WARNING: Pagan Rant Ahead
If you are not comfortable reading about faiths other than Christianity, feel free to skip this post.
Several weeks ago, someone posted Mike Nichols' essay 'A Witch By Any Other Name: The Great Wicca vs. Witchcraft Debate' on a newsgroup I read. Now, in advance, I -highly- disagree with Mr. Nichols regarding Witch and Wiccan being synonymous. In this writing, he espouses such trash as to say that Wicca is actually older than 1960, that it is in fact an ancient Religion and other such drivel. He goes on to insult Pagans' intelligence by stating that Wicca is the old word for Witch .. which it is not. They stem from the same root. How does that make them the same word, you pompous, ignorant dolt??
*sighs*
I digress. Regardless of the ridiculousness of Mr Nichols' opinion-filled essay, my point in this particular rant is the reaction it got from one particular Fluffy.
>I fully agree, sir! I am a Witch and a Wiccan, for they do mean the same thing. I just think that they want to confuse the people who ask what their religion is. Talk about politically correct. or should I say religiously correct. I myself like being called a witch more than I do being called a Wiccan. And you're right, they do mean the same thing. Coolness!!
Bunnies. I so hate them. Coolness! It's enough to make my head explode. In fact, it rather did.
My reply to this utter drivel, which I most certainly did post to the newsgroup in question.
>A witch is not a Wiccan, and a Wiccan is not necessarily a Witch. They
>do not mean the same thing, I'm sorry. Wicca is a Religion. A Wiccan is
>one that follows the Religion of Wicca, much like a Christian follows
>Christianity, a Muslim follows the Muslim Religion, a Buddhist follows
>the Buddhist Religion.
>
>Witchcraft is, simply, a path of living. It has nothing to do with
>Religion. There are Christian Witches, Muslim Witches, Pagan Witches,
>Mormon Witches ... the list can go on and on. I hate to disagree with
>someone that so many people follow as spilling out the Gospel Truth from
>his pen, but Mr. Nichols is not the be-all-end-all of Pagan faith. That
>essay speaks of his Opinion, nothing more. And I strongly disagree with
>it. I will -not- be called a Wiccan. I do not hold to the tenets, the
>dogma of that religion any more than I hold to those of the Christian
>faith.
>
>Wic·ca [Audio pronunciation of "wicca"]
>tionary.reference.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dwicca> ( P ) Pronunciation Key
> (w
>[http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/ibreve.gif] k
>[http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/prime.gif]
>[http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gif] )
>n.
> 1. A polytheistic Neo-Pagan nature religion inspired by various
>pre-Christian western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother
>goddess and which includes the use of herbal magic and benign
>witchcraft.
> 2. A group or community of believers or followers of this religion.
>
>[Old English wicca, necromancer. See witch.]
>
>Nowhere there does that definition state that the word Wicca in common
>english means Witch. It used to mean, in Old English .. which an
>educated person knows is not the same as Common Modern English ..
>necromancer. A necromancer is simply a person who communicates with
>the dead. A Sorcerer. That has utterly nothing to do with Wicca as it
>is today. Wicca is not an Ancient Religion. It was born in this century.
>
>Wiccans may consider themselves to be Witches. But not every Witch
>follows the religion of Wicca, and it is a sad state of affairs that the
>definitions are becoming blended. That's like saying all Mormons are
>poligamists. It's practicing a stereotype. Is that what you want your
>religion to be based upon?
I think it was well written, and though I was fuming at the time, I believe I was able to make my point. This was posted at the end of May.
I just received this post in reply to mine.
Well, you have a point. I still like being called a witch. No need to get angry or anything, everything's cool. And you're right there is a difference
between the two, but most of the time I put to and two and two together. I practice Witchcraft, but am in the wiccan religion. Can you see why most
people get that confused?
Blessed Be!
I of course could not restrain myself from replying again.
No, frankly I cannot. That's like saying every Christian is a Catholic. Well, not exactly the same. And the mere fact that you say they're the same thing because you 'like being called a Witch'? I simply have no words.
*sighs*
Several weeks ago, someone posted Mike Nichols' essay 'A Witch By Any Other Name: The Great Wicca vs. Witchcraft Debate' on a newsgroup I read. Now, in advance, I -highly- disagree with Mr. Nichols regarding Witch and Wiccan being synonymous. In this writing, he espouses such trash as to say that Wicca is actually older than 1960, that it is in fact an ancient Religion and other such drivel. He goes on to insult Pagans' intelligence by stating that Wicca is the old word for Witch .. which it is not. They stem from the same root. How does that make them the same word, you pompous, ignorant dolt??
*sighs*
I digress. Regardless of the ridiculousness of Mr Nichols' opinion-filled essay, my point in this particular rant is the reaction it got from one particular Fluffy.
>I fully agree, sir! I am a Witch and a Wiccan, for they do mean the same thing. I just think that they want to confuse the people who ask what their religion is. Talk about politically correct. or should I say religiously correct. I myself like being called a witch more than I do being called a Wiccan. And you're right, they do mean the same thing. Coolness!!
Bunnies. I so hate them. Coolness! It's enough to make my head explode. In fact, it rather did.
My reply to this utter drivel, which I most certainly did post to the newsgroup in question.
>A witch is not a Wiccan, and a Wiccan is not necessarily a Witch. They
>do not mean the same thing, I'm sorry. Wicca is a Religion. A Wiccan is
>one that follows the Religion of Wicca, much like a Christian follows
>Christianity, a Muslim follows the Muslim Religion, a Buddhist follows
>the Buddhist Religion.
>
>Witchcraft is, simply, a path of living. It has nothing to do with
>Religion. There are Christian Witches, Muslim Witches, Pagan Witches,
>Mormon Witches ... the list can go on and on. I hate to disagree with
>someone that so many people follow as spilling out the Gospel Truth from
>his pen, but Mr. Nichols is not the be-all-end-all of Pagan faith. That
>essay speaks of his Opinion, nothing more. And I strongly disagree with
>it. I will -not- be called a Wiccan. I do not hold to the tenets, the
>dogma of that religion any more than I hold to those of the Christian
>faith.
>
>Wic·ca [Audio pronunciation of "wicca"]
>tionary.reference.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dwicca> ( P ) Pronunciation Key
> (w
>[http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/ibreve.gif] k
![http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/ibreve.gif]](http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/ibreve.gif]){kind=link}
>[http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/prime.gif]
![http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/prime.gif]](http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/prime.gif]){kind=link}
>[http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gif] )
![http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gif]](http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gif]){kind=link}
>n.
> 1. A polytheistic Neo-Pagan nature religion inspired by various
>pre-Christian western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother
>goddess and which includes the use of herbal magic and benign
>witchcraft.
> 2. A group or community of believers or followers of this religion.
>
>[Old English wicca, necromancer. See witch.]
>
>Nowhere there does that definition state that the word Wicca in common
>english means Witch. It used to mean, in Old English .. which an
>educated person knows is not the same as Common Modern English ..
>necromancer. A necromancer is simply a person who communicates with
>the dead. A Sorcerer. That has utterly nothing to do with Wicca as it
>is today. Wicca is not an Ancient Religion. It was born in this century.
>
>Wiccans may consider themselves to be Witches. But not every Witch
>follows the religion of Wicca, and it is a sad state of affairs that the
>definitions are becoming blended. That's like saying all Mormons are
>poligamists. It's practicing a stereotype. Is that what you want your
>religion to be based upon?
I think it was well written, and though I was fuming at the time, I believe I was able to make my point. This was posted at the end of May.
I just received this post in reply to mine.
Well, you have a point. I still like being called a witch. No need to get angry or anything, everything's cool. And you're right there is a difference
between the two, but most of the time I put to and two and two together. I practice Witchcraft, but am in the wiccan religion. Can you see why most
people get that confused?
Blessed Be!
I of course could not restrain myself from replying again.
No, frankly I cannot. That's like saying every Christian is a Catholic. Well, not exactly the same. And the mere fact that you say they're the same thing because you 'like being called a Witch'? I simply have no words.
*sighs*