2008 Woodie Awards
Wiccans say 'Craft' is oral tradition, not cult
Becky Paskievich
Issue date: 4/6/07 Section: College Life
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"People don't have an understanding or openness to it," she said.
Page (who wears the Wiccan pentacle) a five-pointed star symbol, around her neck every day, once was pointed out in a public place and told she was going to hell.
The religious tolerance site recognized the lack of acceptance of Wiccas.
"To some conservative Christians, all religions other than their own are forms of Satanism," the site said. "Wiccas do not recognize an all-evil deity or quasi-deity like Satan."
Page said she has a 2-year-old son, but doesn't intend to force the Wiccan spirituality on him. Wiccas feel that a person must mature before they can make an independent decision regarding religion.
"He's open to choose whatever religion he feels most connected with," she said.
Derek Adams, sophomore from Mayfield, Ky., grew up Christian but never felt a real connection to it. Like Page, he said that as soon as he came across Wicca, he felt a correlation. He then researched Wicca on the Internet to get a basis of the beliefs.
"I've always been drawn to magic and stuff, so I Googled (Wicca) and read a couple books," he said.
He's been following Wicca for just a couple of months, but has been studying it off and on for a few years.
"It's pretty much an earth-based religion," he said. "There's more than one path and no true way that everyone has to follow. It is in no way evil. Most people relate it to Satanism because of the pentacle, but it actually is a symbol of protection."
"Wicca and Satanism are not at all similar religions," the site said. "However, the Christian church did link them in the past - particularly during the witch-burning times."
He said being Wiccan in Murray isn't a problem, especially since he practices alone.
He said that anyone interested in Wicca should look at a variety of Web sites and books to get a good taste.
Margot Adler, in her book "Drawing Down the Moon," a study of contemporary nature religions, summarizes the general explanation and plea of the Wiccan community:
"We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at TV. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you - to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think."
Page (who wears the Wiccan pentacle) a five-pointed star symbol, around her neck every day, once was pointed out in a public place and told she was going to hell.
The religious tolerance site recognized the lack of acceptance of Wiccas.
"To some conservative Christians, all religions other than their own are forms of Satanism," the site said. "Wiccas do not recognize an all-evil deity or quasi-deity like Satan."
Page said she has a 2-year-old son, but doesn't intend to force the Wiccan spirituality on him. Wiccas feel that a person must mature before they can make an independent decision regarding religion.
"He's open to choose whatever religion he feels most connected with," she said.
Derek Adams, sophomore from Mayfield, Ky., grew up Christian but never felt a real connection to it. Like Page, he said that as soon as he came across Wicca, he felt a correlation. He then researched Wicca on the Internet to get a basis of the beliefs.
"I've always been drawn to magic and stuff, so I Googled (Wicca) and read a couple books," he said.
He's been following Wicca for just a couple of months, but has been studying it off and on for a few years.
"It's pretty much an earth-based religion," he said. "There's more than one path and no true way that everyone has to follow. It is in no way evil. Most people relate it to Satanism because of the pentacle, but it actually is a symbol of protection."
"Wicca and Satanism are not at all similar religions," the site said. "However, the Christian church did link them in the past - particularly during the witch-burning times."
He said being Wiccan in Murray isn't a problem, especially since he practices alone.
He said that anyone interested in Wicca should look at a variety of Web sites and books to get a good taste.
Margot Adler, in her book "Drawing Down the Moon," a study of contemporary nature religions, summarizes the general explanation and plea of the Wiccan community:
"We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at TV. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you - to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think."
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
Robert James
posted 4/06/07 @ 8:42 AM EST
Derek Adams, unfortunately, perpetuates the idea that Wicca is old enough to be "linked" by anyone to satanism "during the witch-burning times." This is completely unsupported by any historical evidence, and is a symptom of a major problem within the Craft community: we will "research" things like what color candles to use for a ritual, but not where we actually come from. (Continued…)
Seshen
posted 4/06/07 @ 10:04 AM EST
*sigh* Wicca was NOT linked to Satanism by the early church, because Wicca is a 20th-century faith. The "Wicca is ancient" theory has been debunked by modern scholars for over 20 years now. (Continued…)
Nemyss
posted 4/06/07 @ 11:34 AM EST
Couldn't the author of this article find a couple of people more knowledgable about Wicca than a couple of self-taught teenagers? There are High Priestesses and High Priests out there with 20+ years of experience and solid, factual information about our religion. (Continued…)
NotAWiccanJustAPagan
posted 4/06/07 @ 8:18 PM EST
Our heritage - ha! The wiccan heritage is pagan, period, and it was most certainly linked to Satanism until this very DAY.
Durk Simmons
posted 4/07/07 @ 12:25 AM EST
'Wicca' is a term created in the 50's.There were no 'Wiccans' during the 'burning times', and it seems Christians are the ONLY people that link satanism to Wicca, and have since the Church decided that the Pagans posed a real threat to their power over the masses, and let's face it, it's ALL about the power, and always has been. (Continued…)
Cody
posted 4/08/07 @ 4:27 AM EST
Firstly, the word "Wicca" is a miss-spelling of a much older English word "Wica" (pronounced Witch-eh), meaning "female witch". Another variation of the word was "Wice" meaning "male witch". (Continued…)
Seshen
posted 4/11/07 @ 9:41 AM EST
Wicca, the religion, is a mixture of fragmented witchcraft practices and Masonic ritual. The influences upon a faith do NOT make the structure itself ancient. (Continued…)
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