Wicca

[Guest Mana]

I'm interested in the wicca religion. But I don't know much about it. What is it all about, and how'd you get into it? What all do you know about it? It's not evil is it?

-MysticKnight :smirk:

[wiccansamurai]

No, its not evil. Its an earth loving religon. Many wiccans worship different things, so the best idea is browse around books. I always loved Silver Ravenwolf and Scott Cunningham. There are also very many good websites to find that have some good information.

[Skye]

[size=1][font=veranda]Wow. You know, there have been a million threads like this.

I don?t know to much about Wicca in specific, but I myself am a Witch. You don?t have to be Wiccan to be a witch, so get that thought far away. But as samurai said, it is an earth-loving religion, and varied. I also recommend Silver Ravenwolf and Scott Cunningham, as both are good for witches as well as Wiccan?s.

I can?t tell you much, except that Wiccans (like some Witches) usually worship a God and Goddess, though some Wiccans worship only a Goddess. The reason for this is(I think) is because in the Christian religion, the woman deity is not only neglected, it seems like blasphemy(sp?). I know; I don?t want to be offensive. Wicca and witches were around long before Christianity, and the Christians brutally forced them out, and stole their holidays for more power. >_< I hate saying things like that, but its true. I mean, the Romans were known for brutality. Hey, look at where Easter and Christmas are placed! Right on Yule and Ostara.

>_< Okay, rant over.

EDIT: SOrry, Midnight, for confusing you. >_< I know they don't have one. I meant, they think the idea is insulting.[/size][/font]

[Muad'Dib]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype][COLOR=DarkOliveGreen][url]http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_intr.htm[/url]

Well, never got into it myself, and I wouldn't even know it existed if Delirium hadn't informed me of it. However, I found this site a long time ago. It has more information than you'll ever need to know on Wicca.

It really is an interesting religion. Reading about it, it seems like there's absolutely no, well, how to say it, 'down side' to it. Anyway, hope I helped <_<;;[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Guest Midnight Rush]

Delirium is confused:

In the Christian religion, there is no female deity. In fact there is only 1 deity... and He is masculine in nature. The reason I say she is confused, is that she seems to believe that some Christians thought there was more than one god and that one was female.

Not possible. If you are polytheistic, you aren't Christian. Might call yourself one, but that doesn't make it true.

She is right, pagan religions are older, although Wicca is not. According to most historians, formal Wicca began with the writing of the Book of Shadows. It was practiced in varied forms for a long time, but what people call Wicca today is not what was goin' down years ago.

Easter and Christmas have no real dates. Missionaries to Druidic/pagan areas used feast days to correlate and develop interest with the cultures. It just stuck for some reason.

EDIT: I am Protestant Christian, Kenshinsbabe.

[kenshinsbabe]

Not to embarrass any REAL wiccans, but you guys are just wannabes. I know plenty of real wiccans and I can tell just by reading your posts that you are not wiccans. Give up the sharade now and stop giving people like me a bad name!

[wiccansamurai]

[quote name='kenshinsbabe']Not to embarrass any REAL wiccans, but you guys are just wannabes. I know plenty of real wiccans and I can tell just by reading your posts that you are not wiccans. Give up the sharade now and stop giving people like me a bad name![/quote]
*cough* So what are these REAL wiccans, then? Because about all I said was it was an earth loving religon, and if you disagree with that, I don't know what YOU'VE been taught, but that's what I've been taught.

And no one here but me claims to be wiccan. So you were obviously referring to me.

[Skye]

[QUOTE=wiccansamurai]*cough* So what are these REAL wiccans, then? Because about all I said was it was an earth loving religon, and if you disagree with that, I don't know what YOU'VE been taught, but that's what I've been taught.

And no one here but me claims to be wiccan. So you were obviously referring to me.[/QUOTE]
[size=1][font=veranda]Exactly. kenshinbabe, for one, wiccansamurai seems to be acting more of a Wiccan than you are. Midnight and I are not Wiccan's.

Let me make this clear to the rest of you: Wiccan's are not those kids who go around wearing pentacles and getting on their parents nerves on purpose and saying things like 'I can put a curse on you if you tick me off'. Okay? I mean, who else ahs heard of the three-fold rule?

[quote name='kenshinbabe']Not to embarrass any REAL wiccans, but you guys are just wannabes. I know plenty of real wiccans and I can tell just by reading your posts that you are not wiccans. Give up the sharade now and stop giving people like me a bad name![/quote]

Witht hat one post, you gave yourself a bad name. -.-[/size][/font]

[Guest Sean]

Me, i have heard of the three-fold-rule. Is that where a wiccan can not place any 'curse' or bad spell on another human being that may hurt him/her in any way. They also can't manipulate anybody in anyway. Like love spells.

My friend is learning to become a Wiccan just now, thats how i know, see i get dragged in, i know more stuff than her now because of her getting me to look up stuff. Oh well.

I do hate the whole Satanic thing though, that must be annoying for all Wiccans, being stereotyped as a Stanaic because of your Neo-Pagan religion.

[Skye]

[quote name='Icarus2K']I do hate the whole Satanic thing though, that must be annoying for all Wiccans, being stereotyped as a Stanaic because of your Neo-Pagan religion.[/quote]

[size=1][font=veranda]The 'all witches/Wiccans are Satan worshipers? theory came around because there is a Pagan god named Loki, who was reknowned for being a trickster. He also was usually depicted as a faun, with the goat legs and the horns.

Sean, not just Wiccan?s are stereotyped as Satanic, its all magic users or those who do not worship God. -.- Its frustrating, yes.[/size][/font]

[LizerisCnh]

Here's an interesting discussion I had over at P.O.D.'s message board on 11/6/03. It was the last time I tried seriously to explain what Wicca is, as I know it. I've quoted the arguments against me but left my text in plain format. I left in the arguments and removed my final comment so that both sides were exposed.
__________________

I'm reading a book of shadows by a High Priestess of the Wiccan religious order and I love it. You really shouldnt be disturbed. What you think you know of witchcraft is conjured to put rear ends in seats at the movie theaters and to add shock effect to the hopelessly attention whorish.

The true meaning behind the witch is 'wise one', derived from the word 'wicce'. It is an Olde Religion that the Church tried to destroy with brutal force. It revolves around the worship of female deity's. The forces behind the craft are the power of perception and spirituality. There is nothing to fear or be disturbed by. The original, true, Wiccan are peace loving. Its the media and dilusion thats got you stirred.

It is not satanism or demonology. It is spiritual power. It is summoning inner strength instead of praying for external assistance. The word 'enthusiasm' literally translates to 'a god within' as in 'tapping inherent strength from the soul'. Its nothing terribly different. Just a different set of terms.

...The Wizard of Ozz and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, who tells young Dorothy the power to find her happiness, and her way home, has been with her all along. This last image comes closest to capturing the real and unknown truth about Witchcraft.

Witchcraft is not a subculture of satanic rites enacted by wacky spinsters or mad deomonologists. It is an ancient, elegant spirituality that revives the magic of being alive-the kind of magic we have always longed for, but sadly assumed only came true in story books.

Wicca, as Witchcraft is most often referred to by contemporary practitioners, is the renaissance of a pre-Hebraic, pre-Christian, and pre-Islamic Goddess spirituality.

The shamanic practices of the Olde Religion enable women and men to attune their psyches and their daily lives to the cycles of nature and the mystical wisdom found in earth's profound rythms. A spirituality of divine empowerment, the holy magic practices by Witches, shamans, priestesses, and mystics celebrated an enlightened connection to earth.

Driven underground nearly five hundered years ago, when accusations of Satanism first arose. From these accusations came the "Witch Craze," the Church's crusade to suppress the Olde Religion of the goddess and establish religious hegemony in Europe. Hundreds of thousands were killed in an unholy campaign, most of whome were women, who suffered great losses in economic and social power. But this was not the only wound to Western Culture. The ancient knowledge of the village wise woman, and man, was nearly lost, as the sacred rites that maintained the connection between people, the earth, and the divine went asunder.

Those with courage, curiosity, compassion, and a taste for adventure may confront her, and when they do, behind the mask of the wicked witch, they find the beatific face of the Great Goddess.

A realm of magic that was as ancient as the history of humanity, and as modern as the theories of quantum physics. And their ways enabled me to see the world as vibrantly, divinely alive, rich with wisdom and beauty.

We are entering a new era, an age of the Divine Feminine, when the illuminated power of women and men will bring new life to a dying world. It is a time of critical change that depends upon our spiritual awakening, a collective epiphany, a summoning of the sacred into our lives.

Through the re-empowerment of the fiminine principle, our world can become a holy vessel of connectedness, grace, and joy for all.
[quote]HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAcoughcough!!!!!!
sorry, but that seems SO ridiculous[/quote]
Well whats ridiculous to me is your ignorance and inability to accept different truths. Theres only one love. Take care.
[quote]I agree with one comment of yours: we are entering a new era. Only I find that it is one in which Christianity is being disregarded more and more while other religions are being sought after more and more. I also believe that people will call for and strive for a collective epiphany, only that so called epiphany will be that all religions are quite similar, at which time they will all be molded into one religion. At this point there will be peace, a new era, for a while. The only thing is, there will be no place for God. See, from my thinking, all other religions other than Christianity, are just a ploy by Satan. Some make you feel good (see the quote above), connected to the earth. Others give you abilities to do things that humans shouldn't be able to do (including phsycic abilities, and I'm not referring to the tv ones ). But ultimately, Satan is able to do all of these things. And why shouldn't he, it distracts you from accepting Jesus's love. Yes, you can call me some nut, but oh well. To tie this back in to POD, that is why I think that they are such an important band. They are reaching people that churches can't. It is very important that they choose all things representing them carefully, because they are witnessing to people. And with regard to everything, including symbols, being created by God, you are right, they are. And yes, it is people (or Satan working through people) who pervert things that God created. But the same can be said of words. Do you make a habit of cursing at your mother, cursing at little old ladies? No, because that does not represent what you want people to see (hopefully ) I could keep going on, but I won't. If you have any thoughts that don't really tie in to POD, just send a private message. Just let me leave off with this: I'm not throwing out their cd or boycotting the band. They still make great music which helps people. Just saying they need to be careful with how they represent themselves.[/quote]
[quote]Yeah but it dosen't acknowledge Christ as the way the truth and the light, it lifts up pagan rituals and is totally against Christ and what he did on the cross for us.

"See to it that on one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depeneds on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8 (NIV)

Wiccan ritiuals summon a spiritual power that is not of Christ. It is a religion the satan uses as a foothold to draw people away from Jesus and his gift of eternal salvation.

And on the subject of the cover art. I don't think it has anything to do with wiccan or witches. As an artist, i get crap from fellow Christians because i draw a skull with blood and a caption that says Saved by Grace. So it dosent matter what you draw, the man thing is does it Glorify God because that is all the matters. And POD does that through their music, Listen to Alive and Change the World.

PEACE[/quote]

[James P. Galvatron]

I myself have never heard of the wiccan religion until I joined Theotakuboards. I also have never meet any Wicca or Witches in my lifetime and have heard nothing about them. Most of my friends are either Christian and about one or two of them are atheist me myself I don't care what religion someone is and I don't like the fact people try to convert them and force them.

[Muad'Dib]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype][COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I hope you'll excuse me if I'm getting a tad bit off subject, but I can't help but comment on some of the quotes from LizerisCnh's post.

Interesting how these people who see themselves as rightious Christine people immediately call any other religion a tool of Satan. Though it may show they have a lot of faith, it also shows their own close-mindedness. Can they not even consider for one moment that there is more to religion in general than their own beliefs? Christianity was certainly not the first religion, and it's deffinately no more or less valid than any other. You could use the phrase "It doesn't matter what kind of faith you have, as long as you have faith."

Not to mention you, Lizeris, made it perfectly clear that Wicca was more of a 'focus on inward strength' religion. Nothing about Wicca even [i]suggests[/i] it's a tool of Satan. What about Buddha? Allah? Are they forms of Satan as well? Hell, (no pun intended) who says Satan even exists? In a completely non-bias, realist point of view, all religions are a result of human nature (I say that as just another point of view, not neccessarily a fact). A lot of people never even consider the possibility that there is no real 'God' like power, or 'higher being'. It's entirely possible that each and every religion was created out of our human nature. What is there to prove any religion? In christiantiy for example, what proof is there that any of the Bible is true? Some event obviously happened, yes, but who's to say they happened like the bible says? It was, after all, made by people. A lot of people.

Ok, that's all I have to say. I again apologize for going just a bit off subject. ^_^;;
[size=1]Things like that just make me wanna say something...[/size][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Skye]

[size=1][font=veranda]You know, I used to have this theory that the Bible used to be a really good fantasy book. >>

Things like Charmed and BeWitched and such give witches such a bad name. I can?t shoot fireballs(much as I would like to. Grr), teleport, or put little kids under spells. Things like that are stupid, and totally unrealistic. The closest I?VE seen to real magic in publicity is Willow and Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and even that isn?t quite. ><

Magic and such is very confusing. Religion in general is confusing. I was talking with a friend yesterday about religion, too. I was all asking questions (she?s Baptist), and we were talking about the Bible. I said, ?You know, the Bible has tons of misconceptions and such because you can never translate it to what it actually means in the original version. I mean, it was in LATIN.? She totally agreed.

Look at the Muslim(or was it Jewish?) religion. >< I can?t remember, but to be part of the religion, you have to know how to read the language because they do not translate the holy book.

Side note: The Bible(title) was derived from Biblio which means Book in Spanish. Other variations mean that, too. Sorry, just a random tidbit I found? random. ><[/size][/font]

[Guest Midnight Rush]

None of the Bible was originally written in Latin, except the book of Romans. All the others were in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Although there have be errors over the years, panels of the most intelligent men in the world translated the Bible.

What misconceptions do you have in mind?

FIREPHOENIX:

Thats a total load of ********.

If you are, and I'm not asking you to, going to believe TRULY in Christianity, then you believe that your faith is the ONLY faith. Combining universal floating point liberalism with Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Hindu is a total perversion of what these faiths teach.

If you are going to believe something, believe it. Don't be one of these hedonistic bastards that changes everything to fit them personally.

Does absolute truth mean nothing?

To most people, unfortunately, it doesn't.

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]Most "Wiccans" are just people who feel like they need to be different; they take out a book from the library, start making little penticles out of sticks, and start wearing black, and all of a sudden, they've joined a new religion.

All religion is silliness, if you ask me, but spontaneous, random religion is even sillier. (If you flame me for that, I wont dignify your petty, misguided insults with a response, so don't even bother.)[/FONT][/COLOR]

[LizerisCnh]

Those aren't Wiccans. Those are poser goths. There's enough dignity in this statement anyway, so there's no need for you to grace it with a response, or a lack of response when in fact, you're reading this. That's enough to satisfy me.

And I agree that Religion is just an excuse. If you need to believe in faerie tales in order to feel that your life is worth living, you certainly have [i]my[/i] sympathy. Wicca isn't a religion. Much like Buddhism, it's a philosophy. People are free to come to their own meanings whereas in Biblical Religion, they're making it their life's work to live accordingly to a book; doctrines: Rules or principles of [b]law[/b], especially when established by precedent.

[quote]Thats a total load of ********.

If you are, and I'm not asking you to, going to believe TRULY in Christianity, then you believe that your faith is the ONLY faith. Combining universal floating point liberalism with Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Hindu is a total perversion of what these faiths teach.

If you are going to believe something, believe it. Don't be one of these hedonistic bastards that changes everything to fit them personally.

Does absolute truth mean nothing?

To most people, unfortunately, it doesn't.[/quote]

America was built upon the basis of Religious freedom. Puritans broke away from the corrupt Church of England to create their own sanctuary of free will. To believe that [i]your[/i] faith is [b]the[/b] faith is to perpetuate the ignorance which has plagued generations upon generations of your so called 'faithful'. If you truly believe in God, you would understand that all judgement comes from one mouth, His, and that your only responsibility on earth is to maintain your own good standing, not to condemn those with whom you disagree for you own blinded reasons. That in mind, hypocrisy entangles you.

[InuyashaLvr]

My friend and I are wiccan.. We've been studying on it for 2 years now

We don't try any spells or anything. But we're considered 'Duotheists'. We believe in a god and goddess. A male and a female that keep our world in order and strengthens us.

Alot of people think we are witches... There IS a difference!!!!!! Wicca is a religion, a belief, while witchcraft is nothing but a senseless act of magic.

Also.... Many of you think wiccan is satan worshipping... it's not.. I have to clearify this.... The only points of similarity is that both use the sign of the five point star. But santainism, places two points on the top. Wiccan places two points on the bottom. Also... both religions perform rituals with a cirlce on the floor or ground. One more thing... Santanism and Wiccan both support magic. But wicca's are limited to very positive magic. Otherwise know as "white magic', while santanism supports 'black magic'.

O.k.... sorry if I rambled.... But I really wanted to clear my head...thanks for taking the time to read this!

*-. Savanah .-*

[LizerisCnh]

Also important to note that this 'magic' spoken of just the act of altering perception. It's emotionally alchemy. The term magic is only metaphorical. When the psyche is attuned with the body and it's environment, one becomes the physical embodyment of serenity. You'd have to grasp Quantum Physics to stand a chance at comprehension from an objective view. In most extreme cases, Wicca is the acknowledgement of and coexistence with Quantum. And that realm of reality is proven by science. Wicca and other such aboriginal belief structures such as those of the Native Americans are where the underlying realities and myth actually meet.

Metaphors gave birth to the one sided ignorance. Nothing more.

[Guest Midnight Rush]

[QUOTE=LizerisCnh]
America was built upon the basis of Religious freedom. Puritans broke away from the corrupt Church of England to create their own sanctuary of free will. To believe that [i]your[/i] faith is [b]the[/b] faith is to perpetuate the ignorance which has plagued generations upon generations of your so called 'faithful'. If you truly believe in God, you would understand that all judgement comes from one mouth, His, and that your only responsibility on earth is to maintain your own good standing, not to condemn those with whom you disagree for you own blinded reasons. That in mind, hypocrisy entangles you.[/QUOTE]


You need to read your history... The Puritans that came to America did not wish to seperate from the Church of England, merely purify it. The Seperatists, who were NOT Puritans, wanted to form a new church rather than fix the old.

As far as my "closeminded hypocrisy", my first reaction was that your post was so utterly pathetic and irrational that it wasn't worthy of an answer, but then I changed my mind.

Jesus Christ says that He is [i]the[/i] Way, [i]the[/i] Truth, and [i]the[/i] Life. He says "No man shall come to the Father [i]but[/i] by me."

If I am TRULY Christian, I believe that those statements are true. 100% absolute, hell could break open and I'd still believe truth. To even allow the thought, or the (im)possibility that those statements are NOT true would betray my religion at its core. Thus making it a useless excercise in arrogance.

As a Christian, I do not damn non believers. According to Christian beliefs, non-believers damn themselves. Christians are just as sinful as you, or anyone else for that matter, but they have chosen the grace of God to get their "final destination" arranged in a BETTER place.

From your post it is obvious that you do not understand Christianity, which is rather amusing, do not read your history, have a deep rooted insecurity that you defend by aggressive and loud philosophizing, and are generally a broken person inside.

As for me and my house, we will continue to "perpetuate ignorance" until we have no breath left. You are fighting something taht cannot be beaten Lazeris, think about what is going on inside of you, be intellectually honest and don't lie to yourself.

[InuyashaLvr]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!

You make non-christians seem like stupid incoherrant idiots! Just because we dont believe in "one man that does no wrong" doesn't mean were idiots! No offense but I think it's a little obserred to believe that a man who DIED can come back whenever he likes! It makes no sense!

"Hey God! How was it down underground?"

"Awww.... 7200 years flew by!"

DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?

Plus we dont damn ourselves! ALSO! How do u know if you're going to heaven or hell? Just because you are a "chrstian" doesn't mean your going to a great place after death! You have NO way of saying where you're going to or not going to go!!!!!!!!!!

wait... I'm sorry about that.. it was really uncalled for.. but it's true... you dont have to write something like that because it makes us seem like complete idiots who want to condemn oursevefs to hell... and it's not true![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Guest Midnight Rush]

You just proved my point, Inuyasha Luvr. Thank you very much. Your sort of incoherent...rage indicates that you are just as insecure as Lizeris. You don't really believe that what you 'believe' in will hold you up in times of need do you?

How can I KNOW? Faith.

Christ was fully man and fully God. He could come back whenever and wherever he wanted to.

I did not call you stupid, I merely stated the truth. Man, without the intervention of God, damned himself in the Garden of Eden. He sinned, thus causing seperation from God. Because of that sin, every single human being that was and is born is born into sin. God loves man, so He sent his son to fill the gap. Christ paid for the sins of all man, past present and future by offering himself the perfect sacrifice, and then raising himself from the dead to defeat death.

God did that out of love, so that whosoever believeth in him will have everlasting life and will not perish. This is of course referring to the spirit, but its validity holds. Does 'the uniform consciousness of Earth' love you? Did it die for you? Did the 'goddess' die for you? No.

[LizerisCnh]

I tried to play nicely. Now I have to say it. Fork your God because there [b]is[/b] no God, never was a God and will never [b]be[/b] a God. And there's nothing insecure about me. Insecure people are the ones who contrive fables to live by.

[InuyashaLvr]

[SIZE=2][COLOR=DarkRed]Alright.. I'm not gonna take this..

First off.. It's InuyashaLvr. Get it right.

Second... How in the hell did I prove your point? I felt offended by your respond so I answered with anger! what do you expect????

third... I have a question that I want you to answer.

How do you know if adam and eve or the garden of whatever is true? you weren't there?

ALSO! WHICH ONE IS GOD????? GOD OR JESUS? YOU'VE JUST SCREWED YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU REFERED THEM TO BE THE SAME PERSON WHENCE FORTH YOUR BIBLE SAYS THEY R TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE![/COLOR][/SIZE]




EDIT::: what a coward......

[James P. Galvatron]

I'm Christian well ehh I'll get to my point.

I hate people that go around thinking they are all high and mighty saying I'm a Christian I am your superior you will burn I will not and blah blah blah trying to convert everyone constantly been doing that since they came here to my late ancestors the Native Americans and the African Americans.

Also The Book you know the Bible well heres a little story about it in the beginning there was no bilble so all the stuff in the Bible had to be passed down by word of mouth by those who saw it. Don't You think someone could have changed what really happened so their family would have a place in the good book.

I really have no problem with people being of other religions and I don't try to convert them I have friends who are atheist and I have had some who were Muslim and other religions.