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I've seen some argue that according to their logic there is only one ultimate Truth (since we have just one physical reality -- and this one truth is the ultimate explanation for everything) that therefore it follows there can only be one God. I was just trying to point out that this logic...

I think you're referring to me. I'm Ben, not Bruce. (Sorry for the confusion -- I forgot to type my name at the end of my post previously.) If objectively there can only be one truth then perhaps what is being classified as relative truth is actually objective truth -- the objective truth...

The idea of "one true way" is really more inherent in monotheistic religions than polytheistic ones. And since many Pagan religions are polytheistic of one sort or another it is true that the "one true way" idea tends to be discounted as unrealistic. There are always exceptions though and...

From what I've heard it's not uncommon for a "medium" to use a variety of methods in a sitting. Some stick with just one but that's not always how they do things. In my own magickal practice I often find that when I do a tarot reading I'll also try another different divinatory method (such...

Re: How dose it work? There are lots of ways to practice magick. Becoming involved in an initiatory witchcraft system that focusses on working with spirits is certainly one way but it is hardly the only way. There are dozens if not hundreds of books published on how to do magick, with...

Re: How dose it work? This depends largely on how you define magick in the first place. This is frequently debated and there are many different (often conflicting) hypotheses about what magick is and how it might or might not work. Personally I think a large part of what people call magick...

Many Pagans include ethical rules in their spiritual systems that discourage spellwork intended to force others to do things, particularly things like love magick intended to force others to fall in love with someone. If a Pagan character in a story were to use a love spell to force someone...

Re: Christainty Actually that's not exactly true. The current historical research (accepted by many many Wiccans) indicates that Wicca was really started by a man named Gerald Gardner in the 1950s, maybe going back to the 1940s or possibly late 1930s if we're being really generous...

Re: Christainty I can speak as one individual Pagan. I've met some wonderful people who are Christians, and also some horrible people who were Christians. I've also met some wonderful people who are Pagans, and some horrible people who are Pagans. It's really hard to generalize about a...

Hi there, and welcome to the Alternative section here on Comparative-Religion.com. I'm a Pagan who practices an eclectic form of Wicca. I'll do my best to answer your questions. Just for the record I don't consider there to be such a thing as a bad question. The only bad questions are...

One of the best networking websites for Pagans is http://www.witchvox.com They list individuals, groups, events, stores, etc. for pretty much anywhere in the world you can think of. They also routinely check that entries are still active and remove ones that don't have valid email addresses...

I'm curious what the direct evidence is which suggests she was not involved. Is it something like clear proof that Dorothy wasn't anywhere near the New Forest area for the whole time that Gardner supposedly was interacting with her? I'm not sure there is anything else that would be direct...

A lot of wishing rituals and superstitions have their basis in non-Christian religious practices. For instance, it still happens in many places that sacred trees or holy wells have little offerings left there with the idea that the genius loci or god or goddess of that tree or spring would...

Welcome to the messageboard, Blake. You've stated what is more or less my own opinion regarding the history of Wicca, and the work done by Raven Grimassi, Philip Heselton, and Ronald Hutton. I've said it before and I'll say it again that I think Grimassi, Heselton, and Hutton all provide...

The history of Wicca is one of those things that is still being worked through by historians. It's possible that Gardner's claims were true but at this point the evidence is stacked up awfully high against it. Some authors such as Raven Grimassi are doing a lot to try and uncover evidence to...

The practice of witchcraft, and specific cults that focussed on witchcraft such as Charles Leland apparently discovered in Italy certainly predate Gerald Gardner. However, the religion of Wicca did not appear until Gerald Gardner. Wicca and witchcraft are not the same thing -- Wicca is a...

If life is predestined, then how do we know that doing a spell is not part of that inevitable plan?

Just to clarify, I'm not a Druid myself and have no formal associations with any of the modern Druid groups. I am involved in the wider Pagan community though (I'm an eclectic Wiccan) and I have read a bit about ancient and modern Druidry, and have talked with modern Druids. In pre-Christian...

I think that there are a lot of people who are confusing "witch" with "Wiccan." A witch can practice any or no religion because witchcraft itself is really just about doing magick. Wicca, on the other hand, is a religion. There are definitely Christian witches, Jewish witches, Wiccan...

Wicca draws its inspiration from pretty much any source that doesn't run away too fast. However, I don't think it's accurate to say that you can be both Wiccan and another faith as Wicca is a religion. Can you be a Jewish Christian or a Jewish Muslim? If the answer is yes, then perhaps...