All throughout the world many different religions are practiced. Most of them have many connections through their stories of belief but some are immensely different. No matter of that every religion has a belief in something wether it to believe or not believe in something. They will have connections and contradictions but in the end they all just want to practice their beliefs. The Wicca religion goes back to the early half of the 20th century in London, England. The traditions and teachings of the religion are primarily passed down from word of mouth to the next generation. This has caused great confusion and diversity among the Wiccans ”There are no scriptures and laws in Wicca other than a guiding principle called The Wiccan Rede(Wood).” The Wiccan Rede is similar to a code of ethics that the Wicca faith follow(Unknown). They worship one God and one Goddess. The Wiccan typically follow the cycles of both the sun …show more content…
Yes, they both have a symbolic ceremony for when a wedding takes place, but their is a difference. In the Wiccan faith they have the Parting of the Ways much like a divorce where in the Buddhist although divorce is not forbidden it is very much frowned upon by the community (budsas). When marriage happens Buddhist often have arranged marriages where the Wiccan are free to choose who they would like to marry. Another, large difference between these two faiths are the way they raise their children. The wiccan allow their children to grow up and decide to choose whether or not they would like to continue the wiccan tradition whereas the buddhist custom is to pass it down to your children at the beginning of their lives (religioustolerance). Another way they drastically differ is their outlook on afterlife and karma. Where the Buddhist work their whole life building good karma and preventing rebirth whereas the Wiccan religion doesn't believe in rebirth or
All religions are very specific with the details which set that religion apart from others. However, when all the little details are melted away, there are only a mere handful that are different in essence. When looked at closely, even the religions which are perceived completely dissimilar at first glance are surprisingly similar. For example, the Voodoo religion, and that of early Christianity are stereotyped as extremely different, but with closer inspection, not only are these two religions are very obviously similar, but Voodooism stemmed, partly, out of Christianity. Both religions revolve around a mortal individual being used as a mouthpiece by a higher, being, be it spirit or god, to communicate with our mortal world. Yet at the same time, each religion has taken it’s own path and although equivalent in essence, have very different aspects with respect to background (such as time and status), as well as publicity, and language.
Defined by Margot Adler, writer for Reader’s Companion to U.S. Women’s History, “Wicca is the term commonly used to describe several different traditions of contemporary Paganism—an earth-centered religion that reveres nature; celebrates seasonal and lunar cycles; and worships a goddess, or many goddesses, or sometimes a goddess and a god” (637-638). It is a religion that focuses on worshipping an earth god or goddess, using their power and the earth’s elements for good. For a misunderstood religion it has much history behind it and a deep core belief system.
Wicca is a spiritual path, a way of seeing the world and Divinity, and our relationship to it. They believe that Goddess is imminent in the world around us. Goddess permeates every living thing, and most of them define rocks, soil, water, air, fire, and the plant herself as living things. "The God of Wicca is the Horned God, the ancient God of Fertility: the God of the forest, flock, and field and also of the hunt." He is Lord of Life, and the Giver of Life, yet he is also Lord of Death and Resurrection. http://www.interlog.com/~spawn/gods.html
Many ethical paradigms exist and The Wiccan Rede are often compared to those of The Golden Rule and those presenting set rules, like the Ten Commandments of Christianity. If there is a discussion of ethics it's often the subject of it and while some try to dissect the couplet, others discuss it loosely as a valuable rule and guideline.
Wicca, commonly known as the “Craft” or “Old Ways” is an expression used to describe various traditions of contemporary Paganism, an earth-centered religion that shows a substantial amount of respect for nature; celebrating the changes in the season and lunar cycles (Mankiller, Wicca); As stated by Morrison Wicca celebrates, “the beauty of the moon, the stars, and the sun (5)”; and the worshipping of the deities (Morrison, 2001). Those who follow the path of Wicca are usually referred to as “Witches” or “Wiccans” derived from the Anglo-Saxon term wicce, which can be translated as “Sorceress” or “Wise One” (Morrison, 2001), they are nothing like the witches seen in modern media (Mankiller, Wicca). Throughout History Wicca has been depicted as a Satanist related religion, leading to mass persecution of those who adhere to its principles (as seen in the Salem Witch Trials); few truly fathom the Wiccan faith. The real truth about Wicca is that, it is a religion centered on the theology of the deities in form of the Patron Goddess and God, it is a matriarchal religion, with varying traditions and religious branches, that doesn’t believe in predestination, and has basic tenets that must be followed.
Wicca is a religion and not just a religion with one God but the belief of many Gods. Wicca is an earth-based religion. I believe Wicca’s beliefs are similar to that of the Hindu religion. There are three topics in Wicca that stood out to me the most. The first topic that stood out to me was the Wicca’s belief in how creation came to be, the second topic is the many Gods and deities that the Wiccan religion believes in, and the last topic that was the most interesting to read about is the reincarnation beliefs of a Wiccan.
The controversies that surround Wicca start with its exact origin. There are some who believe that it has its origins in Witchcraft due to the similarities between the two. Witchcraft itself is a Pagan practice [polytheistic and non-Christian, Muslim and Jewish in origin] that began with the Celts around 700 B.C. As the movie The Burning Times depicts, the region during this time period was primarily a rural culture so the Celtic traditions were based completely on Nature. Their months were even named after trees and their festivals revolved around the solstices and equinoxes (Steiger). A polytheistic religion, they worshiped a host of female and male deities and are most notably associated with the concept of Goddess worship, a strong belief in the divinity of the female (Burning Times). These paganistic beliefs and rituals gradually over the centuries combined with other European religious practices, such as magic, potions, and ointments for healing, to form what we call in modern times Witchcraft. Groups who did not hav...
...ey also worship a goddess who changes with the phases of the moon. Another similarity is Christians and wick both have communion in wicca a chalice is passed around their wiccan circle so each witch can take a drink from the chalice. And the words “may you never thirst” are said to the person with the chalice. Even though both religions have communion they are for two completely different reasons. Christianity has communion as a reminder of the last supper which Jesus gave thanks and took bread and told his disciples that the bread is his body and the wine is His blood which is given to us for the forgiveness of sins. So even though both religions have communion this does not mean that they mean the same thing. Lastly both religions have a doctrine only where chriastianity has the bible wicca has the wiccan rede which is much shorter in comparison to the bible.
What images come to mind when you think of witches? Many people immediately imagine a black pointy hat, bubbling cauldron, green warty skin, and Halloween. Usually the image that comes to mind is something scary and evil. Real witches do exist. Most modern witches go by the label Wiccan now. Wiccans practice Wicca, which is a nature-based religion with many different branches or denominations. The basic tenant of all Wicca is called the Three Fold Law. The Three Fold Law states that whatever you do will come back to you times three, good or bad, so do not cause harm or, in other words, “harm none”. It is kind of like the concept of karma in one lifetime. There is debate over how old the religion actually is with some saying that it is an ancient religion that pre-dates Christianity and some saying it is more modern, starting in the 1950’s with Gerald Gardener. Regardless of how old the religion is, Hollywood’s portrayal of witches often does have some kernel of truth, albeit sometimes it is hard to find.
...alled witches. Wiccans follow the Wiccan Rede in the same way that Christians follow the Bible. Wiccans believe that each person’s path is valid and no one path is better than any one else’s path. Although some refuse to acknowledge that Wicca is a religion, it is one because it meets what we generally accept to be the major characteristics of a religion. There are groups of people who believe it is a religion, there are those who do not.
The history of Wicca is odd because Wicca, unlike many other religions, does not go back thousands of years. Wicca is a New Age denomination that stems from age-old practices of Paganism, Hebrew mysticism, and Greek folklore. The name “Wicca” stems from the Anglo-Saxon word “wicce” which translates to one who practices sorcery or herb craft(Wicca-Butler). Ancient Pagan-European tribes practiced early magick that is very similar to Wiccan practices today. These pagans used rituals to utilize nature’s energy to grant their people whatever they needed or desired includ...
Wiccans are people who follow the religion of Wicca. Wicca was founded in 1954 by Gerald B. Gardener, who created the religion after he was accepted into a coven of witches in England and migrated to America. The religion is based in part off of the Northern European pagan religion, referring to the worship of a Goddess of fertility and a Horned God.
“Wicca is closer to the law of Karma and its consequences. If you harm nature, the nature will harm you. If you do good to nature, it will promote your well being and happiness” (The History And Background Of Wicca). In today’s society, people have started understanding witchcraft and practicing it as a religion of Nature. Wiccans understand that nature is a superior entity and humans are simply one of the many parts of nature, both seen and unseen. Who is a witch? Ordinarily you cannot tell who is a witch, but “Wiccans come from all walks of life. They are doctors and nurses, teachers and soccer moms, writers and firefighters, waitresses and computer programmers,” they are normal human beings with a different belief system (Basic Principles and Concepts of Wicca). Wiccan’s are known for celebrating Sabbaths and performing rites and rituals, as is custom in almost all religions. The eight holy Sabbaths witches celebrate are: Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, and Mabon. Samhain means "End of Summer", and is the third and final Harvest, it is usually celebrated on October thirty-first because the Veil between worlds is lifted. Yule is also known as the winter solstice, the dates vary from December twentieth to December twenty-third. Imbolc means in the belly of the Mother “because that is where seeds are beginning to stir as it is Spring,” it is celebrated February first or second to bless the seeds and consecrate agricultural tools (The History And Background Of Wicca). Ostara is the Spring or Vernal Equinox, its is celebrated when the midpoint of day and night is in perfect balanced. Beltane is also known as Roodmas or May day, because it is celebrated on May first to honor the coming of Summer. Litha is the Summer Solstice, it
The pagan religion is based off respect for nature, they believe in the natural forces of the world and live by them, the wheel of the year assists in this. many poeple are unaware of how many traditiomns they celebrate that arose from pagan celebrations. Symbolism is abundant in the pagan culture, most common seen is the ankh and the pentacle.
magic to help others (Roy N. p.). In fact, the Wiccan creed is, “An it