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Wicca (English: / ˈ w ɪ k ə /), also known as "The Craft", [1] is a modern pagan, syncretic, earth-centered religion.Considered a new religious movement by scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esotericism, developed in England during the first half of the 20th century, and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant.
This made the Church of Wicca the only federally recognized Wiccan church to have its status as a religion upheld in a federal appeals court. [4] Within the American Wiccan and wider modern pagan community, the Frosts have been at the center of various disputes, particularly surrounding issues such as homosexuality and theology. [10]
Included in these publications are several Germanic pagan symbols that have been used by Nazi and neo-Nazi groups, but have also always been used by non-racist pagan religions. The ADL emphasises that these symbols are not necessarily racist and has amended its publications to categorise these symbols as "pagan symbols co-opted by extremists". [66]
Huebsch and Walker objected publicly on the basis of her religion to the chaplain's hiring, [2] saying: "Witch's hiring raises both personal and political concerns. Not only does she practice a different religion than most of the inmates – she practices a religion that actually offends people of many other faiths, including Christians, Muslims and Jews."
Many pagan traditions have been criticized on the basis that they bear little resemblance to the historical practices of which they claim to be revivals. Gerald Gardner , the founder of Wicca , claimed that it is a continuation of an ancient persecuted Witch cult , [ 15 ] a widely discredited notion.
Modern paganism in the United States is represented by widely different movements and organizations. The largest modern pagan (also known as neo-pagan) religious movement is Wicca, followed by Neodruidism. Both of these religions or spiritual paths were introduced during the 1950s and 1960s from Great Britain. Germanic Neopaganism (also known as Heathenry) and Kemetism appeared in the US in ...
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian witchcraft, is a tradition in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. [1] The tradition is itself named after Gardner (1884–1964), a British civil servant and amateur scholar of magic .
There are two separate definitions of the term Wicca that have been used in Paganism and Pagan studies since circa 1980. [1] The first developed in England during the 1960s. Broad and inclusive, it covers most, if not all, forms of modern Pagan Witchcraft, especially if they share sufficient theological beliefs and ritual practices to be considered denominations within a common religious movement.