A reader writes in, "I notice that there are a lot of references made to the English Witchcraft Laws, but what about law in America? Didn't the Salem witches in Massachusetts get burned at the stake because of laws against witchcraft?"

The Salem witch trials were indeed held in Massachusetts. However, in 1692, when these trials took place, Massachusetts was not "American" at all. It was a British colony, and therefore fell under British rule and law. In other words, the Salem Colony was not American in 1692, because "America" didn't exist. In fact, it didn't exist until about eighty years later. Also, no one has ever been burned at the stake for witchcraft in America. In Salem, a number of people were hanged, and one was pressed to death. It is unlikely that any of those people were actually practicing any sort of witchcraft.

Now, that having been said, in some states, there are laws against fortunetelling, Tarot card reading, and other divinatory practices. These are not outlawed because of an injunction against witchcraft, but because of municipal leaders trying to protect gullible residents from being swindled by con artists. These ordinances are passed on local levels and are typically part of zoning regulations, but they're not anti-witchcraft laws - they're anti-fraud laws.

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This is a post from about a year ago, but I got a request from a reader who thought it might be a good time to revisit the issue:

I wanted to share with all of you a conversation that I observed taking place on a listserv I subscribe to, in which an individual wrote a post that highly praised a book she had recently read about modern Pagan practice. A number of other folks chimed in, agreeing with her assessment that it was The Awesomest Book Ever, and that clearly the author was a wise and wonderful person. And then all hell broke loose. Why?

Because someone disagreed.

Yes, someone had the gall and bad manners to question the author's scholarship, point out errors and inconsistencies in the book, and gently suggest that readers might want to examine some other sources as well. This, naturally, led to accusations of "intolerant" and "mean" and "jealous," because clearly the dissenter must be an angry and hateful person to bring up any of these things.

Years ago I read a book by a particular author (although not the one referenced in the listserv discussion) and had some doubts about some of the "facts" she presented, many of which were in direct contradiction to (a) things I'd learned in history class, (b) my personal experience and (c) logic. I raised these doubts to a few other folks, and was immediately pounced on by the leader of a discussion group. "She is an author who sells a lot of books," she told me. "Why isn't her word good enough for you? Aren't we supposed to have perfect love and perfect trust?"

To this individual - and apparently lots of the people on the listserv --the notion of "perfect love and perfect trust" meant blindly following the writings of an author without question, and I find that troubling. If we Pagans want to be taken seriously as a community, we do have to question things that don't make sense, or at the very least, ask for the source of information so we can explore it in more depth. Blindly following along, never asking questions or setting higher standards, benefits no one.

More importantly, we need to recognize that the words "intolerant" and "mean" shouldn't be bandied about every time someone disagrees with the majority opinion. Just because I try to be respectful of the opinions and ideas of others doesn't mean I've left my common sense and critical thinking skills at the door.

A while back, we talked about what makes a book worth reading, and the fact that sometimes, you really do have to go through a lot to weed out the stinkers. I'm not saying you should doubt every single thing you read - simply that if what you read seems off, or in contradiction to what you've already learned, there's nothing wrong at all with stopping and saying "Hey, I wonder if I can find out more so I can have an informed opinion."

It's okay to question. It's okay to doubt. And most of all, it's okay to continue exploring and learning so that you can think for yourself and form your own opinions.

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I'm planning a week at the beach next month, which means it's a good time to revisit our About Pagan/Wiccan list of favorite witchy fiction. Be sure to check out our list of ten great books (some series, some single titles) which are my favorite reads about witches, wizards, Pagans, and magic at Summer Reading: Witchy Fiction.

What's really awesome is that thanks to our Readers Respond feature, over seventy readers have added their favorite titles as well, so there's no shortage of good reads! You can share your own book ideas with other readers at Reader Favorites. I've turned off Comments on this post so you can share your suggestions on the Readers Respond page instead - that way other readers can find them easily, any time.

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OK, so one of the most popular aspects of this particular About.com site is, I have found, that people really love Pagan-themed craft projects. I've posted a number of them for Sabbats and other occasions, and they're always a big hit. I know tons of readers do them, as well as doing their own craft projects.

We also have a really cool feature called Show and Tell, which allows readers to submit a photo and a story. If you've put together a project that celebrates your gods, your beliefs, a Pagan holiday or some other aspect of your spirituality, stop on in and share it with other readers here: Share Your Crafts

Once it's submitted, it goes into a queue for moderation. I'll review it and approve it, and then it goes live on the site. This is a neat way for everyone to share some of their projects, so send 'em on in!

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