Wicca Vs Hinduism

        The definition of the word religion according to several dictionaries is a belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers to be obeyed and worshiped as the creator and the ruler of the universe, or any specific systems of belief, worship or conduct often involving a code of ethics and philosophy. My personal definition of the word religion is anything that helps people develop a self understanding, provides comfort, helps people develop values and morals, and something that may answer the questions that may otherwise be unanswerable. Our text book states that most religions follow eight elements. These elements are a belief system or worldview, a community or followers who believe and practice the religion, central myths or stories that express the religious beliefs of the religion, rituals or ceremonies enacting the beliefs, ethics, rules, and guidelines about human behavior, characteristic emotional experiences, material expression such as statues, rituals objects, clothing and specific location, and the last of the eight is sacredness or a distinction between ordinary things and those things that are considered sacred (Experiencing World Religions). Although these are the characteristics that help us define the word religion, they are not all required for a belief to be called a religion.

ELEMENTS OF MY RELIGION

        According to our text, Scottish anthropologist, James Frazier, “saw the origins of religion in early attempts by human beings to influence nature, and he identified religion as an intermediate stage between magic and science” (Experiencing World Religions pg 11). This quote leads me to my religion, which has a few different names. Some say I am a Panentheistic Christian, some call me a trinitarian Wiccan, some have even said Pagan, and bluntly called me a witch. I cannot honestly tell you the name of my religion, but I can tell you what my family practices. We believe in God, but our religion is monotheistic, henotheistic, and panentheistic. We believe in the beauty of the forest, in the light of the moon, the power of the sunrise and sunset, the pull of the tides, and the way the sun, rain, and other meteorlogical influences contribute to life cycles, and that God is within all things. God put nature there for all of us to use, and we do. We practice natural, herbal healing, metaphysical healing, Reiki, and Shamanism. We are not a cult, do not worship Satan, consort with demons, and we do not sacrifice animals or humans as people falsely accuse Wiccans of. That is stealing a life force and a sin against nature and the Ten Commandments. We, as natural healers, use techniques of energy channeling, metaphysical healing, and herbal and food mixtures to restore physical and emotional well-being for any that are in need. Like Hinduism, we also practice yoga, which is a part of meditation. Included in our daily lives is the ceremonial act of showing reverence to God through prayer and devotion. This is similar to puja, but we do not use materialistic things or make offerings. Also like Hindus, we believe in Dharma and Karma, everything that is essential for people, the world, and nature to exist and prosper together, in truth and harmony. This is the basis of our ethical system.