  To Tammy Ritchie (webmistress of www.sounddoctrine.com/ptimes/):I know that my letter won't make any difference in your life, and won't do anything to lessen your obsession with "the evils of paganism." I truly feel sorry for you. I was raised in a Roman Catholic environment (attended a convent-school for six or seven years), and I was also filled with fear of "the Devil" and fear of "Hell." Such beliefs do nothing but create terror in the minds of children, and nightmares in their sleep-time. I also truly believed that God and His angels were watching everything I did, and would punish me for every sin. About twenty years ago, I was attending university; studying towards a degree in Theology. It was at that time that I began to research the history of the Church, and of witchcraft. To my horror, I discovered that Christian zealots were the perpetrators of horrendous tortures, mutilations, and massacres, against peoples all over the world. The most egregious incidents were the Crusades of Richard Couer-de-Lion, the Conquest of the New World, and the Burning Times. All of these, I'm sure you will agree, are events perpetrated in the name of Jesus Christ, but in total opposition to the gentleness and love that He preached. Today, I am not even sure that Jesus Christ actually ever lived; but the ideas that are represented by the early Christian adherents certainly were established during the time that He is believed to have lived. It would sadden the founders of the faith to see what is happening today, and what has happened in the past, in the name of their leader. I am sure that you post your pages with the best of intentions, you truly believe in Hellfire and Damnation, you truly believe that your mission in life is the salvation of souls, and you truly believe that the misconceptions you promulgate are founded in facts. Hollywood, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and all the other scribes of fairy tales and fantasies, play well their parts in slandering witches and pagans. Nothing can justify the tortures and burnings of women and children. Certainly, Christ would be horrified by such activities. Your website, although you may not recognize it, preaches hatred against women and children. Your site perpetuates the lies and persecution of the Burning Times. I can only speak for myself, but I find it offensive to be labelled as a whore and drug addict because of my spiritual beliefs. I can assure you that I am neither. I'm just an ordinary fifty-something grandmother crone, who has never smoked a cigarette in her life, who has rarely ever been intoxicated, and who certainly knows nothing of sexual promiscuity - except that it's something I've no desire to be involved in. I love the earth, I love my sons and granddaughter, and I love the strength of those men and women who today seek to redress the wrongs of the past. I also love and treasure the freedom from nightmares, guilt, and anxiety, that I have achieved through my choice of a pagan religious path. I just wish that you could honor my choice as being what is right for me, and what is right for its other practitioners. If you truly love Christ, and would truly follow His path, I urge you to buy a copy of The Gospel According to Jesus by Stephen Mitchell. Get away from the misogynist madness of the Epistles of Paul, and the craziness of the avenging and jealous Hebrew god of the Old Testament. Study and practice the pure teachings of Jesus Christ. Strive to act as He would act, to think as He would think; and to love as He loved. Don't cast stones unless you are truly certain that you are without sin (John 8:3-7). Christianity doesn't work for me. But it might for you, if you can only focus on the true teachings of its founder. 
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