Are these distinctly different types of beliefs or similar? Does Paganism embrace Wiccanism within it? Apples and oranges or lemons and limes?
Wicca is a branch of Paganism. For that reason some people use the terms interchangeably, but this is misleading as there are many Pagans who are [inot Wiccans. I believe we have a few here on this board, so maybe one of them will step forward to explain the distinctions.
Do you mean “pagan” in the classic sense, as “not judeo-christian”?
That’s a good point. To answer your question no, I’m thinking of “Paganism” more specifically in the context of the pre-Christian Indo-European Druidic and Slavic pagan traditions which are mostly animism and ancestral worship based and not in the “all non-Judeo-Christian beliefs” context which would encompass African and Asian religions and others.
For those playing along at home, pagan was a disparaging term the Romans used for non-cityfolk. Akin to hayseed. Religious connotations were not added until later when it was ascribed to polytheistic religions.
Very simply: All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. And, not all witches are Wiccan or Pagan. And to confuse you even more, I have met Wiccans that say they are not witches (don’t practice any type of witchcraft, and/or don’t believe in witchcraft). That being said, a more detailed answer follows.
Wicca is a specific religion, organized in the mid-1900’s out of concepts taken (mostly) from pre-Christian Europe, predominately pre-Christian England/Ireland/Scotland. Pagan is the umbrella term for a multitude of religions and individual beliefs that do not rely on Judeo-Christian teachings (although I know Pagans that accept the divinity of Christ, without believing that he is the only God). The term Pagan can be expansive enough to cover all non-Judeo-Christian-Muslim religions, but is also used to denote the pre-Christian European based religions. I know Pagans that structure their beliefs around the Greek or Roman Gods, the Norse Gods, the Celtic Gods; some use folk tales/myths of Italy, Hungary, Russia, Brittany, etc. to give form to their beliefs (and many other Pagans use Asian, African and Native American concepts). Although many Wiccans and Pagans believe in both a female and male divinity, others are monnotheistic, other pantheistic and some polythesitic (with more than just two Gods). In my experience, the one unified thread among Pagans (including Wiccans) is an individual relationship with the Divine (however conceived), which in turn leads to a personal moral code–one is always responsible for her or his own a actions and the consequences in Pagan belief. Obviously the more organized sects of Paganism–like Wicca–provide a lot of guidance about the “correct” moral code, but, except possibly among individual covens, there is little “you must believe this or you’re not a Wiccan.”
Another strong branch of Paganism is Shamanism. This draws very heavily on the African and Native American (North and South) cultures, although I’ve heard very good arguments that Druidism is actually a form of Shamanism, so a Northern European connction does exist.
Kallessa did a fantastic job explaining. The only thing that I would add is that some Pagans/Wiccans/Witches will adjust how they refer to themselves because of modern semantics and connotations attached to the names. I found that when I referred to myself as Wiccan (before I understood the difference between Wiccan and Witch), the responses I got were either neutral or positive, unlike when I introduced myself as a Pagan or a Witch. Most Christians associate “Pagan” with “those guys that fed us to the lions” and “Witch” with “those Satan worshipping baby eating black wearing goth kids”. So, it was hard to explain what my beliefs were, because most people I spoke to had already drawn conclusions about who and what I was. When I learned that my beliefs were actually closer to being Wiccan as opposed to Witch, and I introduced myself as a Wiccan, there was, at most, curiosity as to what I was talking about.
IMHO, Wicca : Paganism :: Eastern Orthodox : Christianity.
Your question is the reason that Asatruar like myself prefer to use the term “Heathen” to describe our faith rather than “Pagan”. For many outside (and inside really) the ‘pagan community’ Wicca= Paganism, or new age eclectic paganism in general. As explained Wicca is a branch of Paganism in much the same way that Protestantism is a branch of Christianity. There are tons of different Protestant churches and tons of different kinds of Wicca. I honestly don’t like to include my religion in under a blanket term with Wicca because the two don’t have very much in common, it’s sorta defining yourself by what you’re not… namely Judea-Christian-Islamic. I just usually tell people I’m an Asatruar and explain what that is rather then bring the term “Pagan” in and confuse the issue further. (Asatru BTW is a modern recreation/revival of the pre-christian Norse/Germanic polytheistic faiths)
Your question is the reason that Asatruar like myself prefer to use the term “Heathen” to describe our faith rather than “Pagan”. For many outside (and inside really) the ‘pagan community’ Wicca= Paganism, or new age eclectic paganism in general. As explained Wicca is a branch of Paganism in much the same way that Protestantism is a branch of Christianity. There are tons of different Protestant churches and tons of different kinds of Wicca. I honestly don’t like to include my religion in under a blanket term with Wicca because the two don’t have very much in common, it’s sorta defining yourself by what you’re not… namely Judea-Christian-Islamic. I just usually tell people I’m an Asatruar and explain what that is rather then bring the term “Pagan” in and confuse the issue further. (Asatru BTW is a modern recreation/revival of the pre-christian Norse/Germanic polytheistic faiths)