Are Wiccans Satanic?

One question that comes up constantly is whether Wiccans are devil worshippers or satanic in any way. There seems to be a general fear of Wiccans in our culture, as is to be expected when there is little known about a certain group. The kind of fear brought on by ignorance is something anyone from any religious persuasion can fall victim to. The goal of this article is to educate and create understanding, nothing more.

To continue on with the question at hand, it is important to spend a moment on the definition of words. A serious study of how words mean anything will uncover a long-standing controversy among linguistic scholars. Some say words have (at some level) inherent meaning, while others argue meaning is assigned by society and could be changed if everyone agreed on the new meaning of a word (think Juliet's famous soliloquy about names in "Romeo and Juliet"). It is also important to understand not everyone means the same thing when they refer to something as satanic. Some religious groups claim the vast majority of the world is satanic (Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc) while others reserve the term for a select few who openly profess allegiance to the devil.

Since there is a disagreement on terms, there will never be a consensus on which groups are satanic and which are not. More useful, then, would be to supply information about what Wicca is and allow people to draw their own conclusions. It is likely there are people who consider Wicca to be satanic based on inaccurate information about the beliefs of the movement.

It is important to understand that Wicca is not as organized a religion as some may think. Some Wiccans practice alone, while others meet regularly in groups. There is a diversity of beliefs and viewpoints within Wicca. In general, Wicca is a hearkening back to nature-based belief systems that were prevalent in pre-Christian Europe. Wiccans in general do not believe in a supreme evil in the universe (i.e. the devil) and so argue they cannot worship what they do not believe in. Wiccans openly acknowledge themselves as witches. Traditional Christian belief puts witches in league with the devil, as was made clear in the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

Wiccans, however, traditionally worship a goddess and a god, who are members of a pantheon of other deities. Wicca involves the practice of magic as well. Wiccans generally observe eight seasonal festivals. Wiccans also believe in morality, based on the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law (said by some to be the Wiccan version of karma).

Some theologians have pointed out that Satanism is actually tied to Christianity. It is Christianity that preaches the existence of a devil, and those who started the satanic movement did so as a reaction to traditional Christian theology. Still, some Christians argue any group worshipping any god other than Jesus is by definition a Satanist because all false religions come from the devil.

Such beliefs can cause quite a bit of anxiety for Wiccans who are looking to announce their beliefs publicly for the first time (called "coming out of the broom closet"). Some Wiccans fear rejection by loved ones, friends, and close associates.

Click here for more information on Wicca and here for a Christian apologist approach to Wicca.