When people hear the word "Witch", many instantly think of the stereotype of the evil, green-faced, warty hag who worships the devil in midnight orgies. However, the Devil is a Christian concept not found in the Wiccan religion. There is no concept of an all-evil Deity in Wicca. We have God and Goddess, who share in their Divine positions. We don't believe in a "Satan", nor do we "cast evil spells" or the rest of that nonsense. We also don't have green skin and warts, but that's the typical stereotype for you.
With the advent of television shows such as “Charmed” and “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” and movies such as “The Craft”, public awareness of Wicca and magick has grown. However, Hollywood has never much concerned itself with accuracy, and therefore a distorted perception of the “magick” involved with Wicca is presented. Wiccans don’t fling fireballs, banish demons into a flash of smoke, teleport themselves into the underworld, or change their hair color with a chanted spell. Wicca is a religion, and magick is a tool of self-transformation. It’s pretty short on special effects.
Persecution and discrimination based on religious beliefs is still very much alive. Wiccans who choose to speak openly about their beliefs have been fired from jobs, targeted for harassment, blitzed with religious tracts, and been brought to court on suspicion of being a danger to their own children. This is the reason that so many Wiccans choose to remain private about their religion, a practice known as “being in the broom closet”.
~Flame RavenHawk