Judaism vs. Paganism

History has been known to show religion as a way for people to find a mental relief in hard times. Religion gives humans something to look forward to and to use as guidance for their day to day lives. Naturally, this means there will be many different types of religions to satisfy the diverse population from history through modern times. Two quite different religions, Judaism and Paganism have more similarities than one may think. Paganism, sometimes known as Neo-Paganism or Wiccan, is said to have no official origins aside from an improvable man, Gerald Gardener’s collection of “historical” coven beliefs (Berger 7). Groups of Wiccans who practice their faith together, called covens, have been passing down their rituals, texts, and beliefs for hundreds of years (Berger 8). Some scholars believe that through the times of witch hunts and famine, many of these traditions were lost. Since Pagan has been such a hidden religion due to misconception and witch hunts, most historical tradition was oral (Bowker 1040). Through newfound texts and online interactions, some of these traditions have been resurrected and new ones still are being created from scratch and altered from the past. The Pagan faith does not have a “set in stone” text, such as the Bible or the Tanakh. However, after the finding and exploration of America and once the witch hunts in Europe quieted, newer Pagans, or Neo-Pagans, chose to take a historically unique religion and expose it. They began to make “How-To” type books about the Wiccan faith, revealing a great deal of secrecy and nostalgic virtues behind the craft of a religion that lasted so long in Britain and other European countries. These books went viral, especially once the Internet was created. Today, many Neo-Pagans have websites and chat groups through which they communicate and learn new rituals (Berger 3-4). Due to the secrecy of Paganism for so many years, the practice is very centralized to location and diverse covens. It is not