Your site for a religious connection
Read about religions and bibles here on the web
Featured Articles
    Origin of the Church
Religions, Spirituality
    Buddhism
    Christianity
    Hinduism
    Islam
    Judaica
    Wiccan, Pagan
    Other Faiths
Bibles
Other Books
Textbooks
Music Books
    Sheet Music
    Song Books
Catalogs
Technology Books
    Graphics, Software
    Hardware
    How-To
    Internet
    Networking and Communications
    Owner's Manuals
    Operating Systems
    Programming
    Repair and Service Manuals
    Software Applications
    Web Development
    Other
Children's Books
Fiction Books
Audiobooks
Rare & Collectible Books
Antique Books and Manuscripts
    American Books
    Asian Books
    English Books
    European Books
    Other Books
Wholesale, Bulk Lots
    Audiobooksbooks
    Books
    Magazines
    Other
Book Accessories
    Address Books
    Journals
    Book Covers
    Book Plates
    Book Marks
    Other
Magazine Back Issues

Religions, Spirituality

Wiccan, Pagan

Wiccan, Pagan Article

Wicca is a nature-based religion found in various countries throughout the world. It was first popularised in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. He claimed that the religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witchcraft religion, which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian paganism of Europe. The veracity of Gardner's claims cannot be independently proven, and it is thought that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s.

Various related Wiccan traditions have since evolved or been adapted from the form established by Gardner, which came to be called Gardnerian Wicca. These other traditions of Wicca each have distinctive beliefs, rituals, and practices. Many traditions of Wicca remain secretive and require that members be initiated. There is also a movement of Eclectic Wiccans who do not believe that any doctrine or traditional initiation is necessary in order to practice Wicca.

Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller, rustic") is a term which, from a Western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or cultic practices or beliefs of any folk religion, and of historical and contemporary polytheistic religions in particular.

The term can be defined broadly, to encompass the faith traditions outside the Abrahamic monotheistic group of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The group so defined includes the Indian religions (such as Hinduism, Jainism), Native American religions and mythologies and Shinto as well as non-Abrahamic ethnic religions in general. More narrow definitions will not include any of the world religions and restrict the term to local or rural currents not organized as civil religions. Characteristic of pagan traditions is the absence of proselytism and the presence of a living mythology which explains religious practice.

The term "pagan" is a Christian adaptation of the "gentile" of Judaism, and as such has an inherent Christian or Abrahamic bias, and pejorative connotations among Westerners,comparable to heathen, and infidel, mushrik and kafir in Islam. For this reason, ethnologists avoid the term "paganism," with its uncertain and varied meanings, in referring to traditional or historic faiths, preferring more precise categories such as polytheism, shamanism, pantheism, or animism.

Since the later 20th century, "pagan" or "paganism" has become widely used as a self-designation by adherents of neo-paganism.




Wiccan, Pagan Items

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

Search:  


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44