Misconceptions of Wicca and Witchcraft
Often associated with the idea that Wiccans are Satanists are the notions that Wiccans have big orgies out in the woods, that they sacrifice people or animals, that they do evil magic on people, etc. Hollywood myth rears its ugly head again. Most Wiccans and many Witches believe that sexuality is a sacred thing and celebrate fertility as a natural part of life's cycle. However, this does not equate with "have sex with anything that moves". Rituals are not required to include group sex and orgies. (Anything of that nature going on is because the participants desire it, not because it's part of Wiccan liturgy or dogma!!)
Let's address that pesky rumor of animal sacrifice, too. While there are religions that do sacrifice animals for specific needs (Voodoo, for example), Wiccans generally do not. Even paths that do have rituals calling for sacrifice harness the energy of the animal for a specific purpose. They aren't rounding up stray cats off the street to torture them and hang them from trees by their tails. That's called animal cruelty. For a jump point to more information about Voodoo and other similar paths, try http://www.religioustolerance.org/voodoo...
And before I go any further, let's address the Witch Hunts. When I was new to Wicca and the Internet, the "Burning Times" were a hot topic. Millions of Witches were burned at the stake during the 1600s because the Christians were persecuting them, right? Well, no. It was more like a hundred thousand. Many of them were hanged not burned, and not because they really were Witches. Most of them were actually Christian. There are a lot of theories on the European Witch Hunt craze. More information: http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_bu... http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_bu... and http://wicca.timerift.net/burning.html. There are also myriad books on the subject, but I would stick to sources with authors knowledgeable in historical fact with extensively researched bibliographies.
With the big misconceptions out of the way, we can move on to some finer points. All Witchcraft and magic is not evil. I often compare magical energy to electricity when I'm trying to explain this to people. Electricity doesn't have a will or intelligence. We can harness its power to drive life support machines or to take someone's life; we decide what intent the energy will have. Magical energy is the same. The user decides whether to use that energy to heal or to curse. Do Wiccans and Witches sometimes use magic for "bad" things?
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