Witchcraft Evaluation through Comparison-Contrast Essay

Witchcraft Evaluation through Comparison-Contrast - Essay Example This paper will shed light upon witchcraft and paganism since 1815; modern day witchcraft will be discussed extensively in the following parts of this paper. â€Å"Before really getting into what Witchcraft is, perhaps we should take a look back at what it was—the history of it. Witches should be aware of their roots; aware of how and why the persecutions came about, for instance, and where and when the re-emergence took place. There is a great deal to be learned from the past. It's true that much of history can seem dry and boring to many of us, but that is far from so with the history of Witchcraft. It is very much alive and filled with excitement.† (Buckland, Raymond. P.1) ... Ancient religion, science fiction and myth all play an important part in witchcraft and paganism; people who practice it often take cues from religion, fiction and myth. Another important aspect of witchcraft and paganism is that people who follow it do not worship evil forces; they consider mother earth very important and usually worship mother earth rather than focusing their energy on evil forces. Satanism is another important topic which comes to mind when paganism and witchcraft is being talked of. There is a lot of difference between Satanism and witchcraft, people who indulge in Satanism pray to the Saturn or the evil forces but the followers of witchcraft do not pray to the Saturn or the evil forces. â€Å"Here in Canada kitchen prophecy is a way of life.† (The "Kitchen Goddess†) This goes to show that prophecy is often practiced by witches. They engage in speculation, they enjoy telling people about what they should expect in the future. Wicca has to be discusse d when witchcraft is being shed light upon, Wicca is a religion. The word Witch generally refers to a person from pagan religion. The roots of Wicca are firmly engraved in our history; people have been practicing it since pre-historic times. It would be inappropriate to consider Wicca as a unified whole. Beliefs and rituals practiced by the Witches vary significantly and this is why it would be inappropriate to consider Wicca as a unified whole. â€Å"There have been many books written on the history of Witchcraft. The vast majority have suffered from bias—as will be explained shortly— but a few of the more recently published ones have told the story accurately... or as accurately as we can determine.†