Related Terms • religion

Name:
Wicca

Definition:
Founded by British civil servant Gerald Gardner in the 1930s, Wicca is a Neopagan religion which tends to focus on the worship of two deities: the Goddess and the Horned God. Wiccan morality is based upon a princinple known as Wiccan Rede, according to which "An' it harm none, do what ye will" (here, "an" is an archaic form of "if").

Gardner claimed that what he promoted was a originally a part of matriarchal religions of pre-historic Europe. He also claimed that the details were taught to him by an old woman called Dorothy Clutterbuck. Today, however, many believe that he invented it himself, drawing on such sources like Aradia: Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland, and Freemasonry. During Gardner's day the idea that there existed at one time in prehistory matriarchal religions was also very popular; today, however, that belief has been largely rejected in the academic community due to a lack of evidence.

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What is the Philosophy of Religion?
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.