The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

I have never understood the differance between the two....is there any at all?

One can be a pagan and Wiccan, but not all pagans are wiccan.

Pagan is a general blanket term for those who worship multiple gods, or a term used by most christian churches for those who do not worship the single god of abraham. Pagan is often used interchangably with heathen.

Yes there are differences.As in most religions there are several varieties of pagans and wiccans aswell.It's mostly a matter of small differences, but enough to make them quite separate in nature.I would go into more specifics but it has been awhile since I've brushed up on my old ways and I don't want to offend anyone by mistakenly saying something that isn't correct.I've studied quite abit about the pagan and wiccan way of life and at this point it would be very easy for me to mix things up.

Wiccans Beleive in Nature
Pagans Beleive in nature and many Gods.
this is what I was told correct me if im wrong.
~Yours In The Darkness~

Wiccans are typically nature worshipping or Goddess/God worshipping people who believe that any harm they bring into the universe will be revisted upon themselves. Pagans can be anything from Wiccans to Druids to people who don't believe in a corporeal god. There's tons of info out on the web.

this is what i have been told i dont ahere to it but it does kinda make sense

To say that one is pagan, is to say that you are of an alternative spitituality. Native americans are also considered pagan. Its more about spirituality and less about religion. Wicca is a specific type of pagan who practices witchcraft and performs rituals. Wiccan is a newer term, and alot of the older craft families just call themselves craft, or occultists. I would do some research if your interested, there is no better way to learn.

I believe the term pagan was created by the first Roman Emperor whom stopped the sacrifice of Christians in the Colleseum for use as Gladiators. Pagan referred to peoples who had come before whom had treated the Christians wrong. I forget the name of this Emperor, but the Pagans that had come before were polytheistic, and Christandom is monotheistic. There is the distinction.

I'm inclined to agree with the people above me.

I like the comment "Wiccans are pagans, but not all pagans are Wiccan". That really is the best way to put it in a nutshell.

I am pagan, I believe in many gods/goddesses, "worship" if you will nature, and actually prefer to work w/ animal spirits when doing any kind of magick.

My mother is Wiccan. She believes in the Goddess and her consort the God. She prays to them every night, and calls upon them for energy when doing magick.

So, they are different in those ways. :) There are more, but those are the ones I can think of right now. lol

Pagan is a deragatory term for all religions non Judo-Christian in aspect, except for Satanism and Luciferianism.

While Wiccan is a narrow term for a single old religion non christian aligned.

- Sin

I am a Wiccan a solitary one. I believe in karma and recarnation. I believe in the three-fold law, if I do harm to someone, it comes back to me in Spirit, body, and mind. I believe in the God and the Goddess. Pagan is someone who is spirituality in some type of Earth based religion/s

SunZar hit it on the head, Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan...

Right out of one of my textbooks ~ Pagan is the name used to describe various non-Christian groups who base their religion on ancient traditions and pantheons of deities. A Witch is a Pagan, but a Pagan is not necessarily a Witch.

Pagan is a term that means 'country person'. Back in the old days, when Christianity was swinging its giant conversion hammer, they'd get to the people in larger towns and cities. So, the people they didn't reach and covert, were the 'country people', and 'country people' became generally known as people who were not Christian. 'Pagan' stuck.

Wicca is actually a fairly new religion, drawing upon older religions. It came up in the past hundred years or so, when Gerald Gardner made it popular in 1954. He claimed that Wicca is an ancient religion, which of course there is the possibility, but beyond 1920, there's no proof.

Check out this link:
Wiccan history

This has some good information for you that you may find useful.

Pagan is a term for people who believe in multiple gods.

Wicca is a rebirth of an old religion and it's more of a way of life than a religion persay.

I am just beginning to study Wicca again after years of being a "Christian." I'm by no means an expert, though. I just thought I'd put out there what my own definitions of the two things were.

Pagan has become a umbrella term much like Christian covers Catholic, Baptist, Quaker and all that follow the teachings of the Bible. Pagan does the same with Druids, Wiccans, Astartu and all the other nature based religions that allow for the worship of gods/goddess' or nature itself.
Wicca is a fairly new religion among them and covers several divisions among it's own family of followers.

Nightgame says it well.

I am pagan, with wiccan and other tendencies and a sole practioner. I take what feels right for me and how I'd like to work it.

i am both a paggwn and a wiccin there really arent any diffrince eecept in there richuls for magic

spell check..ppl...rituals...lol some great responses here....nice to see that some know what they r talking about

but of course we all at least should know the religion we practice or whatnot. ive been a solitary pagan for the last 2 or 3 years. i once tried to follow the wiccan path at one point or another but that was before i took an interest in paganism.

pagan seems to be the name givent o things that christians dont have control over

Pagans and wiccans are not necessarily the same, as all wiccans are pagans, but not all pagans are wiccans.

well i am pagan and yet i still belive in karma what you send out will come back to you.....i also am a big beliver on nature and i only worship one goddess.not several...... i have read up on alot of the wiccan ways and can relate to it yet i know its not me....... many people say many things ..... i think it all depends on were you take it and how you feel .... i dont think really you could put a label on it..... the only way to actually know the real diffrences is to research them and know for yourself.....there maybe more simularities than you think......because what one might consider pagen anouther may not........and vice versa

Pagans is a term best used for those who are of druid decent or are in the wiccan belief but again like many have said before me not all pagans are wiccans.

great question, I myself wondered as well. But heres another question, does the Pagan biker gang have any relevance?

I did not read everyones responses so I apologize if this is a repeat.

I am pagan. A pagan as said above is a blanket term. The way I usually explain it to most people is ..... Christian can mean that you are baptist, methodist, catholic, etc. Pagan can mean you are wiccan, druid, satanist, agnostic, atheist, etc. Basically if you are anything besides christian you are considered pagan by definition even if you are atheist. Its all a label eitherway. lol.

I myself am ecclectic, which means I have my own beliefs and ways of thinking. I do not follow anyone particular path except the one I find right for me.

I recall having a person once argue with me saying all pagans were wiccan. I could do nothing but laugh at him and tell him that he needed to study up a bit more before he argued with me on something I am and he isnt. I do find it to be a common misconception though. All pagans get ragged on by many people and the truth is 99% of the time the person ragging on a pagan person has no clue as to what that person believes. I myself have studied very much on the subject and never mind discussing it with a person. :) Eitherway, yes just think of pagan as a label placed on those that are not christian.

I hope that helps, and is not to repetitive of the above posts. If you do have any questions and would like to discuss things further I am available, although I am sure your answer has been found from the posts above mine. The ones I read were very good.

Pagan is the understanding of the older ways..Wiccan is modern religion and the two do parrel each other. Pagan unfortunately is used as a title and it should not be that way. I am Wiccan..not Pagan..One can be a witch, which is the practice of..and not be Wiccan..and visa versa

ill agree with my esteemed peers above me,and yes the adage about wiccans and pagans is very true

As said many times before Wiccans are Pagans but not all pagans are Wiccans. I'm a Wiccan but many people think that because of this pagans practice all wicca things but they don't Each witch has their own way of doing things so the general things are not always used but in short some Pagans are offended when you call them Wiccans so be forewarned.

wicca is one of "new religions"
but pagans ussually practice older religions, that was before christianity

After reading all of this I see what both sides are so I wonder what is a person who keeps all "options" open.
In the sense that there may or may not be a single god.

I have read the whole thread and I will agree with the ones who say it is just a Blanket "term" that is used for them that do not worship the One God, they are Pagan and Wiccan is mainly nature and nurturing religion.... I am Wiccan and it is a very strong belief to me... I practice magi and spells all the time... My Pagan Brothers call them Rituals, difference just another way of say it. :)

wicca is whole different religion, i have never been wiccan but i believe in ceremonial magick like witchcraft. as u can practice witchcraft and not me wiccan, wicca is pagan but reminda me of other orthodox religions

to me there is little difference. Pagans belive in many godsgoddeses and Wiccans belive in nature and witchcraft. you can be both Wiccan and Pagan.

Interestingly enough, I've been approached by several student in my high school that feel trapped by the christian element here in the south. I hope to lead/moderate discussions into this on club days. I ask for everyones well wishes because there may be a lot of snares along the way. Yes, even in America, the land of the supposed free.

honestly i do not think there is much of a difference at all if there is even a difference

wiccans also believe in many gods and goddesses not just nature although that is a major element in wicca, although i may be wrong as i never really studied wicca lot

polytheism is seen in other religions besides wicca and following the three fold law does not nessisarily a Wiccan make. Its such a subjective concept and nearly as impossible to define. What makes you wiccan may not be even remotely close to what makes another call themselves the same. 20 years ago It made a difference to me as to whether I would call myself pagan or Wiccan but now it is no concern. For me, the older I get, the less labels matter. I think it might be the same for others who have followed similiar path.

Nightgame and SunZar are right . If you need to know more though just research it.. there is more then enough info out there. I am Pagan as well.. and in many of my book it says the same.. Wiccans are / can be Pagans but Pagans are NOT Wiccan.

yes there is they share simmula thougths but there are many differences

There are differences between to two but don't exactly know what they are being that I practice neither. Although it's good topic.

I guess in hindsight I have always been a witch of sorts. Knowledge brings power, and I have always learned from all the religions, especially Budhism.


So that makes me a Pagan, but I was sort of under the impression wiccan are women and not all women are wiccan, or vice versa, kinds a sub set issue, for so,e comedy relief on splitting hairs.

Skylla made a good post. I hope she feels better this week.

As it has been said before "Pagan" is a blanket term.I am a Wiccan and a Pagan.My friends also find it easier to say that I'm a pagan because they don't have to specify anything to any people who ask about my pentacle behind my back.Correct me if I'm wrong but i think druids are also pagans .

yeah, to me there is a difference.. Pagans woship the all old gods,and still continue to follow ALL the old practices, wiccans only worship mother nature aka the goddess and follow narrowed down practices.

All Wiccans are pagans, but not all pagans are wiccans.

Simple!

wicca has some rules i don't agree with, like do what you will but harm none, i'm sorry i don't by that being pagen gives you free reign to do more things

Wiccans around here are fakes so I don't really know how to respond to this. My girlfriend is pagan and she gets very passionate about it.

I don't believe that there is much difference between the two...why? Ask any church elder what does he think about wicca and he'll answer "Paganism! Heresy"...
Yes, wicca worships nature, but I recently talked with someone who was practicing wicca and somehow it came out that wicca worships the gods of nature...every element having its own god...but not specified by name...
Paganism, to be exact, was efined long time ago as all non-christian religions... then they added the "multiple gods" addendum...

from what i can tell is pagins beleve that there gods are in poeple and wiccins beleave there gods are in a scarid place i use wiccin magic and pagen religin

Wiccan is a religion and a way of life that has nothing to do with the devil.(and side note)Wiccan&Pagan people are not evil! We are lovers of the Power Of Our Mother Earth&protecting her!

From my understanding Pagans worship satan while Wiccans worship nature and the world of witchcraft.

It was my understanding that Paganism was an umbrella where wiccan fit under. I do not think that Paganisms worship satan, they tend to focus on a pantheon of gods.

Well if you really want to get technical, Pagans were anyone or anything back in the dark days that believed in witchcraft, etc. Modern day times, wiccans worship nature, etc. Theres alot to it really. depends on how you look at it.

In other words, 'wiccan' is a subset of pagan. There are other subsets.

dont know about the rest of the world, but in England, Wiccans are definetely not Pagans! over here, Wiccan means a follower of the Garnerian or Alexandrian path, which is set down with rules, and is therefore an organised religion. in fact, through the Pagan Federation (an ironic name), the Wiccans are trying to get their religion recognised as a true, organised religion. As has already been pointed out, Paganism is a blacket term coined by the Romans to encompass "rural" religions and beliefs - in other words, non-organised religions. you can't be organised religion, and Pagan, it's a contradiction of terms. of course, many people choosing to call themselves Pagan have put their own definition of the word to it. i'm not going to say you can't do that, but if i were to choose my own definition of a vampire as someone with purple hair, that would make me and Billy the only true vampires here, and the rest of you a bunch of pretenders. (are you with me on this billy) LOL

In my understanding, pagan is defined as anything other than christianity.
Wicca is a set path, although there are several forms of Wicca.

Like stated before, all Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Wiccans.
Pagan is a general term for Nature-Based religions, Wicca is a more technical versions.
It's like Christianity... all Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholics.

Wicca ia a sect of pagan.

I have many goddesses that I worship.
I choose not to practice an organized religion.
I think organized religion is the primary cause of wars and hatred in the world and has been for a couple of thousand years.
From what I have read above I guess I am a pagan if it's neccessary to label me.
I am impressed by the tenets of Wicca however.

I also wanted to add I think the USA has no right to refuse Wiccan soldiers who were killed in war the right to have the Wiccan symbol on their grave because it is not one of the 32 "Recognized" religions by the army.

Wiccans are into the whole nature thing and Pagans have the multiple gods

Here is something that I found when I looked up the differences between Pagans and Wiccans. I hope it helps.
Well, to start things Paganism is this broad belief earth-based religion. Paganism has individual religions classified within it (like Christianity and it's divisions like Catholicism and Protestanism). Wicca, Druidry and Asatru classify within Paganism. So, you might be wondering... what makes a Pagan, Wiccan, Druid, etc? Wiccans, Druids, Asatru, etc. are considered Pagans. Pagans, however, are Pagans and can be considered Wiccans, or Druids, or Asatru only if they follow that certain belief structure. (You might note that I haven't mentioned Witchcraft, but yes, Witchcraft can be considered Pagan and some Wiccans call themselves Witches.)
When you know the definition of Paganism, the "old religion", nature/Earth-based, referring to the "old" Gods and Goddesses, etc. Pagans can be monotheistic or polytheistic. This does not mean Christians or Jews, etc. are Pagan. Traditions for individual Pagans, can be based on personal interests, likes, deities, etc. Some Pagans can follow their own way, for what works for them... like Wiccans. So, as Wicca has "traditions", Paganism can too. I.E. Celtic Wiccan, Egyptian Pagan, Eclectic Wiccan, etc. (Eclectic means the practitioner takes bits from various traditions, and makes it work for themselves.) Most Wiccans, believe/honour a god and a goddess, celebrating Esbats (full moons), the eight Sabbats, etc. Though, there's some lenience like always in anything for that. Dianic Wiccans only honor a Goddess, are more feminist and usually honor Diania - reason for "Dianic". It can also be said that they are monotheistic. Some Wiccans, honor more than one god and goddess. But, still they are considered Pagan. Paganism allows a broad sense to personal beliefs. Though some follow the Wiccan path, for the belief structure, etc. (Maybe even the link to the name "Witch"? - For those who found the word Wicca, through searching words like "Witch" or "Witchcraft".) Wicca, however, is newer than Paganism. Pagans though, most, also celebrate the Sabbats. Maybe not the same idea or way as Wiccans do, but Pagans can celebrate them. (I have read that Candlemas and Ostara are Wiccan Sabbats and that the other six are just general Pagan...) Someone who practices Paganism, is someone who follows a Earth-based belief. Most Wiccans practice magic, some don't. Some Pagans practice magic, some don't. This is out of personal choice. You do not have to be Wiccan to practice magic. But, it is not fair to call yourself a Witch or a Wiccan if you do and you do not follow the beliefs. If you would like to obtain more information on Wicca, best to consult someone on the web or near you about Wicca. Visit other Pagan sites and try to find some similarities, you'll find differences but a few similarities.

Ancient Greeks were also pagans. They beleived not only in the pantheon (the 12 Olympian Gods and Goddesses, but their forefathers, demi-gods, and offspring of the Olympian Gods. Ancient Greek Pagans however, also beleived in ONE God or The God....from whom Χάος or Chaos was created and gave rise to offspring who later gave rise to other offspring e.t.c. This is observed in Plato's Socratic dialogue of Timaeus. While some philosophers did question the Gods, Socrates and Plato did not. So not all Pagans were and are polytheists.
Χαίρε

1) pagans worship gods/goddesses
2) wiccans worship nature and things around them!

pagans are more into gods/goddess and nature i guess wiccans are more at reversing the evil and which ye no harm do what though wilt" as the wiccan rede.

"One can be a pagan and Wiccan, but not all pagans are wiccan."..... that sums it up and thats all you need to know ha ha

I agree with most of the pple on here.... about it..on what they say about pegans having many gods/goddess.... while wiccans believing in nature and everything around them but wiccans also believe in doing no harm to another... I also think that goes for the pegans to but I'm not sure...

pagon is the first the old religion wicca is a mix of many difrint colchers!

i my self find ishtar to my liking the prestess at one time or anether would have to sit in the gardin and wait for a man to drop a coin in her lap and thin she would lay with him.


Please post a synopisis of articles in your own words and provide links to copy/pasted material.

Thanks.

STABB

can we say plagerising? lol

i agree with most others that all wiccans are pagans. but not all pagans are wiccans.

there are some fundamental differences in the faiths, but one encompasses the other. it is no different than saying all christians are not scary evangelicals, but all evangelicals are christian.

that's like asking; what's the diferance between christians and catholics.

wicca is a pagan religion. pagan by defanition is any none majority religion.

pagan was origanally used to refer to poeple who lived in the country thus not fallowing the popular beliefs of those in the city

I was under the impression that a pagan is any one who does have a set religion and a wiccan was some one who followed the goddess diana

a pagan is some one who has no certian set religion a wiccan is some one who follows the path of witch craft

pagans look into gods n goddess and wiccans are more self they dont worship the gods n goddess only themselves and nature, they reverse evil

yes there are
wiccans worship the earth or menole (mother earth) and pegans worship gods/goddess and the earth but other then that there isn't that much of a diffrence

The Websters dictionary defines pagan as: any belief system not based on the christian god.

Pagans and Wiccans? How about..
Neo-pagans and Pagans or
Wiccans and Witches?
Seems people are looking for too many titles for themselves. You don't need to put yourselves in a box.

But I believe this thread has got the answer to the question so..~ Billy