Chat with a Wiccan

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.

Wiccan Holy-Days

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.

Is Wicca a Threat?

I recently got an email asking, “Why do you see Wicca as a threat? It’s an ancient nature-based religion.” Here’s how I answered.

I appreciate your question. Let me start with a couple disclaimers, so you won’t misunderstand where I’m coming from.

First, I don’t see Wicca as a threat to morality. I suspect most wiccans are nice people. And the Wiccan Rede forbids anyone to use magick to manipulate anyone. I also don’t see Wicca as a threat to Christianity. Christianity is the dominant religion in the U.S, and Wiccans aren’t actively anti-christian. (Hopefully the days of persecuting witches is long past, and Christians aren’t actively anti-wiccan). On the plus side, as adherents of a nature-based religion, wiccans tend to concerned for the environment, and that’s a good trait.

To me, Wicca is a threat to wiccans, not to Christianity or the social order.

I suppose that that statement calls for some explanation.

Wicca and Christianity have one thing in common. Both take seriously the idea that there is a spiritual universe alongside the physical universe, and that these universes interact. What happens in the spiritual universe can effect what happens in the mundane universe, and vice versa.

Both Wicca and Christianity portray the spiritual universe populated by self-aware,intelligent beings.

Wiccans, being very tolerant of the variety of beliefs in various brands of neopaganism, accept the idea that the spiritual universe is populated by spirits of the dead, by the ancient gods and goddesses, by spirits who have never been embodied, by angelic beings, by demonic beings, etc. Wicca, like other neopagan faiths, assumes that the vast majority of these spirit beings are benevolent, and will aid human beings who call on them. Thus neopagan faiths encourage adherents to seek contact with supernatural beings, to obtain “spirit guides” who will help them make good decisions and in other ways.

Christianity portrays the spiritual universe as populated by angels and demons. The angels are God’s servants, benefactors of God’s people. The demons are followers of Satan, and are hostile to human beings. In the Christian view of reality, any spirit which responds directly to a human attempt to make contact is, by definition, an evil spirit (a demon). The Bible warns specifically against any attempt to contact the supernatural world through occult means — channeling, magick, palm reading, etc. The reason for the warning is that any contact made through such means will be with a hostile spirit. This can open an individual up to demonic influences, which may prove initially helpful but will ultimately be harmful.

These two views of reality are in direct conflict on this point. So if a person is committed to a biblical view of reality (as I am), then he or she has to see Wicca and similar faiths as a threat to their adherents. And to see them a threat to those who might be attracted to them.

It’s tragic that those classified as witches have historically been persecuted by some Christians. Both pagan and Christian faiths, as well as Islam and other religions, can and have been distorted to the extent of torturing and killing others “for their own good.” And there’s no excuse for the distorted thinking that gives rise to such a response to another’s beliefs.

My personal conviction is that the right to choose one’s faith is to be protected. No one should be persecuted or ridiculed for what he or she believes. At the same time it’s important maintain an open and honest dialog. And to be educated on one’s own and other faiths. It’s important for everyone to have as much information as possible, because the faith-choice a person makes has implications for their present and their future.

So now you know why I spoke of Wicca and the neopagan faiths as threats. That’s also why on my blog I’ve devoted a number of posts to a discussion of Wicca and neopaganism. If you’re interested you can find these discussions in the www.demondope.com archives.

Larry

Our very own Hogwarts

The popular fictional school of Witchcraft and Wizardry found in the Harry Potter books has a real life counterpart in Hoopstown, Illinois. It’s the Witch School, long a feature on the Internet but now established in downtown Hoopstown, previously known for its Sweet Corn Festival. Currently some 120,000 active students are enrolled in Witch School’s internet courses. Students who stay “active” by taking at least one test a month in subjects such as Druid history or crystal magic, eventually “become members of the clergy.” Since setting up in a brick building near the town center that earlier was a stable for horses, other wicca friendly businesses have relocated to Hoopstown, including a wiccan owned bookstore and a New Age store called Beads and Botanicals.

If you’re not familiar with newpaganism and wicca, I have a number of articles in the archives describing these faiths and the door they open to demonic oppression.

Witch-doctor Uncovered

The pratitioners of wicca and other neopagan religions often claim that their religion is the oldest of all. A recent discovery in Galilee, in Northern Israel, supports the claim. Israeli archeologists discovered the body of a woman who lived some 12,000 years ago whom they believe was a shaman or witch doctor. She was buried in a unique position, her body held in place by large stones. And the grave contained the body parts of various animals and tortoise shells. This unique burial, unlike any other of the Middle East’s ancient Natufian (stone age) peoples has led the team of archeolgists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to conclude she was a practitioner of magic and an early witch doctor.

Wicca Quiz

Wicca and other forms of neopaganism constitute the third most populous religion in the US. And they’re growing at an astounding rate, especially among young people. But what do most folks know about wicca? Here’s are some questions that have been answered in the articles on demondope recently.

1. Why is wicca and similar New Age religions called “neopagan?”
2. Do wiccans have a set of doctrines in which all wiccans believe?
3. What do most wiccans believe about the spiritual universe?
4. Do all wiccans practice witchcraft?
5. What belief about the universe undergirds the practice of witchcraft?
6. Do wiccans have a moral compass? What is it called?
7. In what ways is the moral compass or guide wiccans rely on flawed?
8. What do demons–the biblical kind–have to do with wicca?
9. What do wiccans generally believe about the afterlife?

If you want to have fun with this quiz, take it. Then test some of your friends. Better yet, copy the quiz and forward it with an invitation to check out www.demondope.com for answers.

Wicca and the Afterlife

Wicca’s afterlife

A psychology of religion class I took many years ago at the Univeristy of Michigan pointed out that religions meet needs. For instance, we humans have a need for belonging. We need to have a worldview…a way to make sense of the universe. We need an identity, some core around which to build our image of ourself. We need some sense that we are in control. And so on. Religion is one way in which we seek to meet these needs; certainly a more effective way than to look to wealth, pleasure, or celebrity to meet our needs.

Different strokes for different folks
Different religions have different mechanisms for meeting needs. And, of course, different needs are stronger in each individual. Some people we know have a driving need for belonging. Others are moved by an urgent need to feel in control of every situation. Others, like the adopted child who feels she must find her birth parents, are in search of identity.

As religions, wicca and the other new pagan faiths offer unique ways to meet various human needs. Becoming a witch provides a distinctive sense of identity; one that sets the witch apart from others and at the same time provides a sense of belonging to a group defined by its difference from people all around. The practice of magic, rooted in the notion that mundane events can be influenced by manipulation of the spiritual universe, can provide a sense of control, especially if one feels inadequate to compete in the mundane world itself. Turning to wicca can provide an opportunity for a young person to rebel against parents. Claiming to follow the Wiccan Rede rather than the Judeo-Christian 10 Commandments can offer a sense of moral superiority, as can the concern for Mother Earth expressed in wiccans committment to the Green movement. And the worldview of wicca, with its concept of a spiritual universe populated by spirit beings, while incoherent, provides a way of structuing reality that has roots in ancient pagan beliefs. To some today, as it did for the ancient Romans, the claim of antiquity seems evidence of the validity of a religion.

A beneficial faith?

Looked at simply from the viewpoint of how well wicca seems to meet various psychological needs, it’s possible to conlude that wicca is a beneficial faith. It can meet the felt–and often the unexpressed–needs of human beings. Just as Judaism or Islam or Christianity can. If we were analyze the ways in which each competing faith meets needs, we’d quickly discover that each religion has differing mechanisms but that each does in fact offer ways to meet the basic needs that are common to all human beings. And in that sense, each religion can be called “beneficial.”

But to truly benefit a person a faith must meet a stringent test

There’s a phrase in the Old Testament that’s very important but commonly misunderstood. It’s applied to various groups and individuals who are destined to be “put to shame.” The idea of shame isn’t as strong in our culture as it was in the biblical world. Simply put, “shame” is caused by exposure of some flaw to public view. When the psalmist prays “do not let me be put to shame” (Psa.25:2) he is asking the God on whom he relies not to fail him, and expose him to ridicule for misplaced trust in the Lord. And when Isaiah asserts that “all the makers of idols will be put to shame” (Isa 45:16) he is predicting that when put to the ultimate test man’s trust in idols we be exposed as futile and empty. So the true test of a religion or a faith is not “does it meet present psychological needs” or “do I like it better than a competing faith,” but rather which faith is true? Which faith will prove to be solidly rooted in reality, so that the believer will not be exposed to ridicule for placing his or her confidence in a useless fiction.

The Shame Test

The shame test calls for public exposure of the truth or falsity of ones faith. The ultimate shame test will take place when Christ returns. But, even today, we can see the issue clearly by comparing neopagan and Christiasn beliefs concering the afterlife.

Wiccans and the afterlife

The basic tenet most wiccans adopt is that humans are spiritual beings having a physical experience. The body will wear out and die, and be shrugged off like a suit of old clothes. The spiritual being–the “real” me–will continue to exist as the imortal spiritual being I have always been. Then, depending on various factors, the person will remain a spiritual being or–if there is still “unfinished business” to be accomplished here on earth–will be reincarnated as another human.     

It follows that, as one wiccan website points out, the concept of salvation is “essentially irrelevant.” Rather than being concerned with an afterlife neopagans concentrate on achieving “spiritual balance” and “harmony with each other and nature” in the here and now. Ethical behavior is influence by the general belief that a person is rewarded or punished primarily in this life by the consequences of the choices he makes. While those consequences may spill over in some sense into the afterlife, there is no deity waiting to judge human beings.

This view is supported by personal testimony from neopagans, with “evidence” cited from channeling spirits who tell of their lives on earth, and with memories of “past lives” that many claim to recover. Strikingly, some who have researched their “past lives” have found their “memories” at least partially accurate.

The problem with this kind of “evidence” is that it requires one trust the spirits who speak through the occult. And it requires one to believe the “memories” are one’s own. As we’ve pointed out in these articles, it is far more likely that the spirits who channel are demons. And that demons, who do not die, supply the “memories” of those who believe they have recalled past lives.  

The other side of the coin
The biblical view of reality is starkly different from that of wicca and neopaganism. Scripture describes a God who created the universe and humankind. While loving, the God of the Bible is also just and will punish sin. Human beings have individual identity, and each will continue to exist as a self-conscious beings through eternity, either in a state of blessedness with the Savior or a state of condemnation. Salvation is essential, for humans by nature are sinners who are separated from God and condemned. The choice to trust God and rely on his promises in Christ must be made before we die, for “it is given to men to die once, and after this the judgment.”

This view also is supported by the personal testimony of believers who claim to have a personal relationship with Christ. But that testimony is given objective support by Scripture, a book whose reliability can be examined and tested.

ultimately, of course, every person makes a faith choice, fwhatever reasons may be offered in support. And the ultimate question is, which faith corresponds with reality? The holder of Which view will be put to shame? And the holder of which view will have judged rightly about where to rest his or her trust?

That’s a choice every individual must make.
That’s a choice which if vital indeed.

Wicca craft [witchcraft]

It’s called “the craft” by those who practice it. Ordinary folks call it “witchcraft.” In the US wicca is a loose association of some 150 witchcraft religions. Witches have been attractively portrayed on TV in shows like the old Bewitched, comedy in which magick was performed by a wiggle of Samantha Steven’s nose, and in serious shows such as Charmed that features three teen age witches who fight evil. Add in shows like the Ghost Whisperer,  and movies like The Craft, Practical Magic, Mirrors and The Exorcim of Emilie Rose, and supernatural occult powers seem as common as next door neighbors.

The strange thing is that those who consider themselves witches may very will live next door. Wicca is one of the fastest growing faiths in the United States amd Great Britian, along with other “paths” of the New Paganism so popular with young people today.

Not all wiccans or new pagans practice witchcraft. But a great many do. Certainly enough do to support the many websites and businesses that have emerged to offer the books on witchcraft, guaranteed spells, ointments and powdered substances that witches are supposed to need to practice their craft. Recently a printed catalog of witchly clothing and supplies was even delivered to our house in the mail–a clear indication of the size of the market for such paraphenalia.

But why the sudden popularity of witchcraft? And what do practitioners of witchcraft hope to accomplish?

A Strange New World

Perhaps I should say, a strange old world. The movement, commonly labled neopaganism, originated in England in the 60’s and 70’s as people turned to ancient pagan religions to reconconstruct their reality. I suspect that Tolkien’s portrayal of Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings have had something to do with popularizing the movement, even as Harry Potter’s engaging stories capture the imagination of young people today and make many wish they could have gone to Hogwarts and studied magick there. After all, many find the uncertainties of life in the mundane world uncomfortable and even frightening. Why not turn to a religion which promises at least some control over events in the material universe by manipulating the spiritual?

At the same time not all new pagans or wiccans practice magick. Some believe attempts to manipulate the material world are “derogatory to spiritual growth.” This brand of wicca sees spiritual gains as more significant than mundaine growth, and counsels working through one’s life experiences with the aid of spirit guides and other aids.

Still, many wiccans and other new pagans do use witchcraft and/or other occult practices. So . . .

How Does Witchcraft Work?

There are two major theoretical frameworks. One is philosophical, popularized recently in the 2006 film “The Secret” and the NY times bestselling book by Esther and Jerry Hicks, “The Law of Attraction.” This supposed law assumes an energy that permeates the universe and is attracted by similar energy. Humans are supposed to be able to control this energy and “attract” wealth, health, love [whatever is desired] by four practices: [1] Know what you want and ask the universe for it. [2] focus thought and emotions on what is desired.
[3] Feel and act as if you already have what you desire. [4] Be open to recieving what you desire. Some assume that this “law of attraction” explains why “practical witchcraft” works.

What we might call “practical witchcraft” is far more familiar and more mundane. What witches “do” is perform rituals, cast spells, prepare potions, recite incantations, and manipulate objects which correspond in some way to the person or objects to be affected. The underlying belief is that the spells and other activities enlist the cooperation of spirit beings to cause the desired effect in the material universe. Many different practices can be classified as witchcraft: palm reading, spiritism, channeling, reading tarot cards,astral projection, consulting horoscopes, and any other occult activity.

Black vs White Magick

A classic distinction made by some is between the use of “white magick,” which is supposed to benefit others, and “black magick,” which is supposed to harm others. As contemporary writers on witchcraft point out, the practices of those using magick for good and for evil are the same. The difference is in the intent of the witch; the purpose for which her or his skills in magickal pracices are being used. What one intends to do with magick, to help or to harm, makes magick white or black.

It’s important to point out that wiccans are insulted at the idea they are in league with Satan (whose existence they deny). Most will insist they only use their craft for good. This is generally true . . . most wiccans do attempt to do only positive things through magick. In this case, is there any harm in practicing white magic?

Scripture on the Occult

I’ve noted in early articles that Deuteronomy 18 contains an absolute prohibition against occult practices. The reason for this is simple. Those engaging in occult practices expose themselves to oppression or possession by the demons who make the practicies effective. There truly is magick . . . the spirit world can have an impact in the mudane universe. But the spirits who respond to appeals to the supernatural are demons, not angels. God’s warning in Deuteronomy 18 is intended to protect us from their evil influence.

What are the practices Deuteronomy 18 warns against? There are 8 Hebrew terms or phrases in this passage.

   yid’oni                     To make contact with spirits
   sho’el ‘ov                 To make contact with the dead
   qosem q’samim       To foretell the future
   m’onen                    To predict the future using omens
   m’nachesh               To enchant
   chover chavar          To cast magic spells
   m’khaseph               To use sorcery, use spoken spells
   doresh ‘el hametim  To consult disembodied spirits

This list clearly rules out the use of any magick (black, or white) as well as other occult practices related to magick.

Christian vs Wiccan world view

The wiccan sees a universe which can be manipulated with the aid of disembodied spirits who can be contacted and to some extent controled by the practice of witchcraft. The Christian sees a universe marked by a constant struggle between good and evil, yet under the control of a God so wise, powerful, and loving that he is able to accomplish his good purposes despite the evil done by man and demons alike.

The wiccan believes that she can to some extent reshape the universe to fit her desires through the law of attraction or the practice of magick. The Christian believes that he can glorify God by living a godly, loving life in the world that is, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

The wiccan believes in a host of spirits [gods, ancestors, those awaiting reincarnation, animals, angels, etc.] who if called on will serve as “spirit guides” and direct their choices. The Chritian believes in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who forgives sins and provides eternal life, and who through the Holy Spirit who is present in us provides guidance from God himself.

Only one of these worldviews can be correct. And which worldview a person chooses makes a difference . . . for time and for eternity.

Wicca and moral choice

In general those who practice wicca are nice people.They pay their taxes, are careful to recycle, and tend to make good neighbors. There are exceptions, of course. But there are a few hostile or cranky church goers around too. Even the spells cast by most wiccans aren’t intendent to harm anyone.

The Wiccan Rede, the one commandment that most wiccans seek to observe, seems benificent. In just eight words the wiccan rede sums up the moral code adopted by wiccans: “If it harms none, do what you will.” The Rede even sounds a little like the ancient medical practitioners guideline: “First, no do harm.” Who could object to any person contemplating an action and asking, “Will doing this harm anyone”? It almost seems that the Wiccan Rede is a simpler and as effective guide to moral behavior as Scriptures Ten Commandments.

But when we look at the Rede more carefully, we discover rather obvious flaws. So let’s examine the Rede.

If it harms none

This certainly seems to be a worthy test. Say you’re invited to a party you really want to attend, but you have a slight cold. You apply the Rede, and decide you’d better not go, because your cold might be contageous. You made a commendable moral choice, guided by the Rede.

But take something a little more complicated. You see an acquaintance shoplift an expensive item from a store, and you’re called to testify in court. On the one hand, if you testify to what you saw, your acquaintance might be harmed. But on the other hand you realize that if no one was held accountable for shoplifting [stealing] business owners would suffer and the fabric of society would break down. You apply the Rede . . . and discover that whatever you do someone will be harmed! You can’t look to the Rede for moral guidance in this situation. You either have to apply some additional moral rule or principle or you’re left without a moral compass.

This is the first flaw in the Wiccan Rede. It “works” only in the simplest, most unambiguous situations.

A second flaw in the Rede is that is requires you to be prophet. Let’s go back to the first illustration. Despite your cold, you really want to attend that party. And after all, no one there will be really old or really young. Even if someone catches your cold at worst they’ll probably be inconvenienced. The trouble is, you don’t know. Maybe no one will catch your cold. Maybe someone will catch it and have a few sniffles. But maybe someone will catch it and it will turn into pneumonia! If no one catches your cold you’ve done no harm by going to the party. If someone has a few sniffles, is that really harm? Of course, if pneumonia results, you’ve done serious harm. The problem is, you don’t know ahead of time the actual consequences of you decision.

This is the second flaw in the Wiccan Rede. It “works” only if you know head of time the outcomes of choices you make.

Do what you will

These four words of the Rede can be read in at least two ways. The first reading is, “Do what you choose.” This reading emphasizes personal responsiblity. In the end, followers of the Rede are making a personal choice without, as we’ve seen above, sufficient moral guidance. We may have the best of motives when we make our choice, but the Rede insists we evaluate moral choices by outcome, not motive. “If it harms none” clearly points to the outcome of our choices, not our motives. And we can never be sure what those outcomes may be.

The second reading is, “do what you want to.” This reading emphasizes desire rather than personal responsiblity. In essense, this reading of the Wiccan Rede invites us to be ruled by our emotions and desires once we’ve determined an action will harm none. But this sounds all too much like two teenagers eager to surrender to their raging hormones, who say, “We love each other, and having sex now can’t harm anyone.” We human have a vast capacity for rationalization. We can all too easily find reasons for doing what we want to do, whether or not others or we ourselves may be harmed by our actions.

No, the Wiccan Rede, as commendable as it first appears to be, is inadequate as a guide to moral action. We need moral guidelines that are far more specific, and that don’t require us to guess the outcomes of our actions. We certainly don’t want a guideline that  offers the option, “do what you will.”

Back to the Ten Commandments

The biblical Ten Commandments provide a far better guide to moral action than the Wiccan Rede. The Commandments were grouped on two stone tablets, the first contaning four commands dealing with man’s relationship with God, and the second containing six commands dealing with human interpersonal relationships. These commands are stated as absolutes: don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, etc. The commands call on us to make moral judgments about the acts themselves. They don’t ask us predict outcomes. They don’t deal [directly] with motives. They simply state that certain actions are wrong, and that we are not to take those actions. The moral guidance they provide is clear, simple, and unquivocable.
There’s no room here for a person to “do what you will” after leaping a low hurdle like the “if it harms none” principle of the Wiccan Rede.

Unfortunately, those who dislike the rigidity of the Ten Commandments misunderstand the most important thing about them. The commandments were established by an all-wise God who loves us and who has our best interests at heart. The Commandments intent is to provide guidance as to what really does no harm.

Just as there are natural laws in the physical universe there are moral laws that govern the experience of human beings. No matter how one tries to justify lies, or invent situations in which a lie seems the only way to a “good” outcome, the God who created the universe and human beings and who knows the future provides in the commandments a definition of actions that do harm to us or to others.

The Wiccan Rede leads ultimately to moral confusion. Only the Word of God is capable of guiding us through life’s moral choices in a healthy, positive way.

The Essential Wicca

Neopagan beliefs about the nature of the universe

Wicca is one of a number of modern faiths or “paths” that have
grown out of an attempt to reconstruct ancient pagan religions.
Emerging from the 1970s. neopaganism has experienced explosive
growth in the Great Britan, the United States, and Scandanavia.
Today neopaganism is an alternative to Christianity which many
young people and adults find particularly attractive. The most
practiced of the the neopagan paths is wicca, which shares many
assumptions with such paths as New Age, neo-druidism, occultism,
voodooism, Shamanism, and a number of others. In general what
these articles report about wicca is also true of other neopagan paths.

Wiccan beliefs about the nature of the unverse are difficult
to define, simply because they are so diverse. There’s no
book wiccan’s look to as authoritative, as Christians look to
the Bible. Wiccans have a number of diverse beliefs, and in fact
celebrate each person’s or branches right to differ. One of
the neopagan criticisms of Christianity is that it claims to
have The Truth … and as far as wiccans are concerned is
harshly and wrongly critical of neopaganism. One reason for
wicca’s popularity is its nonjudgmental attitude toward others.
This should be no surprise, in a culture like ours which holds
that truth is relative and places a high value on tolerance.

So in starting to define the essential wicca it’s best to
begin by stating what wicca is NOT and what wiccans do NOT
believe.

  * Wicca is NOT Satanism. Wiccans do not believe that any
    such being as Satan exists.
  * wicca is NOT Christian. Wiccans do not believe that God
    exists–that is, God as a self-aware and all powerful Person who
    created the material and spiritual univereses and who takes a
    continuing interest in humans and their lives.

What Wiccans do believe about the universe
If you scan neopagan Internet sites you discover a number of
statements describing core beliefs about reality. These
statements are confusing and self-contradictory.

   * “I see the earth as a living and breathing organism.”
   * “Most neopagan traditions are polythesitic.”
   * “God-ess is impersonal. It transcends …human emotions.”
   * “Some pagans regard one particular god (or god and goddess
     pair) as the Supreme Principle.”
   * “Nearly all neopagans recognize the existence and true
     divinity of other gods; virtually no neopagans as monotheists.”
   * “…they believe in an Unknowable Ultimate Reality.”
   * “many believe there are countless spirit beings, gods and
     goddesses, in the cosmos and within all of nature.”
   * “Mother Nature is highly worshipped.”
   * “Many believe in a supreme intelligence that created a
     duality of God/Goddess who then created a spirit world of
     gods and goddesses as well as all of the universe and nature.”
   * Nature itself is divine, as is the cosmos.”
   * The Deity is immanent and transcendant.”
   * “God and godess images are aspects of a greater divinity.”
  
The Deity is an “impersonal it,” a “supreme intelligence” that
“transcends human emotions.” But there is a spiritual universe
populated by gods and goddesses who are to be acknowleged and
worshipped. “Mother earth” is worshipped, for the earth is a
living and breathing organism. And there are countless spirit
beings “within all nature.” The fact that elements of this
bundle of beliefs about reality is self-contradictory doesn’t
bother the neopagan or wiccan at all.

The practice of religion

The fact that there is no coherent belief system in wicca and
neopaganism doesn’t seem to concern wiccans in the slightest.
Again this reflects the spirit of our age, in which truth is
relative. What is true for me may not be true for you, and
what is true for you may not be true for me. In an age which
denies the objective nature of truth, it’s no surprise that
neopaganism can flourish.

Christianity claims that the view of reality provided in
Scripture is objectively true, and that therefore competing
views are false. Truth exists outside of the individual. Truth
is not defined by any individual’s or group’s beliefs. And
this brings Christianity into direct conflict with all neopagan
faiths. There is One and only One God, who revealed himself to
us in Scripture as Creator and Redeemer. The gods and goddesses
of neopaganism are fictions…or are demons masquerading as
deities.

The conflict of objective with relative Truth is a central
issue for Christians. But its not of concern to neopagans.
Their focus is not on theology but on practice.

The person I quoted earlier who says she sees the earth as a
living organism goes on to point out that she grows her own
herbs and vegetables, uses cosmetics that are “cruelty free,”
recycles paperand plastics, does a full moon ritual once a
month and celebrates the eight holidays in the wheel of the
year. What’s important to her is what she does, not the
consistency or truth value of her beliefs.

It’s the same for most wiccans and neopagans. Living in harmony
with the earth in an ecologically responsible way and taking
part in rituals seems to them the essence of their faith.
They see no  valuein debating their particular view of “god.”
After all, another’s view may be true for him or her, and they
expect others to affirm the truth of their belief as well.

Wiccans and the Gospel

It’s difficult for Christians to try to reach neopagans. We
tend to try to convince them that our beliefs are true and
that their beliefs are wrong. This is viewed by wiccans
and other neopagans as a hostile attack. Unfortunately, too
many Christians have displayed actually hostility in trying
to present the Gospel. Because of this, and because wiccans
view themselves as witches and identify with the witches
tried and executed by Christians in history, many immediately
reject evangelistic efforts.

The best way to reach wiccans is to extablish a friendship
based on shared ecological concern. When God made humans
responsible to “rule” the earth, He charged us to care for
nature rather exploit it. Believers who are serious about
this responsiblity can find common ground with neopagans,
and build a relationship with them. When this relationship
has been established, we can share our experience with
Christ and how he impacts our daily lives. In the process
God’s Spirit can work within the heart of our wiccan friend
and woo him or her to Christ.

In future articles we’ll explore more about wicca and
neopaganism, and examine additional ways to share the Gospel
effectively.