ELA Research Project - The Crucible Pre-Reading

(Slide 1) Wicca

The largest of the modern Pagan religions

(Slide 1) Wiccans

Followers of Wicca; identify as witches, inspired by pre-Christian European religions

(Slide 1) Central authority

Wicca has none — shared rituals matter more than fixed doctrine

(Slide 1) Non-dogmatic

Wicca is diverse; beliefs/practices vary widely between groups

(Slide 2) 1950s

When Wicca emerged publicly, in England

(Slide 2) Gerald Gardner

Retired British civil servant with a strong interest in the occult; founder of Wicca

(Slide 2) New Forest, 1939

Where/when Gardner claimed to discover a coven of witches

(Slide 2) 1954

Gardner published Witchcraft Today and founded his own coven

(Slide 3) New England map

Region tied to New Forest reference/visual context

(Slide 3) Witchcraft Today (book cover)

The actual book Gardner published in 1954

(Slide 4) 1986

Year Wicca was officially recognized as a religion in the U.S.

(Slide 4) Dettmer v. Landon

Court case that established Wicca's legal recognition; incarcerated Wiccan man sued after being denied ritual objects

(Slide 4) Denied items

Candles, incense, a statue, and a white robe — denied over security concerns

(Slide 4) Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Ruled Wicca counted as a real religion protected by the First Amendment