THE DIFFERENCES:

                                   VS      

Christianity

Wicca

MONOTHEISM. Christianity is monotheistic, meaning there is only one supreme God. A Christian is supposed to worship none other than God.

DUOTHEISM/POLYTHEISM. Depending on the person's beliefs, Wicca is duotheistic or polytheistic. This means that there are more than one deity. For most Wiccans, there are two -- the God and the Goddess. For others, there are entire pantheons of gods (like the Greek gods and goddesses) each with different characteristics.

HEAVEN. Heaven is the eventual destination of the soul of a "good" Christian.

SUMMERLAND. Summerland is the place where the Wiccan's soul goes to rest before being reincarnated.

NO REINCARNATION. After death, the soul remains in Heaven or Hell eternally.

REINCARNATION. After death, the soul is reincarnated into a new physical being. (This cycle just keeps going and going.)

SATAN. In Christianity, there is a supreme evil known as the Devil or Satan who is considered the ruler of Hell.

NO SATAN. The God and Goddess represent both the dark and the light, the balance. There is no supreme evil in Wicca.

HELL. The "bad" people are sent to eternal damnation in Hell.

KARMA. In Wicca, there is no Hell. The three-fold law or karma returns all negativity that a person sends out back to that person. This is how a person "pays" for their evil deeds. Rather than burn in Hell for eternity, they receive a just punishment from the gods.

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PRAYER. A Christian requests help or guidance from God/Christ through prayer.

RITUAL. Wiccans pray, too. But rituals or spells can be considered the equivalent of Christian prayer. A Wiccan asks their God/dess to provide the protection, help, or results they need through their magickal workings if not through simple prayer.

BIBLE. Scriptures that tell of the life of Christ and guidelines for Christian living. Told through the eyes of the Christian prophets.

NO EQUIVALENT. There is no final written word in Wicca. Some may think of the Rede as the equivalent of the Bible, which is a matter of opinion, but I do not agree with that.

TEN COMMANDMENTS. Have no other gods, make no "graven" images of anything, don't take the Lord's name in vain, pray and rest on the Sabbath day, honor your father and mother, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not "bear false witness" against your neighbor, don't covet anything that's not yours.

WICCAN REDE. One very simple rule. "An it harm none, do as ye will."

HOLIDAYS and SABBATHS. Christian holy days, like Easter and Christmas, celebrate important days in the life of Jesus Christ (birth, resurrection). Sabbaths are based on important events in the Bible and in Christianity's history.

SABBATS. There are eight sabbats which are celebrated by Wiccans. They have little difference from the main Christian holidays because the Christian holidays have their origins in pagan celebrations which existed BEFORE Christianity. Christmas originated from the pagan Yule celebration, and Easter comes from the pagan sabbat of Eostar.

CHURCH/TEMPLE. Sanctuary of Christian worship or the house of God.

CIRCLE/COVENSTEAD. Some Wiccans may have temples, but most worship and practice rituals within a circle cast anywhere necessary. Others may consider their covenstead (where their coven meets) a place of sanctuary.