It's sometimes said that Wicca is a religion based on belief and knowing rather than on  faith.  What is your experience?  Do you believe this to be true or not?

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I personally say: neither. It's a religion based on experiences.

I have to agree with Bad Seed 100% here. I guess you can say that knowing grows from experience, but that experience is still the foundation, and has been a catalyst for me many times.

I third this.

Bad Seed said:

I personally say: neither. It's a religion based on experiences.

Salutations ladies!

What is the difference between experience and knowing? I have often said my beliefs require no faith, I can feel and experience the power of ritual and I can demonstrate it to others who are open to receiving it. I am also careful to separate things I "know" from things I expect to be true and things that start with "it's possible that..".

Dogmatic religions require faith because all those "it's possibles" are carved in stone, (sometimes literally then accidentally misplaced) whereas orthiopraxic religions lead to first hand experience, and experience to knowing,
I 4th the above!

Being more orthopraxic than dogmatic, you personally learn and know from your experiences.

Serafina,

For me it,  it is a combination of my own personal experiences, knowledge I gained through those experiences, and the faith I put in myself, to live my life in a manner, that I feel in balance with what is within my world, at any given moment.  All three components, are needed in order for me to continue to grow and develop myself, and better serve those around me. I view the world as a place of continual change and one that is constantly bringing new encounters/ experiences within  my world.  Due to this, my knowledge grows, and I have to have faith, that I can utilize these two facets, and apply them, as I move forward.

I feel it is a combination of all three; belief in deities as well as in oneself, knowing what you are doing in regards to not only spell work but of the energies surrounding you and how to utilize them and faith that your deities hear you, faith in the energies that you send out, and faith in yourself. This is my first post/reply and I hope that this makes some sort of sense! :) Upon my walk down this path of paganism I have come across very few pagans and Wiccans. I have come to understand that each individual will have their own beliefs in what paganism is. From understanding how these individuals walk their path, I have grown that much more in my knowledge of paganism and it has helped me to listen to my inner self (I allow myself to be open in receiving as much knowledge as I can from reading and listening). I have faith that diety hears me and that the energies I send out for spellwork does work. I believe I am pagan, I know how to be my version of pagan from experiences, and I have faith that things work out. :)

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