Posted on 09/21/2005 5:32:58 PM PDT by Coleus
Wicca, the pagan temptation for youth increases followers By ALAN BRANCH Baptist Press Published September 8, 2005
I recently had the opportunity to meet with several youth ministers from Southern Baptist churches here in Missouri. Each impressed me as having a deep commitment to biblical authority and personal passion for Jesus Christ. As we discussed the challenges facing current youth ministers, a concern all shared was the fact that many youth, including youth in evangelical churches, are dabbling in Wicca.
So, what is Wicca? The word “wicca” was an old English word which meant “shaman.” The word was reintroduced into popular usage by Englishman Gerald Gardner (1888-1964), who is widely considered to be the father of the modern religion known as Wicca.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Gardner began publicly advocating a revival of ancient pagan ideals. Gardner claimed to have received much of his belief system from a secret coven of witches which had continued a clandestine existence since pre-Christian times, a claim rejected by scholars today. More likely, Gardner simply combined various non-Christian beliefs he gathered from multiple sources into his own neo-pagan system, not the least of which included ideas from the notorious Aleister Crowley.
Wicca is pantheistic in its worldview. This means that it denies the Creator/creature distinction mandated by the Bible. Thus, at the core of Wicca is a form of nature worship. Gardner himself was a polytheist who advocated two gods: a male “horned god” and a female goddess. The number of devotees to Wicca has increased exponentially in the last two decades. As this has happened, more emphasis has been placed on the goddess of Wicca, especially among neo-pagan feminists who believe worshipping a goddess leads to more freedom for women. Some followers of Wicca self-identify as witches. It is not accurate to say that Wiccans are Satanists, though the religion is certainly unholy.
Two ethical implications of Wicca seem to make the religion particularly appealing to teens. First, Wicca advocates moral autonomy as opposed to accountability to the God of the Bible. Secondly, and following closely on the heels of the first, Wicca celebrates sexual licentiousness. For example, in her book Philosophy of Wicca, Wicca devotee Amber Laine Fisher plainly states the implications of goddess worship for sexual ethics:
“Goddess religion and goddess spirituality endeavor to release us from the taboos of sex and sexuality, to untie our hands, freeing us from certain paradigms or ideals that we are taught to accept as ‘normal.’ The general Western public fears homosexuality, fears sadomasochism, fears polyamorous relationships. For whatever reason (and there are many), we as a society have deemed these types of behavior as socially unacceptable or at the very best ‘fringe’ – and for what reason? Who are we to decide what is normal, what is healthy, what is appropriate for someone else?”
But Fisher misses the point. Trapped in her pantheistic prison, she is unable to acknowledge that God, who has revealed Himself in the Bible and through Jesus Christ, defines appropriate sexual boundaries.
Sadly, some Christian teens and adults attempt to combine what they perceive to be the “best” in Wicca with the “best” in Christianity. In so doing, they are making the same mistake which led to Divine judgment in the Old Testament. Repeatedly, Ancient Israel attempted to combine worship of the one true God with the pagan sexual immorality of Baal and the other Canaanite deities. As a result, “The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers until He cast them out of His sight” (2 Kings 17:20).
By blurring the distinction between creature and creator, Wicca encourages sexual chaos, inter-generational conflict and violence. Paul makes clear the dangers of worshipping creation in Romans 1:18-32. Romans 1:25 in particular stresses the tragedy of nature worship: “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.” As a result, sexual chaos followed (Romans 1:26-27) as well as inter-generational conflict (“Disobedient to parents,” Romans 1:30) and violence (“envy, murder, strife,” Romans 1:29).
Books advocating Wicca are readily available at any Barnes & Noble or thousands of locations on the Web. Pray our youth ministers will have the courage of Elijah on Mount Carmel as they face their own pagan confrontation.
Alan Branch is vice president for student development at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo.
Freedom Of Religion Bump.
When I was a witch, it was very hard to find witches with a definate set of moral values. If I did, the person was usually from a Catholic background such as I was. The lack of moral fiber was a big turn off and hence why I left that faith. I made a lot of friends and at the time and it helped me with a lot of issues; I just got turned off by things like no respect for the unborn,promiscuity,etc.
Back in my college days, I had a girlfriend who was a member of a witch coven operating out of a place called "The Magikal Childe" in NYC. A couple of loony guys ran the operation. They had a scam going where they would "divulge the inner secrets" of Wicca to girls who would put out for them. I finally had to split up with her because I wanted nothing to do with even an indirect connection to that operation
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are quite intolerant on the matter..
1st Commandment.."Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me"
Jesus said of Himself.. "I am the way, the truth and the life..no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John.14:6)
Bump
I was a witch in college. It wasn't anything that was big on the campus. I was not getting what I needed from christianity,etc.etc. and found what I needed in wicca at the time. BTW, Magickal Childe sounds really familiar.
The place was somewhere around 18th street near 6th Ave in manhatten, but this was close to 30 years ago. No idea if still there
Gaaaah.
The day a spell actually works, I'll start to worry.
It's still around. I just checked. I probably passed it by walking around the area.
For some reason, I find it funny that the Dark Lord wouldn't associate with scammers. ;)
Especially seeking to attract young women.
very true. There aren't many normal men attracted to Wicca itself. The men involved with it tend to either be homosexual or just playing along so they can get laid by the slutty Wiccanettes. For what it's worth, I've seen stats on Wicca that indicate about two-thirds of practitioners are female.
I have never met any Pagan that was lured away from a Christian Church. First they were driven off, and then they found Wicca, or whatever. People go where they're wanted, and stay where they're well treated. If you object to young people joining non-Christian religions, then ask yourself what YOU'VE done to persuade them not to.
I agree with you 100%.
Interesting article. It would have more interest if Mr. Branch had more knowledge of his subject. If you're going to trash Wicca, at least get the facts straight.
He starts out by mis-defining Wicca. The word comes from the same root word as wicker (as in furniture.) The root word means to bend or to shape.
Yes, "wicked" comes from the same root word also- we still refer to evil people as 'twisted' or 'bent' today.
Gerald Gardner did revive the Old Religion, and he did throw in quite a bit from western occult (i.e. magical) tradition. But I don't recall Aleister Crowley having anything whatsoever to do with Wicca. Yes, Gardner and Crowley were both occultists- in the same sense that FDR and Hitler were both heads of state.
"It is not accurate to say that Wiccans are Satanists, though the religion is certainly unholy."
Amazing- he got that part right. Most Christians can't make the distinction between Satanism (Secular humanism given kitchy trappings) and Wicca.
"Wicca is pantheistic in its worldview. This means that it denies the Creator/creature distinction mandated by the Bible."
Actually, Wiccans worship a trinity. What Christians see as the Holy Spirit, Son, and Father, Wiccans see as the Lady, the Lord, and the One, respectively.
As a Wiccan friend of mine put it, "Most Americans believe in God. Most Americans also believe in Mother Nature. I just happen to think they're husband and wife."
"By blurring the distinction between creature and creator, Wicca encourages sexual chaos, inter-generational conflict and violence."
Okaaaaay- how, by bringing people closer to God (Wiccans tend to view the Lady and Lord as loving parents) do these results occur?
Sexual chaos? Actually sex is sacred to most pagans. Sex without marriage, while not prohibited by Wicca, still has consequences (some fatal in this modern age.) Just because one is a wiccan/pagan doesn't mean that one can't also be a slut (male or female.)
Inter-generational conflict? Yes, I can see this occuring between devout Christian parents and a child who feels closer to God in nature than they ever did in church.
Violence? That's a bald-faced lie. All life- be it a human or a butterfly- is sacred to Wiccans.
"Do what thou wilt, an it harm none; for that which you do, for good or for ill, returns to you threefold."
That's the Wiccan Rede. "What goes around, comes around" is as certain to Wiccans as the law of gravity is to most people.
Teenage angst and too much "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". It'll pass.
One would presume that, as a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, the sample of Wiccans you had experience with was statistically skewed toward folks who were involved with the criminal justice system.
I'm trying to get my brain around the concept of the religion of the Earth Goddess being involved in "crimes against nature."
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