Dear Friends,
It has come to our attention that many of those within the Christian faith are upset and offended by us, Pagans. They feel that we are driven by hatred and evil, and that we are out to brainwash and control the world.
Let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth.
We come to you now, in love and in friendship, to explain our position. It might alarm some when we state that we are no different than any other religious/spiritual individuals. We desire nothing more or less than any Christian - to become closer to Divinity...to God. Our religion, the same as the major religions of the world, is based on love. Love of God, love of our brothers and sisters, love of the Earth - the Divine Creation, and love of the self. We dedicate ourselves, daily, to the pursuit of this love.
Some have criticized us for lacking in moral structure. But, I dare say, the moral structure of our religion separates us from the most self-described "pious" individuals. You see, we live, and keep to one simple commandment, and one alone..."An it harm none, do what ye will". It seems many critics pay attention only to the latter part of this commandment, and ignore the weight of the first - "harm none". This means no harm of others, their possessions, their family, etc. , and no harm of the self. One can, by thoroughly examining this phase, conclude that it does indeed encompass all of the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments, but it does so in one sentence.
Another common misconception is that to be considered a member of our religion one must "renounce" Christianity and the Bible. Never in my experience or in the experience of my peers has such a negative act been forced upon us. Ours is a religion of acceptance, tolerance, and love - not disrespect and hatred. In fact, we find a great deal of the Bible, especially passages dealing with communion with God and love of all mankind, to be rich in foresight and truth. Some members of our religion are serious students of the Bible and its teachings and adopt it as part of their tradition. Others do not. We respect the intelligence and intuition of all to find their own path to God.
So what makes us different? Perhaps, above all, our perception of God. As ours is a religion of the Earth, balanced, and perfect, we view God in the same way. Balanced - male and female, but still one, just the same as your Trinity. We call the male and female aspects of God, God and Goddess, just as you call your different aspects of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We acknowledge a feminine side to Divinity, whereas Christianity does not. We also acknowledge, in our view of Balance, a light and dark side to all Creation, and God is no exception. You call these good and evil, terms most of us feel limits the scope of Creation, but nonetheless is a similar description.
We do not have a concept of Satan, Lucifer, the Devil, or Hell. We do not believe an all-evil entity or realm exists. We do not worship, acknowledge, or call such a creature in our worship services. We do not "give up our soul" to such an entity, or sacrifice any living creature in honor of them, or God. We do not summon evil spirits or demons in our worship services or cast spells on people against or for their free will that would cause evil or harm. We do not have sexual or drug orgies in honor of anything good or evil. Yes, we realize Satanism exists. Yes, we realize there are cults that practice awful, disgusting, and evil, if you will, acts against other living creatures. Are we a part of this? NO! And, we never have been. Believe it or not, we find this behavior just as offensive and disgusting as you do!
Some people in our religion call themselves Witches. Others do not. Others prefer to call themselves "Pagans" (or according to their religion "Druid", "Wiccans", "Shamans", etc.) coming from the Latin, "paganus" or country dweller. Meaning we prefer to connect ourselves with the country, the land, the Earth. Words and labels are limiting. We are not the Christian version of the Witch, or the Hansel and Gretel view, living with spiders and toads, pledging to all things dark and evil. If this is your view of what a Witch is, then we are not Witches! Some call themselves "White Witches," those that are healers, and worshippers of the focus of Nature, attuning themselves with the seasons, and the movements of the Sun and Moon. Others are Druids and Shamans, connecting with their ancestors, and indigenous Native American or European religions.
We respect and rejoice in the fact that you as Christians, have found your own spiritual path. Please grant us the same respect. Bashing us with hateful words and threats will only show more hatred.
I challenge all of you, who read this, to be truly Christ-like, God-like, Buddha-like, Goddess-like, or whatever-like. Let us act in the true love and compassion that all of our religions teach. Let us join together as spiritual, loving human beings who share this planet together. Let us vow to never breed hatred and animosity again.
We have a generation of young people who have been taught to act only with their best interest in mind; to be self-centered and unthinking towards their fellow man. I challenge all of you, no matter which religion you are, no matter where you come from to teach our young people the true nature of God, to act truly in accordance with your religion's commandments. To not show hatred, pride, animosity, or superiority in anyway. We are all equal; we all strive toward the same goals - oneness with God. Let us strive ever towards Him/Her, or how ever you choose to describe Divinity . We are all on this Earth together.
We are not trying to change your mind or convert you.
We are not interested in your acceptance.
We are interested in your tolerance.
That is all.
May God bless you and grant you peace.