I found this online and thought it was very interesting. Obviously written by someone who has had enough with criticism from Wiccans. Here it is. I'll be right back with the link to the actual site and author.

The Modern Witch's Manifesto



I am a witch.
That is sufficient for you to know.
Witches need not disclaim the Wiccan tradition/religion nor apologize to its members for what they are and are not.
We are part of a long and proud tradition of the art, craft, philosophy, and way of life that is Witchcraft.
We were here before Wicca and we will be here after.
We are set apart.
Simply naming yourself “witch” does not make you a witch any more than naming yourself “neurologist” makes you a brain surgeon.
To be a witch requires study, learning, practice, experience and talent.
Being a witch is a calling, not a choice.
You either are or you aren’t.
The lot is cast at birth by the Universe and there is nothing you can do about it.
Not everyone can be a concert pianist or a best-selling author; not everyone can be a witch.
Wicca is a religion.
Witchcraft is a craft.
The comparison of the two is a comparison of apples and oranges.
Witchcraft can be used to express the religion Wicca just as sculpting can be used to express Christianity.
However, Wicca is not Witchcraft anymore than Catholicism is sculpting.
Witchcraft is not a religion, the witch is free to believe or not believe as they wish.
Witches may worship a Goddess, a rock, Satan, Will Rogers, The Force or nothing at all.
It is the witch’s choice how to relate to the Universe and none may gainsay that choice.
The witch is self-empowered and relies on no one else to get through life.
This means we make our own moral choices, form our own ethics, and decide our own course.
An artificial morality may not be forced upon us.
We will not be intimidated with “karma” or threats of “three-fold” retribution.
We will not be told that these will “get us no matter what we believe.”
The wisdom we hold is sacred and has been handed down from the Ancients through many generations.
Our families and traditions have perfected it and people hav4e both lived and died for it.
We will not bear the insult of being told that we are wrong because what we know and practice does not agree with the author of some shallow, mass marketed book from the New Age shelf at Barnes & Noble.
Being a witch does not require you to be a Socialist, a Democrat, a feminist, ecologically conscious, politically correct, or even socially acceptable.
Each witch makes her own way through the world and sets the terms and conditions of how they interact with it.
Externally imposed ideas of “right and wrong” and “good and bad” have no meaning to the witch.
Witches live and work from within the shadow.
This is the ancient and honorable way.
We are called out from the Coven and wish to live separately from them.
We don’t need nor even want good public relations.
We are not concerned with being “persecuted” or fighting for our “civil rights.”
Our validation comes from within ourselves, not from the President, the media, the Christian church or the IRS.
We are unique individuals and no one speaks for us.
Wiccans may not say what witches believe or how witches think.
We have no problem allowing others to follow the course that they choose –
or assisting them in it – so long as they afford us the same courtesy.
We are not your enemies or your adversaries.
We just want the right to be who and what we are; the same right you claim for yourselves.
I am a witch.
That is sufficient for you to know.

http://www.hafapea.com/magickpages/rules2.html#witch's

Bravo! Nicely stated!

Very nice, indeed!

Merry Meet! and blessed be.

That's a really nice web site in general Ruth. I was just reading about the handfasting ceremonies. Pretty nice.