Is Wicca bad?

[Imperial City-States]

I personally really like the concept of Yin and Yang , If you have light , you have dark ect. ect. So i actually agree with you 100%

Yin & Yang should not be conflated with good & evil.

Depends on how you're looking at it. But for the most part yes.

[Dyakovo]

Recently I have noticed an increase of thing Wiccan in my area. Some new Wiccian shops have been opened and has caused an uproar in my community. Many people seem to think of Wicca as evil and something against god. What do you think NSG? Is Wicca "bad"? Why or why not?

For those of you who do not know what wicca is ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

As a Wiccian myself i think wicca is very misunderstood. Wicca is a religion of peace, tolerance, and respect for others and the environment. I thin if people did their research and really studied Wicca and new what we really are we would be more accepted.

do Wiccians have access to powerful dark magic?

if so, I might want to join

Magic isn't real.

[Santeriea]

No.

[Othelos]

do Wiccians have access to powerful dark magic?

if so, I might want to join

Magic isn't real.

shhh, don't spoil it for him.

[Reploid Productions]

Yes. It is a pointless "religion" created by edgy teenagers who want to dress in black and perform fake magic spells. If ya wanna cast spells, go play Skyrim. At least you'll see some cool effects in the video game. I don't consider Wicca much of a threat, it's more something to be laughed at.

"Christianity is a pointless "religion" created by ignorant ancients who want to dress in fancy robes and perform fake magic spells to heal people/cure them of sin. If ya wanna cast healing spells, go play Skyrim. At least you'll see some cool effects in the video game and see your health gauge go up. I don't consider Christianity much of a threat, it's more something to be laughed at."

See, that's one that cuts both ways. If Christ is your thing, cool, good on you. Same goes for any other belief system. Doesn't make yours any more "right" than somebody else's.

[Dyakovo]

No, it isn't bad. It's just ridiculous, like any other religion.

Glad to know that we stupid religious folk have you intelligent, funny atheists to tell us the way things are.

You're welcome.

[Nature-Spirits]

I would say that, yes, it's bad. As is all religions. It's time we moved on from superstitious beliefs and faced the world as it is.

I voted "other" though, because I have a feeling that the OP is asking in more religious terms. And since I consider all religions equally nonsensical, I would say no, it's no worse than any of the multitude of other faiths that humanity has had though the ages.

To be quite frank: I am religious. However, I firmly believe in the principles of science: I believe in the Big Bang, evolution, and the scientific method. So your assertion that religious people don't "face[] the world as it is" annoys me somewhat.

do Wiccians have access to powerful dark magic?

if so, I might want to join

Magic isn't real.

Well, that depends on how you define the term. Does the magic in Harry Potter exist? Most certainly not; it's a ridiculous concept. Can people influence events through concentration and will? I believe so, yes.

[Infected Mushroom]

do Wiccians have access to powerful dark magic?

if so, I might want to join

Magic isn't real.

how can you be sure?

[Dyakovo]

All religion are/were created by people.

He/she is differentiating between religions that developed naturally within a cultural framework, and religions that were invented on purpose.

Wicca generally falls into the latter category.

All religions were developed on purpose.

[The Grey Wolf]

Magic isn't real.

Well, that depends on how you define the term. Does the magic in Harry Potter exist? Most certainly not; it's a ridiculous concept. Can people influence events through concentration and will? I believe so, yes.

That's generally how I conceive of magic.

[Threlizdun]

It tends to cause less harm than other religions. I had bad experiences with it myself, though that was mostly my own doing. It's interesting, though it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with classical paganism as it often attests to.

[Dyakovo]

Magic isn't real.

how can you be sure?

By not being an idiot.

"Magic" is just a misunderstanding of the natural world.

[Infected Mushroom]

It tends to cause less harm than other religions. I had bad experiences with it myself, though that was mostly my own doing. It's interesting, though it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with classical paganism as it often attests to.

bad experience?

[Othelos]

Magic isn't real.

how can you be sure?

say "abracadabra I am now a rabbit"

did it work?

[The Grey Wolf]

how can you be sure?

say "abracadabra I am now a rabbit"

did it work?

Except, you know, no one believes that's how magic works.

[Othelos]

say "abracadabra I am now a rabbit"

did it work?

Except, you know, no one believes that's how magic works.

why not? it is open for interpretation.

[Constantinopolis]

how can you be sure?

say "abracadabra I am now a rabbit"
did it work?

Dammit, now I'm going to have to go find a whole bunch of carrots to eat. Thanks, Othelos.

[Othelos]

say "abracadabra I am now a rabbit"
did it work?

Dammit, now I'm going to have to go find a whole bunch of carrots to eat. Thanks, Othelos. >:(

welcome :D

[Threlizdun]

It tends to cause less harm than other religions. I had bad experiences with it myself, though that was mostly my own doing. It's interesting, though it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with classical paganism as it often attests to.

bad experience?

Let's just say I had a bunch of personal problems and chose to escape into a fantasy world where magick was real rather than accept that I have problems and try to address them. I wasn't able to get the help I needed until I left the faith behind.

[Threlizdun]

say "abracadabra I am now a rabbit"

did it work?

Except, you know, no one believes that's how magic works.

I distinctly recall learning spells for levitation, healing, making others fall in love with you and other such nonsense. Magick is either impossible or so vague it is meaningless.

[Infected Mushroom]

bad experience?

Let's just say I had a bunch of personal problems and chose to escape into a fantasy world where magick was real rather than accept that I have problems and try to address them. I wasn't able to get the help I needed until I left the faith behind.

i see...

well this is really discouraging...

[Cyllea]

hej, im a recent convert to paganism and this pops up.
I read into Paganism and Wicca about a year back, as I was still trying to find my spiritual path, and now here I am again returning to it. Wicca is not 'bad'. Wicca is one of few religions that effectively preaches peace, equality and co-existence.

so its bad because its not your religion?

No, it's bad because it reflects a very real and deep disrespect for historical polytheistic and animist traditions. Didn't you read what I said?

Don't get me wrong - I'm a goddamn atheist. All religions are in my crosshairs, so to speak, but I have a certain amount of respect for those with deeply rooted traditions instead of 'Last week I was thinking, what if we made a religion lol'

Wicca was founded in the 60's, and Pagan traditions go back thousands of years, to before Christianity was even founded.

[Brickistan]

I would say that, yes, it's bad. As is all religions. It's time we moved on from superstitious beliefs and faced the world as it is.

I voted "other" though, because I have a feeling that the OP is asking in more religious terms. And since I consider all religions equally nonsensical, I would say no, it's no worse than any of the multitude of other faiths that humanity has had though the ages.

You do know that just because someone chooses to believe in something that may or may not exist that doesn't mean they're an idiot who doesn't believe in the principles of Science. I know that's not exactly what you were implying but not all religions are nonsensical

That's a contradiction. If you accept that the scientific method works, then you must also accept that there is no proof whatsoever of any god(s) being out there. As such, the null hypotheses must be that there is indeed no god(s) and so believing in god(s) is nonsensical.

Believing in the supernatural is, by definition, unscientific as science does not deal with such issues. It is also every bit as nonsensical as believing in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, or any of the other invented characters we humans have amused ourselves with over the ages.

As for using the word "idiot", I'm generally a bit careful about that. Some religious nutcases I will gladly call idiot, but I suspect that most religious people are simply brainwashed into following the same religion as their forefathers. Not idiots then, as much as victims.

[Threlizdun]

hej, im a recent convert to paganism and this pops up.
I read into Paganism and Wicca about a year back, as I was still trying to find my spiritual path, and now here I am again returning to it. Wicca is not 'bad'. Wicca is one of few religions that effectively preaches peace, equality and co-existence.

No, it's bad because it reflects a very real and deep disrespect for historical polytheistic and animist traditions. Didn't you read what I said?

Don't get me wrong - I'm a goddamn atheist. All religions are in my crosshairs, so to speak, but I have a certain amount of respect for those with deeply rooted traditions instead of 'Last week I was thinking, what if we made a religion lol'

Wicca was founded in the 60's, and Pagan traditions go back thousands of years, to before Christianity was even founded.

Yes, pagan traditions go back thousands of years. Wicca has absolutely no basis whatsoever in those traditions however, and Gardner lied when he said it did. The Great Goddess/Threefold Goddess and the Horned God were made up by Gardner. Before Wicca, these beings had no followers. The coven he supposedly got this from didn't exist. Many people have tried to find it and have found absolutely no historical records of their existence. Their supposed traditions have no recorded history before Gardner. Gerald Gardner decided to make up a religion one day, and it became what we now know as Wicca.

[The Grim Reaper]

It's no worse than any other polytheistic religion, if we buy into the "related to pagan beliefs" ideal, which I don't.

I have, as a fairly liberal Christian, nothing against Paganism. I disdain theistic Satanism and, on a precursory reading, the ostensibly Satanic 'Horned God' of modern Wiccaism.

It's the upholding of something which I see as a spiritual representation of evil and corruption.

That's assuming Wiccaism specifically derives from Satan in the Christian or Abrahamic traditions, as opposed to the similar (even pre-Satan analogies) Pagan traditions - and frankly, given its age, I'm not willing to give it that leeway.