Two questions but it is necessary to understand what witchcraft is before forming an opinion on whether witchcraft is real or not. In order to discover what witchcraft is we need to strip away the hype generated by the likes of Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general. Witchcraft does not resemble the commonly portrayed television series such as Bewitched or Charmed, or the blockbuster movies such as Harry Potter. These are just creations of their respective writers and glamorized by the big studios for entertainment value.
Witchcraft itself was originally a way of life practiced over many centuries and not really thought of as witchcraft until the Middle Ages when the Catholic church turned its attention towards Pagan practices. There are quite a few variations of belief systems that were practiced and are now collectively labeled as witchcraft. Some of the more commonly known would be Druidism, Herbalism, and Spiritualism but there are many more. Of themselves the practice of any of them does not make someone a witch as that determination is made by the practitioner. This made little difference to the Catholic church and all such practices were seen as heresy and resulted in the persecution of witches.
Today witchcraft is thought of as a Pagan religion which makes it as legitimate a religion as any other. The more modern variation of Traditional witchcraft, Wicca witchcraft, is far more open and regimented than the older practices and has gained a large following in the western world. Like any religion it is a way of life which is practiced by its members which gather in covens rather than a congregation. The result is the same no matter what terms are used as these groups worship their own particular belief structure.
Understanding what witchcraft is allows for a determination for the second question posed in the article title. As a religion it is as real as any other which means that if you believe it to be real then it is. More information on Witchcraft can be found at Witchcraft Reviews.
Article Source: What is Witchcraft and is Witchcraft Real? - Ezine Article
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Witchcraft - Is it Real?
There are any number of articles, books, and magazines that have asked whether witchcraft is real or just a myth, but a large number of such publications have a tendency to direct their thoughts towards magic and spells rather than looking into what witchcraft really is. In order to understand witchcraft it is necessary to examine the beliefs and history behind it.
Witchcraft is a Pagan religion meaning that it does not follow the three main religious paths of Judaism, Islam, or Christianity. The fundamental belief of witchcraft is the worship of nature often seen through ceremonies involving the seasons, moon, and sun. This does not mean that ancient civilizations which worshiped the sun, for instance, followed witchcraft. We are all aware that the Egyptians revered the sun as a God called Ra but this did not make them witches, merely a Pagan society as we would explain it today.
Ancient civilizations that worshiped nature would not see themselves as Pagan as it was just the way of life for them at the time. Paganism is a relatively modern concept. We tend to look back through history with eyes clouded by our modern religions which are not really that old. Our ancestors worshiped many different things long before organized religion surfaced and some of their practices have been linked to witchcraft because of their focus on nature.
Witchcraft is classified today as a Pagan religion which means that it is has a belief system which is followed by its practitioners much like any other religion in the world. The more traditional forms of witchcraft do not adhere to any type of strict code but more modern variations, such as Wicca, have evolved into what we would call a more regimented form of religious practice. The fact that witchcraft is now seen as a form of religion makes it as real as any other belief system. Christians believe in Christianity and witches believe in witchcraft, both are equally viable as a religion as their practitioners believe them to be true.
Magic and spells are a topic unto themselves and our perception of them has been altered by the likes of Hollywood to such an extent that it is harder to explain. More information on Witchcraft can be found at Witchcraft Reviews, the more complex nature of magic, and its existence will need to be discussed in other articles.
Article Source: Witchcraft - Is it Real? - Ezine Article
Witchcraft is a Pagan religion meaning that it does not follow the three main religious paths of Judaism, Islam, or Christianity. The fundamental belief of witchcraft is the worship of nature often seen through ceremonies involving the seasons, moon, and sun. This does not mean that ancient civilizations which worshiped the sun, for instance, followed witchcraft. We are all aware that the Egyptians revered the sun as a God called Ra but this did not make them witches, merely a Pagan society as we would explain it today.
Ancient civilizations that worshiped nature would not see themselves as Pagan as it was just the way of life for them at the time. Paganism is a relatively modern concept. We tend to look back through history with eyes clouded by our modern religions which are not really that old. Our ancestors worshiped many different things long before organized religion surfaced and some of their practices have been linked to witchcraft because of their focus on nature.
Witchcraft is classified today as a Pagan religion which means that it is has a belief system which is followed by its practitioners much like any other religion in the world. The more traditional forms of witchcraft do not adhere to any type of strict code but more modern variations, such as Wicca, have evolved into what we would call a more regimented form of religious practice. The fact that witchcraft is now seen as a form of religion makes it as real as any other belief system. Christians believe in Christianity and witches believe in witchcraft, both are equally viable as a religion as their practitioners believe them to be true.
Magic and spells are a topic unto themselves and our perception of them has been altered by the likes of Hollywood to such an extent that it is harder to explain. More information on Witchcraft can be found at Witchcraft Reviews, the more complex nature of magic, and its existence will need to be discussed in other articles.
Article Source: Witchcraft - Is it Real? - Ezine Article
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