All I ask is that you have an open mind and give serious attention to the things I now bring up. Remember an unexamined faith is a worthless faith.

Given. I would also like to state that I have examined and re-examined my faith numerous times. My beliefs are continually evolving, based on new experiences.

The fact that magic does not work.

If magic worked, witches would be picking up the winning lottery numbers every week. But the fact is that when the "rubber meets the road" magic simply does not work.

False. I have seen magic work. I have seen the power of belief change weather patterns over Washington D.C.. Once after working a job ritual with a group, the following day five of us received job offers, myself included. When you ask why pagans aren't rich, you should examine your own beliefs on the matter. Why is getting rich the ultimate goal in life? Should it not be the attainment of knowledge and spiritual enlightenment, rather than a thick stock portfolio? Most pagans I know have little to no interest in gaining a great amount of material wealth, especially at the expense of others. Using magic in such a manner would be against the very purpose of seeking this path.

Their lame duck excuses as to why they are sick or why they can't keep their marriage together or why they aren't rich, are weak and feeble.

I challenge you to show me any report where pagans are sicker or have worse relationships than people of any other faith. In actuality, the lifestyles often, although not always, taken by pagans such as vegetarianism and constant meditation, lead to lower blood pressure, lower cholestorol levels, and thus fewer health problems. As far as relationships are concerned, there is much less of a societal pressure for a couple to keep a marriage together at all costs, so yes, there probably is a higher divorce rate among pagans than others. However, having personally worked in a shelter for battered women, I have to question any authority who says staying with an abusive husband is good, while divorcing him is a sin.

A magical world view is internally contradictory and hypocritical.

To say, "there are no moral absolutes" is to give an absolute.

Yes, but not a moral one.

To say, "Do what thou wilt, this is the whole of the law" has been used to justify everything from black magic to human sacrifice. If there are no standards, then on what grounds can they condemn child abuse, Hitler, murder, etc.? They can't.

The idea of "do what thou wilt, this is the whole" *is* embraced by some pagans. However, far more choose to follow the wiccan rede: "An it hurts none, do as you will." Kind of self-explanatory, really. We condemn the things you mentioned because they violate that law.

To say, "everything is relative" and "there is no evil," and then to turn around and say that Christianity is "evil" is contradictory.

Pagans don't go around saying Christianity is evil. Personally, I've used the words "silly," "closeminded," "bigoted," "rooted in a medieval mentality," and "hypocritical," but none of those phrases were directed at Christianity as a whole, merely specific followers of that religion who used their faith as a means to defend their own personal biases.

To say, "Everyone has the right to believe what they want" and then condemn Christians for what they believe is contradictory.

Again, I have yet to meet any pagan who condemns Christians for what they believe. I do know people who revel in pointing out contradictions in the Bible, in pointing out historical changes in Church doctrine such as the past acceptance of female clergy and homosexual marriage, and so on, but these are not condemnations, merely points that should be at least considered. As was stated earlier in Dr. Morey's letter, an unexamined belief is on very shaky ground.

To say, "Do what thou wilt" and then tell Christians NOT to do what they wilt is hypocritical.

Again, the full law as followed by the majority of pagans is being ignored. Do what thou wilt, so long as it hurts no one else. The major complaints I have seen against Christianity is the impetus of its followers to impose their morals on everyone else. This is not to say all Christians do this; I know many who have the attitude "live and let live," and I'm proud to call these people friends. However, when someone desires to say, physically attack a man because he is gay, or a Socialist, or a Jew, anyone with a sense of justice is going to condemn the actions of the attacker and ask the person to stop.

To say, "that it is wrong to judge/condemn others," and then to judge/condemn Christians is contradictory.

Yes it is. Condemning others is wrong. Condemning beliefs is wrong. Condemning actions is a terrible necessity in our society. I'll be (and have been, thank you) the first to defend someone who is being attacked for his/her beliefs. When those beliefs lead that person to hurt someone else, I will condemn those actions, because they brought harm.

A magical view of life does not correspond to reality.

No magic is going to make you thin if you do not stop eating. No magic will make you rich if you do not get up and go to work.

Nor should it. That isn't its purpose. As I stated before, using magic for material gain misses the point of the practice. Look at it as a form of prayer. Praying to become thin or wealthy without putting in any work would be as ineffective as working a ritual. "God helps those who help themselves." Also, the act of praying for something so material-based is unworthy and selfish. The same idea applies to magic. Instead of working a ritual to get rich, one performs a ritual to help find a job. Instead of working a spell to become thin, one enters a period of meditation and fasting, or better yet, starts walking to work.

The claim of modern witches that they are reviving pre-Christian paganism is not true historically. The rituals and beliefs of modern day magic are of recent origin.

Some of them are, yes. Modern Wicca as it exists was developed by Gardener earlier this century. On the other hand, a large number of neopagan practices are taken from Native American beliefs and practices (and performed wrong in too many cases, unfortunately). Other pagan beliefs embrace many of the deities and virtues espoused in Hinduism, which predates Christianity by quite a bit. Other pagans follow the religion of the old Norsemen. While there is no evidence that this religion is more than two thousand years old, the oldest known records of the culture are from 50 C.E., and more is uncovered all the time. Yes, many of the rituals of the religions I just mentioned have been adapted for modern life, but then, Christian masses aren't conducted in Hebrew, either.

My brother in law who is in the occult told me he was going to use magic to get himself a parking space in N.Y.C. I in turn told him that I would ask Jesus to get me a space. He drove around for four hours before finding a place while I found one immediately and did not have to go around the block even once! His magic was not even good enough to find him a parking space!

I am willing to concede it takes a miracle to find a parking space in N.Y.C. I feel obligated to point out the number of child abuse cases currently pending regarding parents whose children died while they prayed for a miracle rather than sought proper health care. One example of prayer "beating" magic does not make a case. Prayer is itself a form of magic: calling upon a higher power in order to shape the world into a more pleasing form. And sometimes the answer is "No."

A magical view of life is a cop out and it breeds irresponsibility. Instead of taking responsibility for their life, those who use magic always blame "bad luck" or claim that someone is using black magic against them. The truth is that YOU are responsible for the choices you make in life - not magic.

This again is untrue. Choosing a magical view of life forces one to take responsibility, to see how one's actions affect everything in the surrounding world. One of the tenets that can be found in most neopagan religions is the notion that all things are intertwined. One is not only responsible for one's own action, but also all the effects of that action, and the repercussions on one's future. "Let go, let Goddess" is a great bumper sticker, but don't take it as meaning any more than the sticker it's based upon.

It attracts people with mental problems. Sad but true. I have seen this many, many times. The State Mental Hospitals are filled with people who were users of magic. It appeals to people with those kind of people. [sic]

This is actually common, but it is not limited to paganism. Many people who go through a terrible trauma or a mental breakdown will latch onto some kind of religious fervor. It gives a sense of stability and power to the person. I know of two women, related, who went through breakdowns at different times. One became devoutly Catholic, the other Born Again. Show me your numbers on how many hospitalized mental patients are pagan as opposed to those who follow other religions, please.

They live in constant fear of the powers they draw down. Hence they need the occult protection of the circles, towers, shields, charms, etc.. What a terrible religion of fear!

Close, but not quite. With the acceptance of greater powers than one's own also comes the realization of darker forces. When one performs a ritual, one casts a circle of protection much the same way a doctor will only perform surgery in a sterile room with cleansed instruments. Is she living in fear because she wants to reduce the chance of infection? No. Better than a mere sterilized environment, the circle becomes a sacred space, much like a church, where one can freely commune with Deity. The best part is that a circle can be cast anywhere: in a park, in a kitchen, in a back yard. When one's holy place is also where one's life happens, one can see that life and everything in it as holy.

If you depend upon trinkets such as pentagrams to protect you, you do not have any real power. To think that a stupid piece of metal or glass is going to protect you from a demon you summon is absurd.

No kidding. Having faith in any trinket (crystal, cross, star, whatever) is rarely a good idea. However, there is nothing wrong with wearing a cross or any other piece of religious jewelry, as long as one takes it merely as a symbol of one's religion. I wear a quartz crystal as a quiet means of telling others my beliefs, just as my friend wears her cross. Neither of us has much interest in summoning demons.

The lust for blood is evil. It has led to horrible crimes. Killing animals and people for their "energy" is wicked as well as criminal.

Killing anything for its energy is wrong. As for blood lust, I'm sorry, but the ritualistic cannibalism of "This is my body," etc. is the most blatant use of blood sacrifice I've ever seen.

Sex magic is filthy and gross beyond words and involves child abuse, bestiality, sodomy, etc. You will never have a normal satisfying sex life once you debase yourself in sex magic.

Having never been involved in it, I can't say for sure. However, again, the law to harm none comes into effect. When the practice hurts someone (the aforementioned child abuse, bestiality) the actions are wrong and are not condoned among the majority, any more than David Koresh's actions are condoned by most Christians.

Magic is for losers.

The greatest magicians always end up broke, alone, and miserable. Check to see what happened to people like Crowley. They were all losers.

I have to beg to differ once again, and ask for a better definition of "great." I could (but won't) rattle off a list of pagans I know who are right now living happy, well-adjusted lives. They have families. They have careers. Many of them, myself included, are scientists. Others are writers, and computer programmers, and teachers, and secretaries. They are satisfied with their lives, are involved in the communities where they live, and not one of them has yet produced a child with horns or cloven feet. They're not losers. No, not one of the pagans I know is rich, but then, neither is anyone else I know.

Whenever a true Christian challenges them, the magicians always lose.

I have challenged occultist to take their best shot and they always failed. On one occasion, a coven sent demons to kill me but I didn't even get a headache!

That would in technical terms be referred to as a "psyche out."

While there is a lot of hate and lust in magic, there is no love. If you leave or reveal the secrets, they will try to kill you.

Once again, this is incorrect. The pagan religions, wicca especially, are full of love, not only for one another, but for every living thing. Once one has accepted one's self as a part of the whole, one cannot help but love. I feel so lucky in my experiences with magic, because I have encountered wonderful friends whom I love dearly. We have learned together, and performed rituals together, and when I finally move away from them, they will be happy for me, and me for them, because we will only be separated by distance. Hate? That's for those losers you mentioned. You know, the ones who refuse to see their reflections in everyone around them and instead label people as "Them" and "Us."

There is no forgiveness, comfort or salvation in magic. It has no Savior or God who loves and cares for you.

Actually, depending on your personal beliefs, there's a large number of various gods who love and care, not just for you, but for every blade of grass and every rock. Forgiveness, comfort, and salvation all come from within the self, which is sometimes the harshest judge of all.

The Bible says that true power behind the magical arts is satanic. Those who deny this are dupes of the devil.

Note: Pagans don't believe in the Bible. It's a nice book, and has some good stories and ideas, but it is not the guidebook for everything in life, at least according to my beliefs. Now, I do know some Christian Pagans who try to incorporate both paths, but then again, I also know some gay Republicans. Neither concept makes much sense to me, but it's not my place to judge how people live.

Now for more interesting quotes, these from other pages on the site where I found this letter:

From "What's Wrong With My Excuses?":

On Taking Responsibility:
Submission is the hallmark of the Christian life. Without it, all you have is counterfeit spirituality.

The classic hymns so despised by youth today were all about SUBMISSION; that's why carnal Christians want no part of them.

Songs like: "Washed In The Blood," "Haven of Rest," "Jesus Paid It All," "To God Be The Glory," "Lord, I'm Coming Home," "Victory In Jesus," "Have Thine Own Way, Lord," "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross," "Take My Life And Let It Be," "I Surrender All," "Jesus Is All The World To Me." These are all songs of SUBMISSION.

On Fear:
There's nothing wrong with a good holy fear of God. Those who truly love God WILL fear Him.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, (Psalm 111:10). Only by fearing God can we know what true godly love is. The fear of God is as Biblical as John 3:16.

The sad part, as far as I'm concerned, is that Dr. Morey's letter will be seen by an unknown number of people and misinform them, possibly scaring them forever away from any further exploration of the occult. Yes, there are scary things out here. Very few of them have scales and claws and fangs, but many of them come disguised as good intentions. In the end, your religious and personal beliefs are going to have to be your own. You have to choose a path (I include atheism and agnosticism as paths) and follow it. Whatever you believe, rejoice in it, and don't let anyone tell you that it's wrong. Just try not to hurt anyone along the way.

Peace be with you.