 |
 
|
|
Revival of the Old Religion When the Witches went into hiding, the Family Traditions or Hereditary Witchcraft was born. Families would pass their rituals, traditions and beliefs through the generations, insuring the Old Ways would live on, even if adapted to fit the times and the need for secrecy. In 1951, England repealed the last law against Witchcraft. In 1986, the United States Supreme Court recognized Wicca as a religion, and as such was entitled to constitutional rights and protections. In 1994, the World Parliament of Religions acknowledged Wicca as a legitimate religion. Even with all the political declarations, many Wiccans continued to practice in secrecy rather than deal with a population who still hold Witches as evil. Times are changing though.
Gerald Gardner,
the man credited with the rebirth (or birth, depending on your view)
of the modern Wiccan religion, decided no longer keep the practice
of Witchcraft a secret. Out of fear of the religion dying, he began
to write books on Wicca and the practice of The Craft, the first
being "Witchcraft Today." And thus, a religion was reborn. Today, books, magazines and articles can be found in abundance at your local bookstore or even library. The advent of the Internet has lead to an unpresidented growth in Wicca, unmatched by other religions. Now, one only has to go online to find other Witches, gather information or learn the ropes of Witchcraft. Hollywood has even jumped on the Wiccan bandwagon with movies featuring their version of Craft practitioners such as "The Craft" and television shows such as "Charmed" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Whether this is good or bad or indifferent is up for debate. But one can at least take heart in the fact that none of these Witches are green-skinned, wear pointy hats, worship the Devil or were burned at the stake. So, where does that leave us? Even though more and more people are finding a home within The Craft, ingrained prejudices still exist in the general population. It is our job to educate them, to become ambassadors of our Religion. We must be role models and contributing members of the community. We must make a difference and work hard to help dispel the myths that have plagued our religion for centuries. For more ideas on taking the next step, visit the Proactive Pagan forum in our message board.
Glossary |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
