YAKIMA, Wash. -- Melvin Neifert is no devil worshipper.

But he is a witch.

He's heard the criticisms. Devil worshipper. Evil. Anti-Christian. As the president of the Church of the Sacred Moon, the Yakima Valley's only Pagan church officially recognized by the state, Neifert knows the stereotypes.

None of them are true, says the 31-year-old Neifert. Pagans don't believe in the devil. They don't do evil, believing if they do, it will come back to them. And, he says, "I don't hold any animosity against Christians - just those people who have abused our religion."

And while Paganism draws on many pre-Christian, tribal and mystic beliefs, its adherents are decidedly 21st century, with Web sites, blogs and MySpace postings dedicated to Paganism. There's also a Pagan 12-step recovery group.

The Church of the Sacred Moon has its own Web site. The church is incorporated as a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization with a set of bylaws and a board of directors.