Research Paper On Wicca Religion

The indigenous tribes of North America have much in common with the indigenous religions of Africa but there are also many differences in the belief of an afterlife, supreme deity, and the daily practices of each. Today many of these lesser known religions are hardly ever studied but they exist and are still practiced all over North America and Africa. We will discuss how these religions differ in their main beliefs and practices, and we will also discuss how they correlate with one another on smaller aspects.

This article is about witchcraft and its different varieties of practices in different cultures. This article explains how witchcraft exists and plays an essential part in structural and functional aspects of a society. It also sheds the light on the journey of witchcraft from being profane and wicked to acceptable part of a culture.

Almost all structured religions have such an ethic, this is a strong belief in the Wicca religion for, nature, and the entire human race. As a Wicca they have a set of moral and spiritual values that precisely fits the purpose. They live by the values and beliefs that direct their lives as witches, from both inside and outside of the Coven setting. The ethics are incorporated into the Wicca law, also known as, The Ethics of Wicca.

A Native American Pow Wow is the Native American ceremonies which have evolved from a formal ceremony of the past into a modern variety of dance, family reunion, and festival. It contains with the colorful tribal dance contests, handmade product, crafts show, tipis, and singing. As a social skill, Powwow is the Native American’s best way of meeting together to join in dancing, singing, making new friends. Dances play an essential part of the life of the Native American. Over the years, even dance styles and content have changed, but their profound meaning and importance have not.

First, Wicca, the formal organization of witchcraft, is a mystery religion. Each practitioner is considered a witch, and practitioner of The Craft, which contains several different beliefs concerning theology and divinity depending on an individual because of their freedom to study what they seek. Members may choose to be solitary, or part of a coven, which is a group of Wiccans that share beliefs and conduct rituals together. Though different groups of Wicca may

When comparing Wicca to Christianity there can be found a few similarities and many differences. To give a better understanding into the comparison of Wicca and Christianity this paper will focus on how the practitioners of each religion create order and meaning within their belief systems; their central beliefs and deities; their ritual practices and ethical views; and other differences and/or similarities between the two.

Wiccans have no leader, or any central figure to follow nor do they have a Bible. A lot of Wiccans are very independent while others form small groups, perhaps, in their communities called Covens. The reason due to the lack of or limited knowledge they’ve obtained from their ancestors was because many Christian churches tried to vanish this religion since they associate witchcraft with the devil and the worshipping of it. However, a group of 73 representatives or so from many different Wiccan practices and traditions met in Minneapolis in 1973 to develop a form of temporary "Council of American Witches" headed by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, a very well-known writer that specializes in books that focus on alternative health and healing, astrology, earth-based religions, Gnostic Christianity, and more. The group victoriously came up with a set of 13 beliefs that successfully met the beliefs and the definition of the

It is important to know the roots of Wicca to be able to separate the good and bad facts about Wicca.

Garrouttee et al. (2009) discusses that even though the definition of Native American spirituality does not exist, there are several identifiable themes that emerge. The first thing that Garroutte et al. (2009) identifies is that spirits are often associated with animals, plants, and other things in the natural world. Another aspect is the Great Spirit, or father, which is equitable to God in the Judeo-Christian belief. The Great Spirit is more considered to be an omnipresent spirit or collectivity of spirits inhabiting the universe (Garroutte et al., 2009). To many Native American tribes, the material and spiritual realms are wound together and cannot be separated from the other (Limb & Hodge, 2008). To many Native American tribes, existence is spiritual (Limb & Hodge, 2008). Another area if commonality is ceremonies and rituals of the different tribes. Each tribe has a great variety of rituals, and ceremonies that are apart of each tribe’s culture, values, and beliefs. These spiritual practices reinforce the link between the individual, the creator, and the community (Limb & Hodge,

As I continued my journey trying to find my Buffalo herd I kept thinking about the Nez Perce tribe and Chief Joseph. The clothing they wore, the headpieces, their hair everything about them was unique. It would be a shame if they changed it because of the wishes of another. Culture is a big part of everyone's life and one can simply not have culture, even us Buffalo have culture. I remember before my herd left me we would all sing songs and enjoy time together while we traveled across the land of the free. I ended up traveling all the way to Oklahoma and I wished I hadn’t. As soon as I arrived I saw a sign that said, “Save the man, kill the Indian”. The Americans had changed the Natives, ripping them of their culture and love. It was a horrendous

The following paper will talk about Wicca and Paganism as a religion within the United States. Wicca is a diverse community as a religion, but is not yet considered by any Supreme court case but some aspects such as traditions are recognized by the federal and state courts. This will be further touched upon further later on.

"Religion is about creation, and for that reason religion should be about the earth." - Laurie Cabot. One might see hundreds of faces from different races, gender, and pop cultures. But behind each face is a brain, with spirit and personal beliefs, like religion. When many Americans believe that everyone is Christian or Catholic, some people practice an ancient religion. This religion, commonly known as the umbrella-term “Paganism” is back on the move with a contemporary feel. Paganism is an earth-based religion, focusing around the elements and nature. Throughout this paper Paganism will be explained, along with two of its well-known sections, how Pagans worship, and Pagan holidays.

The Wiccan religion is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States as well one of the most misunderstood due to the controversies surrounding its history and mystery shrouding its beliefs and doctrines. Due to a series of popular TV series that have shown Witchcraft in a positive light, such as Sabrina, the Teen-aged Witch and Charmed, the popularity of Wicca has grown, especially amongst teenagers; but sadly this popularity has not been partnered with a growth in understanding and respect (Kaminer). Although Wicca offers a nature-oriented, egalitarian belief system with a rich collection of customs and rituals, ignorance and historically-rooted misconceptions still dominate public opinion.

Wicca can be described as “A modern religion based on ancient witchcraft traditions.” ("What Is Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism?" The Celtic Connection, N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2015.) It is a form of paganism and that has been in existence for many years. It is thought to be one of the oldest belief systems in the world. Archeological discoveries have estimated witchcraft and paganism to be about 30,000 years old ("What Is Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism?" The Celtic Connection, N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2015). It is believed that this has been a part of many societies throughout history, and practiced according to their individual beliefs. The most ancient practices were called witchcraft or paganism, but the more current beliefs, now called Wicca, are based on the works of Gerald Gardner. His teachings became more well-known during the 1950s and 1960’s. His modern beliefs included a reverence for mother-nature, the law of three, causing harm to no one, and the cycles of nature. Both the ancient form of this belief, as well as current practices, include performing spells. In 1986, the Wicca religion was recognized by the court of appeals as being a legitimate religion. (."LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 08 July

For my final project, I choose the non-ordinary topic of witchcraft. I was not and am not, interested in researching this to learn how to become a witch and to practice the craft. My intent in doing this project stemmed from the fact that I am a Christian. This class has showed me how to have a more open mind, and how gaining knowledge provides understanding. I wanted to see what is fact and what is false about the myths and stereotypes about witches and witchcraft. To fully explore this subject I have found information on the history of witchcraft and its evolution into the religion of Wicca that is practiced today. I have also looked into how the media today and in the past has presented witches and the