The Difference Between Wicca, Paganism, and Witchcraft

Gerald B. Gardner (founder of Wicca)

Witchcraft is the study and practice of divination, spell work, manifestation, rituals, and folklore superstition that don't require any deities or a specific religion.

Wicca is a religious form of witchcraft that follows the Wiccan Rede and grimoire created by Gerald B. Gardner in London of 1939 where he wrote down his experiences with the craft and how he and his coven practiced in honor of specific deities or otherwise. It primarily involves the moon Goddess Diana and the horned God in which the world is in harmony with both female and male powers. 

Paganism is the modern rendition of the lost religion of Paganism, that was taken over in ancient Rome by Roman Catholicism when Constantinople was in rule. The common Pagan symbol of the pentagram and pentacle became a sign of devil worship due to being conquered by the Catholic Church, and often is seen with a negative devil worshipping-like connotation. It revolves around Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses, a polytheistic religion that involves the belief in the celestial, earthly, and chthonic realms and their corresponding deities or spirits. (chthonic meaning belonging to the Underworld.)

Although there are religious forms of witchcraft such as Wicca and Paganism, witchcraft as it's own isn't inherently religious. You can be Christian and still perform witchcraft, maintaining your religion and your practice as two intertwined ideologies. You can choose to call yourself a witch and a Christian simultaneously (or not practice witchcraft and just be a Christian), but if you are a Neo-pagan or Wiccan, you will always be a witch because it is a religious form of the craft. 

And in order to clear things up, Luciferianism and Satanism are not representative of witchcraft as a whole. They are separate religions that can incorporate the dark arts or black magic, but have key differences between Wicca and Paganism. 

Luciferianism is the worship of the Christian/ Catholic devil, while Satanism is the worship of Baphomet or oneself as their own deity. Baphomet is darklord figure who can give you all you desire and is commonly called a "devil" though isn't representative of the Christian devil.

The key difference here is that in Wicca and Paganism, you don't have to rely on a deity to gain results to your spells, while in Luciferianism, Satanism, and other monotheistic religions such as Christianity or Judaism, you can only grant your wishes (or prayers) through another's higher power.