Explaining Witchcraft to Non-Pagans

I'm going to be honest. It isn't exactly easy when someone that isn't a witch asks "well what is Paganism?"

Especially down here in the south.

Usually the typical description starts with "well...uh...it's not Devil Worshiping" or at least that's how it is here. Because that's how witchcraft is viewed here, as Devil Worshiping.

I try to always tell people that it's no different than their religion (which usually is Christianity) except for the fact that we have different gods and goddesses, as well as a different system for what happens when bad things are done.

Compared to Christianity, which uses the Ten Commandments as a guide for followers, Paganism has Karma. Instead of having to ask for forgiveness with prayer, we are responsible for what we do wrong.

Karma isn't only for wrong-doings, though. It also rewards those good-doings that we do. It's the Three-Fold Law.

Also when explaining it to others, I try to throw in at some point that spells are similar to prayers. One of the biggest differences would be usually when people pray, they are asking for something either for themselves or for somebody they know. While a typical spell is cast in order to say thanks to the gods and goddesses, help nature, or occasionally do selfish things, such as finding love or money. The last two are not wise to do a spell over, however. They can be bad, causing more harm than help in your life.

Other than those, there's not many differences that I can think of off the top of my head. If you come up with any, I will gladly use the advice.

Also, I'm posting a link to a book I read when I first started studying. It's a good sized book, but very helpful and stocked with information.
 

Paganism v Wicca

So, I've been sitting here, jobless and broke, with nothing to do. I have no money, no gas in the car, no job, and I just don't know what to do. My bills are past due and it just seems like everything is falling apart all at once.
I created another blog for Non-Pagan readers. It's http://keepyourrelationshipsteady.blogspot.com
Because not everyone is Pagan, some people would just like to see some advice and help from a person's point of view.

Now then, I wrote for a bit on Tumblr about Wicca vs Paganism. At which point someone commented that I was confused between witchcraft which is Wicca and Paganism which is an Umbrella term.
No, I am not confused. I understand Paganism is an umbrella term, but Witchcraft is not just Wicca. Wicca which has only been around since the 1950's as a religion. Before that, Wicca was not named.

Since witchcraft has been around longer than Wicca, you cannot say somebody is wrong for the term they use. As I've said before, thanks to Hollywood, Wicca is a misleading name. Therefore, I say Pagan to avoid the young people who think "Sabrina the witch or The Craft". When Hollywood is no longer glamorizing Wicca and making it appear as "read this and you can change your boyfriend into a hottie", then I will feel more comfortable saying Wicca.