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Not really, were I live if you dont live by the bible your dirt...

whee

...it seems kind of weird to say that Wicca is the "same" as a witch because there are so many different kinds of witches. I feel kind of weird being directed to a complete idiots guide on Wicca. lol. Is the book really that good?

Hmm. I have to side with Nichols based on personal experience. Most folks in this country seem to think religion means you absolutely have to have a certain set of criteria to qualify. In idealistic happy-land we'd have a more singular view of what 'religion' is, but we don't live in that land. People's incompetence in discussing religion is worse than their incompetence in discussing science. At least with science it's a public education standard. For religion the only perspective people get - unless they bother to educate themselves (a minority) - is that of their own religion (in America, usually Christian). That becomes their baseline upon which all else is judged until they're taught otherwise.



Qualified agreement. The meanings have changed but they're also still widely used as synonyms. I've seen them used in this manner both in more academic books on modern Witchcraft/Wicca and in more recently published books (Chris Penczak for instance comes to mind).

Is blurring the line between then right or wrong? Personally I don't think it's either... it simply IS. Some people draw lines between them, some people make Van-diagrams, some people use them as synonyms. It's good to play the part of the active listener and ask for clarification where needed when speaking with someone on just about any religious topic. Most folks bring a highly personal perspective to it all, don't y'all think? So I abstain from the poll. Honestly, I could go either way and how I read the terms depends on context and what the other person means more than what I think something should or shouldn't mean.

"Wiccans don't have to be Witches"

I have to totally disagree with that one.

Witchcraft isn't just defined as spellwork, ritual and prayer. The word "CRAFT" is part of that compound word because it is literally Witches' Craft.

What are witches' crafts?

Herbalism, midwifery, divination, astrology, psychic development, etc.

If you want to get nitty-gritty, by guidelines that BTW establishes, anyone that doesn't do rituals pretty much isn't Wiccan - just pagan. Wiccans are priesthood, which means regular ritual (that's kind of redudant...ritual can be synonomous with regular) work. Spells do not have to be cast - that's not a mandatory. But ritual might as well be established as spellwork, regarding that you are using invoking and evoking - you are manipulating energy (same as spellwork, right?).

Might as well call yourself a Christian and not believe in Christ.

I agree with everything you've said up to this point.

Wiccans use magick as a part of their practice. Period. We don't use "good magick" over "bad magick", unless you're referring to spells that work as opposed to those that blow up in your face. biggrin

The final line in the Rede reads "An it harm none, do what ye will".

Translation: If it harms NO ONE, you can do whatever you like.

Translated translation: Since it is impossible to do anything without it doing harm to something, you cannot just do whatever you want without thought. You need to take a look at the big picture. If you can do that, and truly accept the consequences of your actions, you can then do what you wish.

Going into a church no more makes you a Christian than going into a garage makes you a car.

Calling yourself Wiccan but not practicing as Wiccans believe, which includes ritual (shaping energies //magickally creating a sphere of protection called 'casting the circle\ to your will), does not make you a Wiccan.

Heck, by BTW standards, we're all Seekers floundering about because it "takes a witch to make a witch".

Just because I call myself a ninja doesn't make me one. Just because I know about football doesn't make me a football player.

Are we getting anywhere yet?

MOST modern-day wicca is based on BTW, WITCH MEANS (pun intended) that being that they themselves call themselves WITCHES, someone who is WICCAN is a witch. Period. But that means that you've got to be walking the walk and talking the talk, not just some sideliner yelling 'Red Card!'

(I know I just posted this in the other thread, but it sort of needed to be said here too biggrin )

Wicca and Witchcraft are not the same thing. Wicca is specific religion, with specific core beliefs that is based on (among other things) the practice of witchcraft. Therefore technically all Wiccans are Witches, but not all Witches are Wiccan. Witchcraft is a practice that anyone (of any religion) can do, if they so choose. Just because you choose to practice witchcraft, it doesn't mean that you are Wiccan. As a Wiccan, you can choose not to practice witchcraft, but it would make me wonder why you would choose to be part of a religion, but then not fully embrace a major part of it.

I also have to say that I think one of the reasons that the words were originally used interchangeably within the Wiccan community is becasue traditionally there was no difference, because all Wiccans understood that they were Witches and that much of what they were doing was witchcraft. It is only now where there is a much broader definition of Wicca (eclectic), that there is a confusion.

Except that most people don't realize that there is a difference between "Wicca" and "Neo-Wicca" and will tend to simply use "Wicca" as an all emcompassing term.