Anonymous asked this question on 4/21/2000:

Several questions: 1) I've heard there are many sects to the wiccan practice. Does anyone know how many and why? Is this disunity? 2) Are all wiccans also pagans and vise-versa? I noticed many list themselves as "experts" in both. 3) How does your practice define the difference between the "soul" and the "spirit"? 4) How do you view the christian bible? Does it hold any truths/beliefs for you? I appreciate your time and effort, and value your opinions.

luise gave this response on 4/27/2000:

Greetings and Merry Meet!

1) I've heard there are many sects to the wiccan practice. Does anyone know how many and why? Is this disunity?

As has been explained before, Wicca is a religion as many others, and has developed sects like many others. I can see why you would consider this disunity considering many of the sects of religions such as Christianity dislike other sects or view other sects as false versions of Christianity. However, one thing I have noticed about Wicca, if the follower is a true follower, is that there isn't any disunity at all. We all have different views about our faith and how we practice it, but we all respect each others views. Also, if there is a cause for all of us to get behind, whether it is discrimination in the workplace or derogatory news articles, YOU WATCH US UNITE! Especially online. You wouldn't believe how fast we work to keep our faith strong and to fight against others who would try to keep religious freedom from us.

2) Are all wiccans also pagans and vise-versa? I noticed many list themselves as "experts" in both.

Many people have already answered this question, so I will just add another little twist. Are all Catholics Christian? Are all Christians Catholic? There's your answer.

3) How does your practice define the difference between the "soul" and the "spirit"?

Your question depends on what way you are asking. If you are asking about a person's divine force, then yes, soul and spirit are the same. However, we also believe in spirit another way. Each living thing has a spirit. Beings who have crossed over to the other side are spirits. Nature Beings are Spirits, as in Earth Spirits, Water Spirits, Air Spirits and Fire Spirits. Also, some people define the Divine Energy as Spirit. So, really, you would need to quantify your question.

4) How do you view the christian bible? Does it hold any truths/beliefs for you?

The Bible was created by Man. That leaves it open to Man's interpretation as it was being written. All of the books of the New Testament were written after Jesus' death, and were the apostles' recollection of the accounts of what happened, not Jesus' words. The Bible has been changed over and over again as it has been rewritten over and over. King James Version is the worst since because of his obsession with witches, he decided to change a lot of the Bible to reflect his paranoia against witches instead of what the texts actually say.

The New Testament has a lot of good moral behavior codes that are good to follow. However, those codes can also be found in many other religious texts. They are universal truths, not strictly for one religion.

Thank you for writing and I hope we answered your questions well.

Blessings to you and yours, Luise

The average rating for this answer is 5.

Anonymous rated this answer a 5.

Thanks for your well organized views.