BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Wicca Wicca and Atheism

Hey everyone.

I've just started to investigate Wicca and i'm finding that many of the beliefs are similar to my own. However i have an important question;

can an atheist person practise Wicca and call themselves a Witch?

I would like to hear the opinions of anyone willing to reply and would be very interested to hear from any Witches here that are atheist.

Thanks guys

Hi, welcome to the forum. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> What a thought provoking question.

I'm not convinced that an atheist can be a witch because to practise as a witch you really need to have a belief in a greater power. Without any core beliefs I feel any witchcraft would be empty play acting.

I'd be interested to hear what other people out there think.

Perhaps if gamma went the route of balance; earth, air, water, fire, as opposed to gods and goddesses...it could be done. However I would have to agree with Lauren in general...tho there may be no rabbits being pulled out of a hat there is a difference between magic and magick.

Wic�ca ( P ) Pronunciation Key (wk)
n.
A polytheistic Neo-Pagan nature religion inspired by various pre-Christian western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother goddess and which includes the use of herbal magic and benign witchcraft.
A group or community of believers or followers of this religion.


a�the�ist ( P ) Pronunciation Key (th-st)
n.
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.

polytheism is the belief in many gods...basically an antonymn for atheism.

You may want to do some meditation and self search to find out which path really is for you.

good luck =]

If you are a practicioner of Wicca, then you are not an atheist.

However, I do know several people who identify as pagan, who do not work with any gods/goddesses/deities. Several of them are closely involved with science. They believe the Earth and Nature are the higher powers at work and have great respect for the planet and animals, etc.

Rae is correct... If you practice Wicca you are not Atheist. Wicca is a religion that incorporates a belief in Goddess & God.

However, while many people use the words interchangeably, A Witch is someone who practices witchcraft, whether they practice a religion or not. So an Atheist could IMO be a Witch.

Anyone can do energy working, which is the basis of witchcraft - to bend energy to work your magic. But to be a Wiccan there needs to be a belief in deity.

If you are unsure about deity at this point, working with a path of balance as Wendy suggested, might be a good avenue to begin with.

Thanks for the replys. There were some interesting points mentioned. I will continue to investigate Wicca and widen the search.

Hopefully, after a while my path will be identified, whether it is Wiccan, Pagan, witchcraft or anything else. Does anyone know a good site to investigate pure witchcraft (no belief in higher beings)?

hey...you started a good discussion. Certainly got me thinking. <img src="/images/graemlins/angel.gif" alt="" />

Not sure about sites, but I love Scott Cunningham's books. He had a lovely down to earth way of writing that makes you feel he was talking directly to you. His suggested spells & rituals are very practical and you could probably work them without rewriting your belief system. I adore his book on Incenses & Brews.

Cunningham's books are excellent and I recommend them often <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Also maybe take a look at Phyllis Currott's book Witch Crafting, and Diane Sylvan's book The Circle Within.

Hi,

I'm new here and I hope I don't step on any toes with my first post. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I'm an atheist and am now beginning my studies in Wicca. I wondered, myself, if there would be a conflict between the two until I started reading Margot Adler's "Drawing Down the Moon" and in it she says on p. 20: "...you will encounter priests and priestesses who say that they are philosophical agnostics...Others will tell you that the gods and goddesses are 'ethereal beings.' Still others have called them symbols, powers, archetypes, or 'something deep and strong within the self to be contacted'...

The last one is why I have continued. I have internalized the goddess; she is inside me and I am learning to call on her when needed. As an atheist I do not accept external deities but will accept an internal one.

That is one of the beautiful things about Wicca - it's lack of dogma and regimentation. Everyone is free to find their own path and even start their own tradition.

Um, not to sound nit picky...but an atheist technically rejects a deity of any kind for any kind of worship/guidance.
However, as long as this is the path that brings you solace and comfort in the world, as my path does me, blessed be