Wicca, the Religion Based Upon Nature and Sexuality
What religion do you follow, if one at all? What set of beliefs do you follow? Christianity is one of the most common religions and often seen as “the one true religion,” but this is certainly not the case. Most Christians try to associate any religion other than their own with Satanism and the Devil, especially those that deal with witchcraft, such as Paganism. There is a branch of Paganism called neo-paganism, of which Wicca belongs. Don’t be fooled, though; Wicca is entirely its own religion. Wicca is the largest neo-pagan religion that many misinterpret as focusing on evil and personal gain, when its actual virtues lie with nature, coexistence, spiritual balance, and sexuality. The first misconception to debunk would be that Wicca/witchcraft is associated with Satanism. A point many like to refer to is their use of the pentacle and pentagram symbols in decoration, amulets, and rituals. What they don’t understand though is that Wicca uses the upright pentagram, with one point at the top, and their use of it represents the 5 elements (earth, fire, air, water, and spirit). Satanism uses the inverted pentacle (two points at the top). Also, pentacles have been a symbol of many religions through history. Another reason Wicca is compared to Satanism is that one of their main gods is the Horned God, misconstruing him as Satan. He, however, is in no way Satan. He is simply a god who has a human form and horns or antlers. Wicca does not associate itself with Christian deities, neither God nor the Devil. The two main deities of Wicca are the Triple Moon Goddess and the Horned God. The God and Goddess together represent gender equality, which is a major focus of Wiccan beliefs. Most Wiccans believe in these two main deities, but the set of beliefs depends on the practitioner. Some are mono-theistic: they see the God and Goddess together as one, each representing male and female aspects of one supreme deity. A Wiccan may also be duo-theistic, where they see the God and