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.

aezrael gave this response on 4/21/2000:

Merry Met,

Several Answers:

1)I personally don't know how many Traditions (Trads) are in the Wiccan religion, but new ones are created all the time. This does not show disunity, rather this shows different beliefs. These Trads are not unlike the different kinds of Christian 'sects', for example, there are Baptist, Church of God, Latter Day Saints, Catholic, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Science, etc., etc.

2)All Wiccans are pagans, but not all pagans are Wiccan. Once again, compare it to the Christian religion. Baptists are Christians, but Christians could be Catholic. Wiccans are pagan, but pagans could be, for example, Druids.

3)In my personal opinion, the soul and spirit are one and the same. There is no difference.

4)Once again, in my opinion, the Bible is a historical account of things that happened. There are a lot of good stories, a great list of family trees, and an account of one of the great teachers in history. I do not believe that Jesus was the messiah, but I believe that he was a great teacher of morals.

I hope this answers your questions. Keep in mind that questions 3 and 4 are my personal opinion, and may not be the same as others in the Wiccan Community. Brightest Blessings.

The average rating for this answer is 4.

Anonymous rated this answer a 4.

Thanks for your comments.