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In 2008, U.S. Today estimated 1 million Wiccans, [12] [15] [16] [17] a fast growth compared to the 100,000 to 200,000 estimated in late 1990s and early 2000s. [15] The United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey found 342,000 Wiccans and 340,000 Pagans in the United States in 2008.
Today, North America hosts a diverse array of beliefs about witchcraft. [1] [2] Indigenous communities such as the Cherokee, [3] Hopi, [4] the Navajo [5] among others, [6] included in their folklore and beliefs malevolent figures who could harm their communities, often resulting in severe punishments, including death. [7]
The occult is a category of supernatural beliefs and practices, encompassing such phenomena as those involving mysticism, spirituality, and magic in terms of any otherworldly agency. It can also refer to other non-religious supernatural ideas like extra-sensory perception and parapsychology.
The occult (from Latin: occultus, lit. ' hidden ' or ' secret ') is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysticism.
Despite some common similarities, contemporary pagan movements are diverse, sharing no single set of beliefs, practices, or religious texts. [3] Scholars of religion may study the phenomenon as a movement divided into different religions, while others study neopaganism as a decentralized religion with an array of denominations .
One modern academic theory of religion, social constructionism, says that religion is a modern concept that suggests all spiritual practice and worship follows a model similar to the Abrahamic religions as an orientation system that helps to interpret reality and define human beings, [6] and thus believes that religion, as a concept, has been ...
Many of its rituals have changed over time, [13] with adherents open to adapting their beliefs and practices in accordance with dreams and visions. [14] Native American religions more broadly have always adapted in response to environmental changes and interactions with other communities, [ 15 ] with the Ojibwe having absorbed influences both ...
Native American religions were prevalent in the pre-Columbian era, including state religions. Common concept is the supernatural world of deities, spirits and wonders, such as the Algonquian manitou or the LakotaŹ¼s wakan, [19] [20] [9] as well as Great Spirit, [21] Fifth World, world tree, and the red road among many Indians. [9]