The goddess and power: Witchcraft and religion in America
Among the increasing variety of religious expressions on the contemporary American scene, Wicca has an important place—not only because of the large number of its adherents and practitioners, but also because of its implicit criticism of mainstream American religious beliefs and practice, as well as...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[1997]
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| In: |
Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 1997, Volume: 12, Issue: 1, Pages: 69-79 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | Among the increasing variety of religious expressions on the contemporary American scene, Wicca has an important place—not only because of the large number of its adherents and practitioners, but also because of its implicit criticism of mainstream American religious beliefs and practice, as well as its lessons for our theorising in the sociology of religion. As a woman-centred, goddess-worshipping, nature-affirming, participative, this-worldly-orientated religion, Wicca challenges such traditional American religious motifs as the masculinised metaphors for the divine, the radical transcendent character of the divine, the idea of the religious participants' insufficiency and need, and the traits of religious exclusivity and particularity. Furthermore, Wicca challenges much of the contemporary sociology of religion's thinking about religion, specifically the discipline's over-emphasis on the meaning-giving function of religion and its overlooking the salience of empowerment in religious experience. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-9419 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/13537909708580790 |