I feel somewhat dissatisfied with my original post - partly because I have recently been doing some reading and I feel I can do a much better job now. And partly because I am BY NO MEANS anywhere NEAR an expert on Wicca. In fact, I have read far too many Silver RavenWolf books for my own good really. Even when I used to be Wiccan, before I became Agnostic, I moved on slightly from Wicca and called myself an Eclectic Neo-Pagan because I incorporated Native American traditions and Buddhism into my practice. So although my foundation was Wiccan-influenced, it would not have been correct to call myself a Wiccan. (at least i recognised that.) I started off Wiccan, but I've learned that a great deal of people who call themselves Wiccans DO NOT ACTUALLY FOLLOW WICCA. Because they have learned about it from people like Silver RavenWolf and Scott Cunningham - who perpetuate the "Wicca can be anything you want" fashion. It can't.

Moreover, RavenWolf goes on about persecution of Witches by Christians. Christians weren't persecuting witches. Some of them may have had Pagan beliefs, but others were heretic Christians. Not to mention, the More Persecuted Than Thou syndrome is stupid when you remember that the Romans crucified and set Christians on fire and used them as street lamps (i kid you not). Some "Wiccans" have even taken to using slogans like "Never forget, never again". Which was originally used to refer to the Holocaust by Jews.

But, I find all this very interesting and I've really enjoyed learning about it so my plan is to do some more reading and re-vamp this thread. There's nothing like realising that you have been mislead to get you searching for the truth after all.

To answer your questions, Spacey,

"Witches do not believe that true morality consists of observing a list of thou-shalt-nots. Their morality can be summed up in one sentence, "Do what you will, so long as it harms none." This does not mean, however, that witches are pacifists. They say that to allow wrong to flourish unchecked is not 'harming none'. On the contrary, it is harming everybody." - Doreen Valiente - An ABC of Witchcraft Past & Present, 1973

The Rede really means "harm least". Obviously, its impossible to never cause harm. It's a moral theory similar to Utilitarianism - which argues that morally, the aim should be to maximise (physical OR emotional/psychological) pleasure and minimise pain. The Rede is not a law as such, as I wrongfully suggestion. "Rede" means advice.

As for "borrowing", Wicca "borrows" from paganism slightly more than Christianity. If you're referring to what I wrote before about Halloween, that "essay" was actually grossly misinformed and i regret writing it and misinforming other people as a result. :oops: :roll: