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Anonymous
ANSWERS: 3
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Wicca is a specific religion, recognized by such entities as the United States Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Defense, while "occult" is just a general term. As a word, "occult" simply means "hidden" or "concealed from view" and is sometimes used that way. (For instance, a doctor may order a test to determine if there is occult blood in a stool sample.) But somehow the word has come to refer to supernatural events or beings or even just "new age" practices in general. (This is perhaps because for so many generations such knowledge and practices were kept hidden to protect practitioners from persecution.) The specific religion Wicca is often defined as being a neo-pagan earth-centered religion. It is based more or less on a combination of ancient Celtic goddess worship and the more recent teachings of various authors and groups. There are a number of different churches and groups that lay claim to being Wiccan, but as with other denominations, there can be quite a range in what each organization believes and practices.
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Yes and no. Wicca is a completely "newer" religion in a sense that has borrowed from the occult rituals and practice. But does not accept all of the occult. The part of reverence for nature, the worshipping of a Goddess (And God), and Sabbats are all older. So, yes, borrowed from the occult and no not completely part of it. (Of course one DOES argue that some traditions of Wicca (Not the more mainstream beliefs and ideals.),as well as witchcraft, are not only more 'natural', but are more close to the paganism of older times.)
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Occult means hidden. In this context, it refers to hidden or secret information. Virtually all religions claim to provide access to "secret" information. You may be thinking of secret rituals as occult rituals. If they're secret they are, indeed, occult. In that sense, the local Moose Club and college sororities perform occult rituals because only the members are allowed to know what they are. You may be thinking of occult as evil or Satanic. Although there certainly are secret rituals intended to harm others and conjure up Satan or demons, they're occult only because they're secret, not because they're "evil". Bottom line,yes, Wicca involves occult practices but only because they're secret and not anything designed to harm others.
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