Wicca and Paganism. Dead or Alive?

[Ryu_Sakura]

[COLOR=skyblue]Many of my friends say i'm not related to a wiccan (my birthmother) because those religions are dead. i don't agree, yet i have no clue of knowing. also i have friends who claim to be wiccans, and my friend called them worshipers of the devil, and lying, *****es. i am utterly lost. who can provide proof or somthing that can sway my friends opion(sp?)? or just give my your opion(sp?).[/COLOR]

[the_fizz]

[color=royalblue]I had a cousin who was wiccan, and she did not believe in the devil, but she did believe in the goddess of something. So she tolled me that wiccans are good witches and not devil worshipers. Nevertheless, most people believe they are. A good idea of wiccans would be in the TV show Charmed. They are witch and they are good and fight evil. You might want to watch it some time it come on the WB and TNN. I hope this helps a little.
THE FIZZ[/color]:wigout:

[Ryu_Sakura]

that doesnt help i live in a tree, *****!!! my office is in the trees center, and it runs on batteries. and i cant aford a tv anyway. and just so you know i was kicked out om my house. so, me and my friends had my current resedence set up, over the summer. and now i'm thankful we did!!! by the way do you actually know anything about wicca? just cure-e-us(SP?)...

[Semjaza]

I'm starting to wish it were completely dead, thanks to all the threads that pop up on it here lol

[the_fizz]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Ryu_Sakura [/i]
[B]that doesnt help i live in a tree, *****!!! my office is in the trees center, and it runs on batteries. and i cant aford a tv anyway. and just so you know i was kicked out om my house. so, me and my friends had my current resedence set up, over the summer. and now i'm thankful we did!!! by the way do you actually know anything about wicca? just cure-e-us(SP?)... [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=royalblue]Sorry to hear that you live in a tree, but you do not need to be so ~HARSH~ I was just trying to help and yes I do know ~SOMETHING~ about wicca. I may not know everything, but I did learn a lot from my cousin and what they do actully do. So if I was no help I am sorry, but maybe you need to learn not to bite the hands that feed you!!!!!!!
THE FIZZ[/color]:wigout: :flaming:

[Ryu_Sakura]

i'm sorry but its poruing where i live, well outside the tree anyway, so i have to protect y manga, computer, gameboy, cd player, clothes and cds. did i mention my Kia-Stern posters?
no! it doesnt show!

[Epid3mic]

What exactly do you want to know? Whether wicca is dead or not? Well, no, it's not dead, there are many followers of wicca (more than I'd like to admit sometimes -_-'). A religion can only be dead if absolutely no one believes in it, which is very hard to tell.

[wiccansamurai]

I don't think Charmed is a good example of Wcca. They're good witches and all, but I can't throw fireballs at demons. And wiccans don't believe in demons.

[Jaganshi]

Okay I follow the wiccan religion and hate to burst your bubble but Charmed is just a TV show.We can't do any of those things,like be empaths.We can cast spells but there's this thing called the rule of three."Ever mind the rule of three what you send out comes back to thee." Aka karma.we can't trun people into frogs or make you fall in love with the hot jock in homeroom.BUt you are on teh right track with the fact Satan is not a part of the wiccan path.when you belive in something evil you give it power.
Just thought I'd put mt two cents in.

[Ryu_Sakura]

were you born as a wiccan or did you chose to be one? and salso, is it hard/take much time to study all the aspects of wicca?

[Dan L]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Jaganshi [/i]
[B]when you belive in something evil you give it power.[/B][/QUOTE]

What gives Satan more power, that he is acknowledged or that he is not?

Think about it in in terms of if he really did exist. If you knew about it then he wouldn't be able to do evil in the world anywhere near as effectively as he does today because everyone would know his game.

However, if no-one knew he existed, and those that did were put off as looneys, then he would be far more effective in doing evil because everyone would claim his work as either good, or human nature.

This is by no means proof that Satan is real, nor is it in dispute with your general point, but rather I disgaree on the statement that believing in something evil is the way in which you give it power.

[Patronus]

[size=1][color=006699]Wicca - right Wicca, that is, is in no way related to the devil. [b]No way.[/b] Only those who defy the Devine use demons - thus, they're not true Wiccans.

No, it has not died out - people are just too afraid to come out because of prejudice ********.

And the correct terms are Wiccan and Pagan - get them right. Some may take offense. ;)[/color][/size]

[Imp]

Nope, everyone else is right. Wiccans are not devil-worshippers. If they were, well, they would lose their powers and such. Bad things happen to people who worship (or even believe in) devils, as well as those who do curses or black magic. And it DOES exist, as long as you believe. Anything exists as long as you believe. I've never seemed Charmed before, but my mother is Wiccan, so... Well I sort of am too; I follow most of the beliefs and such. It's basically a religion, just like Christianity and Buddhism, or at least that's what I believe. Yeah, these threads are kind of pointless; everyone has their own beliefs, but expressing those beliefs is OK...

And also, Wiccans don't dress differently or anything else; if they did, the real witches would laugh at them. Also they would laugh at someone who put a curse on somebody. Also, Wiccans believe in a lot of different goddesses and CAN do magic. (Uh... yes, I can too... *looks embarrassed*) :blush: They're basically healers; many in the medical field. And those beliefs existed a long time ago... way back in England's early days, back in the Renaissance times or even earlier... Too bad a lot of them were burned in the Salem Witch Trials... How dare those men! (Cowards... They're afraid I'll put a spell on them!)

:devil::demon::flaming::evil2: Nope! None of those! Only :angel:s!

[wiccansamurai]

I chose the wiccan faith, though there are some whose parents were part of it. Once you get the general idea down, I believe its up to you how much you want to read into it. Don't complicate wicca by putting a rule on everything, its a pretty free going religon as long as you are a good person and do good things. The major rule, the wiccan rede, is "An if it harm none, Do as thy will" so no thingsa like love spells, because that is playing with someone's will, no revenge spells, for obvious reasons. There are things you can't do.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dan L [/i]
[B]What gives Satan more power, that he is acknowledged or that he is not?

Think about it in in terms of if he really did exist. If you knew about it then he wouldn't be able to do evil in the world anywhere near as effectively as he does today because everyone would know his game.

However, if no-one knew he existed, and those that did were put off as looneys, then he would be far more effective in doing evil because everyone would claim his work as either good, or human nature.

This is by no means proof that Satan is real, nor is it in dispute with your general point, but rather I disgaree on the statement that believing in something evil is the way in which you give it power. [/B][/QUOTE]
[COLOR=purple]I think I'm going to laugh at that :laugh: There, I did it.
Now I'm ging to ask what the hell gave you the idea that satanism=Wicca? Of course, Satanism is a form of Paganism which is described as religions with out a monotheistic belief.
But Satanism and Wicca have no simularities other than that.
The word Pagan comes from the Latin Pagani meaning country or backwoods. Wicca is a nature based religion centered around both a god and a goddess or many depending on your path. (Yes folks, Paganism and Wicca are kind of like Christianity in the effect that they have many paths)
However, in Wicca nobody believes in Hell or the Devil. Infact the lady who was high priestess of FHOC back in TX made jokes about it every once in a while because of all the myths. We also don't fly brooms and eat babies. and we're usually discouraged from doing harm to others.
Some paths in Wicca do believe in evil spirits along with good ones. We also believe in Free will and if it harm none do what ye will. Bear with me please, I'm new to this and my husband has all our books in Texas.
I think I can some up my belief in this example. A few weeks back I was talking to a friend of mine (a Baptist BTW) about how my husband was going to Iraq in February or March. She told me that even if he didn't think it would help she'd pray for his safety I replied that since it was positive energy it would work for him anyway.
I could give a few things about Satanism, but that's not what this thread is about. Yes, I think Paganism lives. I could give a few examples through a few 'Christian' holidays (like one that comes up next month) but I don't know if anyone could handle it.
By the way, I was raised Catholic and my husband even agreed to get married in a Catholic Church. I just became interested in Paganism and he decided to renew his faith.

Merry Meet, merry Part and merry meet again[/COLOR]

[Guest cloricus]

Yes Dan; let's all fear the devil because some guy had a nightmare and wrote it down. :devil:

Wicca has a really bad thing happening to it right now, idiots who think its cool are "pretending" to follow it when in fact they are doing nothing of the sort. They don't live the life, they don't hold the beliefs in fact one of the only things they do do is say "Yo I'm Wiccan! I'm too cool!" which is a shame. I've known two true wiccan's and I wasn't aware that they even had a religious preference until one told me when I asked about two years after meeting them.

Honestly Wicca is stupid, primitive and boring.

[Guest LokiofAsgard]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i]
[B]Honestly Wicca is stupid, primitive and boring. [/B][/QUOTE]

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
I'm not Wiccan but that was cruel. Just because you don't like soebody's religion gives you no right to insult it. Maybe I think your religion is boring, stupid and primitive, but you don't hear me complaining about it! Don't think out loud so much. And it was no problem Wic. I don't let people insult my friends, no matter what the cirsumstances.

[Transtic Nerve]

Wiccan seems ot be the more popular of the two... you don't hear much of pagaenism anymore (except from like lesbians or something lol... this is from personal experience)

But it seems the wiccan beliefs have been on a rise lately, esspecially with the young people. I have actually been surprised how much people have endowed in the wiccan belief...

[the_fizz]

[color=royalblue]Ok just let me state for the record. I do know the difference between real life and fantasies. I do know that the Charmed show is TV and they take literary license with some things IE the magic and powers, but the idea behind it is that they are good witches and help the world. So sorry if that got some of you mad at me, but like I said, my cousin is a Wicca and she is the one who told me that it was a good shoe to watch. So chill people everyone has the right to believe what he or she want and the way the want. Do not take the world so seriously.
THE FIZZ[/color]:wigout: :flaming:

[Dan L]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by ChibiHorsewoman [/i]
[B][COLOR=purple]I think I'm going to laugh at that :laugh: There, I did it.
Now I'm ging to ask what the hell gave you the idea that satanism=Wicca?[/COLOR] [/B][/QUOTE]

Your laughs are of ignorance: Read everything I said, including the part which says "nor is it in dispute with your general point". The general point I was responding to was the fact that Wicca is not Satanic. Hence if my argument was not in dispute with the general point, then surely I can't hold the view that Wicca is Satanism (thus if you [i]actually read[/i] what I was talking about you wouldn't be laughing at something which I didn't say). What I said was NOT a means of saying that Wicca is Satanic, but it was in response to the SPECIFIC point that "when you belive in something evil you give it power".

Where "believing in" something, is not the same as putting your faith in it. I believe in the Devil- but I don't put my faith in him, because he's a deceitful being.

Think of it this way: there's an evil gang lord in your city. He's pretty much the cause of everything bad, but no-one actually knows about it. He has far more power over the people than one in another city where everyone knows who he is, because he is completely hidden from retaliation. People have no idea where these attacks come from. Knowing about his existence, though it doesn't alter his strength, it alters the invisible power he has to control people, and it's the same with the Devil.

So, under the assumption that the Devil exists, believing in him (ie in his existence) gives him less power. Particularly because of my next point.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i]
[B]Yes Dan; let's all fear the devil because some guy had a nightmare and wrote it down. :devil:[/B][/QUOTE]

Again someone putting words in my mouth I never did say. Quote the point where I actually said "fear the Devil" in any way.

The Devil is weak- he is a fool. Compared to God he comes to nothing. Compared to us he is powerful, but then we who believe in the gospel of Christ know that he has no power over our eternal lives. We have [i]nothing[/i] to fear from him. The main problem with the world today is that there are two predominant views on the Devil- one that he doesn't exist, the other that he is something to be feared.

[Queen Asuka]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Ryu_Sakura [/i]
[B]that doesnt help i live in a tree, *****!!! my office is in the trees center, and it runs on batteries. and i cant aford a tv anyway. and just so you know i was kicked out om my house. so, me and my friends had my current resedence set up, over the summer. and now i'm thankful we did!!! by the way do you actually know anything about wicca? just cure-e-us(SP?)... [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=hotpink][size=1]I know this is off-topic, but I just HAD to say this.

You're 13, you've been kicked out, you live in a tree, and yet you still have a computer, manga, etc? And you expect me to believe that? I need to see it to believe. That is the most absurd thing I ever heard.

As for wiccan, it's not magic. It's just believing in a mother Goddess. One of my very close friends is a wiccan.[/color][/size]

[wiccansamurai]

Please, no arguing. Wiccans believe to believe in an evil spirit is to give it power. There are different rules for spirits than evil gang lords :D That's our belief, and I respect yours. Wicca is not primitive, though nature based. I don't see how it is, in any way. But its your belief. Just no more arguing, please?

[James]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dan L [/i]
[B]What I said was NOT a means of saying that Wicca is Satanic, but it was in response to the SPECIFIC point that "when you belive in something evil you give it power".
[/B][/QUOTE]

[color=#707875]It's important to note that while there are religions that believe in and worship Satan..."Satanism" isn't one of them. Satanism is a specific religion, which actually seems much closer to athiesm than anything else.

As far as being Wiccan and such...well, obviously this kind of belief system can't be dead if people believe in it. Obviously religion, in any form, can only last as long as it is being actively followed and practiced. To me it just seems like a redundant question. *shrug*[/color]

[Semjaza]

That form of Satanism is one designed by Anton La Vey, also known as "The Black Pope". I guess you could call it a form of athiesm, but it's a bit more complicated than that. It teaches, more or less, that you're your own "god" in a sense. However, Satanists actually do believe in a God, but simply as a thing that balances nature... the Satanic Bible itself states that a Satanist simply chooses the definiton of god that suits them best, simply because the meaning of it has changed so much over history.

The creation of the Church of Satan was out of La Vey's need for a church that would celebrate man's body and his base, carnal desires. It's rather structured, considering how simple it sounds. I actually looked into it pretty heavily years back. It's not a bad alternative in some cases, I suppose lol

I don't think a lot of people realize its existance versus the traditional view of Satanism, obviously because of the name La Vey gave it conflicts with normal beliefs. In either case, the religion is [b]not[/b] something Christians would agree with. It celebrates sinful behavior as a basic rule. So in either definition, it would be attacked anyway.

That's all I had to say lol... that and I edited the thread to spell "pagan" right. That's been driving me insane.

Edit- added more to clarify what I was saying about Satanism.

[James]

[color=#707875]Yeah, I've read a lot about Satanism (particularly on the Church of Satan's website) and I've seen interviews with La Vey's daughter.

The main reason that I even mention it is because I think it's an interesting take on traditional religion. People make a common misconception, by saying that Satanists (at least La Vey's Satanists) worship Satan...when in fact, Satan is just a symbol used to express opposition and such.

But yeah, it's interesting nonetheless. I'm not religious myself, but I do find it interesting to discuss and examine different religions and how they came into being. [/color]