Explain The Religion, Please?!
2007-09-26 12:54:56 · 9 answers · asked by SaraLynn Elizabeth 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's not a religion, I know, but what are the beliefs of Wiccans?
2007-09-26 13:14:49 · update #1
Wicca IS a religion, albeit one with little dogma and no central authority.
Four BAISC beliefs in Wicca ....
1) Multiplicity of divinity (i.e. either many gods, or many aspects of divine essence)
2) observance of the cycles of the year and o life - often by having rituals on the eight solar sabbats and/or 13 lunar esbats.
3) Adherance to the Wiccan Reded: "An it harm none, do as ye will."
4) Pratice of magic.
I have been Wiccan for about 20 years and teach in the religion. I have yet to meet any Wiccan who practices necromancy.
Wiccans do not perform animal sacrifice any more or less frequently than Christians do. When we kill our food (be it plant or animal) we do so because we need to sustain ourselves, thus we are always thankful for the food, pray over it, and eat it.
2007-09-26 17:28:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm sure there will be some Wiccans by to explain some of the basics, but I wanted to leave you a link to a Wiccan YouTuber who I have a lot of respect for and who is very knowledgeable about her religion.
She's done a lot of videos on Wiccan belief.
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlueFireWitch
2007-09-26 20:01:59 · answer #2 · answered by Snark 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a legally recognized religion by the United States Government, and was recently added to the list of 38 approved religious symbols to be placed on the tombstones of fallen service members at Arlington National Cemetery.
2007-09-27 17:34:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best thing for you to do is to start reading to get a variety of perspectives. That's the best thing to get yourself the basics of Wicca, and neopaganism in general. Here are a few sites to get you started:
http://www.witchvox.com
http://www.twpt.com
http://www.davensjournal.com
http://www.rendingtheveil.com
http://www.spiralnature.com
http://www.thegreenwolf.com/links.html
As for books, here are my three of my favorites:
"21st Century Wicca" by Jennifer Hunter - the most grounded intro to Wicca I've found, not just the usual "stuff"
"Contemporary Paganism" by Graham Harvey - a basic overview of some of the more common neopagan religions
"The Four Powers: Magical Practice for Beginners of All Ages" by Nicholas Graham - takes an even broader view of neopaganism, ceremonial magic, shamanism, occultism, and others, and is a *really* good book for helping you to figure out where to take your path next
You can find other books reviewed at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com
Finally, get out and talk to people--there's nothing that can replace that. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com and http://www.meetup.com and put the name of the nearest city and the word "pagan" in the search engine to find online groups of local pagans. Also, the various pagan and magic-themed communities at http://www.livejournal.com are a good resource as well. Meet folks online, then when you're comfortable check out some of the public events in your area.
2007-09-28 16:05:11 · answer #4 · answered by Lupa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not a religion. More of a following. According to the few Wiccans I've talked to...
They don't believe in the Christian God
They use white & sometimes black magic
The believe in multiple gods & deities
SOME practice necromancy, animal sacrifices, etc ( Quit spazzing, I said "some")
This is just what I've been told, but I was told by Wiccans so I assume they know their own "church".
Be Careful....
2007-09-26 20:11:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
You will find many different interpretations of what people believe Wicca is. The same holds true for other religions, such as Christianity.
I do follow Wicca and for me this link expresses what I feel about being Wiccan:
http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/amethystbt/balance.html
2007-09-26 20:02:21 · answer #6 · answered by Vera C 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wicca is a religion concocted by a man named Gerald Gardner in England circa 1950. Prior to Gardner, there was no Wicca. Gardner's original Wicca seems to have been little more than an excuse for him to be tied up and beaten by strong willed women, according to Adian Kelly, a Wiccan traditionhead and author of "Crafting The Art of Magic".
These past answers may be helpful to you...
History of Wicca
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhU3APMDMy3JSWiLuyb6vR_sy6IX?qid=20060915145049AAkDSCG
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnmpBWCNQ4STCeOacIJt2avsy6IX?qid=20060923114119AAAusg9&show=7#profile-info-85e3efd122e8f209277b7bb6e4c2d432aa
Meaning of word Wicca
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgXeuUT6PMwvqlnBRPezIfvsy6IX?qid=20060915145049AAkDSCG&show=7#profile-info-AA10929287
Meaning of word Witch
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvAGLfx2yAunbOKyoditCmXsy6IX?qid=20060924205638AAvbb6K&show=7#profile-info-68090b5d557ec89c0e51a9c78de0dafbaa
Silver Ravenwolf Wiccan Money spell
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgXeuUT6PMwvqlnBRPezIfvsy6IX?qid=20060918191343AA1dAL3&show=7#profile-info-f49ad034abd28a4bd6e30b7088b096a3aa
Jenny's Frostie Wicca Expose'
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiPNdQz1cyOLeB7iTkvU9R7sy6IX?qid=20060920141547AA0e3fT&show=7#profile-info-79401d523b04ee9784e7438998679c4daa
Christian Wicca
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtY0mxKoZHtpI56Zxm67CtHsy6IX?qid=20060922162423AAcU9lu
Salem Witch Trials
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjJ7TpnKS_XXcZfDiK0CpNTsy6IX?qid=20060904163917AAcBiEQ&show=7#profile-info-AA11725587
Wicca vs. Satanism
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An.v6DF_RGP.oG2FNsRshDzsy6IX?qid=20060924212214AA8bflE&show=7#profile-info-8c76be37c6da788dc5d6e0fe923aaef1aa
I'm an ex-wiccan.
2007-09-27 16:36:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wicca is very much a religion, but since you don't think it is, you don't get anymore from me.
2007-09-27 07:49:47 · answer #8 · answered by LabGrrl 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Wicca - not a religion
2007-09-26 20:02:24 · answer #9 · answered by Laff -Hugs 4all- 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋