II. WITCHCRAFT AND WICCA IN MODERN CULTURE
A. Wicca is a modern pagan religion.
1. Wicca was organized in England less than one-hundred years ago and was named and promoted by a retired British civil servant named Gerald Gardner in the 50s and early 60s.
2. Many Wiccans (adherents to Wicca) claim that Wicca is an ancient religion that predates Christianity, but it is actually a new religion that incorporates ancient pagan traditions and mythology with modern psychology and mysticism.
3. "The Church of Wicca” was officially recognized as a religion in 1986 by a U.S. Federal Appeals Court. Wicca’s holidays (called "Sabbats”) are now acknowledged by many organizations, including the U.S. Armed Forces and colleges like Vanderbilt University.
B. Some claim that Wicca is the fastest growing religion in America.
1. According to page 12 of the book Generation Hex, published in 2008, Wicca is set to become the third largest religion in America this year (2012) behind Christianity and Judaism.
2. The American Religious Identification Survey reported the average annual growth of Wicca to have been 143% from 1990 to 2001.
C. To help us understand Wicca, let us consider a few facts about this new religion.
1. Wicca employs witchcraft, divination, astrology, nature-worship, sorcery, and mythology. Wiccans practice "magick”, which is witchcraft that includes spells, healing, harnessing of psychic powers, and divination. ("Magic” without a "k” is what an entertainer does.)
2. In Wicca, rituals are emphasized above mythology. The experience is more important to a Wiccan than the belief.
3. There are very few rules in the religion of Wicca.
a. There are common creeds, but there is no one creed book or code that all Wiccans follow.
b. Mainstream bookstores offer entire sections dedicated to witchcraft and New Age studies.
4. The foundational creed of most Wiccans is the old English phrase "An ye harm none, do as ye will,” which means that one may do what he wants as long as he doesn’t harm others.
5. The Wiccan "Rule of Three” says that "what ye send out comes back to thee.” This is the basic Wiccan moral code and pertains to both good and bad deeds.
6. Wiccans typically believe in a goddess and a god, but the goddess is emphasized and the god mostly neglected. They may incorporate any pagan gods they choose as part of their religion. Most Wiccans don’t believe in Satan.
D. People are drawn to Wicca for many reasons.
1. Wicca appeals to people because of its flexibility to create their own religion.
2. The Wiccan emphasis on nature appeals to those who are caught up in modern environmentalism.
3. Wicca attracts persons who are lonely or socially awkward. It offers a community for people whom society has dismissed as strange.
4. Wicca does not pronounce judgment or condemnation on people as long as they ostensibly do not harm others. It gives them a sense of moral license for their sin.
5. Wicca celebrates pleasure by almost any means, including alcohol, drugs, and fornication.
6. Wicca provokes curiosity because of its mysteriousness.
7. Women are especially drawn to Wicca because they can hold prominent positions of leadership and they identify with the female deity. Traditional witches are female.
E. Wicca has become especially popular and appealing to teenagers.
1. Fictional books and movies have captivated the minds of teens and have become a gateway into Wicca, witchcraft, and the occult for many of them.
a. The popularity of the Harry Potter series has given rise to an entire industry of witchcraft related entertainment.
b. The popularity of the Twilight series has given rise to a new genre called "paranormal teen romance.” This is especially insidious because it seduces girls and young women in to a romantic fantasy world and makes vampires, witchcraft, magic, etc., seem highly appealing and exciting.
2. The appeal of witchcraft, vampires, zombies, etc. actually begins before children reach the teenage years. Toys, books, movies, and TV shows glorifying these ideas are marketed to small children.
3. Some activities associated with witchcraft that are common among young people are using Quija boards, reading palms, telling fortunes, and playing games involving sorcery and magic.
4. Wicca is readily available to teenagers through books and by internet schools and websites that have hundreds of thousands of followers.
III. THE SCRIPTURE ON WITCHCRAFT AND WICCA
A. The worship of any god, idol, or entity in nature is expressly forbidden by the true and living God.
1. The principles set for in the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses clearly show that the false worship of Wicca and the occult is offensive to God (Ex. 20:2-5; Deut. 5:6-9; 6:4-5).
2. Nature worship, which is common in Wicca, is expressly condemned in Romans 1:25 – "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (See vv. 18-25 for context.)
B. The Bible’s condemnation of witchcraft, sorcery, divination, and such things is clear and unequivocal.
1. God’s mind concerning these things is expressed in Deuteronomy 18:10-14:
"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.”
2. Under the Law of Moses, a sorceress was to be put to death (Ex. 22:18). This Law is no longer in effect, but the Law of Christ does condemn sorcery as a work of the flesh that prevents one from inheriting the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21).
3. The eternal end for sorcerers is given in Revelation 21:8 – "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
C. The Bible contains records of persons who became involved in such activities, and it soundly condemns those who did not repent.
1. A few examples are King Saul, who used a medium (1Sam. 28:7-25); Jezebel, who used witchcraft (2Ki. 9:22); and soothsayers, astrologers, and false prophets in Judah (Isa. 2:6; 47:13; Jer. 14:14; Ezek. 13:6-7).
2. One of the worst offenders was King Manasseh, whose sin is described in 2Chronicles 33:2-6 :
He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
3. The book of Acts describes several persons involved in these activities.
a. In Acts 8:9-24, a man named Simon was converted to Christ out of sorcery.
b. In Acts 13:8, a magician named Elymas had influence on Cyprus and was stricken blind for opposing the gospel.
c. In Acts 16:16, men had a lucrative business by fortune telling through a slave girl with a spirit of divination. Paul cast the evil spirit from her.
d. In Acts 19:17-10, many magicians in Asia burned their books when they believed the truth of Christ’s gospel.
IV. CONCLUSION
A. The influence of witchcraft, Wicca, the occult, and their related activities and ideas may be closer than you think. Be on guard against these, and "abstain from every form of evil” (1Thess. 5:22).
B. Parents especially must aware of this influence on children. Do not allow them to be caught up in it.
