by Tami Sweitzer

Created on: October 25, 2009

Wicca, a religion based on The Mysteries, is naturally full of misconceptions. Most of the misunderstandings are silly and harmless, but sometimes they are more sinister. For this reason we must be ever vigilant to correct the lies.

Some of the more common misconceptions about Wicca are as follows:

Wiccans engage in child molestation, kidnapping, human sacrifice, and cannibalism of children

Collectively this is referred to as Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) or Satanic Panic. All of it is bunk. These allegations were first used by the Romans against the early Christians in the first century CE. It was false then and it is false today.

Over time the Satanic Ritual Abuse story has been used to suppress various groups of people including heretics and dissenters of the Church, lepers, Jews, Cathars and Knights Templar. Today these same tired lies are told about Wiccans, Pagans, and Satanists.

A new round of Satanic Panic emerged in 1980 with the release of "Michelle Remembers" a fictional book told as a true story. Within three years, allegations of satanic ritual abuse were pouring in all over the U.S. Law enforcement and the F.B.I. investigated these allegations and to date have not found one single case of ritual Satanic abuse.

Wiccans are Satanists/Wiccans worship the Devil
The idea of the Devil is a part of the Christian mythos. The Devil is not related to Wicca in any way. Wiccans do not believe that an all-evil entity exists. Wiccans do believe that their gods and goddesses, like the elements of nature, are both nurturing and destructive. Wiccans do not believe the Gods are evil. Evil is a choice of man, not an act of the Gods.

Wiccans are only women
Both men and women are Wiccan. Some covens, or groups, require an equal number of male and female members for balance. Other traditions, such as Dianic Wicca, prefer to work in female-only groups. There are also male-only groups but they don't yet have an established name such as the Dianics do.

Wiccans cast evil spells
Yes and no. Magic, manipulating the energy in your life, is a basic part of life for a Wiccan. Lighting a candle and saying prayers to the Gods is an act of magic. The use of magic gives one the power to change their world for better. With power comes responsibility. On the one hand most Wiccans choose not to participate in harmful or negative magic. On the other hand, what is referred to as hexing is useful to the home and the community when done correctly.

Wiccans are all fluffy bunnies
A fluffy bunny is someone who is new to Wicca and doesn't yet understand the depth of the religion. They are like a young teenager in love; high on life with their head in the clouds. They are sometimes entertaining, often times annoying, but perfectly harmless. Fluffy bunnies eventually grow up to be real Wiccans or drop out when they learn that Wiccans have all the same hardships other people do.

Wiccans are weird
If by 'weird' you mean they sometimes dress up in funny clothes, tend to have a lot of animals friends, seem to really enjoy the bugs and critters in their yard and are often seen talking to their plants and trees, then yes, they are weird. But also they make great friends and neighbors and brew a delicious tea.

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