My 2¢ on Wicca

Paganism, Wicca, and Witchcraft

Paganism, Wicca, and Witchcraft

My first pet peeve is that many people do not know the difference between Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism. While it is annoying that this problem continues to exist in this decade, I feel the need to clarify these terms. This is how I define these words, and as the old saying goes, if you ask a question to one-hundred pagans, then you will get one-hundred different answers. Some things are just not that quite universal, but there are overlaying themes.

What is Paganism?

I won't lie. This is a very tough question to answer, in part, due to the fact that even Pagans don't define it the same way. This is probably a solid reason why there is so much confusion on this word because there is no universal agreement. At least, we have something, perhaps an 'armistice' that came very close to defining this term. Thanks to Isaac Bonewits, Scott Cunningham, and a few other writers, the definition of Paganism is closer than ever. As currently as I am writing this, this word is shifting in meaning, so bear with me. 

According to a dictionary, we can define the word, 'Pagan' as such:

Noun

1. (no longer in technical use) one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.

2. a member of a religious, spiritual, or cultural community based on the worship of nature or the earth; a neopagan.

3. Disparaging and Offensive.

a. (in historical contexts) a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim; a heathen

b. an irreligious or hedonistic person.

c. an uncivilized or unenlightened person.

Adjective

4. of, relating to, or characteristic of pagans.

5. Disparaging and Offensive.

a. relating to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish nor Muslim.

b. irreligious or hedonistic.

c. (of a person) uncivilized or unenlightened.

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As you can see, there are a variety of definitions defining the word, 'pagan'. Even out of historical contexts, many people like to say a person is a Pagan if they are not of the Abrahamic faiths. When I am defining the word, 'Pagan', I am referring to the beliefs and lifestyles of neopagans. Neopaganism or Contemporary Paganism is the modern revival of the ancient polytheistic religions from the past. Or, you can refer to the second definition that the dictionary has: a member of a religious, spiritual, or cultural community based on the worship of nature or the earth; a neopagan.

Paganism itself is not a religion. It an umbrella or a tree that categorizes many different religions as 'Pagan'. There are many religions that fall under Paganism, such as Wicca, Ásatrú, Druidry, Kemeticism, Hellenismos, Stregheria, Goddess Worship, and Eclecticism. There are many traditions that I did not name here, but as you can see, being a Pagan is a defining term, but not exactly a religion. It like calling someone an Abrahamic, when they are Christian. While it is true all Christians are Abrahamic, not all Abrahamics are Christian. This applies with any Pagan religion and using the broad term, Paganism.

Neopagans don't have universal beliefs. Some may believe in Pantheism, Monotheism, Dualtheism, Animism, Polytheism, and a bunch of other things. The views on the afterlife, politics, creation of the universe, and how to worship are not all clear-cut like any other follower of another religion. You could find a queer totally left-wing Muslim or very traditional, conservative Christian. The same applies for Pagans. What is accepted, is that pagans, in general, like to believe that there is no 'the way'. There are generally many beliefs and paths that reach the same source. Your glimpse of the foot of deity is maybe how another sees deity through its hand, but you still believe in the same source, and no one is going to get angsty, but rather accept that people have their differences. That's usually how it goes. It also explains why you don't see Pagans trampling on peoples' homes and trying to make people join their covens or groves, and shove them flyers about the main beliefs of their religion. Pagans are very peaceful and tolerable people—unless you cross the line. So, Pagans are normal people with very different beliefs than those of an Abrahamic faith. There are a few million pagans in the world though no census can prove this, and they really don't care about making everyone believe the same as them. If someone reads a book and finds she or he believes in similar things, then he or she is welcomed with open arms.