Wicca is a pagan religion, while witchcraft is the practice of magic. Wicca is a sort of religion like Christianity, it is a new religion and an alternative spirituality.
On the other hand, witchcraft is magic. Both are not so much related to each other. They both have many differences.
Key Takeaways
- Wicca is a modern Pagan witchcraft religion, while witchcraft is a broader term encompassing various practices and beliefs.
- Wicca follows specific beliefs and rituals, while witchcraft practices can vary greatly between individuals and traditions.
- Wiccans adhere to the Wiccan Rede and the Rule of Three, whereas witchcraft practitioners may not follow these ethical guidelines.
Wicca vs Witchcraft
The difference between Wicca and Witchcraft is that Wicca is a spiritual belief, while witchcraft is the supernatural ability of magic. Wicca is a pagan religion, it is considered a new religion, while witchcraft is the ability to do magic and spellwork.
Wicca is a pagan religion that was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century. It has traditional beliefs and principles.
Wicca is a spiritual belief. It has its own traditions and rituals, like any other religion in the world.
Wicca involves the practice of magic.
Witchcraft is the practice of gaining the ability to do magic. The women who can do magic are called witches, and the men are called wizards.
The casting of spells, doing something extraordinary which is not possible by a normal human, is considered magic. Mostly magic is seen as a bad thing as so much power can make a person proud in a bad way.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Wicca | Witchcraft |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | It is a pagan religion. They have spiritual beliefs. | It is the practice to do magic. |
| Who do they worship? | They worship gods. | Most people believe that they worship devils. However, there has been no surety to it. |
| When was it developed? | It was introduced in the world in the 1940s. | The term has been in the world since forever. |
| How do they exist? | Gerald Gardner introduced it to the public. | No one knows. |
| Is it bad? | It is not considered a bad thing. | It is considered a bad practice by many people. However, it can be both good and bad depending on the person. |
What is Wicca?
Wicca is a pagan religion that was developed in the first half of the 20th century. It was introduced to the public by Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente in the early 1940s.
They outlined the traditions, rituals, beliefs, principles, and practices of the new religion.
The practices were orally passed along to the believers. They were also written down secretly.
Books were also published.
Wicca is the duotheistic type of religion, which means that there are two spiritually fundamental concepts, and they oppose each other. Wicca celebrates both the cycles of the moon and the cycles of the sun.
The cycles of the moon are known as Esbats, which are associated with the female deity, the goddess. And the cycle of the sun is associated with the male deity, the horned god.
Many adherents of Wicca use a pentacle (Star with a circle around it) as their symbol to honour the elements of the earth and the directions. Wicca is considered the best-known and most influential academically studied form of Paganism.
Wicca believes in the practice of magic. They affirm the existence of magical powers in nature.
They involve the ritual practice of magic in their beliefs.
What is Witchcraft?
Witchcraft is the practice of supernatural ability, which is called magic. Magic is mostly done by casting spellings or performing rituals.
The concept of witchcraft has existed in the world forever. History has shown witchcraft as a practice at various times among diverse cultures and religions worldwide.
And therefore, all people worldwide are familiar with the term.
Witchcraft is portrayed as a mythical practice. Many people believe that there is no such thing.
Mostly witchcraft has been seen as a bad practice. A person with the power of magic can be overwhelming and bad for other humans.
The magic used for evil purposes is called black magic.
Most often, Witchcraft was seen as cruel and is associated with devil-worshipping. Throughout history, there have been many executions for people with the accusation of them being a witch.
Men with magic abilities are called wizards, and women are called witches. Many times, they are also called Sorcerers.
There have been many entertainment fiction novels, movies, and series that show both good and bad magic. The most famous novel is the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling, which shows witchcraft.
There has been a movie adaptation as well.
Main Differences Between Wicca And Witchcraft
- Wicca is a religion, while witchcraft is not a religion. Wicca is a spiritual belief, while witchcraft is a supernatural ability to do magic.
- The Wiccas include magic in their rituals; therefore, all Wiccas can have the ability of witchcraft however, all the witchcraft practitioners cannot be Wiccans.
- The creation of Wicca was in the early 1940s, which made it a new religion. On the other hand, As per history, Witchcraft may have existed for as forever as human exists.
- Wicca is not seen as bad practice, while Witchcraft is seen as a bad practice. Witchcraft is seen as bad because people with power rule over other people and can be harmful to them. Therefore many times in history, witches have been executed.
- Wicca worship’s God and Goddesses, while witchcraft is not about worshipping gods.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nDdcVt9-jnMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=wicca+and+witchcraft&ots=d7B4_4G6EY&sig=ng3YuZOAaaC0VfcvAke0cOM1uTU
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=kzp63ep-MlQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=wicca+and+witchcraft&ots=uLOd9qLM9Z&sig=9FlLrahl4SLET6fr1TkIkgS7LQo
- https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315246161-15/witchcraft-soon-vanish-earth-wicca-21st-century-jo-pearson
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3FIZftIhYtUC&oi=fnd&pg=PT17&dq=wicca+and+witchcraft&ots=jzAi5ijutf&sig=HQnXCRtJqi94mMKxKbGNQEU7jRE
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The overview of the religious and magical aspects of Wicca and Witchcraft serves as a comprehensive introduction to these belief systems.
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