Despite the ugly face that other religions have tried to put on Witches, historically most have been concerned with helping individuals and communities. Of course, there are some "wicked Witches" just as there are greedy evangelists, It's important to remember that fear and misunderstanding underlie the misconceptions many people hold about Witches. Once you get to know them, Witches and Wiccans are pretty much like everyone else; they just see the world a little differently.

In the past, many Witches learned their art as part of a familly Tradition in which they were carefully trained. Villages and cities alike had their honored cunning folk to whom people would turn for all kinds of help, from encouraging crops to grow to fixing a broken heart. Healing made up a large part of the Witch's work, and many Witches were knowledgeable herbalists and midwives. In exchange for such services, the Witch might receive a chicken, a measure of grain, or other necessities.

Witches learned their skills as a craft, just as someone might learn carpentry or masonry. Religious constructs weren't linked with the practice of Witchcraft itself, though individual Witches may have followed the beliefs of their families or culture. Witches do not need to believe in Divine beings in order to use Magick. They do not necessarily have a dogma to which they adhere in order to perform their work, just as computer programmers and auto mechanics don't have to be members of a particular faith to do their jobs.

However, the lack of an ethical or religious construct does not mean Witches are without ethics or religion. The use of Magick is simply a means to an end and is, in itself, morally neutral. Ethics get involved only in how Magick is wielded.

For the most part, both Witches and Wiccans believe in religious tolerance and respect every path as having potential for human enlightenment. Most Wiccans have come from other religious backgrounds and believe that people must choose their own paths. You're not likely to find a Wiccan standing on a street corner trying to convert passersby to her faith.