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"Our War Against
Witchcraft!"
Sometimes people wonder whether or not
various aspects of the occult are religious in
nature or should be of concern to Christians.
Consider these quotations regarding
witchcraft:
For many, Witchcraft is more than just a
religion…it’s a way of life ... When witchcraft
is practised [sic] as a religion, it is called by
the Old English term for witch, Wicca. This
term is used to counter all the negative
stereotypes that society has given witchcraft.
Wicca is primarily a religion that worships
nature, and sees all creation as sacred. ...
Wicca also worships both a male and female
deity, a female Goddess and a male God, who
had together created the world and everything
in it. ... Spells ... [are] ... rituals and prayers
that are conducted in witchcraft to ask for
divine help in a certain aspect of life. -
Quoted from witchcraft [dot] com [dot] au
Witchcraft is a pagan religion. Pagan religions
worship multiple deities rather than a single
god. Paganism is one of the oldest religions
and includes all religions that are not
Christian, Muslim or Jewish, meaning
Paganism includes the Hindu, Buddhist,
Taoist, Confucian and American Indian
religions as well as all other nature-oriented
religions. ...
Wicca, a modern Pagan religion that worships
the Earth and nature ... The central Wiccan
theme is, “if it does no harm, do your own
will”-from people.howstuffworks.
com/witchcraft.htm
So witchcraft is practiced by many as a
religion. Many other aspects of the occult are
admittedly religious in nature.
The purpose of this study is to example what
the Bible says about occult practices.
Whether or not the practitioners admit the
religious aspects, we will see that all aspects
of the occult should be of concern to
Christians.
Current popularity of the occult
Through the mid-1900’s, no one took witches
and magic seriously. Today it is different.
Many people would be surprised to find how
commonly the occult is practiced in our
society, and they may find it is closer to
home than they realize.
Books — Nearly every bookstore has a major
section on the occult. Some bookstores and
book clubs are devoted entirely to the occult.
Magazines and tabloids, such as the National
Enquirer, sold at every grocery store check-
out lane, promote psychics and all kinds of
occult practices.
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Games — Toy or game sections in stores
often sell occult games such as Ouija boards
or Dungeons and Dragons and similar
“fantasy games.” Still more popular are
computer games involving witches, sorcerers,
demons, and occult powers of all kinds.
Often players role-play or pretend they are
these occult characters.
Stores – Some stores specialize in selling
paraphernalia used in various occult
activities. We have such a store called “Sacred
Earth” in Antioch, IL. Their web site says:
Sacred Earth brings you a diverse selection of
LANG="en-US">spiritual and magickal [sic]
supplies, including an extensive collection of
herbs, stones, jewelry, ritual tools, books,
herbal smudge sticks, tarot cards and more.
atsacredearthshoppe [dot] com
Television and movies — Many programs
and movies have major occult themes,
beginning years ago with “Rosemary’s
Baby,” “The Exorcist,” etc. Many children’s
cartoons now feature occult powers, with
witches, sorcerers, demons, etc.
Music — Many popular recording artists are
personally involved in sorcery, witchcraft,
and Satanism. Popular songs often involve
aspects of the occult, and album covers often
portray occult and Satanist symbols.
Education — Many colleges and universities
teach courses discussing the occult, and even
high school and grade school texts may
contain references to witchcraft and the
occult. An honors student at a Ft. Wayne
high school once called me to express concern
about the number of students involved in
Dungeons and Dragons at school.
The New Age movement consists largely of
people involved in the occult and pagan
religions.
Satanic rituals — News often mentions
crimes which police suspect are the result of
Satanic worship rituals.
Halloween is a holy day in witchcraft.
The Wiccan year begins on the sabbat (holy
day) of Yule, when the Goddess gives birth
to the God. The God grows strong through
spring and summer, and then in fall, the God
and Goddess unite. At this time, the Goddess
becomes pregnant with the new God. The old
God dies on Samhain (Halloween) to be
reborn at Yule ... on [the sabbat of Samhain]
Halloween ... the dead are said to be able to
communicate with the living in order to be
with and celebrate with their families. - from
http://people.howstuffworks.com/witchcraft.
htm
The Women’s Liberation Movement – Given
the predominance of female goddesses in the
occult, especially Wicca, it should be no
surprise that many feminists practice various
aspects of the occult.
Just as many are surprised to learn how
serious a problem this is in our society, many
more are surprised to learn how much the
Bible has to say about it. We will consider
Bible teaching regarding two general areas of
occult activity.
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