Wicca is projected to be the 3rd largest religion in the USA by 2012. Why is this &what effect will this have?

Wicca is growing, at a rate of about doubling it's adherents every year, while Christianity is shrinking about 1.5% every year.

Why? I think many are tired of the idea of an angry, jealous, patriarchal God where the only contact one has with them is through the leaders of organized churches. They are tired of being told they themselves (especially women) do not contain deity and that their bodies are something to be ashamed of and they are all sinners.

In Wicca the belief is that all can converse with deity with the proper meditation and spiritual growth. Wicca places importance in the relationship between men and women, God and Goddess and puts them both on equal footing in life. Wicca acknowledges that one can not exist without the other, that it takes both a man and a woman to create life, like it took a God and Goddess to create life on Earth.

Wicca is gentler and more accepting of others. There is no sexual or gender discrimination in Wicca.

Wicca places importance on taking responsibility for your own actions, and your own destiny.

I think people are looking for that.

Can fundy Christians and Pagans of all kinds coexist? I think Pagans are much more accepting of Christians than Christians are of them. It will get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. The Christian Right will launch meaner and nastier attacks at anything not Christian - you already see this with the battle cry "Christmas is under attack!" although Christmas was originally a Pagan holiday the Christians adopted to help assimilate the Pagans of Europe. But it will get better as the numbers of Pagans in general, and Wiccans in particular increase. You'll note that Fundy Christians "tolerate" the Buddhist, Hindu and Native American religions simply because of shear numbers and being "politically correct". As the number of Pagans increase the Fundies won't be able to bully them around as much as they do now, and they will be forced to at least tolerate them if not accept them.

I think that Wicca is one of the fast growing religions in the USA because it is the most tolerant of others. If you are a homosexual you will not be excommunicated. Also, women as a whole have a stronger say. In Christianity women are seen as weak and only there to help the man. In Wicca it the both the man and the women working together. For me these were the reason I left Christianity.

I think that the effect it will have on the USA will be a good one. Wiccans for the most part will not let this turn into a bloodbath. I am sure that there are people on both sides that would like the see the other destroyed. Hopefully, the USA will became a 'Greener' place with all the Wiccans give back to the earth what we take.

I think your question is moot because I think that article is bunk. Presuming their numbers are even correct (and I find that highly unlikely due to the demographical difficulties of counting members of religions lacking major regular gatherings), at some point the numbers doubled in 18 months. (and lets remember this means the number of people _counted_ doubled, which is not the same as the number of followers) They then presumed that this would mean the number would continue to double every 18 months, leading Wicca to be the 3rd largest religion by 2012. That's a huge presumption. By that same presumption the entire population would be Wiccan by something like 2025, which is preposterous.

I see no reason why life in the US would change even if this did happen. This is constantly a country of new religious minorities. Our Muslim population is also rapidly growing, and while some people have gotten more militant about them, many more people have become more educated about and tolerant of them. Between the Wiccans and the Christians there will be some big mouths on both sides, just like there are now. But I see no reason to expect it to turn into bloodshed. After all, certain Christians have thought there is a thriving Satanic community in this country since at least the 80s, but there's been no major violence on that front either.

With regards to 'why is this', I feel Wicca will see more growth due to three factors: First, Wicca is not a sexist religion. Wicca is more PC due to the fact that it is open to both women and men equally and women are allowed and encouraged to become as priestess, whereas the religions of Abraham still (for the most part) do not encourage this; and secondly, Wicca is not about good vs. evil. Followers of Wicca are not taught that they are evil and must repent for something that might have happened a long time ago. Instead we are taught that we are a part of Nature and must seek our place within Nature to better ourselves and to help others; Lastly, Wicca does not have a centralized controlling hierarchy. Each Wiccan can work solitary without being judged by others or told that "that's not the way you are suppose to do that", and we are not required to pay a tithe to anyone.

Now as for 'what effect will this have' that is hard to say. I don't see Wicca becoming the biggest religion and I am fine with that. Wicca is about taking responsibility for your actions and very few people are ready to do that. What I do hope, more than anything else, is that if and when Wicca becomes a lot more popular we will start to see more people thinking for themselves and also more people becoming more tolerant of others views and respecting the fact that we are all different and we are entitled to be different.

Blessed Be )O(

Wicca is growing because people are seeing the errors in Christianity it has nothing to do with Bush or politics. Wicca has been growing for the last 20 years.

People are getting tired of the only way and Truth but in reality see all the different warring churches that claim they are they Truth and the way.

Wicca is growing because we honor the Lord and Lady equally or most do. Wicca is growing because we do not force our beliefs on others or condemn others to hell if they do not do as we say do. Wicca teaches tolerance for the beliefs of others.

Wicca teaches that whatever we do comes back to us so therefore we live better lives than those who claim to be saved sinners. Wicca teaches personal responsibility while Christianity blames everything on the Devil, demons and sin. That takes away personal responsibility and people can just blame it on sin or demons and take no responsibility at all.

BB

I found the Craft at 17, and have been devoted to it ever since. The thought of Wicca being the 3rd largest religion makes me happy, proud, and excited. Maybe someday our religious holidays will be counted as important. I think the co-existence would be much harder for Christians than witches. If they really believe there's a hell and we're going to it, no ones going to change their minds. And it's not our job as Wiccans to do so. One of of major tenants is keeping silent, we don't preach or actively recruit members, and we know that our way is not the only way. That being said, I don't know how long I could stand being screamed at and harassed for my religion, without striking back in some way.

Well I would be amazed if the powers that be in the U.S. would allow wiccans to develop into a force to be reckoned with,will it harm the USA not likely internationally as to be fair they are not seen in very good light on the international scene and I think the far right would cause all the problems back on home soil ,but a bloodbath..no I don't think so...but wiccans must be careful about what they generate as I once was one and I was forever sick of these fantasists making outlandish claims and being as egotistical and fundementalist in approach as some of the christian far right churches are...hollywood has a lot to answer for with bloody charmed and the garbage it promoted...peace

Actually it is not just Wiccanism but Paganism that is the fastest growing religion in the USA today. Paganism is a generalization of all types of "not of the norm" religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism (the 3 major middle eastern beliefs). Many people are finding the earth based religions more fulfilling and that no monetary or tithing need apply. In the beginnings of the middle eastern religions you sacrificed an animal, donated food, donated cloth, or some other item of worth and offered it up to God or Allah. Now, if you did that today, many would be offended or upset that you gave a burnt offering or sacrificed livestock, brought fruit or bread to offer in a Church.

Contrary to popular belief by some of these beliefs we do not sacrifice animals and do weird and unmentionable things to appease our Gods, but offer incense, bread, fruit, nuts, ect to them. That is where the problem will begin with this type of religious confrontation in 2012, but if more people no matter their beliefs would work together and return to the earth with their beliefs and not worry about who is right or wrong in how they perceive their afterlife, then there will then be peace and we all will benefit from working together, religion aside.

Blessed be and Peace

that is amazing. doubling every 18 months. i mean, when i converted, i didnt know so many others were also . . .

anyway, i predict civil war. wicca is practically the opposite of christianity. although wiccans tend to be much more peaceful, we arent going down without a fight when the church decides to annihilate us as our fellow pagans (but not wiccans) were burned and killed yrs ago. witches arent scary but yes, the church is partially the reason for the wicca surge.

Blessed Be

)o(

edit : i cant believe the cruelty and hatred towards us in some of these answers. i thought christians were supposed to be nicer. (im not blaming all christians,but it seems like most mean ones are them)

Some of the answers here really do answer this question, don't they?

"Wiccans are selfish"

"Wicca is the older religion, therefore you Christians are all stupid copycats"

Don't you think that we're all judging the other on what we believe? I myself am a wiccan, and by no means do I judge myself as selfish. And no, we do not believe in satan, for a couple of you who I saw thought we do.

I don't judge Christianity either. We are entitled to our beliefs, and why anyone thinks they can say OTHERWISE is entirely beyond me. As I understand it, both of said faiths are meant to be accepting of others to a certain degree, no? Surely it isn't too much to ask that people remain at least TOLERANT of other people, whether beliefs differ or otherwise. Or perhaps we're all so wrapped in the crap that 'magic is black, and wiccans do magic, therefore, wiccans are bad and evil' or 'christians are so damn selfish about there own faith, and they believe you get sent to hell for disobeying God and that's so totally wrong' ?

Maybe, one day, we'll all grow up. -_-"