To start with, Wicca is not a “devil worshiping” sect nor is it a cult. A cult is defined as having blind and unquestioning faith in one central figure, or deity, whose every supposed commandment is considered to be the one and only truth. Cult followings entail the complete and absolute belief that no other ideology or belief system can lead to any sort of truth. It is extremely difficult to find a Wiccan anywhere who will follow or believe blindly in just anyone.
Wiccans are generally very independent and self-sufficient people who seek truth from the higher-self through rituals, meditation, magic, study and nature. Witches respect the rights of all people to worship in whatever way seems right to that person. Wiccans believe that Wicca is just one of many paths to enlightenment of the spirit and soul. The very heart and tenet of Wicca is “Do as ye will and it harm none…”.
Wiccans are not Satanists, nor is there a devil in the Craft. The concept of a single supreme evil spirit or being is a completely alien concept to Wicca. In fact most witches do not even believe in the Christian devil. The devil is a construct of the Judeo-Christian belief system and as such has no part in Wicca. The idea that witches or Wiccans worship the Christian devil was a false idea, among many others, spread by the Roman Catholic Church as they slaughtered their way across the European continent in an effort to spread their blood-soaked religion. It was a way to suppress and even destroy the native earth-based religions that had been around since pre-Christian and pre-historic times.
The Catholic/Christian church very nearly succeeded, and any practitioners of the old earth-based religions were driven “underground” where much of the ancient knowledge was lost for many long years. Through the work of magical groups, and people such as Gerald Gardener, as well as a great deal of extensive archaeological and anthropological research done on the ancient cultures, many of these traditions have been recovered again. The term Neo-Paganism was coined, and has become a generic term for the modern earth-based religions such as Wicca.
Today Wicca is a neo-pagan religion made up of the many traditions that date back to pre-Christian and prehistoric Earth religions. Wicca has a deep rooted respect for nature and the realization that we are all part of this great cycle of life. Wiccans believe that all life is sacred and should not be exploited for selfish gain. You can find the conservation and ecology of the planet, and all living things on it, at the very heart of Wicca. Wiccans believe that all animate and inanimate objects possess a spirit that is part of the Source. Witches celebrate the vital forces of nature, of the Goddess and her husband, The God which Wiccans view as the feminine and masculine aspects of the Creative Life Force, or more simply the Source.
In short, Wicca is not a cult, it is not evil, nor do Wiccans worship a devil, kill animals or babies, drink blood, ride brooms across the sky, or any of the other ridiculous ideas that have been part of the collective conscious for far too long thanks to the Church and Hollywood.
Blessed Be.
