What is Wicca?

Which features all Wiccans share?

1. Wiccans believe at least in one Goddess and one God.
2. Wiccan ritual formula descends from Gerald Gardner's original Wicca.

Is there enough reasons to consider Wicca a single religion? A major fundamental reason against this assumption is the indefiniteness of the Wiccan concept of god. A Wiccan himself may freely choose the gods to worship, shall they be from Celtic, Finnish, Scandinavian or even Egyptian pantheon. Nowdays the Wiccan concept of god is so broad that it would rather be a class of belief, or "theism": duotheism with the masculine and the feminine deity.

The idea that all people worshipping one God and one Goddess would represent the same religion is actually a most peculiar one. Using the same logic we should bunch all the monotheists up to the practitioners of one and same religion: Persian worshippers of Ahura Mazda would represent the very same religion as the christian Finns. Also all the polytheists should classify in a similar vein: the ancient Romans, Greeks, Japanese and Aztecs would all represent the very same polytheistic religion.

As regards the particular concept of god, Wicca is not a single religion but an umbrella classification below which fits many religions, all of them sharing belief in at least one Goddess and one God.

More evidence for Wicca not being a single religion we get from the fact, that there is no such feature which would "make" a Wiccan. In other words, none of the features listed as Wiccan are purely Wiccan. Any single feature is either not common to all Wiccans, or common to much wider range of Pagans than just Wiccans. Not a single feature distinguish a Wiccan from a non-Wiccan.

There are reasons to consider the Wiccan traditions or branches as separate religions. Every branch usually has such a feature which is characteristic to its members only. This may be a closed tradition with initiations, certain name for Goddess and God, or something else.

One feature common to many Wiccans is the ritual formula of Gerald Gardner. Many branches and solitary Wiccans have reshaped the formula, but the core remains unchanged. But is the common ritual formula enough to make Wicca a single religion?

The answer is no. A common ritual formula makes Wicca a single method entity. A method is not enough to make a religion; otherwise all those who perform the Japanese tea ceremony in a certain way, would be members of the same religion. Instead of that, performing the tea ceremony is a skill. The performers may represent many different religions.

Here I must clarify the definition of religion in general. What makes the religion is the communication with the gods. For example a Wiccan may think that every region and every country has a distinctive pantheon of gods. He may believe in Scandinavian, Finnish, Russian etc. gods; he may believe that these gods exist just like his own gods. But this does not mean that he is a member of all these religions. His own gods are the only ones with which he communicates by rituals and prayers, and that is what defines his religion.

Tradition can also make the religion, conditioning that it holds within the named feature: the communication with the gods. The closed tradition, into which members are accepted only through initiation, is a compact and defined religion.

Wicca is therefore an umbrella concept or classification. The name includes a great sum of religions which all share the Wiccan concept of god: at least one Goddess and one God. All closed traditions are separate religions, and all other branches - even those practiced only by one member - are also separate religions.

So one more time: What is Wicca?

In practice, instead of seeing all Wicca as a single religion, it is now considered a multiplicity of religions. Gardnerian tradition is still Gardnerian tradition and Alexandrian tradition correspondingly, but now they are seen as the separate religions - not the branches of one religion.

Jaakko Häkkinen

You may contact the writer via e-mail:
Ytimennavertajat@pakana.info

Kuka Jaska? / Uskonto ja järki / Putkiaivot ja henkiaisti / Keitä ovat pakanat / Uskonnonvapaus / Löydä sisäinen pakanasi / Kristinusko, ainoa oikea uskonto? / Ainutlaatuinen kristinusko? / Valtionkirkko - aivopesukoneisto? / Pakanuuteen liittyviä termejä / Mikä tekee uskonnon? / Uskonnon ja elämänfilosofian ero / Vain yksi uskonto kerrallaan / Jumalkäsitykset / Mitä jumalat ovat? / Mitä wicca on? / Käsityksiä wiccalaisuudesta / Wicca-traditioista / Neowicca ja tradwicca / Mikä ihmeen "eklektinen wicca"? / Wiccalaisuuden piirteistä / What is Wicca? / Satanismi pakanauskontona / Kaikki jumalat = yksi jumala? / Jälleensyntymäoppi / Valaistuneet