Discrimination Against Wicca

Discrimination Against Wicca

Wicca is a tradition that is both ancient and modern. It has been persecuted against almost since its inception, back in ancient England when the Pict and Celts practiced its ancient form. This persecution continued with the witch hunts of the 15th to 18th centuries, which led to many of the superstitions against witchcraft today. However, it wasn't until Gerald Gardner published Witchcraft Today that Wicca began to be recognized as a religion. This created it's unbroken, modern traditions. Though, it still took until 1986 for Wicca to formally be recognized as a religion in the United States of America by a Federal Appeals Court (Simmons, 2007).
Witchcraft can trace its origins back to the Paleolithic era when people worshiped a Horned God and a Fertility Goddess. Though, it wasn't until the Picts and the Celts of ancient Britain that paganism began to really take off. Back then, witchcraft was known as the “Cult of the Wise” (Sabin, 2006). This name was derived from the fact that most pagans aligned themselves with the forces of nature. They also had knowledge of herbs and medicine, gave council and were important in the villages and communities as Shamanic healers and leaders (Sabin, 2006). The history of paganism indicates that the religion once held a prized place in society which is quite a contrast to how they are viewed today. This place in society was questioned by the church, when Christianity was adopted by the Roman Empire in 371AD. At that time, Christians began to persecute and execute many leaders of pagan religions including the   Druids and Celts. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a charter that encouraged increased persecution of witches. This was reprinted in the 1486 Malleus Malleficarum, which set off a hysteria of witch hunting. Then in 1604, King James I passed the Witchcraft Act, making the punishment for witchcraft death by hanging, as opposed to England's previous penalty of imprisonment. This was all done in order to further the...