ALTERNATIVE RELIGIONS of the WORLD TOPIC Wicca Beliefs And

Unit 1: ALTERNATIVE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD TOPIC

Wicca Beliefs and Practices

Gerald Gardner claimed to have been initiated in 1939 into a coven of Witches who met in the New Forest in Hampshire and his two most well-known books Witchcraft Today (1954) and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) produced a huge surge of interest, inspiring a movement that has spread around the world. However, most Wiccans would reject the modern view of witchcraft and the associations with devil worship.

Like many Pagan religions, Wicca practices magic. Wiccans or witches believe that the human mind has the power to effect change in ways that are not yet understood by science. In their rituals, as well as honouring their deities, Witches also perform spells for healing and to help people with general life problems. Magic is practised according to an ethical code that teaches that magic may only be performed to help people when it does not harm others.

Rites take place in a consecrated space, the circle, and even if there is a temple, the circle space is created anew for each rite. The space is first swept with a broomstick to purify it and then blessed with the four elements – air, fire, water and earth. The circle is then symbolically sealed by drawing a circle around it in the air with a wooden wand or a black-handled knife known as an athame. The four directions – east, south, west and north – are then honoured. Within the sacred space, the Goddess and God are invoked and magic performed. Rituals usually end with blessing a chalice of wine and cakes that are shared among the participants.

Sabbats begin at sunset and end at sunset the next day and most rites are held at night, lit evocatively by candles if indoors or by the moon, bonfires and lanterns if outside. For indoor rituals, some Wiccans have rooms set aside as temples in their houses, which they use for rites. Others use their ordinary living space.

The first belief of Wicca is "harm none, do as thou wilt" which means as long as it harms none (including yourself) then do as you please. This applies to everything you do. This also applies to magic which is simply a prayer "acted out." Contrary to popular belief Wiccans do not curse or hex anyone because it goes against their beliefs of “harm none”.

The major festivals of Wicca are known as sabbats. These are held eight times throughout the year and mark changes in the seasons. The festivals are Winter Solstice or Yule on December 20/21, the shortest day, Summer Solstice or Midsummer on June 21/22, the longest day, and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes (March 20/21 and September 20/21) when the hours of darkness and light are equal. In addition, Wiccans also honour their deities at monthly rites known as esbats, which are held on the full Moon, when the mind is thought to be more magically powerful.

The origins of Wicca lie in pre-Christian religious traditions, folklore, folk witchcraft and ritual magic, but most Wiccans draw their inspiration from the 'Book of Shadows', a book of rituals and spells compiled by of one of Wicca's major figures Gerald Gardner (1884-1964).

Those who follow Wicca do not believe in a God as other main world religions do, instead they worship the forms of the Triple Goddess. They associate the three aspects of the Goddess; virgin, mother and wise woman with the waxing, full and waning phases of the Moon. Most Wiccans believe that for wholeness the image of the Divine must be both female and male.

Wicca teaches reincarnation. After death, the spirit is reborn and will meet again with those it had close personal ties in previous lives. The aim of reincarnation is not to escape life on Earth, but to enjoy experiencing it again and again until everything that can be learned has been absorbed. When the spirit ceases to reincarnate, it remains in a blissful realm known as 'The Land of Youth' or the 'Summerland'.

Witches believe that the energies that we create influence what happens to us: negative magic rebounds on the perpetuator but magnified. This process is often known as 'Threefold Law'. Other important ethical teachings are that people should strive to live in harmony with others and with themselves, and with the planet as a whole. Environmental issues are important to Wiccans.

Amish Beliefs and Practices

The Amish separate themselves from the rest of society because they think this keeps them ‘pure’.

They are pacifists they will not serve in the military and do not use guns except for hunting. This makes them different from most conservative Christians, who are the most in favour of gun rights.

They don't own or use modern technology. People drive horses and buggies rather than cars. Many have no telephones or electricity in their homes. They reject progress and technology because it leads to materialism and differences between people – haves and have nots – so it might damage their peaceful existence.

They only marry within the Amish community. This means they don’t vote, don’t take any benefits from the state, don’t use the police or attend mixed schools. They follow the Biblical teaching "be not conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2). If members of the community stray from their values they are shunned and are not allowed to return to the Amish community.

They wear practical and distinctive clothes; straw hats, dark shirts and trousers with braces for men and plain dresses with bonnets for women. The women never cut their hair.

Rastafari Beliefs and Practices

History:

Firstly, whilst Rastafari is a very recent religion, founded in the 1930’s in Jamaica, it has a rich history. It is a religion born in Jamaica, a country whose society and culture for the last four centuries has been formed by the slave trade. When up to 700,000 enslaved Africans were brought to Jamaica. For Africans this exile marked the suppression of their culture by white people, because they were treated as inferior (not as important). White slave-owners not only banned the slaves from practicing their African religions, but also Christianity. So the slave people tried to keep as much of their old faith as possible and practiced this in an undercover way. Therefore, Rastafarianism is still practiced today because it is a tradition for many and helps remind black people living in Jamaica of their rich history.

Prophecy In addition the Rastafarian movement began in Jamaica during the 1930s following a prophecy made by Marcus Garvey, a black political leader. Garvey’s intention was to unify blacks with their land of origin. This was quickly followed by the crowning of Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia. Therefore, Haile Selassie is regarded by Rastafaris as the Black Messiah, Jah Rastafari. He is a figure of salvation and it's believed he will be able to take black people back from white suppressors, reuniting them with their homeland, Africa. The religion takes its name from Haile Selassie's original name - Ras Tafari Makonnen. Rastafarians believe that the suppression of black people is ending and that soon they will all return to Ethiopia. Therefore, Rastafari is still practiced today because the time has not yet come for them to return to Ethiopia.

Music Furthermore, the development of Reggae music during this period made Rastafari audible and visible to an international audience a famous musician called Bob Marley played an instrumental part in helping spread the Rastafarian message. Reggae music is a very important part of self-expression for some Rasta’s and Bob Marley included many of the Rastafarian beliefs into this songs that became famous all over the world. Bob Marley’s music is still highly respected and much loved in today’s world. Therefore Rastafari is still practiced today because Bob Marley was key in spreading the key beliefs through the Reggae music.

Worship and practices Finally, in Rastafari there is NO specific religious building that is set aside for worship. Rastafarians usually meet weekly, either in a believer's home or in a community centre. The meetings are called Reasoning sessions. They provide a time for chants, prayers and singing, and for communal issues to be discussed. Often, Rastafarians will use Marijuana (Cannabis) during these meetings to bring about religious visions and a calm nature. Rastafarians believe that marijuana use is sacred, following biblical texts justifying its use: ...eat every herb of the land. Exodus 10:12

Rastafarians can often be recognised from the way they style their hair. Rastafarians grow their hair long, before coiling it into dreadlocks. The wearing of hair in dreadlocks by Rastafarians is believed to be spiritual; this is justified in the Bible: They shall not make baldness upon their head. Leviticus 21:5. Therefore Rastafari is still practiced in this way today, because they are following teachings from the Bible.