very early in history and continued right up until Pagan appeared in the English language in the 1300's, in reference to these, as well as Norse and Celtic practices.

Greco-Roman religion is not Wiccan, but is Pagan. The same goes for Shinto belief, the Church of the Ugly Chihuaha, and Dogon religion. None of them are Wicca, but all are Pagan.

Wicca is a Northern European tradition which is essentially a Pagan revival movement incorporating a few different traditions, primarily from Northern Europe, but it has a set of principles and practices which are fairly consistent within Wiccan faiths, but not across all Pagan religions. These include the Wiccan Rede, the use of circles for ritual, and various other teachings from people such as Gerald Gardner.

Answer 6

Paganism is an umbrella term that encompasses any polytheistic faiths.

The simple way of looking at it is:
All Wiccans are pagan. Not all pagans are Wiccan.

Wicca is just one of the many pagan faiths. A lot of people don't either realize that fact or don't care to realize it.

But questions like these at least bring it into the open, so thanks.

Answer 7

Pagan was a term used in the 16th century and beyond for any religion not centered around the christaian faith. In today's world you have some whom say that they are pagan as if Pagan is a religion and as far as Wicca, wicca was not really considered a pagan religion after the 17th centure it was more referenced with the druidaic religion

Answer 8

Acutally, "pagan" comes from the Latin "Paganus", meaning country dweller or "backwoods hick" in modern colloquial.

Basically, when Christianity began to spread it was initially an urban phenomenon. The people in the country were the last to hear about it, so eventually hanging on to pagan beliefs became the equivalent of country bumpkin.

Ironically enough, many pagans today are quite happy in urban settings, though many still like camping.hiking/etc.

Answer 9

"Pagan" is any religion not accepted by the christian churches. "Wiccan" is just one part of pagan. So islam, hinduism, norse, and american indian religions are all considered pagan by the christian churches.

Answer 10

annabanana?? thumbs down for you for being an ignorant ****, do yourself a favor and remove said banana from your as* and do your best to bore it through your temple.