Just how many people are practicing Paganism and/or Witchcraft today?
Estimates of the number of Neo-Pagans in the US range from 500,000 to several million. As the movement has no central authority, accurate estimates are difficult to make. Rev. J. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study of American Religion (Santa Barbara) has studied modern Paganism and terms it one of the fastest-growing religious movements in modern times. All leaders and groups within the Pagan movement report growth is meteoric, with demand for teachers, resources, and festivals often outstripping supply. A 1998 Gallop Poll of American teenagers revealed that 17% indicated “an interest in Witchcraft.” Based on their own mailing list, the Wiccan/Pagan Press Alliance estimates about 600,000 Pagans in the US. The Military Pagan Network says there are about 10,000 Pagans in the US Armed Forces. The Unitarian-Universalist Church has 19% of their members (100,000) identifying as practitioners of “Earth-based spirituality.” Rev. Wren Walker of The Witches Voice (www.witchvox.com) Web
