Re: Witchcraft, Lycanthropy, Drugs & Disease (Review)
Infiniti

Wed Oct 14 20:45:17 1998
: Neither is Wicca or Witchcraft.  "Wicca" is a word *br*: for a male witch, witchcraft is a skill-set.  As a matter of *br*: fact, there's actually a court case (People vs Umerska) *br*: which rules that Wicca is not a bona fide religion because *br*: witchcraft, as that word is generally understood, is not a *br*: religion.  The judge argued that witchcraft was the *br*: *opposite* of religion.*p*Wicca has their three aspect Goddess and horned God.  These are not a common functionality to just witchcraft.  I know witches that do not follow these deities, and hence, are not Wicca.  Whatever the origin of the word, these days we seem to be content to rewrite the dictionary any time we like.  Look at the word pagan, for example.*p*: : Wicca is, now. *br*:*br*: True.  But if Wicca can become a religion, why can't *br*: Paganism?  *p*Religion indicates a following of a deity.  If you follow the Wiccan dieties, then you are Wiccan.  If you follow Jehovah (by whatever name), then you are Christian or Jewish (or Catho-witch, if you prefer).  At least, that's how I see it.  The practice of magic and devotion or not tied together.  To be Wiccan does not require the working of magic, and being Christian does not require a lack of magic.  IMO.*p*: Just remembered one -- I've heard Muslims refer to all three *br*: as "The Peoples of the Book."*p*Never heard that term before, I must remember it.*p*: I beg to differ!  Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are all *br*: closely-related religions.  They've got a lot more in common *br*: with each other than they do with the religions based on *br*: indigenous European faiths.*p*My faith share more in common with those three than any of them would be willing to admit.  So does Wicca.  The magical aspects of Wicca are not all that Gardner set down.  First, above the magic, was the Rede.  The Rede says most of the same things as the Ten Commandments, and all religions of value have their own way of stating the Golden Rule.  As I said, we are all similar in ways, but not all.  There are Islamic witches, I have met them.  The magic, however, is not in their books, or a part of their religion.*p*: To give just one of the more obvious examples, the Peoples *br*: of the Book all worship the same god -- the god of the *br*: Torah.*p*Allah is not in the Torah.  I have a few copies, and he is not named anywhere in those pages.  He is mentioned, often, in another book I have, called the Koran.*p*: Judaism is the oldest branch, and holds that YHWH *br*: gave them a perfect revelation (the Torah) and promised to *br*: send a Messiah.  Christianity accepts the mythology and *br*: hero-tales of the Torah (aka the Old Testament).*p*You mean the Five Books of Moses, don't you.  The Holy Scripture is the Old Testament. <G>*p*: Meanwhile the Jews are insisting that nothing *br*: has superceded anything, and the Messiah still hasn't shown *br*: up.*p*Yes, I know all three religions well.  Since the Messiah was suppose to lead the Hebrew from their presecution and into a new age, I'd say he hasn't shown up yet, too.  The Holocaust wasn't what I'd call a golden age.*p*: So yes, they're different religions.  But they share a great *br*: deal in common, and there *are* reasons for lumping them *br*: together.  At certain times, and in certain types of *br*: discussion.  And they certainly have more in common with *br*: each other than they do with, say, Roman, Celtic, or Norse *br*: religion, none of which believe in the Hebrew god or a *br*: Messiah.  *p*Can I ask, then, what catagorization do you give to Budhist, Shinto, Hindu, Crow, Shawnee, Aztec, Apache, and the others.  Not Hebrew in origin, must be pagan.  A religion stands on it's own, not among others as a catagory of people.  IMO.*p*: And you won't *br*: find positive definitions of "witchcraft" in many *br*: dictionaries.  The only reason you'll find *any* positive *br*: definitions is because Witches insisted on using the term *br*: *despite* the negative connotations.*p*I have nuetral definitions in every dictionary I have looked in.  I have never seen a single dictionary that said a witch was a devil-worshipper, or a satanist.*p*: I think it was pretty common, judging from the number of *br*: defensive structures that dot the Irish landside.  Plus, *br*: there's a lot of evidence for it, at least in later times.  *br*: While our data on the pre-Christian period is scanty, *br*: there's copious evidence of routine raiding in the *br*: post-Christian period.  And if it existed then, I would tend *br*: to assume that it existed earlier, too.*p*Well, if they did have as much cattle-thiefing as is implied, then one thing could be said for the Celts; they were a busy and active people.  Never a dull moment. <G>*p*Michael
Re: Witchcraft, Lycanthropy, Drugs & Disease (Review)
Jenny
76
Wed Oct 14 09:19:06 1998