1. World Religions
Wicca

2. Overview
Wicca is either one of the oldest or one of the
newest religions in the world
Based in part on the ancient, northern European
pagan beliefs in a fertility goddess and her consort,
a horned god
Recent Wicca is a neo-pagan religion which can be
traced to Gerald Gardner (1884-1964) and
Gardnerian Witchcraft, founded in the UK in the late
1940s
Wicca is based on the symbols, seasonal
days of celebration, beliefs, and deities of
ancient Celtic society

3. Overview
Wicca is often called “The Craft” or “The Craft of the
Wise”
As practiced today, Wicca is in two main forms:
– Traditional Wicca focused on Celtic deities,
seasonal celebrations, and ceremonial magic
practices of secret societies
– Eclectic Wicca combining traditional Wiccan
beliefs with other pagan and non-pagan beliefs
Both of these forms of Wicca are earth-based
religions

4. Overview
A follower of Wicca is called a Wiccan
Wicca and other neo-pagan religions are
experiencing significant growth in the US, Canada, and
Europe
Growth is especially strong among teens and
North Americans of European descent
• Wiccans consider themselves part of all faith groups
that are based on attempts to reconstruct ancient,
extinct religions (neo-pagan)
• Wiccans drop the “neo” and proudly refer to
themselves as pagan

5. Overview
Some Wiccans consider “Wicca” and “Witchcraft” to
be synonyms. Others distinguish between the two
words, considering Wicca a religion only, and
Witchcraft as the practice of magic
Most Wiccans practice magic. However, some do not,
claiming to focus only on spirituality

6. What Does Being A Wiccan Involve?
• The recognition of the goddess and her consort, the
horned god
• May view these as real entities, or as symbols
• Wicca is highly individualistic & based on the
“Wiccan Rede”: “In it [the craft] harm none, do what
thou wilt.”
• Domination, manipulation, and control are prohibited
(but Wiccans have the right to define these terms)
• There is usually a dedication ritual at the start of the
one year and a day training period
• An initiation ritual follows completion of training,
either alone or in the coven

7. Deities
Depending on one’s point of view, Wicca can be
considered monotheistic, duotheistic, polytheistic, or
atheistic
– Monotheistic: Some Wiccans believe in a single,
supreme being called “the all” or “the one”. The goddess
and god are viewed as the female and male aspects of a
single deity
– Duotheistic: Some worship both a female and male
goddess and god, often called the lady and the lord
– Polytheistic: Some recognize the existence of many
ancient gods and goddesses (Pan, Diana, Dionysius, etc.)
– Atheistic: Some recognize the gods and goddesses as
symbols, not living entities

8. Worship Ceremonies
There are similarities as well as differences in the
way Wiccans and other religions worship their
deities
– Similarity: Wiccans often engage in conversational, as
well as ritual, prayers to their goddess and/or god
– Difference: Many Wiccans believe in “the necessity of
reciprocal communion” between supplicants and their
particular deities---belief that individual Wiccans need the
goddess and god, and that the goddess and god need the
wiccan(s) too.
– Thus, worship is communion between supplicant and
deity based on mutual need

9. Worship Ceremonies
In all cases, worship supposedly involves direct
encounters with the deities which do not require the
intermediacy of a priest or other minister
There is a non-obligatory dedication ritual for
newborns similar to a baptism
Numerous rituals are written by individual Wiccans
for personal or Coven use to commemorate various
life passages, as well as “issue-based needs”
Many Wiccans observe “Esbat” rituals at each of the
full moon and new moon phases (the full moon
phases are called Sabbats)

10. Wicca & Satanism
• While Wiccans consider themselves to be neo-pagan
witches, they do not consider themselves to be
Satanists (at least that’s their publicity)
• Wiccans consider Satan to be a “Christian anti-god,”
and claim to have no place for him in their pantheon,
either mythologically or theologically
• Wiccans do not recognize the existence of an all-evil
supernatural being similar to Satan
• Wiccans do, however, admit to similarities between
themselves and satanists
The symbol of the five pointed star
Ritual ceremonies performed within a circle marked on the
floor
Performance of magic

11. Principles of Wiccan Belief
Rituals are practiced to attune oneself with the
natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of
the moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross
Quarters
Human intelligence gives individuals a unique
responsibility to the environment. Therefore, within
an evolutionary concept, one must seek to live in
harmony with nature and ecological balance to
achieve fulfillment in life
There is a supernatural depth of power resident
within all humans that is naturally potential to all

12. Principles of Wiccan Belief
The creative power in the universe manifests itself
as male and female and operates within all people.
Sex is valued as pleasure and the embodiment of
life. It is a source of energy and used in the practice
of magic and worship
The interaction of both the material and spiritual
worlds – or the “collective unconscious” – form the
basis for paranormal phenomena and magic.
Neither are to be neglected
No authoritarian hierarchy is recognized; those who
break with authoritarian teachings, and teach others
to do the same, are to be honored

13. Principles of Wiccan Belief
A worldview and lifestyle that unites religion, magic,
and wisdom-in-living are acknowledged as
witchcraft, or “The Wiccan Way”
A witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself
that make life possible in order to live wisely and
well, without harm to others and in harmony with
nature
Life is affirmed and fulfilled in a continuation of
evolution, and in the development of consciousness
that gives meaning to the universe and one’s
personal role within it

14. Principles of Wiccan Belief
Animosity toward Christianity, or any other religion
or philosophy of life, is limited to the extent of its
claim to be “the only way,” and its activities to
suppress the free expression of other beliefs and
practices
Witches are not threatened by debates over the
history of the craft, the origins of various terms, or
the origins of various practices
Wicca does not accept the concept of absolute evil,
nor does it worship any entity known as Satan or the
Devil, as defined by Christian tradition
One should seek within nature that which is

15. So, What is The Answer?
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full
armor of God, so that when the day of evil
comes, you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything, to stand
(Eph 6:12-13).
In Other Words

16. And having disarmed the powers and
authorities, he made a public spectacle
of them, triumphing over them by the
cross (Col 2:15).

17. In Summary:
we live is a world of darkness
seeking light in equally dark
teachings
Is There an Answer?
Is There Hope?

18. “For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have
eternal life” ---Jesus