Generally speaking, a Witch is someone who venerates Nature and perceives of Divinity as both a masculine and feminine consciousness. A Witch works with the forces of Nature in ritual and magic and seeks alignment with the seasons. There are Witches in New York City ... and Salt Lake City. Witchcraft has been around for millennia!
More specifically, Witchcraft per se is not one set religion. Witches may belong to a wide variety of the world's religions, including Christianity. However, one religion that is all about being a Witch is Wicca with its myriad Traditions (or sects). Wicca is a more modern form of Paganism and as its own religion, stems from the 1950s and Gerald Gardner's writings. Since that time, Wicca has spread and now--depending on the individual Tradition--incorporates pagan (or pre-Christian) beliefs and practices from Central and Northern Europe, generally, but can also include some practices from other, non-European cultures!
Wicca is a newer religion than either Paganism or Witchcraft. It is also a more specific path. Yes, Wicca stems from both Paganism and Witchcraft, but it is a more specific faith system than Paganism (which can include a wide variety of radically different religious systems) and can be more narrowly defined than Witchcraft (which in itself can include a wide variety of different types of witchcraft, including Wicca). By definition, Wicca is a:
1. Modern form of Witchcraft
2. That is initiatory
3. And was founded in England,
4. Based upon ancient forms of Witchcraft and Paganism, ancient forms of pre-Christian religions
5. Duotheistic religion; it incorporates a Goddess and God into its natural framework
It seems that a part of the reason for the confusion about the words “Witch” and “Wicca” may stem from the Middle Ages in Europe. It seems that, at that time, the common Old English word was actually “wicca” and was pronounced as witch-a. The word, “wicce”, did not denote an actual religion or spiritual philosophy. Rather, it was the common term for what we would now call a sorceress or witch (with a small “w” to differentiate the non-religious witch from a modern day Witch).
That Modern English uses the word “Wicca” seems to be no accident! Modern Wicca was brought about in England and was popularized by Gerald Gardner in 1954; this form of Wicca promoted itself as having been based on the ancient witchcraft practices of Ye Olde England and they kept the same word that the English used in the Middle Ages! The term Wicca is a continuation of the ancient practice of wicca to weaken the force of evil in the individual, the family, the community, the world.
Wicca is a unique faith system and religion in its own right. Generally, Wiccans do hold a reverence for Nature (we are a part of Nature, as opposed to being a part from Nature!). Wiccans typically worship and work with a Goddess and God, although some Wiccans and Traditions may work solely with a Goddess. Wiccans hold to certain morals and codes of ethics, such as the Wiccan Rede.
Wicca takes the more naturalistic aspects of Paganism and Witchcraft and incorporates a religious aspect to their spiritual natures. It provides a framework for Wiccan morality. It has a structure for set holy days/holidays, the eight Sabbats. While Wicca has no set scriptures, it gives a set of moral codes, such as the Wiccan Rede and the Law of Three, to follow and observe.
Wicca is, also, not a monolithic structure, where everyone does exactly the same thing and believes the same thing. There are various sects or Traditions in Wicca. Most of these Traditions are Pagan and are rooted in one form or another of Paganism, but here are also Wiccans who blend their beliefs and practices with Judaism and Christianity. Many of my friends, for example, worship Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Monotheism Polytheism, Henotheism, and Atheism
Another common feature of Wicca is the belief in what is called polytheism. The major approaches to how we all view Deity or the Divine can be broken down into monotheism, polytheism, henotheism, and atheism.
Monotheism refers to a belief in one God, only. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are examples of monotheistic religions. They each only believe in only one God (Exodus 20: 3 states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”.). While Christianity accepts the premise of a God the Father (Yahweh or Jehovah), Jesus the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, they maintain a tradition of worshipping God the Father. The confusion comes from the appearance of Christians worshipping three distinct personalities (thus giving the impression of three distinct and separate personages), but Christians tend to see Them as aspects of the same God.
Polytheism is older and was more widespread than monotheism. Polytheists can and do believe in and worship a set of multiple Gods and Goddesses. There can be a God of war, a Goddess of love, a Goddess of the harvest, a God of the hunt, and so on. The common denominator for all polytheistic religions is the acceptance of there being more than just one Divine person.
Henotheism is a form of polytheism. It accepts the premise of a pantheon of Goddesses and Gods. It accepts the belief that the pantheon will have more than one God or Goddess. What separates henotheism from polytheism is one simple fact; henotheists, while accepting the belief in more than one Deity, will place emphasis on the worship of only one of these Gods and Goddesses! An example of this could be a coven of witches or Wiccans who focus their worship on the Goddess Diana or on a coven which emphasizes Cernunnos to the exclusions of all other Goddesses and Gods.
Finally, we get to atheism. Atheism is the belief in no Gods or Goddesses. It isn’t that they deny the existence of Jesus, for example, but that they deny the existence of ALL Deities! This does not mean, however, that they hold no reverence for some guiding light, if you will. Many atheists, for example, will put their faith in science as their guide post.