by Lynn Schwalbe-Larson

Created on: May 24, 2010

It is a shame that the title uses the term “versus” This immediately sets up an atmosphere of competition (my way is better than your way), rather than comparison in order to educate.

 Another problem is that the title implies that both are religions, which is simply not true.  Christianity is a religion—a set of beliefs with the intention of gaining understanding of the divine.  Witchcraft is not a religion; it is a practice, an art, a craft.  It is spell work, to put it in the simplest terms. It is not based on “religion”, as other writers have suggested.  Spell work is the manipulation of natural “energies”, found in both animate and inanimate objects.  It is commonly known as magic.  It is a tool, neither good nor bad. It is not prayer.  Also it is important to note that a witch who has wisdom and common sense knows that they are not “in control” and responsible for everything that happens.  Witches do not “pray to Mother Earth or Father Sky” for solutions. Those of us who do believe in the divine naturally pray, and of course receive answers, though some of us need to be bopped over the head before understanding the obvious! 

 Many people use the term “Wiccan” interchangeably with “witch”, or “Wicca” with “witchcraft”, which adds to the confusion because Wicca, like Christianity, is a religion. A person can be Wiccan without practicing witchcraft, as well as be a witch without being Wiccan. Or be both.  And to further confuse things there are many different kinds of Wicca, all the way from the traditional oath-bound groups such as Gardnerian and Alexandrian, to the Celtic Wiccans (which is a contradiction in terms, Celtic beliefs are far from Wiccan), and the eclectic solitaire Wiccans.

 Also there are many types of witchcraft through out the world, so to try and compare Christianity and witchcraft is more complex than it first appears.  Depends on what kind of witchcraft you are talking about!  If you compare, say Cornish Witchcraft (The Cunning Folk) with Wicca Witchcraft, you will find glaring differences all the way from ethics to spirituality.  The “An it harm none, do as ye will” rede? That’s Wiccan, folks.  Most witches do not recognize it to pertain to them, because they are not Wiccan.

Yes there are also satanic witches and there

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