Far From Stares And Jeers, Pagans Affirm Their Rites

The Reverend Kendra Vaughan Hovey, head of the First Church of Wicca in Duxbury, knows all about cold shoulders, hard stares, and verbal assaults.

Usually, Wiccans, witches, and other pagans worship in small, closeted groups. Hovey's church is one of a handful of such congregations across the United States that offer public sessions.

Opening the doors to what many Christians consider heretical and occult practice also has led to not-so-subtle accusations.

Raised Jewish, Hovey, 41, said the intolerance she experienced as a Jew has helped build a thick skin against prejudice. She says she feels a similar intolerance as a practicing witch in a new religion, which she joined when she was 11. Click here for the full story

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