by Sarah Savoie

Created on: April 14, 2009

Through out the centuries there have been many different ideas about the concept of witches, witchcraft, pagans and wiccans. The main way that the whole thing was warped was by the Catholics and Christians when those religions were first starting to grow and take over. People believe things like witches are devil worshipers and do things that are evil and sacrifice animals. All these things are completely false. There may be different types of branches but none of them are remotely evil, they have just been given a bad reputation.

In ancient times, before Christianity, almost all cultures practiced paganism, or at least a branch of the ancient religion. Ancient civilizations practiced things like polytheisms and they worshiped nature and their dead which are things that are practiced in wicca and paganism. Pagans and wiccans believe in a bond with nature and they hold a deep respect for nature. Druidism, shamanism, and many other things are branches of wicca and paganism. When Christianity first started and was basically shoved down people's throats, many still held on to the beliefs of their ancestors, and continued to practice what they had learned about those ancient beliefs.

One of the big problems that people do not understand about wicca and pagans is the green god, who has many names. Most Christians know the green god as the devil, but he is far from a devil. The green god represents the male half of the world. He is far from evil; the church has corrupted the view of the green god, to make a person fear him and believe that witches are devil worshipers which is far from the truth.

There are many different branches of wicca, from astral projecting to shape shifting and other things, although with any religion there are things that are forbidden unless you are a high priest or priestess. One of the many things that are forbidden is love potions or spells to make a person fall in love with you. A person is allowed to do a potion or spell to strengthen an existing relationship but the other person has to give their consent and know about it. Another that is forbidden is things like binding spells. Binding spells are only allowed if someone is threatening either your physical or mental safety.

Pagans and wiccans are not devil worshipers, and they are not out to harm people. The main rule for pagans and wiccans is, harm none, of course though there are other rules that wiccans and pagans are to follow. It is sad for people to see pagans and wiccans as evil and that they are just followers of the devil, since that is so far from the truth. The religion and the people who follow it are just misunderstood and you should not judge a person based on their religion, but on whom they are as a person.

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