Goddess, God, and Wicca

I spoke up the other night and said "I'm a pagan."  This was in answer to someone saying the word as if it were nasty...you know the sneer on someone's face who was brought up believing pagans worshiped the devil...a totally Christian viewpoint.  She said she is finding out that "Christian" as a term also has many meanings, depending upon which denomination you might find talking about it.  A Catholic and a Baptist certainly say many different things than a Unitarian Universalist Christian.

But as a Pagan, I also embrace the Goddess in Her many aspects (though not all pagans do).  Let's look at more information that isn't biased from the Christian perspective. After all, that's probably why you're reading this!

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Q: Who is the Goddess? The God?

A: The Goddess is the female aspect of divinity. As Maiden, She is the perfect innocent child who shows us the simple joys in life. As Mother, She is the perfect mate and provider who nourishes and guards us. As Crone, She is the perfect grandmother who teaches us wisdom and leads us into the next world. The Goddess loves all of us as Her children; all life comes from Her and eventually returns to Her. The God is the male aspect of divinity. At different stages, He is the son and the lover of the Goddess. He teaches us about manhood and fatherhood. As the Horned One, He reigns over the crops of the field for harvest and the wild animals for hunting. Together the Goddess and the God bring us blessings and challenges according to our needs. Their eternal dance marks the changing seasons, as They each change form and show us Their different faces.

Q: What is Witchcraft? Is it the same thing as Wicca?

A: Witchcraft encompasses several branches of Paganism, one of which is Wicca. Others include Stregheria (Italian Witchcraft) and a feminist version that considers every woman a Witch. Not everyone means the same thing when they say "Witchcraft" – some mean only religion, some mean magic, and many mean both. The lowercase "witchcraft" may refer simply to the practice of magic, not to a religion. Usually Witchcraft is a complex, positive belief system which incorporates a God and a Goddess venerated through ritual. Wicca follows that paradigm, drawing most of its content from the works of Gardner and Alexander; modern traditions include Dianic, Faerie, Eclectic, and even Angel Wicca. The Wiccan religion incorporates gender equity, immanent divinity and immanent worth, and the responsible use of magic.

Again, thanks to http://witchesandpagans.com/paganism-101/introduction-to-paganism/286-faq-about-paganism.html

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We shared a little about Pagans before.  Still to come...Gainism, polytheism, and magic.  (Or you can go look at the site, which I've heard less than 50% of people actually do.)