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Wicca: a Neopagan, Earth-centered religion

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	CURRENT MOON moon phase
Wiccan pentacle symbol 1	Current phase of the moon	Copyright © Isaac Bonewits 2	Moon & sun rise & set times for Salem MA, ET 3	A Wiccan's plea for religious tolerance and freedom

Quotations:

	"It seems to be necessary to preface every discussion of Witchcraft with an explanation that, no, Neo-Pagan Witches aren't Satanists."Otter and Morning Glory Zell 6
	"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 T.V. 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." Margot Adler 4
	"If you take [a copy of] the Christian Bible and put it out in the wind and the rain, soon the paper on which the words are printed will disintegrate and the words will be gone. Our bible IS the wind and the rain." Herbalist Carol McGrath as told to her by an unidentified Native-American woman. 5
	"I don't think witchcraft is a religion. I would hope the military officials would take a second look at the decision they made." G.W. Bush (R), as Governor of Texas. Interviewed on ABC's Good Morning America, 1999-JUN-24. He disapproved of Wiccan soldiers being given the same religious rights as members of other religions in the military.
	"We should educate people that 'Witch' is not evil but ancient and positive. The first time I called myself a 'Witch' was the most magical moment of my life." Margot Adler. 4
	"When one defines oneself as Pagan, it means she or he follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifest in all creation. The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth is our temple, its plants and creatures our partners and teachers. We worship a deity that is both male and female, a mother Goddess and father God, who together created all that is, was, or will be. We respect life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation." Edain McCoy

About this section:

Wicca is the largest of the Neopagan religions. Wiccans have great reverence for the Earth and for their Goddess and her consort, the horned God. Their main rule of behavior is the Wiccan Rede which forbids them from harming people, including themselves, except in some cases of self-defense.

Many, perhaps most, are solitary practitioners. Others form small groups of believers, called covens, groves, etc. Because of centuries of religious propaganda and misinformation, many conservative Christians, and others, associate Wiccans with Satanists even though the two belief systems are as different as Christianity and Atheism.

Our essays on Wicca are very different from those on Christianity.

	Wicca is a very decentralized religion; many Wiccans develop their own beliefs, rituals, and other practices. The latter are often not known outside the solitary practitioner or Wiccan coven. So we describe the beliefs and practices that most Wiccans hold in common.
	Much of Christianity is highly centralized within denominations whose beliefs, rituals, and other practices are well documented and available to us. So we describe the diversity of Christian beliefs in great detail.

Topics covered in this section:

	Introduction << Please read this essay first
	Some Wiccan introductory videos
	Religious words with multiple, quite different meanings: Witchcraft Paganism
	Questions about Wicca: Wiccan FAQs Specific questions people ask us about Wicca Is Wicca a form of Satanism? Part 1: Overview. Various views of Satanism & Wicca Part 2: Contributing factors. Similarities. Conclusions. Recommendations
	Background material: History of Wicca The relationship among Christianity, ancient Celtic beliefs and Witchcraft The extermination of heretics during the "Burning Times"  Wicca and the Bible How to become a Wiccan The first known Wiccan beauty queen
	Modern-day Wicca: Statements about Wicca: "Principles of Wiccan Belief" (1974) A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality (1960) Beliefs Overview of practices, rituals, etc. The Wiccan Rede, used to evaluate the morality of an action: A quote, overview, Wiccan Credo & Rede, comparison to other religions Comments, history, possible origins, & application Wiccan sabbats (seasonal days of celebration) Wiccan spells and charms Some often confused symbols: pentacle, pentagram, & the Sigil of Baphomet The meaning of pentacle & pentagram symbols to their users. Dress code conflicts in schools. Handfasting (marriage) The 'Lady's Prayer' Coming-of-age ritual How many Wiccans are there? Teens and Wicca An essay for non-Wiccan school teachers and parents Is Wicca a religion? U.S. district court recognition of Wicca as a religion An excerpt on Wicca from the U.S. Army chaplain's handbook Wiccan & Neopagan news items in the media
	Hatred of Wicca and discrimination against Wiccans: Historical hatred and oppression of Wiccans and other Neopagans Valid and invalid information about Wicca on the Internet Review of an article on Wicca by the Watchman Fellowship Via radio "Dr Laura Schlessinger" & Wicca
	Christian-Wiccan relationships: Can a person be a both a Wiccan and a Christian? Religious hate propaganda: one story; many versions; all false Threats and conflicts between Christians and Wiccans A joint Christian-Neopagan environmental project Neopagan request for inclusion in Pope John Paul II's apology Christian opposition to Wiccans in the U.S. Army: Christian boycott against Wiccans in the military Family Research Council essay about Wicca and the Army
	U.S. Government and political leaders' views toward Wicca: Bigotry in the Veterans' Administration concerning grave markers Bigotry in the Chaplain's service concerning Wiccan priests The 1st "Burning Times" award given to Governor Johanns (NE) The 2nd "Burning Times" award given to Rep. Barr (GA) Year 2000 presidential candidates' opinions of Wicca Discrimination by municipal councils: Chesterfield County, VA Great Falls, SC
	Terminology Wiccan terms References to Wicca in the media, books, from the '80s and '90s etc Definitions of "witch" in dictionaries, etc.
	Wiccan resources: Important Wiccan resources Additional Wiccan resources Essay, general information, covens, links, supplies, services, etc. more supplies, magazines, etc. Wiccan educational and anti-defamation Groups A national or international education/anti-defamation group How to contact a local Wiccan or a Wiccan coven Books on Wicca
	Misc. items: Witchcraft in Africa and India "Witchcraft" in the Canadian criminal code About Halloween -- facts and fables

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References:

1. Thanks to WiseGorilla at:http://www.wisegorilla.com/ for their elegant pentagram image. They are no longer online.

2. Thanks also to Isaac Bonewits (ibonewits@neopagan.net) for permitting us to copy his "family values" graphic.  His website is at http://www.neopagan.net  He died on 2012-AUG-12 but his web site remains online and is occasionally updaged by his widow: Phaedra Bonewits.

3. Courtesy the Weather Underground. See: http://www.wunderground.com Click image to obtain weather report for Salem, MA.

4. Margot Adler, "Drawing Down The Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today," Penguin Books, (1997), Page. 461. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

5. Some interpret this saying as stating that the Native American Bible is stronger than the Christian Bible, and would destroy the latter. i.e. it is a type of "my God is bigger than your God" saying that has caused so much loss of life and destruction, and that threatens the existence of the human race. It isn't. It is merely saying that Earth-centered religions obtain their spiritual guidance from the forces of nature, whereas Christians obtain their guidance from the written Bible. 

6. Otter and Morning Glory Zell Editors, GREEN EGG magazine, "Satanism vs. Neo-Pagan Witchcraft: Confusions and Distinctions." (1995) Online at: http://www.holysmoke.org/wicca/satvnp.htm

Copyright 1995 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Last updated 2012-AUG-24
Hyperlinks checked 2012-AUG-24
Author: Bruce A Robinson

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