Responding to Wicca

In announcing my radio program on Responding to Wicca recently, I received a lot of phone calls similar to the following: “My wife is involved in Wicca. Do you have resources that might assist me?” “I heard you advertising your radio program on Responding to Wicca. My twenty-eight year old daughter has become involved in this religion. I don’t know how to respond to her. I’ll be sure to tune in, listen, and learn.” “I’m looking for resources for a student of mine. I’m a high school teacher in a public school. One of my students is dabbling in witchcraft. I want to help her understand why God forbids divination and witchcraft.”

With the pagan holiday Halloween approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to examine Wicca and delve into some questions such as; What is Wicca? Why are teenagers and young adults becoming involved? What can church leaders and parents do when someone they know becomes involved? What resources are available that can assist you?

History, Beliefs, and Practices

Englishman Gerald B. Gardner (1884-1964) is debatably the first to ever practice Wicca in a recognizably modern form and is credited as the founder of contemporary witchcraft practiced as a religion - “Gardnerian Wicca.” Some involved in Wicca would claim that its beginnings are traced back to ancient, pagan, nature-worshipping practices in tribal Europe that predate Christianity. However, those who have studied the subject generally agree that modern witchcraft is a continuing development of a complex mixture of beliefs and practices that can be traced to the writings of Gardner. His writings draw upon his many occultic experiences and his involvement in a variety of organizations and movements.

Americans Raymond and Rosemary Buckland traveled to England in the mid-60s to be initiated into Gardner’s goddess based religion and brought its practices back to the United States. Modern spokespersons for Wicca today include Margot Adler, Mary Nesnick, Selena Fox, Gavin and Yvonne Frost, Sybil Leek, Miriam Simos and Doreen Valiente.

Wicca (which is witchcraft) means “to bend or alter” and is also known as the “Old Religion,” the “Goddess Religion,” “The Craft,” or “The Craft of the Wise.” An anti-dogmatic, anti-authoritarian, diverse, de-centralized, ecclestic, experience-based, nature-oriented religious movement whose followers are usually polytheists (those who believe in multiple gods) and/or pantheists (that God is in all). In some sense they believe in experience, invoke, or worship the Mother Goddess and her consort the Horned God. Wicca is a generic term covering numerous perspectives on the subject (Witchcraft - Exploring the World of Wicca by Craig S. Hawkins, p. 21).

Wiccans are individuals who practice, or agree with, the views and experiences of witchcraft. Most view divinity as immanent in nature, seeing all life as sacred, thus denying any sacred/secular distinction. They are nature-oriented and also see no ultimate distinction between matter and spirit - the material and the spiritual. They may believe in or involve a pantheon of gods and goddesses, but they primarily worship the Mother or Triple Goddess and her male consort, the Horned God. Witches generally practice multiple forms of divination, participate in trance and other altered states of consciousness, and perform magical spells and incantations. Most observe eight seasonal holidays and festivals per year. Most believe in some form of reincarnation. The widely held notion that a female is a witch, whereas a male is a warlock or wizard is a misnomer. The term witch or Wiccan applies to both genders (Hawkins, p. 21).

Wiccan’s have a wide-range of beliefs. They are diverse. Some of these beliefs include: Monism - all is one. A mystical oneness connects all things in nature together. Animism - the Life Force or energy is in all of nature; mountains, streams, trees, birds, animals, and humans. Therefore all is sacred and to be cared for. Pantheism - God (the divine, the primal Life Force) is in all things; humans and all nature contain the divine. Wicca is based on a sense of being one and in harmony with all of nature. Polytheism - a belief in multiple gods and goddesses along with multiple levels of reality that support the Wiccan idea of relativism in all areas of life, with no absolutes in religion or reality. Some Wiccan’s continue to attend Christian denominations!

Most Wiccan’s invoke or worship the Mother Goddess by a variety of names. The Mother Goddess has three roles; as maiden, mother, and crone (third aspect of the Mother Goddess, issuing the curse of death) which, in Wiccan rituals, (the most well-known is “Drawing Down the Moon”) is associated with the three phases of the moon - waxing, waning and full. The practice of magic (sorcery or divination) and casting of spells calling upon the energy of the Life Force personified or symbolized by the Goddess and her male consort, the Horned God, for the purpose of achieving something positive in the life of a person. The Wiccan Law is: “if it harms none, do as you will.”

Many misconceptions exist. Some think Wiccans are Satanists. They would deny this. Wiccan’s link Satan with Christianity. They pride themselves on promoting a concern for all of life and seeking a balance and harmony within nature. They do not believe Satan really exists. Others believe all Wiccan’s are women. This isincorrect. Men can also be Wiccans.

Most Wiccan’s gather in assemblies or groups, numbering from 2 to 30, called “covens.” The average number is 13. But, Marcia Montengra of Christian Answers for the New Age told me that she knows many who practice Wicca by themselves and never attend covens. Beliefs and practices vary widely. Most blend pagan and Native American spirituality. Some covens seek a balance of men and women. Some feminist covens admit males. Other Dianic covens are exclusively female and lesbian or composed of various sexual preferences. There are also covens of men that are homosexuals and bisexuals.

Creeds and doctrines are not important to Wiccan’s. Experience is what is important to those involved in Wicca. Tolerance is highly valued. Diversity of beliefs and practices is viewed as healthy.

Witches do not believe in the concept of sin, nor do they believe in the existence of hell. They do not believe Satan exists. To them, sin is outdated. For Christians of course, the denial of sin has important implications for the subject of salvation. If there is no sin, there is no divine retribution from which to be saved.

While witches do not subscribe to a view of salvation such as Christianity teaches, they do hope to arrive in a Summer Land - their counterpart to Heaven.

Many witches subscribe to some form of reincarnation and the moral Law of Karma that governs it. Reincarnation is the teaching that a soul moves from body to body in a birth-death-rebirth cycle which is a development of the Hindu-Buddhist teaching of soul transmigration. It includes the possibility that a soul can be born into the body of an animal. The status of the body which a soul is born into (ranging from a housefly to a well-to-do person) is an indication of the quality of life that the soul achieved living in its previous body. A good life brings rebirth into a higher form; a bad life into a lower form. This upward and downward graduation fulfills the Law of Karma, a central tenet of Hinduism. Karma teaches that good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished.

Magic is a key component in a Wiccans world. The working of magic, diverse techniques of divination, the development of psychic abilities, and for some, spiritism, are important parts of their religion. Included in these practices are: Astrology, out of body experiences, crystal gazing, incantations, making of potions, mediumship (channeling), necromancy, psychic power, reading tarot cards, spell casting, trance states, burning candles, ritual dancing, meditation, visualization and chanting.

What Does the Bible Say About Divination and Occult Practices?

The Bible clearly forbids spiritalism, occult practices, and divination. God forbids us to become involved in occult practices because He knows it is dangerous! Just a couple of the many Scriptures that address the subject include: Deut. 18:10-12, “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells or who is medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.” and 2 Kings 21:1-6, “Manasseh King of Judah, did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father had destroyed; he erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshipped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination and consulted mediums and spiritists.”

Additional verses include: Lev. 20:27, 1 Sam. 28 and 1 Sam. 15:23a; 2 Kings 17:17, 1 Chronicles 10:13; Isa. 2:6, 8:19-20, 47:9-14; Acts 13:7-10; 16:16-18; Gal. 5:19-20 and Rev. 22:15.

How Should We Response to Someone Who is Involved?

Begin with prayer. Continue to pray. Pray some more. Ask for God’s wisdom. Build a relationship. Don’t overreact! Ask them questions to make them think! Listen to them. “Why did you get involved?” Remember those who get involved are often disillusioned with Christianity or know nothing about Christianity. They may say, “I don’t like organized religion.” Respond, “I don’t like organization religion either.” Then tell them about your faith in Christ. Ask them what they think about Jesus. Talk about Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They are people who need the Gospel. Make sure you have accurate information and understand what they believe. Love them, show concern and share the Gospel.

Although they do not associate themselves with Satan, nevertheless, according to the Scriptures, we must conclude that this practice serves the purpose of Satan by leading people away from the worship of the true God. The worshiping and serving of created things rather than the Creator is as much condemned in God’s Word as is sexual immorality and every other kind of wickedness and evil (Rom. 1:24-32). God’s Word is clear in identifying practices associated with witchcraft - divination, sorcery, interpreting omens, and casting spells - as activities that are detestable to the Lord (Deut. 18:9-13). Furthermore, the invoking of gods or goddesses (e.g. Baals and Ashtoreths in Canaanite religions of the Old Testament period) to provide some blessing or using spells to grant the desired request of those performing worship rituals is crass idolatry and places a person under the wrath and judgment of God (Judges 2:13-14; 1 Kings 11:5-6, 33).

Witches may be ‘good’ people in the sense that they are peace-loving, care about nature and the environment, and seek to live in harmony with all things. But they too, as sinful human beings, need a righteousness that comes not “from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” (Phil. 3:9) To live in peace and harmony with everyone and everything is something that God desires for those who live in this world (Rom. 12:18). But the peace that is God-pleasing comes only as God’s gift to those who live in the peace Christ established between God and humankind (John 14:27). Practitioners of witchcraft need to know that the Creator whose creation they revere and deify is also the Creator of a special people (Isa. 43:1, 15) though whom He has brought into the world the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, creates peace between God and man through His blood shed on the cross (Eph. 2:13-17). This peace is so far-reaching that creation itself will be blessed through it (Rom. 8:19-21); (Isa. 11:6-9) (www.lcms.org).

Resources:

Commissions on Theology. Religious Organizations and Movements. www.lcms.org.

Craig S. Hawkins, The Modern World of Witchcraft: Part One. Christian Research Journal (Winter/spring 1990): 8-14.

Craig S. Hawkins, The Modern World of Witchcraft: Part Two. Christian Research Journal (Summer 1999): 22-27.

Craig S. Hawkins, Goddess Worship, Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.

Christian Answers for the New Age. http://cana.userworld.com

Steve Russo, What’s the Deal with Wicca (2005)

Steve Russo, Protecting Your Teen from Today’s Witchcraft (2005)

Kay Meyer is the president of Family Shield Ministries based in St. Louis, Missouri. Its mission is to: educate and equip people through the power of the Gospel to know Christ, grow in His Word, and strengthen individuals and their families. You can tune in to Family Shield on Saturday’s from 11 a.m. – 12 noon on AM 850 KFUO. Learn more at Family Shield by visiting www.familyshieldministries.com or calling (314) 772-6070.