On Morality: A Wiccan Viewpoint
One of the greatest contributions that Christianity and Judaism have
imparted on our society is the institution of morality. Previous religions,
especially those of Greece and Rome, placed little importance on the teaching of
morality. This was left to the philosophers who in turn described their own moral
beliefs and systems to their students, creating a moral code which was as
diverse and disorganized as there were philosophers to listen to. It is
difficult to imagine living in a society in which there is no absolute right and
wrong . . . or is it?
I would like to assert that American society has evolved thus far into a
homogeneous entity as far as morality is concerned, but this is simply not the
case. There is, of course, a general and large consensus to big and important
issues, such as murder, rape, etc., but many issues go unresolved and continue
to be battling points for any of us. When we talk about morality, we are
talking about the Judeo-Christian society, because for the most part, we are
talking about an institution that has given birth to this country, and has
shaped the way that it thinks. But does that mean that because we, as Pagans, do
not share the same religion as the country’s founding fathers, that we are
left outside the moral circle? Where does this leave the Pagan in the
justification for certain types of behavior?
The “problem” was presented to me that Wicca does not teach morality. We
abide by no ten commandments, and this is true. The interesting thing, however,
is that for the most part, the Ten Commandments could have been summed up in
one phrase: `Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You’. This classic
rule of Christianity in truth is not so far from the Wiccan rule of `An it
harm none, do what ye will’. The two are, of course, not synonymous. The Rede
does not prohibit the worship of any gods or goddesses, and the rede does not
set down firm guidelines for moral behavior. I have repeatedly been asked,
“What kind of religion does not teach morality?”
In replying to this question, the Wiccan needs to remember a few things. The
first is that Wicca is a revival of the pagan religions of old, in which
morality was NOT taught to begin with. (And if you don’t believe this statement,
go read some myths–if you think that the way those gods behaved was a model
for how humans were supposed to behave, you’re nuts!) The implementation of
morality into religion is a relatively new phenomenon and has occurred
largely as a result of Christian domination over thought and culture. In the times
before Christianity, one’s daily actions and one’s thoughts were not
necessarily related to his religious beliefs. For one thing, it would be too
complicated to organize a moral code because of the vast numbers of gods and
goddesses worshiped by the individual people. Why, then, should we assume that all
religions must be like new religions, and implement a strict moral code into
the religion? Shouldn’t the term “neo-pagan” be a tell-tale sign that the
religion is not mainstream and thus not restricted to the guidelines proposed by
post-Christian religions?
The second thing that the Wiccan should keep in mind is that in the long
run, morality is taught in Wicca, but not in the sense that many Christians
would understand. Because Wicca is a decentralized, non hierarchical religion
(for the most part. I am speaking here of family Wicca, and not of covens. Each
coven is too unique to be clumped into this category), all Wiccans themselves
become teachers. We share with each other, we teach our children, and we will
share with any who professes a sincere and unbiased interest in the
religion. Each person over time develops his own sense of morality, whether it be
through a systematic indoctrination through some other religious experience, or
whether it come from personal beliefs and feelings.
The key is that as we teach each other and our children, so Wicca itself
becomes the teacher. As long as we do not break the rule of Harm None, then
Wicca has embraced a new moral code. One might assert, then, that Wicca embraces
conflicting moral philosophies. I would have to agree with that, but so what?
Christianity does also. You would be hard pressed to find one ideal which all
Christians agree upon. Do all Christians agree upon the abortion issue? Do
all Christians agree upon the issue of homosexuality? What about the death
penalty? These are all moral issues, yet there is absolutely no consensus on
these issues among people of any religion. The simple truth of the matter is
that these issues are highly and intensely personal and go far beyond the
guidelines sets by the Church, the Synagogue, or any other religious institution.
In the end it makes no difference that the religion will encompass conflicting
moral issues, because what does matter is that its followers adhere to the
crux of the religion, whether it is the Ten Commandments of the Wiccan Rede.
The essential thing to remember when the issue of morality is brought up is
that it is not necessarily the duty of religion to preach morality, unless we
as Wiccans, take it upon ourselves. The beautiful thing about Wicca is that it
is ever flowing, ever changing, ever elusive and ever present. As we change,
our religion will change with us, and we grow it will grow with us. So will
our morality.
