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Violating cultural norms
Violating cultural norms
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It is commonly associated that the deviant behavior of people is any specialized conduct that cannot be in compliance with widely-established and socially approved norms or cultural traditions. For instance, killing another person is a representation of deviant behavior, since it contradicts the legal, social, and cultural norms of the community’s well-being. At the same time, cultural deviations in behavior may include such cases as practicing pagan and neo-satanic religious rituals which are unacceptable by major traditional religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. Wicca religion perfectly demonstrates socio-culture deviant behavior, and the deviant patterns of the culturally-religious nature. Wicca religion is …show more content…
Wiccans contradict cultural norms, the term “norm” can also be equaled to the “medium,” while all of those values that stand beyond that medium are considered as deviant. On the medium, we have traditional Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and other approved religions that are supported by millions of individuals. If we look at the demography of Wicca, then it would be clear that the whole quantity of this neo-pagan practice barely equals to 150,000 followers around the world. As a result, it is a demonstration of divergence from the “medium” or deviation from the norm. The same behavioral deviant patterns such as practicing witchcraft or worshipping of non-recognized gods underline the abnormality of Wiccan religion, simply because the actions of Wiccans contradict the laws and morality of the dominative and widely-accepted religions. Christianity, and all its subdivisions and branches, prohibits people from admiring nature but encourages worshiping the Holy Trinity and honoring God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The behavioral values of Christianity are based on obeyance and Christian morality, what technically and practically constitutes the order in the social life of their followers. In contrast to Christianity, Wicca ignores certain morality order and systems, which brings chaos in their ideological belonging and commitment. This can be explained …show more content…
According to the specialists, Wiccans in Europe represent independent covens, while their peers in North American tend to formulate a sort of Wiccan churches. Despite the cohesive appearance of the Wiccan community, their stress on independence only intensifies the social separation between the followers of the religion. The most important catalyst of expressing deviant behaviors in Wiccan groups is the reproaching by major religious groups of Western society. Since most people in the world are the proponents and followers of traditional religions, the presence of non-traditional social groups that demonstrate the opposite and stereotyped elements of behavior breeds conflicts and challenges ground for acceptance of Wicca as a normal cultural practice. This reaction to Wicca can be explained by conflict theory of deviance which is characterized by vivid presence of social inequality and behavior that conflicts between the norm and the individual (Clinard & Meier, 2010). Ideologically, Wicca religion might be a psychological and socially organized response to material and spiritual inequality. The development of Wicca in democratic areas of society, particularly North America and Western Europe, also demonstrates the organizational dispersion of Wiccan
“Wicca is closer to the law of Karma and its consequences. If you harm nature, the nature will harm you. If you do good to nature, it will promote your well being and happiness” (The History And Background Of Wicca). In today’s society, people have started understanding witchcraft and practicing it as a religion of Nature. Wiccans understand that nature is a superior entity and humans are simply one of the many parts of nature, both seen and unseen. Who is a witch? Ordinarily you cannot tell who is a witch, but “Wiccans come from all walks of life. They are doctors and nurses, teachers and soccer moms, writers and firefighters, waitresses and computer programmers,” they are normal human beings with a different belief system (Basic Principles and Concepts of Wicca). Wiccan’s are known for celebrating Sabbaths and performing rites and rituals, as is custom in almost all religions. The eight holy Sabbaths witches celebrate are: Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, and Mabon. Samhain means "End of Summer", and is the third and final Harvest, it is usually celebrated on October thirty-first because the Veil between worlds is lifted. Yule is also known as the winter solstice, the dates vary from December twentieth to December twenty-third. Imbolc means in the belly of the Mother “because that is where seeds are beginning to stir as it is Spring,” it is celebrated February first or second to bless the seeds and consecrate agricultural tools (The History And Background Of Wicca). Ostara is the Spring or Vernal Equinox, its is celebrated when the midpoint of day and night is in perfect balanced. Beltane is also known as Roodmas or May day, because it is celebrated on May first to honor the coming of Summer. Litha is the Summer Solstice, it
Yardley, Meg. "Social Work Practice With Pagans, Witches, And Wiccans: Guidelines For Practice With Children And Youths." Social Work 53.4 (2008): 329-336. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Defined by Margot Adler, writer for Reader’s Companion to U.S. Women’s History, “Wicca is the term commonly used to describe several different traditions of contemporary Paganism—an earth-centered religion that reveres nature; celebrates seasonal and lunar cycles; and worships a goddess, or many goddesses, or sometimes a goddess and a god” (637-638). It is a religion that focuses on worshipping an earth god or goddess, using their power and the earth’s elements for good. For a misunderstood religion it has much history behind it and a deep core belief system.
"Deviance, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. There is nothing inherently deviant in any human act, something is deviant only because some people have been successful in labeling it so." – J.L. Simmons
Wicca has gone down through the history with its many trials and tribulations. It has a very colorful history, that can’t be covered all in one research paper.
Social deviance is a very broad term, which describes actions or behaviors that violate social “norms.” Norms, in a simple context, are rules by which members of society are expected to conform to. When discussing the term deviance, one might talk about the failure, or people’s failures to adapt to rules established by society. Social deviance has many forms and interpretations. Deviant acts, are primarily relative to setting, because deviance in one place could be considered non-deviance in another place.
Wiccans are people who follow the religion of Wicca. Wicca was founded in 1954 by Gerald B. Gardener, who created the religion after he was accepted into a coven of witches in England and migrated to America. The religion is based in part off of the Northern European pagan religion, referring to the worship of a Goddess of fertility and a Horned God.
Though Witchcraft can be traced back several centuries for the purpose of this report, Wicca began in England with Gerald Gardener, a civil servant who had become fascinated by magical and polytheist practices and traditions as a young man in southeast Asia. Upon his return to England, he joined the Folklore Society, a Rosicrucian order, and was initiated into the New Forest Coven. He joined an order of druids and the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O) where he met Aleister Crowley. Gerald Gardner published his “High Magic’s Aid,” a novel about “The Craft” in 1949 under the pen-name, “Scire.” The pen-name was used because of the current laws of the land. However, “In 1951 the Witchcraft Act of 1736, and a section of the Vagrancy Act of 1824, were
Giordano, G. (2001). Everything You Need to Know About Wicca. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Among many Contemporary Pagan movements, Wicca is the best-known movements and practiced until now. Wicca is considered the modernisation of the Old Religion according to its followers. The practitioner of this religion is called wiccan. Wiccans believes that the religion began in prehistory. Wicca is a recognized religion although it's acceptance by the society and law is still unclear because of witchcraft.
This view is consistent with the notion that more liberally aligned religions are more congruent with progressive sexuality standards; though it seems to be the polar opposite of the more conservative religions such as Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam which all have more strictly defined and enforced sexually regulated roles within them (Wright 2013). The issue of sexuality is a socially polarizing one that divides people on the notion that it is a question of morality, the more conservative and rigid religions finding the acceptance of its whole scale to be immoral and profane to their sacred texts (Wright 2013). I believe that within the religion of Wiccanism, there is a larger acceptance of various forms of sexuality due to modernity and the instilled ideals of the belief due to the extent of its promotion of varying sexualities, its feminist ties, and the controversy over its
For exapmle, in our society piercings and tattoos are judged by many to be seen as socially deviant even though to some groups in that same society they are seen as fashionable and in other countries they are seen as norms not deviant behavior/appearances. As well as cultural norms like in the muslim communities it is a norm to belch after finishing your plate, not only is it not seen as a negative remark but it is seen as the meal being a delicacy and a compliment to the cook, while here in the United States that action would be seen as disgusting, a deviant action, to most of the people in this society. There are non criminal deviant acts such as your appearance, dressing in clothing influenced by the hip hop culture or 'hood ', that are looked down upon by most people in our society and there is also criminal deviance acts, basically any action that would break a law set by the government, such as power crimes like enviromental polution and unethical business practices. Deviance exists in relation to what that society considers 'normal ' to the majority of the
Wicca is a, “religious movement that seeks to revive religious traditions viewed as ancient or more authentic than current one.” The goal of Wicca according to the PowerPoint slides is to build a more emotionally satisfying social order based on Transcendent knowledge. Harmony between humanity and Earth is also of importance with an emphasis of fertility. Wicca practices are more, and more common because people are starting to be more open minded. According to the textbook, “Wiccans and other Neopaganism seek things like health, prosperity in jobs and romance, and protection for their children (pg. 143).” These are normal concepts to seek whereas uneducated people believe that Wiccans seek out Transcendent beings. Many people are starting to connect with nature, spirits, and stones again. I believe that connecting with the earth brings peace to some individuals. For example, I feel a lot calmer when I spend time out in the open and just mediate. I also started to learn about the special stones and their powers. It is something different, but because it’s so different it is interesting to
Lehmann A. C. & Myers J. E. Magic, Witchcraft and Religion – An anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Fourth Edition) (Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997)
that others in society devalue and discredit. So what exactly is deviance? In this essay we are concerned with social deviance, not physiological deviations from the expected norm. In general, any behavior that does not conform to social norms is deviance; that is behavior that violates significant social norms and is disapproved of by a large number of people as a result.