Archive for the ‘Neopaganism’ Category
Posted by owner on
December 1, 2009
My recent poll asking readers of demondope whether I should continue reporting news indicating the spread of neopaganism in today’s world received an overwhelming “Yes” vote. It also received one “No,” with a question of why I’m picking on Wiccans and other neopagans. “They don’t hurt anyone,” my respondent observed.
Actually, I don’t feel that I am “picking on” neopagans. I’m more than ready to stipulate that most Wiccans and such are, as they often assert, “just like everyone else.” Most pay their taxes, love and care for their families, are concerned for the environment, work hard at their jobs, and lead lives much like the rest of us. And, in our country at least, they have as much right to practice their religion as do Christians, Jews and Muslims. Their freedom to practice their religion should be as protected as the freedom of any of the traditional faiths. When it comes to our Wiccan and other friends, it’s not enough to be tolerant of them. We need to treat them just like any other citizen of our town and country . . . with courtesy and respect.
I do, of course, “pick on” the belief system that undergirds neopaganism. Like that of Christians, the neopagan belief system holds that there is a spirit world filed with beings that impact our lives in this world. Unlike Christians, who view the spirit world from a biblical perspective, neopagan faiths . . . all 150 or so “paths” . . . view this spirit world as filled with a variety of different entities, most of whom are well disposed to human beings. Given this viewpoint it’s not surprising that most neopagan paths encourage contact with some of these entities. The intent of such contact may be to manipulate events in the mundane world by the use of magick, or to seek the supernatural help of some spirit who will serve as a guide. Whatever the intent, the effect is to become vulnerable to the spirit(s) contacted.
Again, given the neopagan perspective on the spirit world, opening oneself up to the influence of spirits seems to create possibilities that don’t exist for the materialistic majority, who assume that the material universe is all that there is. For those with any spiritual bent at all, the materialistic outlook seems sterile and void of hope.
As a Christian, who views the spirit world from the perspective of Scripture, I too see a spirit world filled with beings who impact our lives. But the spirit world unveiled in the Bible is one in which good and evil are at war, with evil spirits in temporary control. And the clear testimony of the Bible is that any spirits contacted by occult means – and those are the only means available to our neopagan friends – are evil spirits, or demons. And there’s the rub.
If neopagan faiths encourage human beings to open up their lives to demons and demonic influences, the spread of these religions and their beliefs are a significant threat to our friends and families.
While we show tolerance to and respect those who follow neopagan faiths, we need to openly confront the belief system they hold. And we should never hesitate to call neopagan beliefs evil, wrong, destructive, or diabolical.
So here’s what you can expect to find on demondope in the future.
1. I’ll continue to track the spread of neopagan paths and neopagan beliefs in Western societies, and particularly in the United States.
2. I’ll continue to critique and to inform readers about the beliefs that undergird neopaganism, and about the occult practices associated with Wicca and other neopagan paths.
3. I’ll continue to provide Bible studies, like my series on “Jesus vs Demons” and “Jesus’ Teachings on Demons.”
4. I’ll continue to review books on exorcism and demonization, which focus on direct confrontation with demons.
5. I’ll also increasingly focus on how Satan and demons attack believers through the parallel influences of the world and the flesh.
6. In 2010 I’ll launch a series of studies that will deal with every passage in the Epistles that refers to supernatural powers and how they operate.
In addition, let me offer to answer any questions readers may have in the field of demonology, either in a post on www.demondope.com or via email. And if any of you have a relevant story to share, I’ll be more than happy to post it for other readers . . . or, if you prefer, to keep it confidential.
Posted by owner on
October 27, 2009
Ever have a chat with a Wiccan? Or ask questions of a person who recommends getting your own personal “spirit guide?” I was thinking about what I’d like to ask last night when I should have been sleeping.
In demondope I’ve tended to draw contrasts between neopagan and Christian belief systems, and to compare what Scripture reveals about the Spirit World with what neopagans assume. That’s certainly a valid approach, and it fits with the mission of the Center for the Study of Biblical Demonology. But it probably wouldn’t make for a very productive discussion with a practitioner of any of the occult religions.
That’s when it struck me. In any conversation with a neopagan what we should chat about isn’t religion, but relationship.
The central issue in Christianity is one’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ. What answers would I get if I raised relationship questions with our Wiccan or with the possessor of a Spirit Guide? As neopaganism is hardly a monolithic faith, different individuals would probably give different answers. But those answers should be revealing. So, here are some of the questions I’d like to ask.
1. What is your [god/goddess/contact/ spirit guide] like? How long have you had a relationship with him/her/it? What makes you believe that he/she/it has these qualities?
2. What’s important to your [god/goddess/ contact/ spirit guide]? How does he/she/it show these things are important to him/her/it?
3, How would you describe your relationship with your [god,/goddess/ contact/ spirit guide]?
4. .What motivates you to maintain or deepen this relationship? What motivates your [god/ goddess/ contact/ spirit guide] to maintain the relationship?
5. How much influence does your [god/goddess/contact/spirit guide] have on your daily life? How does he/she /it exercise this influence>
6. Would you describe your [god/goddess/contact/spirit guide] as a moral being? Does he/she/it have expressed moral standards? How does your relationship with he/she/it affect your moral choices?
7. What is the greatest benefit you have gained from your relationship with he/she/it?
As I said, I suspect I’d get different answers—in fact, quite a range of different answers!–from different neopagans.. But I know how I’d answer the questions as a Christian with a personal relationship with Jesus, and I suspect most Christians would answer pretty much the same way.
Next time you’re with a friend who follows a neopagan path, it might be interesting to ask the relationship questions. It certainly should be revealing. Maybe even revealing to your friend.
Posted by owner on
September 29, 2009
New Items that indicate the spread of neopagan faiths and occult belief in today’s society.
University of Miami Religion Prof Saves Voodoo Doll
When a mysterious doll was discovered next to a crashed and “unfixable” computer, faculty and staff in the Art History deparment concluded it was a voodoo doll, and responsible for the disaster. When other faculty began having “bad luck,” they were sure. Out went a call to Mischell Maldonado of the religion department, who among other things teaches about Santeria and voodoo. The doll didn’t look like any voodoo doll she was acquainted with, and she found the idea of a bunch of PhD’s worrying about a doll and how to get rid of it ridiculous. So rather than take the traditional route — dig a hole, pour gunpowder and rum on the doll and bury it — Michelle propped the doll up between other artifacts of other “marginalized and often misinterpreted religious figures” in her office, pondering the “irrational superstition” of fellow faculty.
New Zeelander wins National Art Award
The L1anganui Chronicle honored art student Esther Topler for winning the first annual National Art Award for her creation, Glory. The work, “symbolically bringing all the religions of the world together to promote peace,” features Christian images, Buddhist images, and witches flying around in the background. Esther, a Wiccan, says that the witches express her own “spiritual belief.”
ABC15-TV in Phoenix Interviews Real Witches
In a feature timed to promote ABC’s new prime time witchcraft show, Eastwick, channel 15’s Christinea Boomer interviewed Rosemary Szymanski, high priestess for the Sacred Spiral Pagan Church of Arizona and witch Nancy Allocca. The two tried to set to rest the many misconceptions about wicca and witchcraft. “We are not evil,” Allocca told the reporter. “We try to live our lives for the good because we believe whatever we put out comes back to us now, in this life, as we are now and we live with it and have to deal with the consequences pretty immediately. Instead of being if I am a bad person in this life I’m going to go to hell, if I’m a bad person in this life I’m going to have bad problems in this life. So we try to live for the good so that way good things happen to us.” Both witches agree that they do spells, but just “as a way of raising and manipulating energy. Kind of like a prayer. It’s no different than going to church and lighting a candle and saying what your intent is and asking God to help you. Spell working is not all that different.”
The interview report concludes with the following. “If that works for you, then wonderful, then that’s your path whether it’s Christianity or whatever. For us, we just want to be able to follow our path without someone telling us you’re going to burn in hell. I don’t believe in hell, so I’m not going to burn in hell.”
Halloween’s a Coming
In the words of the Paranormal Guide, this is “all Hallow’s Eve, Hallow E’en, Halloween, Day of the Dead, Samhain: By whatever name it has been called, this special night preceding All Hallows day (November 1st) has been considered for centuries as one of the most magical nights of the year. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest.”
Neo-pagan Faith Threatens Candidacy
The Republican candidate for the Queens, NY, city council was well ahead of his democratic opponent until the Queens Tribune revealed that he is also the “First Atheling” of a local branch of the Theod religion, a neo-pagan religious group functioning in the greater New York City area. As First Atheling, or King, fellow pagans swear allegiance to him, an act which they believe allows “luck” from the Ancient Norse gods Odin, Tyr, and Freyr, to pass through the king to his kinsmen. According to the candidate, Dan Halloran, “We believe in and honor the gods and goddesses of the North, spirits of the land, and the memories of our ancestors.” The revelation of Halloran’s religion has stunned the local GOP leadership, who are reportedly debating whether to replace Halloran on the ticket with another candidate, or to stick with him. Some have suggested he be replaced om the ticket and be given a judgeship. Others say that Halloran should be kept on the ticket “regardless.” As for Halloran, who insists he is not ashamed of his religion, he simply says, “I’m not comfortable injecting my religion into politics.
Tax-payer Funded Investigation Clears Councillor
At first the the District Council’s standards committee in Suffolk, England, convicted Pat McCloud of accusing a fellow member of witchcraft. After an investigation that cost over three thousand pounds sterling, the Adjudication Panel for England reversed the verdict. McCloud’s comments were deemed “inadvisable,” but did not rise to the level of “personal abuse,” the Panel stated. The chairman of the Ipswich Pagan Community applauded the decision. “It’s not actually an insult to suggest that somebody has pagan beliefs,” Robin Heme commented. “It may be inaccurate, but it’s not like saying she’s a baby-eater.” He continued, “Most people just think we are a bit barmy. We’ve got a fair few Wiccans in Suffolk, the majority of whom are eccentric but completely harmless3. I think most of them would be quite bemused that she’s taken it as some horrendous insult. It’s a storm in a tea cup.”
There’s a New Store in Fox Lake, Illinois
On September 21st the Lake County Journal featured an article on the new Earth Elements, Metaphysical and Magickal Shoppe that’s come to Fox Lake. Jennie Miller sees her new venture as more than a place to buy pagan supplies. “Our main goal of what we’re trying to accomplish is to get people to understand other people’s spirituality,” she says. “And, rather than saying, ‘My god’s right, my religion is right, yours is wrong,’ find the similarity in all of them.” While the store “caters to all religions,”its specialty is metaphysical religions [neopagan]. The store sells books, candles, herbs, dolls, oil, candles, jewelery, and even bumper stickers. And each day of the week different classes are offered on such topics as Magick, Tarot, and Smudging. “We try to be family friendly,’ Miller says, “especially as I have kids.”
Salem’s “Official Witch” Scammed
The daughter of Lauine Cabot, Salem, Mass’ “official witch” is wanted for forging one of her mother’s checks. The $3,750 check was cashed and the money spent before the forgery was discovered.
Sacramento Press Helps Promote Obi Divination
On September 18 the Sacramento Press ran an article [not an advertisement] by jacqueline Mathers on Obi Divination, a method for gaining yes/no answers to questions from the Onchas, viewed as gods in indigenous Nigeran religions. The author of the article, who bills herself as an “educator and author,” uses Obi divination to give readings to clients. She is also a “certified Rootworker” in “the Southern style of conjure.” She also produces a Holistic Healing Expo in Elk Grove, CA. Jacqueline claims “we know that Obi does not lie,” and that the Revelation of Truth that Obi gives for her, “as well as for over 70 million plus devotees of the African religion” do come true. How fortunate for readers of the Sacramento Press that Jacqueline’s phone number and her email address are provided in the article.
Texas Tech University Pagan Pride Day
September 19th an “eclectic group of Pagans” gathered at Clapp Park to celebrate Pagan religion at the university’s fourth annual Pagan Pride Day. According to coordinator of the Lubbock, Texas, Pagan Pride chapter, “Paganism is a blanket term. It’s pretty much everything that is not the major three religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The day’s celebration began with a ceremony provided by a local Wiccan group. A guest sponsored by the Tech Pagan Student Union spoke on Moroccan Magic. And there were “lots of children’s activities,” including a workshop on making dolls from corn husks that “symbolize the goddess.” Also during the day the group collected canned good for the South Plains Food Bank. Sophomore Katie Garlington noted that people from all over Lubbock turn out for Pagan Pride Day. She explained that “Paganism is having more than one deity. Choosing a god is all very personal. My personal god is probably Aphrodite, because I am a nurturing, caring person and I take on a motherly role. This is about celebrating the goddess within me.” Asron Broadhurt, the [faculty?] advisor for the Tech Pagan Student Union, noted that twice as many people attended this year as the year before. ” He continued, “There is only one entity I worship, and by the very broad definition of Paganism, that might actually make me a Pagan Sympathizer. I admire and respect the wonders of Nature and ‘worship’ the Sun every opportunity I get, from floating on the raft in the swimming pool to enjoying a sun drenched drive up US 1 to Santa Barbara in my convertible.”
Will It, or Won’t It?
Sponsors of the Lexington-Bluegrass Pagan Pride day, scheduled for Sept. 26, hoped that attendance would increase over last year’s 200 plus. As of this post, attendance isn’t in.
Still, sponsors planned a active celebration. According to event spokeswoman Susan Kalch, the festival will have food, music, kids’ games, a petting zoo, diviners giving personal readings, vendors, arts and crafts. Just right for anyone, “regardless of religious belief.” And, of course, there will be pagan rituals at the festival, held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexingon, Ky. As Jim Warren, who wrote the article, commented, “Pagans might not appear in Kentucy news very often, but pagan events are not rare anymore.”
Baltimoe Sun Blog Invites Neo-Pagan Input
The Baltimore Sun’s Blog, “In Good Faith,” issued an invitation on September 20th to “all Baha’i, Mormons, Sikhs, Wiccans . . . ” to send in any interesting news, developments, or trends in neo-pagan faiths” so they can be covered in the blog. Fortunately, a number of people did respond, letting the blog writer(s) find some of the many sources that are already available on line.
Witch vs Satanist
When Satanists in Scotland began recruiting new members through online classified ads, Kevin Carlyton, high priest of the White Witches, quickly responded. “Anyone who joins this group would seriously be in danger of being used as a sacrifice,” he warned. “Satanists believe that human or animal blood gives them power and they will stop at nothing to get that.” Leslie Matthew, who established Scotland’s Ritual Abuse network, insisted police keep a close eye on the group “to prevent anything illegal happening.” She stated, “We have counseled a lot of people — many more than you’d think –who have been affected by Satanic ritual.
Posted by owner on
September 22, 2009
Illustrating the penetration of our culture by neopagan faiths and witchcraft
It Must be the Drums
The Broward-Palm Beach (Fl) New Times launched its September 14th article on the area’s 11th annual Pagan Pride Day and Fall Equinox Party with this affirmation: “The time has come to unlearn everything you’ve ever believed about pagans, and perhaps more importantly, about pagan celebrations.” It seems the reporter was entranced by the news that the event, open to the public, will collect donations for the County Cooperative Feeding Program, and will feature a “drum circle” performance by Witch’s Mark. I guess its the drums that convinced the reporter to “unlearn everything [she] ever believed about pagans.”
Doors Closed to Pagans
Folks in Pennsylvania’s Stoudburg Village were upset when pagan’s announced plans to meet and Celebrate Earth Spiritually. Shops in the small town some 65 miles from Philadelphia planed to close Saturday while the pagans were in town. What really happened when the day came? See below!
Incident? What incident?
Controversy shook the Reading, PA area at the news pagans would gather in Adamstown last Saturday for “Celebrating Earth Spiritually.” According to Lancaster ONLINE.com the event, which had aroused Christian opposition and debates over religious freedom, went off without incident. The hosting group, “a non-profit organization focused on celebrating pagans and witches and other nature-based religions,” had not mentioned the planned celebration to city officials before announcing it. The paper gave significant space to Christians who commented on the event and its significance. Reportedly many Christians turned out to circle the area in prayer. The president of Reading Pagan and Witches said afterward that several church groups had “laid hands on us and prayed.” She called it “an amazing spiritual experience.”
Community Garden Blessed
The Harrisburg (PA) community garden was blessed recently during the Harrisburg Harvest celebration. Christians, Muslims and pagans joined to contribute an irrigation system. Wiccan High Priest Joe Zuchowski led songs and “provided a blessing over the garden” during the ceremony. Commenting later on his prayer, he said, “We wanted to bless this that it would continue to grow, and that all in this community would appreciate what has been done here.”
Voodoo Priest Heads for Wales
The 25-year-old priest, who compares voodoo to Catholicism and was linked to the death of a young woman, is off to Wales to preach his religion. Hector Salva performs secret “spiritual cleansing” ceremonies intended to remove curses and all “evil magic.” He is scheduled for secret meetings in Cardiff, Wales later this month. Back in New Jersey, where he now lives, the Puerto Rican-born Salva, is liked to the death of 20-year-old Lucie Hamilton, who died in his home. In Wales Sophia Fisher, who sells pagan and Wiccan supplies in her shop, Baron’s Magic, is promoting the secret meetings. She says, “Voodoo is s much-maligned and misunderstood but in fact very beautiful religion.”
Speaking of Voodoo
Did you know that for 99 cents you can get a voodoo application for your iPhone or iPod. It comes complete with a doll figure, pins to stick in it to curse enemies, end even a love potion to “concoct a wicked good romance.” The tongue-in-cheek copy promoting the voodoo app says, “Does your ex have it coming? Or the boss who makes you work all weekend? Or the barista who got snotty over your little order? With Voodoo Doll in your pocket, you have an easy way to get back at anyone.” All you do is snap a picture with your iPhone, download it onto the doll, and “start working your juju.” Care to check it out. Enter “Voodoo app” in any search engine.
Getting Rid of “Witch” in South Africa
The South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA) is objecting to the use of the term “witch.” It seems both “witch” and “witchcraft” are offensive. (It’s also dangerous! People accused of witchcraft in South Africa have been murdered.) Member of Parliament Adrian Williams agrees. “I am a Wiccan and I belong to a coven, but I believe the word “witch” is highly offensive in this country. This is not Australia or the United States. Here, people known as witches get killed.”
Why Didn’t I Think of That?
Marin County California author Cerridwyn Fallingstar is an author. Like authors everywhere she wanted to promote her latest book, her second. So she rounded up three friends to help her. Sandra, Pat and Lauren were glad to help. Now, I’m an author, with a couple hundred plus non-fiction books and three of a six-book set of Invisible War novels just off the presses. I’d like to promote my books too. But I’m not sure what I can learn from Carridwyn. You see, Carridwyn is a witch. So she went to the editor of MoreMarin.com, an online newspaper, and not only got space but even pictures! It helped, I suppose, that Carridwyn is a very attractive blond. And that she was photographed casting a spell on her readers.
Ah well. Since I’m not a witch I guess I’m not newsworthy. I’m sure not a young, attractive blond. Just a 78-year-old sloppy dressing male Christian. No wonder the response of editors to my approaches is, Ho Hum.
Speaking of Books
Alice Grist owes her new book, recently published in GB, to her white witch father. The vicar of St Anne’s Church in Royton in the 80’s, dad Tony divorced and then discovered Wicca. When he publicly announced he’d become a white witch, he was lionized by the media. Nowadays he lives quietly. But his daughter has capitalized on her unusual “spiritual upbringing” to tell the story in a book, The High Heeled Guide to Enlightenment.
By the way, “white” witches insist the never cast spells that harm or manipulate any person. The problem is they call on the same spiritual powers as black witches. And those spiritual powers are demons in disguise.
Poof! House Transformed into Wiccan Temple?
Neighbors of Robert de Mille von Schmidt objected at a meeting of the Shelton, Conn. Zoning board to his application to construct a front porch that is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The neighbors suspect that Schmidt, who uses his property to host Wiccan rituals and ceremonies, intends to turn his house into a Wiccan temple. No decision was made by the Zoning commission.
Nothing to Fear, Pagans Promise
The local News Channel 3 featured a notice recently of the 8th annual Autumn Moon Festival, celebrating Pagan Pride day in Virginia Beach this coming Saturday. Deborah Foley, practicing witch and co-owner The Mystic Moon, which she calls a “working witch-craft store,” explained that “we believe in honoring nature, honoring of humanity, and respect for all life in the universe. We just have an alternate way, according to the norms of society, of celebrating our spirituality.”
Webster University (Mo) Witches “Come Out of the Closet”
There’s a new student club on campus. The Webster Pagan Grove invites all students who are interested in paganism, witchcraft and other religions to join forces. SPG was formed last spring by students who took a course on Wicca and Neo-Paganism. The group meets every Saturday in its magic herb garden. According to the student newspaper, WU students and faculty “have shown a strong curiosity and acceptance toward the WPG.” The group is using the $2000 provided by the Student Government Association to “buy a bunch of books about paganism to donate to the library,” in order to “help people figure out what’s right for them spiritually.”
Posted by owner on
September 10, 2009
news items illustrating the rapid spread of neopagan religions in our culture
Sword Killer into Witchcraft
In South Africa Dr, Kubus Jonker testified Sept 2 at the pre-sentencing hear of Moma Harnse, who slashed students and killed one with a Ninja sword. Jonker, a retired police officer who established South Africa’s occult crimes unit, investigated hundreds of occult-related crimes between 1981-2000, and has testified in over 30 murder trials. Jonker testified that while the attack itself was not satanist, the young killer had experimented with satanism and witchcraft.
Kobus occult crimes unit was disbanded in 2000 after human rights groups complained that it was “not constitutional in a country that guaranteed religious freedom.”
Who pays religion teacher?
No, she’s not teaching Christianity. Each month Laurel Owen, of Arkansas, travels Texas and Arkansas where she’s paid to teach Odinism to prison inmates. While theoretically Odinism (also called Asatru), a fringe neo-pagan religion based on Norse myth), is a “benign” religion, it’s viewed by many prison wardens as the religious arm of white supremacist groups. How is this possible? In 2005 the Supreme Court ruled that prisons must accommodate unusual faiths such as Satanism, Wicca,Odinism, and other neo-pagan religions. This lead to a host of additional lawsuits, which have led more than 15 states to recruit non-inmate Odinists to to write scripts for rituals and to lead ceremonies behind bars. Despite the fact that the security threat coordinator of the Texas prison system estimates that 90% of imprisoned Odinist are white supremacists, and despite outbreaks of violence in several prisons directly linked to the religion, Odin worship remains a protected faith in our prison systems. Owen, the Odinism teacher, recognizes the dangers of ministering to this prison population. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which produced an extensive report on prison Odinism, Owen has written a guide for volunteer Odinists who go into prisons to conduct rituals that instructs them to monitor individuals for gang activity. The report fails to say just who it is that pays Owen for her monthly journeys.
In search of the “sacred feminine”
The Columbia (Mo) Daily Tribune asked the question after the appearance of a local exhibit on
“The Sacred Feminine: Prehistory to Postmodernism.” The question? Just what is “the sacred feminine.” On August 31st the paper published the thoughts of two women. One of them a member of a local Wiccan community, gave this lucid (?) definition. “It is a relationship with a mythic source that reveals itself withing the collective consciousness of humanity from the origins of womankind to moder day. To me, the sacred feminine is a divine source of knowing the feminine aspect of creation and existence.”
Federal Court Denies Re-hearing
Earlier I reported on the efforts of a Fort Worth Texas suburb’s efforts to stop a Santeria priest from sacrificing animals in his home. “Freedom of religion” won out in that case over safety [sanitary] concerns. Now a federal court has refused an appeal by the city to review the case, confirming the Santeria priest’s earlier court victory.
Odinists Sue City Parks Department
In Bakersfield California a group of Odinists [see Who Pays, above] gathered in a park to celebrate a ritual, leading to a confrontation with non-odinists who took the religious group as white supremacists. 911 was called, and words were exchanged. The result has been an apology from the Parks department, the filing of a lawsuit by the Odinists …with an assist from the ACLU. The Odnists who follow a Viking religion and whose members must be of German descent deny they are racist.
Positive Magic author dies
Marion Weinstein died July 1st of this year. She is honored by many Pagans for the role of her book Positive Magic in “awakening” men and women to religious Witchcraft. A memorial service will be held at the New York City Pagan Pride Day celebration on September 26th. The brief article reporting on the event closes, “May she rest in the arms of the Goddess and return to us again.“
2-year Old’s Body Stolen
In Stamford N.J. the casket of Takara Whitley’s 2-year-old child was dug up and broken into, and the body stolen. it later turned up in a plastic garbage bad on a riverbank in Clifton N.J. Based on evidence of ritual remains near the body Police suspect the body was used in a ceremony by possibly conducted by Palo Mayombe or Santeria priests.
Mechanized Voodoo
From the ISDM conference I attended earlier this week: Teens and adults are now able to buy electronic voodoo apps for their cell phones and PDAs. The program allows the owner to design a figure representing an “enemy,” even modifying features and clothing colors. When the representation is as accurate as possible the victim is “cursed” by inserting electronic pins into the figure. One of the participants at the International Society of Deliverance Ministers reported that the application is popular with teens in her part of the country.
Voodoo kits advertised as “revenge therapy for the overstressed” are available on Amazon.com and are showing up in traditional stores. To see how easy it is to obtain voodoo dolls and spell books just google “voodoo kits.”
Posted by owner on
August 26, 2009
I’ve just returned from the beautiful city of Seattle. Wife Sue was in a “story workshop” at Mars Hill Graduate School there. I did two Occult Invasion workshops. As in any city I visit to conduct a Occult Invasion workshop, I looked up “above ground” occult activity there. In addition to many shops offering psychic services, I found 53 different neopagan groups meeting within 25 miles of south-side Burian. The “Greater Seattle Witches” group has 520 members. “Seattle Pagans” boasts 321 members. And EFT claims 336 “evolving spiritual beings.’ While MeetUp.com lists 4 witches group with about 1,000 members, the Website Witch’s Voice adds 23 Covens, none of which are listed on MeetUp. Of course, there’s a lot more going on “underground” and not published for the general public. There truly is an explosion of occult religions.
Two contributing factors
In the workshops I stress two cultural factors that create the climate for the explosive growth in neopagan religions and occult spirituality. The first is our culture’s view of truth as relative. Rather than truth being absolute, and anchored in the structure of the created universe, most in our society view truth as personal and subjective. Thus a thing can be true for you, and not true for another person. Combine this with the value now placed in our society on tolerance, and the stage is set for the proliferation of neopagan and other religions. The goddess you believe in may not be the abstract deity your neighbor believes in, but each is “true” in the sense of being valid for the one who believes it. It would definitely be intolerant for either you or your neighbor to challenge the validity of the other’s beliefs.
In this context anything goes . . . and testing out others religious ideas and notions of spirituality seems to many the thing to do. After all, how else can I discover a faith that’s “true for me”?
Two views of the spiritual universe
It’s important to contrast the views of the spiritual universe that are made explicit in biblically based religions and are implicit in the many varieties of neopagan faith, ranging from Wicca to Shamanism to closely linked eastern religions such as Buddhism.
The Bible reveals a spiritual universe populated by God, angels, and demons, and pictures demons as one-time angels who rebelled against God and turned to evil. Demons’ hatred of God and their hostility toward human beings is fixed and unchanging. The Bible takes a stand against all occult activities, as these activities bring people into contact with demons.
Neopagan religions envision a spiritual universe without a Sovereign Creator, but populated by many beings. These beings range from “the god” and “the goddess” [the male and female aspects of deity] to the pagan deities of Celtic and Scandinavian myth. In addition the spiritual universe is seen as populated by the spirits of people who have died, of animals, of angels, of ghosts, of beings waiting to be embodied, and of demons. The most significant thing about these spirits in the view of neopagans is that they are benevolent, eager to help those who live on this earthly plane. Thus all neopagan faiths encourage contact with spirit beings. Once contacted, a spirit being or beings will function as guides to help the person who’se contacted them make good decisions in life. Thus most neopagan religions encourage adherents . . . and others . . . to be open to contact with spirits and to actively invite “spirit guides” into their lives.
Given these contrasting views its easy to understand why those who believe the Bible find neopagan faiths dangerous. Neopagan religions not only compete with the God of Scripture for humankind’s allegiance. Neopagan religions promote contact with demons who, despite the “help” they may offer, are ultimately intent on causing their hosts suffering and eternal loss.
Our attitude toward neo-pagans
Neopagans, and especially Wiccans, are likely to point out that historically Christians have persecuted witches and those who engage in occult practices. Unfortunately, this is true. And while there are those who are committed to Satanism and ritual abuse, most modern neopagans are normal individuals, good neighbors, and “nice” people. In a pluralistic society such as ours, where people are free to practice their religion of choice, there’s no place for persecution of any kind. In fact, neopagans are to be treated with love and with respect.
But this does not mean that Christians shouldn’t lovingly share their faith with a neopagan neighbor, or shouldn’t respectfully challenge neopagan beliefs with thoughtfully presented biblical truths. And the better we understand neo-pagan faiths and the better we know our Bibles the more equipped we’ll be to share.
It also doesn’t mean that we are to fear neo-pagans we may know because of their possible association with demons. Those who have given demons access to their lives are in most cases victims, not victimizers. And, as we stress on demondope, the Christian has authority over demons, an authority granted by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We’re not to dabble with demons. But we’re not to be terrified by them either. As Scripture says, “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Summing up
Neopagan faiths are flourishing in our culture’s climate of relativism and “tolerance.” Their view of the spiritual universe directly conflicts with the reality revealed in Scripture. Unfortunately, the neopagan view of the spiritual universe makes them vulnerable to demons masquerading as other kinds of spirits. As Christians we’re to love our neopagan and Wiccan neighbors. While respecting their right to their beliefs, we can also lovingly challenge those beliefs by sharing what the Bible teaches and praying for their conversion.
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August 26, 2009
Voodoo in Houston cemetery
When Pilar Martinez visited his father’s new grave in an East Houston
cemetery on August 21st he was shocked to find signs of a voodoo ceremony.
Hidden under the new sod were 21 jars. Some contained dolls with pins
stuck in them. Others had animal parts. Others had pictures of unidentified
women. “This isn’t unusual in our community,“ a local store owner commented.
Gang Investigators Alerted to Vampire Crime
On August 17th the Oklahoma Gang Investigators Association meeting
in Lawton, Oklahoma featured a three-hour seminar on occult crimes
committed by individuals and groups acting as vampires. The seminar
leader, a thirty-year law enforcement officer from Virginia, focused
on information as to how to combat occult crime. Oklahoma sheriff Ken
Stradley said some of the information was nothing new. “We’ve had
some of these incidents throughout the county where we knew Satanism
was involved,” Stradley stated. Lawton police gang investigator
Tiff Poff stated that “street gang and that kind of violence doesn’t
hold anything to what we’re learning how big these topics are becoming.”
Witching Ways?
The Central Illinois Herald and Review.com of August 21 reported on
the discovery by skeptic Tracy Logsdon that he has a “gift” for dowsing,
also called witching, divining, and rhabdomancy. [The practice usually
involves holding a forked stick or rod, which is supposed to react when
what is being sought is located.] After observing two friends attempt
to locate underground water by dowse Logsdon was urged to try. At first
he refused, but finally took the dowsing rods in his hands. He reports
feeling something like an “electric shock.” When they dug where he indicated,
they found water. These days Logsdon uses his “gift” to help people locate
lost graves.
Pagans in Delaware
Hundreds traveled to Dover Delaware the weekend of August 20th to participate
in the Delmarva Pagan Pride Festival. Organizer Ivo Dominguiz Jr calls it
an “open air spiritual festival” when “people of all magickal and spiritual backgrounds get together.” Ivo stated there’ll be music, vendors, and lots of activities for kids. When questioned about the level of interest in the
festival Dominguiz,who operates a shop for pagans called The Bell, Book and
Candle, pointed out that his store that offers spells, books on magick
and candles, could hardly survive if there wasn’t a significant population
of pagans “right here on Delmarva” to support it.
ACLU Joins Fight Against Fortunetelling Ban
According to a Washington Post article of August 17th the ACLU has
joined Gypsy Nick Nefredo in his fight against a Montgomery County,
Maryland, law making it illegal to make money from forecasting the
future. Although Nefredo lost a similar suit in 2008, he’s likely to
win this one. Similar bans in Louisiana and Nevada have been overturned
in state courts. In Livingston Parrish, Louisiana, such a law was
overturned when a Wiccan minister claimed that his passing along
messages from the other side was the same as a Christian minister
preaching a sermon from the Bible.
Husband Accused of Child Abuse, Witchcraft
In Williamston, SC, Christine Starnes accused her husband Scott
of being “deeply involved in witchcraft” and of “using her and their
children without their knowledge.” She provided police with a video
taken by Scott of their 4-year-old son. While the tape was not deemed
evidence of child abuse it did provide a basis or a search warrant.
Police found evidence on a computer of child-pornography, and that
the husband is enrolled in an Internet witchcraft school and seeking
information on how to “banish troublesome persons.”-
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August 11, 2009
News from around the world that reflects the growing acceptance of neo-pagan beliefs
Northern Michigan hosts thousands of neo-pagans
Early in August thousands of Wiccans and Pagans gathered in Traverse City, Michigan to celebrate Lughnassadh. One of eight pagan holy days. This festival, also known as Lammas. celebrates the first harvest. As an article in The Traverse city Record-Eagle on August 7th reported, this is a time that pagans “thank the Divine Spirit and the Earth Mother” for “bringing forth life.” The August 1st celebration featured a outdoor worship service led by a Wiccan priest and priestess. The paper’s report of the gathering was provided by the Rev. Harry C. Dorman, an ordained Wiccan priest associated with the Circle Sanctuary of Barneveld, Wis.
Christians fear popular Potter films promote witchcraft
The St. Petersburg times reports that since its July 15 release the latest Harry Potter film has grossed more the $260 million in the U.S., and $753 million worldwide. Like the other Harry Potter films Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince portray some witches and wizards as good guys, and features children practicing magic arts. While fantasy helps to develop children’s imaginations, and most children distinguish between fantasy and reality, many Christians are rightly concerned that the films foster attitudes toward occult practices that conflict with reality. As Deuteronomy 18 emphasizes, occult practices are “detestable” and strictly forbidden to believers.
Pentacle Wearing witch in South Africa Parliament
On August 8th the South Africa Times featured an article Adrian Williams, “the only pentacle wearing witch in parliament.” Williams, who attended Christian schools as a child, practices magick but doesn’t refer to himself as a witch. “I believe in the God and the Goddess and the elements:the air,the fire, the earth, the water and the spirit,” William says.
* NOTE: “The God” and “the Goddess” are terms pagans used to refer to nature deities.
Utah Pagan Pride celebration honors Ra
Pagan groups in Utah are planning a Pagan Pride Day event for August 15 in Ogden. Non-pagans are invited to attend. “We want to let people understand us and know us and be our friend,” the coordinator of the event explained. “We want people to know we’re normal, ordinary people.” The event will begin with a rather less than ordinary ritual at 11 AM that “will be a tribute to the Ra, an Egyptian god.”
K-State student studies Pagan communities
Kansas State University senior Jessica Ice is spending the summer attending pagan community events and doing in-depth interviews with members of the pagan community. An anthropology student, Ice is doing her research on a grant from the K-State McNair Scholars Program, and hopes to do a documentary and post video clips on UTube. She spends some four days a week attending covens. Ice says pagans are misunderstood, and calls the pagan culture “accepting, loving and open-minded.”
Great Britain to “regulate” herbalists
In Great Britain health minister Ann Keen announced that herbal medicine faces new government controls. However, according to an August 6 article in The Sun, “unlike doctors, herbalists and acupuncturists won’t have to provide proof their treatments work.” Critics claim the government action will increase the credibility and influence of herbalists, many of whom are associated with New Age religions. Britain’s leading expert in alternative medicine pointed out, “If you regulate nonsense, its still nonsense.” Professor Michael Baum of University College, London, says “This is like licensing a witches’ brew as a medicine so long as the bat wings are sterile.”
British writer explains neo=pagan beliefs
On August 4 the UK paper, The Guardian, printed the following defense of neo-paganism written by Dianne Syhan, who has been a neopagan since she was 16. She explains her faith as follows: “The most common denomination of Neo-Pagnism is Wicca, a religion born in Britain that hit the ground running in America and has attracted initiates of all ages by the thousands. Central to Wiccan belief is the idea of God as both feminine and masculine, but if you ask any six Wiccans what that means to them, you’ll get at lease seven answers. For some it means polytheism; every god and goddess from every religion past and present is a discrete entity with his or her own personality and attributes. For others, it means a form of dualism whereon all goddesses are aspects of the great goddess and all gods aspects of the great god. Still others believe that those two deities are in turn aspects of the one; a similar belief to the concept Brahman in Hinduism.” Syhan expresses a common theme when she writes, “To me, it does not matter what name or face you put on the divine, or how many gods you worship. What matters is that your religion, whatever its name or trappings, makes you a better person and helps you to leave the world better than you found it.”
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July 27, 2009
As the wheel of the year rolls on, we’re coming to some of the most significant days marked on the Wiccan and neopagan calendar. There’s Mabon on September 21, the fall equinox, that’s viewed as sort of a pagan Thanksgiving, and there’s Samhain on October 31, rooted in an ancient Gaelic festival for the dead. It’s in the fall that throughout the United States many get together and sponsor Pagan Pride days.
Here in central North Carolina this year’s Pagan Pride Days will be celebrated at the State Fair Grounds in Raleigh on September 19th and 20th . There’ll be vendors, entertainment, costume contests, workshops and rituals.
It was different some years ago when Dan Nelson and some friends decided to be a Christian presence at the one day Pagan Pride celebration also held here in Raleigh.
Dan approached the event with prayer and some trepidation. But when the time came the little group of Christians trooped to the grounds and set up their own booth.
Dan is a local artist of some fame and tremendous talent. His booth featured a large umbrella under which Dan stood with an easel creating what 8×10 pictures he called “prophetic paintings.” It was a dark day, and the organizers had failed to provide electricity for music. But Dan had a generator, and he’d brought his own sound system and a number of CD’s of Irish and Celtic Christian music. He knew that the pagan community was deeply into its Celtic roots . . . and the folks at the festival had no idea the music he played was Christian.
By the time the day ended Dan felt both relief and disappointment. There’d been no dark or demonic manifestations. [After all, Dan and his friends had prayed hard.] The people who attended seemed ordinary, like normal folks who lived just down the block. You might not know them well, but you’d say “hello” and might even stop to chat sometimes. No one seemed upset as Dan chatted about his beliefs. After all, the pagan community prides itself on its belief that there are many “paths” a person might follow, and a person’s path might well be right for him as your path was right for you. And so the day was spent, as Dan says, just “loving and blessing” these folk who dodn’t yet know Christ, and trusting that the things Dan and his friends said might prepare them to respond to the Gospel one day.
There was one thing that Dan remembers clearly. Before the grounds were opened to the general public, one of the organizers urged the vendors, “Now, don’t treat the people who come here like the Christians treat us.” How tragic, Dan thought, that the image of Christians these folk had was one of hostility and hate.
There are Pagan Pride Days being held all over our nation this fall. Probably not as well organized as here in North Carolina, where by the middle of July all the vendor spaces have been spoken for, and the workshops organized. But perhaps wherever Pagan Pride Days are held there’ll be an opportunity for some of us to demonstrate a little Christian love. I don’t mean that we should invade the celebration carrying signs and passing out tracts. I suspect that Dan’s way is more effective in the end.
We may lack artists to do “prophetic paintings” in a vendor’s booth. We probably won’t be able fill the grounds with Celtic Christian music. And it’s possible that demons will be nearby. But demons are no match for Christ, and a little “love and blessing” go a long way when we show we care for neopagans as persons. And a willingness to listen respectfully can earn us the right to speak as well.
Is there a Pagan Pride Day planned for your area? You may be able to find out by Googling “Pagan Pride Days.” If you do feel led to explore ways to use these days as an opportunity for some gentle evangelism, I suggest you check out earlier posts on demondope that explore neopagan beliefs. And that you not only bathe the effort in payer, but also cloak yourself in Jesus’ love for the lost.
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July 22, 2009
Neopagan faiths at root are nature religions. Recurring events, such as the summer and winter solstices and the Spring and Fall Equinox are important markers of nature’s recurring patterns. Like the old pagan faiths, these markers along with four others are celebrated as holidays [holy days] by Wiccans and other neopagan “paths.”
Together the eight holidays celebrated by neopagans make up the “wheel of the year,” a wheel that seems to roll on forever, endlessly repeating the annual cycle, providing stability and security to the individual. Unlike Christians, who view history as moving on a course initiated by God in Creation and moving toward a culmination at history’s end, to neopagans the universe seems to be without beginning and without end.
The wheel of the neopagan year begins in the late fall. Following is a list of the holidays, with their dates.
Samhain Oct 31 Rooted in a Gaelic festival for the dead
Yule Dec 21 [winter solstice] Originally a Germanic winter festival
Imbolc Feb 2 A Gaelic festival at the first signs of spring
Ostara Mar 21 [spring Equinox] Named for the Germanic goddess of new life, Eostre Beltain May 1 From a Gaelic fertility festival.
Letha Jun 21 [summer solstice] The supernatural and natural world are closest.
Lughnasadh Jul 31 Day honoring the god Lugh for the harvest.
Mabon Sep 21 [Fall Equinox] The pagan Thanksgiving after the second harvest.
The origin of the neopagan holy days in old paganism is clear in both the names and the significance of each holiday. Each of these days has its rituals and ceremonies in Wicca and neopaganism,many of which involve worship of the deity whose name is reflected in the name of the holiday or in its origin.
A closer look at Ostara
If we take a closer look at just one of these wiccan sabats, we realize that neopagan “paths” are not a closer orientation to nature, but are in fact religions.
One website discussing Ostare confuses this reality when the writer comments, “Many modern Wiccans and neopagans celebrate Ostara as a time of renewal and rebirth. Take some time to celebrate the new life that surrounds you in nature–walk in park, lay in the grass, hike through a forest. As you do so, observe all the new things beginning around you–plants, flowers, insects, birds. Meditate upon the ever-moving wheel of the year, and celebrate the change of seasons.”
Ostara is also celebrated by gathering to worship the goddess Eostar. For instance, another website suggests celebrating the Ostara sabbat with a “short devotional” honoring the beginnings of spring. One of these designed for the instruction of children, goes:
Welcome, welcome, warm fresh earth!
Today we celebrate rebirth!
Blowing wind, rising sun,
Bringing the spring to everyone!
Rabbits hopping, chicks in the nest,
Spring is the season we love the best!
Celebrate the green of the earth with me,
Happy Ostara, and blessed be!
Yet another website gives directions for holding a “rebirthing ritual” for Ostara, which includes setting up an Ostara altar, and includes ritual words for the person acting as high priest as well as the other participants to recite. The following ritual includes the use of candles, sprinkled water, and wrapping participants in a black sheet from which they emerge {reborn. This is followed up with a healing ritual that involves the use of magick. The website suggests that the ritual may be performed “skyclad” [nude] if the participants are comfortable with this.
In 1998 a religious service honoring the goddess Eostar was performed at the Unitarian/Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale, FL. on March 15, and that ritual is also available on the Web. We shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Folk Rock music for Ostara can be downloaded from MySpace Music.
How should we respond?
Today in the United States many are taking neopagan paths. I’ve noted before that there are some 150 different “paths” that can be identified as neopagan, with Wicca probably the best known. At least three factors contribute to the growth of these religions.
1. The assumption by many that there is truth, but not absolute truth. What truth there is is both subjective and personal. Anyone’s experience is thus valid, and what is true for another person may but need not be true for me. It follows that I can only discover “my” truth by experimenting . . . so it’s all right for me to experiment with the views promoted in neo-pagan faiths.
2. Tolerance is the ultimate value. Tolerance is so important a value that I must be willing to give up my right to make distinctions in favor of acceptance of another person’s actions and beliefs. It would be intolerant of me to suggest, must less strongly assert, that those involved in neopagan faiths are in danger of trafficking with demons, or that belief in the gods and goddesses of the neopagans guarantees eternal damnation.
3. Ignorance is the third factor that contributes to the growth of neopagan religions. Unfortunately, very little is being done to counter the ignorance Wicca and neopaganism which characterize many who identify themselves as Christians, to say nothing of members of the other faith tribes that Barna identified in his The Seven Faith Tribes.
It would be helpful if pastors and others would speak out on the issues of absolute truth and the limitations on tolerance. It would be very helpful if we could have some bold teaching on angels and demons, and the spiritual warfare that is taking place around us.
But even if Christian leaders continue to ignore these issues, there’s no reason that we as individuals should. We can examine our own commitment to God’s truth, and reject the timidity that an insistence on tolerance as the expense of truth produces. And we can make sure that we learn all we can about the neopagan beliefs that are infesting our society and share what we learn with others. And be prepared for spiritual warfare.