Do you agree with this statement about Wicca?

Question

Wicca and other New Age phenomena have been championed as religions by their adherents precisely in order to elevate them to the legal and social status that religions have traditionally enjoyed.

The statement was made by Daniel C. Dennett in Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon.

He asserts that some things we accept as religions probably aren't. He says, for instance, that sharks and dolphins look very much alike and behave in many similar ways, but they are not the same sort of thing at all scientifically. Perhaps, he argues, once we understand the whole field better, we will see that Buddhism and Islam, for instance, for all their similarities, deserve to be considered two entirely difference species of cultural phenomenon. He is basically arguing that we should not approach all of these cultural phenomenons the same, by labeling them all religions, and that they should all be studied independently, as we study various species of animals.

Answer 1

I don't agree that they are championed as religion for legal elevation, but agree that it is the result of accepting them as 'recognized' religions.

I believe that pagan worshipers, call their beliefs religious and dictate their practice as religions, because they fit in with our definition of a religion.

Edit - Interesting, I would guess an argument could be made about the differences in 'religions' requiring us to treat them differently. I would argue though, that the results of religious and faith based belief should dictate that treatment, not the philosophical understanding of the differences.

I believe that the results of most faith based belief is pretty consistent.

Answer 2

Firstly, Wicca is not New Age. Wicca has been around since circa 1940. The New Age Movement didn't start until the late '70s.

But, yes, I agree with your statement concerning Wicca. It is as valid a religion as any other, and should be given the same legal and social status that other religions enjoy. Not to do so would be a violation of the First Amendment.

Answer 3

No, Wicca has been championed as a religion because it is a religion. Although, yes, we have the crazy notion that our religion should have the same legal status as other religions. We believe in deities. That sounds squarely like a religion. The quote sounds like the speaker thinks Wiccans are somehow stretching the definition of religion, and I can't begin to guess why.

Answer 4

I like it. I remember reading that in the book. Dennett's a wonderful writer. I enjoyed "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" too.

I do agree with the statement but would add the actions of Wicca and similar religions are being accepted more because of the gentle nature of their followers. Will it stick? I don't know.

Answer 5

Personally, I don't feel that any government should have anything to do with "recognizing" any religion at all but in answer to your question...yes.

Why shouldn't they? Wicca is just as logical (sometimes more so) than Christianity and much more logical than most other belief systems out there. If all these other spiritual paths get benefits from being a government recognized religion then there is no reason that Wiccans shouldn't receive the same treatment.

Answer 6

For one thing, most Wiccans would NOT self-identify as New Age. But that's a different discussion.

And Wicca is indeed a religion, as are other NeoPagan faiths. They fit the sociological definitions of a religion. Most NeoPagans are quite content to practice our religions privately; we generally seek legal status with an eye toward protecting ourselves from, not to put too fine a point on it, Christians who seek to take our rights away.

I'd have to say that I disagree with your statement. There's no "championing" about it -- we were religions from the get-go.

EDITED TO ADD: To Lena B... while I appreciate your words of support, I must disagree with you. Wicca can only be reliably traced back to the early 20th century. The myths of our "ancient heritage" are being dispelled by modern scholarship. I recommend the book "The Triumph of the Moon" as a professional historian's guide to the rise of modern Pagan witchcraft.

Answer 7

it is so unhappy that some human beings experience that they might desire to insist that this continues to be the middle an prolonged time. Sorry persons, yet once you won't be in a position to act civil in the direction of one yet another, inspite of what the different believes then that's YOU who're the barbarian, no longer us. it is the united states, interior the twenty first Century. The Barbarians no longer get to kill Witches, no longer get to rigidity them to stay someplace else, no longer get to tell them the place or the place they are in a position to no longer set up a company. in the event that they insist on doing so, they have an inclination to land up in penal complex for being the bigots that they so needless to say are, notably in the event that they turn violent in the direction of all of us else. Brightest advantages, Raji the fairway Witch

Answer 8

I personally disagree. "Religion" is really kind of a subjective label, isn't it? No two people seem to define it exactly the same way. To make blanket statements like that about other people's beliefs is rather disrespectful. Make any personal distinctions you want for the purposes of your own research, but don't publicly say "A" is a religion and "B" is not.

Answer 9

I don't know about social status but it is as valid a religion as any other and should have the same legal protection as any other belief. If you start picking and choosing which religion should enjoy protection under the First Amendment of the Constitution then you've already violated it.

Answer 10

I don't think that Wicca and other New Age religions have been championed solely for legal and social status. They are nice, but that is not the only driving force.

So no, I would have to say that I disagree with that statement.