I am looking into Wicca and the occult. Your response?
for study purpose, and yes all, I know it is 2 diff subjects, just as satanism is not related to it either.
Wicca is okay. I read about it but it just didn't do it for me. But I do like the whole idea about the sun, moon, stars, trees. But then i realized who made all of that stuff.God! But I am for whatever makes another person a better person.
FAQ: How could a loving God cast people into hell?
"And I have the keys of hell and death, signifies that He alone can save. By "keys" is signified the power of opening and shutting; here the power of opening hell, that man may be brought forth, and of shutting, lest, when he is brought forth, he should enter again. For man is born in evils of all kinds, thus in hell, for evils are hell; he is brought out of it by the Lord, to whom belongs the power of opening it. That by "having the keys of hell and death," is not meant the power of casting into hell, but the power of saving, is because it immediately follows after these words:
Behold, I am alive for ages of ages;
by which is signified that He alone is eternal life (n. 60); and the Lord never casts anyone into hell, but man casts himself. By "keys" is signified the power of opening and shutting, in Revelation also (3:7; 9:1; 20:1; also in Isa. 22:21, 22; in Matt. 16:19; and in Luke 11:52). The power of the Lord is not only over heaven, but also over hell; for hell is kept in order and connection by oppositions against heaven; for which reason, He who rules the one must necessarily rule the other; otherwise man could not be saved; to be saved is to be brought out of hell" (Apocalypse Revealed n. 62).
Wicca is such a misunderstood religion. People who don't know any better normally associate it with "devil worship" when in fact Wiccans do not believe in Satan. That EVIL pentagram that's portrayed in movies, it stands for air, wind, fire, water & spirit. Wicca is a nature-based religion and is in tune with the rhythms of nature. Pretty scary stuff huh???
I'm an Isian Witch. It's a path that works of me. My suggestion is study everything you can and when you find something that works for you... run with it.
The Pagan path is not for everyone.
As far as the occult goes. That is a pretty big and diverse sphere. You could be studying for a long time.
I've studied Wicca. Too "white light" and self righteous to me. They work so hard to discern the differences between "white" magic and "black" magic when there is no difference. It's all combining,directing, and using energy for one reason or another.
You may be interested in these sites:
Excerpt for the US Army Chaplains handbook for a description of how the US government describes Wicca:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_usbk.htm
For a short bio on the founder of Wicca:
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/g/gardner_gerald_b.html
For an excellent (although long) article on the history of Wicca:
http://www.geraldgardner.com/History_of_Wicca_Revised.pdf
For a description and historical look at the Wiccan Reed (code of ethics):
http://www.waningmoon.com/ethics/rede.shtml
Other good descriptions of Wicca from unbiased sources:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/wicca.html