Q-A_p3

16. THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE: WHY DON'T I EVER HEAR OR READ ABOUT PAGAN CHARITIES OR GOOD WORKS?

Good news makes terrible press. News media and supermarket tabloids would much rather print scandal and controversy. How many times have you seen a headline that attributed a person's conduct to his/her belief in Witchcraft? Do you ever see the same types of stories about Moslems, Jews or Christians?

In addition, organized charity can only be accomplished under certain forms of organized religious structures. That takes leadership, delegation of powers, community resources and accumulation of money and collective wealth.

We focus instead on personal responsibility and the necessity of reflecting Godd/ess in our characters and lives. Occasionally persons in the Craft will join together to change a situation or to help someone, but this is always done quietly and with the full knowledge and permission of those for whom the help of change in requested. It is always done without taking public credit. We feel that Godd/ess knows, and that is all we need.

17. HOW CAN WE SUM THIS UP IN A FEW WORDS?

Wicca, a branch of the spiritual movement called Neopaganism (or Paganism) is primarily a religion of personal, mystical relationship between the Universal Mind as expressed in Nature and the individual. It believes in Magick, or positive change wrought by prayer and ceremonial ritual. It brings its practitioners the joy of union and harmony with Godd/ess as expressed in Nature as well as fellowship with other persons who are on similar paths. Personal responsibility and growth are stressed, dogma and rigid beliefs are discouraged.

18. WHERE DID THE OLD RELIGION COME FROM?
The basic ideas of the Old Religion are found all over the world. Its modern traditions come from the original religions of native peoples. Native tribal religions in Africa and America have existed as long as the tribes. European and American groups are restoring the interrupted traditions of early Europe. There are also groups that combine tribal and other belief and practices. The word "Pagan" means the people of the countryside. "Heathen" means people of the heath-land. In the old days, people living in wilder areas were more likely to keep on practicing their native religions. A "Neo-Pagan" is someone who practices a restored native tradition.

19. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE?
We believe that the purpose of life is to live in harmony with nature and its other creatures, to become more like God (and Goddess), and to help others to do the same.

20. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?
We believe that the spirit is immortal. Birth and death are part of a cycle, and both are necessary, Traditions differ on what happens after the death of the body . Some believe that a person may live again in this world. Others think the spirit lives on in some kind of heaven. Some believe it becomes one with the spirit of nature as the body goes back to the earth. Some believe it joins the ancestors, who can give help and protection to the living. The souls of those who always chose pain and evil when they were alive may be trapped after death in a state of suffering because that is all they can understand.

21. DOYOU PRACTISE BLACK MAGIC?
NO. Many people are afraid because some traditions of the Old Religion call themselves Witches. They may refer to their religion as "Witchcraft" or "Wicca", the Religion of the Wise. "Witchcraft", like science, includes skills that can be used for good or bad purposes. Anybody who uses spiritual powers to bring evil on others is practicing black magic, no matter who they are praying to. In Europe, the early Church called many people who did not agree with it witches and accused them of using their powers for evil. People who simply wanted to keep the religion of their ancestors were given that name. Today, many people who follow the Native European religion call themselves Witches to honor their ancestors who were persecuted for their faith. What they practice is white, or positive magic, which works for good. A rule of Wicca is, "If you harm none, do what you will."

22. SO CAN I BE A CHRISTIAN OR JEWISH OR SOME OTHER RELIGION AND A WICCAN AT THE SAME TIME?

The short answer to this is no, you can't.
Before anyone starts getting offended, notice I didn't say that you could not combine the practices of Christianity (or any other religion) and Wicca if you wanted to. But that makes you neither a Wiccan nor a Christian, but something else entirely.
Wicca is its own religion, just like Christianity is. And both religions have central beliefs and tenets that are completely incompatible with each other and make it impossible to believe in and truly follow both religions at the same time. What you end up doing is picking and choosing what you like from each religion and combining them to form your own religion, which is neither Wicca nor Christianity. or Judaism or whatever religion you currently practice.
For example, Christians believe that the only way to salvation and heaven is through Jesus Christ - that is the central tenet of that religion. Wiccans, however, believe that all spiritual paths are sacred and equally valid. If you don't believe that Jesus Christ is the means to salvation, then how in the world can you call yourself a Christian? But if you do believe that, then you can't truly be a Wiccan.
Typically, this kind of question is from young people who are scared that if they convert to a different religion, they'll go to hell when they die. That's OK - changing your spiritual path can be a scary and uncertain process at first. But if the only reason you're hanging on to your old religion is out of fear, you need to do some serious self-examination. Look at it this way: all the Gods and Goddesses are one God - and why would God get angry at you for worshipping Him in a different way and calling Him by a different name than other religious followers do?
If your fear persists, though, then maybe Wicca is not the right spiritual path for you, and you should concentrate on being the best Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, whatever, that you can be.
Of course, if you feel that Christianity or some other religion is the path for you, that doesn't have to stop you from reading and learning more about any other religion. You can only benefit yourself by learning more about other paths.

23. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WITCHRAFT AND PAGANISM?

That's kind of like asking what the difference is between Baptists and Christians. Paganism is a word used to describe a very broad range of beliefs. Wicca and other forms of the Craft are sort of denominations of Paganism. In other words, most Witches are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Witches. Some Pagans follow Asatru or Druidry or another religious path.