Another Hatchet Job: Blaming Harry Again: Paganism and Witchcraft in Youth Culture

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Permalink Reply by Lady SilverVixen on August 30, 2009 at 2:29am

how sad and disturbing at the same time. I just stared at this for about 20 minutes after i read it.I was just dumbfounded on some of the things Mrs. Harvey had to say. I'm honestly speechless at this point.

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Permalink Reply by shu en on August 30, 2009 at 6:09am

Mrs Harvey is pretty shallow init ... Has anybody walked her through on the subject on Paganisim / Witchcraft and that being pagans or witches have nothing to do witb devils.... sheesh.....

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Permalink Reply by Rev Karl Ben-Jedi on August 30, 2009 at 8:33am

Hi everyone,I feel that Mrs.Linda Harvey has the right to explain more fully her views on Witchcraft & Wicca.

And her view of its dangers to young adolescent "Christian" children or young adults. So I have took the time to find her website to understand from where she is coming from and the fears of her community.I believe that she has a valid right to speak to her own community on there beliefs about what they hold to be true.Even if it maybe different from my own or others.

Here is an article that she authored that may give readers here a deeper insight into her views on the subject.



Teen Witchcraft in America



Heresy in the Hood II:
Witchcraft among Children and Teens in America
By Linda P. Harvey

It's a different America today from the relative innocence of 1999, when I first wrote about witchcraft among American youth.

That was the year Harry Potter burst upon the American scene. The year before, Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation by Silver Ravenwolf was published, giving how-to instructions specifically to curious adolescents about the beliefs and practice of sorcery. The book has sold over 150,000 copies, according to its author.1

Harry Potter was just an imaginative story, advocates claimed, and few kids were seriously drawn to witchcraft. Any alarms were pure hysteria.

Well, here we are three years later, and a review of current TV shows, children's games, the latest titles from giant Scholastic Books, a visit to any local Borders or Barnes and Noble bookstore, or a review of popular youth web sites, should more than confirm our initial warnings. Sorcery and witchcraft have become the hottest themes in youth culture and education for the first time ever in the history of the world.

It's past time for alarms; if we care about the spiritual integrity of our children, the hour may have come for panic.


When the Cat's Away


Is witchcraft still the fastest-growing religion in America today, as I quoted a proponent who appeared on the teen-popular "E"-cable channel back in 1999? If pop culture and my own e-mail traffic is any reflection of the trends, then the answer would have to be a resounding 'yes.'

Since "Heresy in the Hood: Teen Witchcraft in America" was published three years ago, the number of young self-professed witches and pagans who send e-mails in reaction to the article has grown steadily. I've gotten hundreds of responses, more this year than ever before. By far most of them strongly disagreed with the article, which took a conservative Christian view of witchcraft and outlined the growing pop media fascination with this subject.

Just a few excerpts from these e-mails is revealing. (I've left the original wording and spelling intact.):
"Wouldn't this be a better world if you and people like you could stop being so bigotted and open your hearts to those that are different than you. I am a pagan I don't believe in heaven or hell, god or the devil."

"First of all, we DONNOT WORSHIP SATAN! And we DONNOT feed on christian children-. You tell people how to catch and kill wiccans but you probably have never met a true wiccan." [There was nothing in the article about feeding on children or catching and killing wiccans, or anyone.]
"I am reminded of a saying from Deuteromotry-Judge not lest ye be judged. And also, a verse from the New Testament (sorry I forgot the chapter and verse number) -where Jesus of Nazareth speaks, saying, 'Know that in my Father's house there are many mansions, and many paths to the One Truth.' Something to bear in mind, eh?"

And my personal favorite e-mail: "Have a bad day."

Most of the e-mails are insulting in tone and question the right for an article like "Teen Witchcraft" to even exist. Borrowing from the "gay" rights playbook, these young people are somewhere learning that serious debate about the issue of witchcraft is a form of hate. A similar veil of indoctrination has also blinded most adults who would be gatekeepers to screen sorcery out of the gardens where our young play. Without protectors, the profit-driven media is both responding to interest in witchcraft and creating it in a rapid feedback loop.


Sorcery Chic


With Hollywood churning out occult- themed programs and movies at a frenetic pace, the interest of youth has been kept high. A burst of movies and TV shows featuring witchcraft has targeted young viewers, among them Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, which has developed an almost cult-like following; the WB's Charmed; and the sappy Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Young fans are feeding their occult appetites further by snapping up these shows' companion paperbacks. Followers of Sabrina can purchase one of the 45 paperbacks now available, and Charmed buffs can choose from fourteen.

Buffy fans can purchase not just novels featuring the show characters, but DVD's of three seasons of programs, scripts, and other novelties like calendars and school planners. Never mind that Buffy plots have included her attempted rape by her love interest, Spike, or her death and then "resurrection" as she climbed back out of the grave.2 Many parents nonetheless let their offspring immerse themselves in such irreverent nonsense. Buffy has a campy, tongue-in-cheek style that invites dismissal of objections, sneaking past all but the most discerning parental concerns.

Cartoon characters and games are replete with sorcery, from the much-publicized Pokemon to Yu-Gi-Oh! and other anime, a world where conjuring, demon battles and spell-casting are the order of every player's move and collector's wish. Even Scooby-Doo has taken its once light-hearted approach to the scary and spooky to a serious level in its feature-length movie released in 2002. The bad guy in the plot plans a voodoo ritual, but the movie also manages to cast Wiccans in a positive light as "healers." One web site mourns the lost innocence of Scooby- Doo: "It's cheap and desperate. There's no place for demonic possession and Busta Rhymes in a Hanna-Barbera production."3

Soap operas popular with teens have incorporated more and more occult story lines. On NBC's Passions, recent plot elements included spells, potions, zombies, animated human-like dolls, and bringing the dead back to life, all pivoting around a witch character played by actress Juliet Mills.

Youth interest has been stoked steadily by one-sided movies over the past decade. The Craft in 1996 featured teen sorcerers. That same year, The Crucible created an almost laughable Hollywood version of 1692 Salem, where Winona Ryder smears blood on herself in the opening scene depicting a voodoo ritual inspired by the Jamaican servant, Tituba. Would Puritan girls, even those who actually dabbled in the occult, ever have done such a thing? Practical Magic featured Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman fulfilling every girl's fondest wish-obtaining Mr. Right-by using spells and enchantment. An array of recent movies dealing with occult themes along with the two Harry Potter movies are persuading most youngsters (and many parents) to see sorcery as the simply the product of a creative mind or a tool for personal empowerment.


Ripe for Spiritual Deception


Why the explosion of interest, and why now? Ever since playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in the 1950's to parallel the McCarthy hearings, a "witch hunt" has become one of the left's favorite epithets to intimidate the devout, who are, of course, merely unenlightened dullards.

The truth is that witchcraft is real, and so is the unchanging Christian prohibition against it. Any power other than God is forbidden, starting with the First Commandment, and attempting to do "magick" exposes one to contact with demonic power, whether or not one names it as such. There is no difference between white or black witchcraft; neither involve the biblically- revealed Creator or Christ as Saviour, so both are elements of rebellion used for selfish, not Christ-centered purposes. Humans do have access to divine power, but it is through prayer to God and Him alone, not other named or imagined spirits. And, God's will determines the final outcome; rituals or other works of humans do not.

Ironically, God is in charge even if the fictional Harry Potter or his friend Hermoine cast "spells." Yet Potter fans will never hear about God's real, omnipotent power by reading the Christ-less Rowling books or seeing the Potter movies. One of the biggest and most artificial aspects of these stories is this pretense. In this sense, they truly are fantasies.

It may be part of the tactics of Satan to intentionally reveal the blueprint for the enchantment of our youth for all who have eyes to see. Satan and his army of demonic spirits are genuine and referenced frequently in the Bible. His main goal is to separate humans forever from fellowship and eternal life with God through Christ. So he uses whatever works: deception, distraction, or destruction. One aspect of the deceit is hiding in plain sight. " Ha, ha! Satan? Just a figment of overworked fundamentalists' imaginations! They're just frustrated because they're too repressed and fearful to get into something really creative-like witchcraft!" So goes the ironic snare of spiritual deception.

For those watching, the growing obsession of our culture with something so "non-existent" can become a potent testimony to the truth of the Gospel, where Christ dealt with spiritual darkness as a daily reality, casting out demons more than thirty times in Scripture.

Unfortunately, without enough courageous Christians vigilantly protecting children from witchcraft, the framework for bondage is in place. Now, sadly, it seems we are heading into the final construction phase of their spiritual prison.


In Plain Sight


No one has to hunt for witches anymore; they may own the house next door. Children are being lovingly primed to embrace paganism by movies, games, TV, the Internet and countless sorcery-friendly books. There is certainly no parallel in current pop culture to the Harry Potter books. Not only the books themselves but a plethora of offshoots abound, from The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter by Allan Zola Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek, to The Everything Kids' Witches and Wizards Book by L.T. Samuels.

The obsession with the Potter books seems odd, however; again, why now? It's not as if they are something totally original. Jane Yolen's Wizard's Hall, published in 1993, features a boy named Henry, age 11, who goes to a school for wizardry, and has a smart girl and a red-headed boy as his friends. It's the kind of place where they give you a new name, where the pictures wink at you and there are star maps in the dark on the ceilings of your bedroom. This whimsy will sound familiar to Potter readers, for in addition to the plot similarities, such elements recall the style of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Potter books.

It is difficult to fathom why Rowling's yarns became such hits when the Yolen books, while successful, have managed to stay out of the superstar realm. Did superior publisher promotion account for the difference? The length of the Potter books, appealing to a wider audience including adults? Or, could the reason lie with a culture that has developed a taste for "magick" and is now ready to pluck the whole fruit, no matter the cost?

The top-selling Potter books, in spite of denials by its author and other advocates, do inspire follow-up interest in sorcery and the occult among children. Consider this passage said to be written by a 13 year-old on the popular Internet site, The Witches' Voice (www.witchvox.com):
:
"You're 12 years old, and have stumbled upon the book 'Teen Witch' by Silver Ravenwolf at this very odd and interesting section of Borders called 'Magickal Studies.' Next to Teen Witch is the book, 'Wicca, a Guide for the Solitary Practitioner' by Scott Cunningham. You have never heard this term before-'Wicca', but naturally you're a huge fan of 'Charmed' and 'Harry Potter', so you immediately open to the middle of this interesting book, Teen Witch. What's the first thing you see? Spells! Tons of them! 'Oh cool! Now I can be a real witch' you say, as you take this fascinating book to the checkout line-"4

Yet most parents don't see any danger in this, because most buy the secular version of the occult, that it's an aspect of one's imagination and therefore a dimension of human nature. So, when ten- year- old Madison starts casting spells from her room, we should see it as just a harmless alternative to playing with Barbies.

The Potter series also uses real names of sorcerers and mythological monsters, according to some experts. Medieval alchemist Nicholas Flamel is a figure in the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He actually did exist, born in 1330. Fluffy the three-headed dog is like Cerberus, a Greek monster who guarded the entry to Hades, and like Cerberus, Fluffy is calmed by soft music.5 Who says children immersed in the Potter books aren't being tutored in neopaganism?

Harry is the perfect hero for a self-obsessed culture. A miserable home life and low self-esteem can be overcome with the wave of a wand and the "discovery" that one has secret powers. Why not make every kid feel "special", no matter the method?


The Kiddy Lit Occult Gold Mine


The profit incentive for children's publishers can't be discounted as a major driver behind the sorcery explosion. Parents in times past would never have dreamed of drenching their innocents in spell-casting and fortune-telling. The Christian roots in our culture were too deep for people to let kids wander into such hazardous territory. But current biblically- illiterate generations of parents often see nothing wrong with ritual and magick, and some are in fact dabbling in such activities themselves.

Following the Potter books, publishers of young teen fiction have introduced a wide array of witch-themed paperbacks, so that young Potter fans can grow into more "age-appropriate" sorcery. We chose three to read from among the many now available (far more than in 1999). There is the "Witches Chillers" series by Silver Ravenwolf (Llewellyn Publications, 2000); the "Circle of Three" books by Isobel Bird (Avon Books, 2001); and the "Daughters of the Moon" series by Lynne Ewing (Hyperion Books for Children, 2000). Whatever happened to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys? Even the silly Babysitters Club books would be a welcome change.

In these novels, girls fret over friends, popularity, sports, parents, boyfriends, jobs and homework-or a neighborhood "mystery." But in this new darker world, girls don't simply ask a friend's advice, hang out at the soda shop or give the team their best effort. That would be too boring and too passive. Today's girl takes charge, even in the heavenlies; so these young priestesses cast spells. The paperbacks are laced with actual spells and rituals suited to many teen occasions. They are also packed with sexual innuendo and activity; alternative dress and lifestyles; and questionable role models in parents. They also continue the dissemination of pro-witch and anti-Christian propaganda.

Ravenwolf says she concocted the idea for the "Witches Chillers" from imagining the teens on the cover of Teen Witch to be real adolescents. She named them and came up with the idea for the series. Her involvement goes further than books. Besides creating the eighteen titles and the Teen Witch Kit, complete with spells, talismans and other ritual equipment, Ravenwolf says she has thirty covens in eleven states.6

More offerings by major bookstores for boys and girls include a series from Pocket Pulse based on the TV show "Angel" about a guy who fights vampires, demons and such through his Angel Detective Agency. Author R.L. Stine has contributed the controversial Goosebumps series for grade school kids, and more recently, the Fear Street series for adolescents, lacing the teen world of cheerleading and sports with supernatural evil.

There is often little else on the shelves to choose from. There's Witch Child and Sorceress by Celia Rees (Candlewick Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts).The Book of Shadows, the first in the "Sweep" series of fourteen books by Cate Tiernan (Puffin Books), offers this preview on its back cover: "I never chose to learn witchcraft. But I'm starting to wonder if witchcraft is choosing me." This notion of being "chosen" is a troubling recurring theme in story lines, including Harry Potter. It's a seductive method of manipulating human envy by ensnaring naïve youth. If you're a misfit, it's not because you are lacking something; it's because you are "above" the rest in a unique way.

One of the biggest names in children's literature is mighty Scholastic Books. Teachers distribute sales flyers for Scholastic publications in classes to schoolchildren, a system set up through the company's ongoing close relationships with the U.S. educational establishment. Now Scholastic, being the U.S. distributor of the Potter books, plays a particularly formidable role in the promotion of sorcery to children. It has expanded its offerings beyond the Rowling books and the Goosebumps series to T*Witches, about the twin daughters of two very powerful witches, and Midnight Magic, which uses Tarot cards, a fortune-telling device popular with Wiccans.

As adolescents peak in self-absorption, our panacea is to hand our offspring the sorcerer's wand to wave away all troubles. They can use it to raise that already- inflated self-esteem. Not only can they pick up "how-to" books like Teen Witch, or Wild Girls: The Path of the Young Goddess by Patricia Monaghan (Llewellyn, 2001), now they can obtain instruction from a number of web sites friendly to teens on this subject.


Bypassing the Parent Filter: The Internet's Role


Not only has the Internet provided a way for "pagans" to network and share ideas, beliefs and spells, it's a neat and clean way for curious youth to avoid the scrutiny of parents while exploring once-forbidden subjects. Any web-savvy child can be indoctrinated into a pagan worldview and start casting spells before a parent catches on to this new interest.

"A friend told me about a religion that worships both a male and a female deity. I was interested and she gave me Silver Ravenwolf's book, Teen Witch. I started reading and never put it down. I got on the internet and learned more and more. I finally did a devotion ceremony and I considered myself to be Wiccan. Then I remembered, 'What am I going to do about my parents?!' I then decided to keep it a secret until I could tell them in a proper time and place. Bad Idea-.."7

So writes a 15-year-old on the web site, Witches' Voice. She then goes on to describe how she refused to go to church with her Catholic parents one Sunday morning, blurting out the news about her new beliefs. After the uproar subsided, her parents eventually calmed down and became resigned to her beliefs because (she says) they observed a lowered stress level in her behavior.
Such is the advice given to curious youth by experienced teens, with anecdotes to give any novice "courage" to delve into the Craft. "After all, she seems to have it together. Maybe it's fine for me, too."

The Internet resources on witchcraft are vast and growing daily. Some are tailored specifically to teens and younger aged-children. Teen Witch ( www.teenwitch.com) has expanded greatly since I first learned about it several years ago. There are now spells for every occasion. Witches' Voice (www.witchvox.com) has a special teen section. Silver Ravenwolf has her own web site with material tailored to teens. There are other tutorial sites (www.witchschool.com); there are pagan book sites (www.isisbooks.com); there are sites for supplies (www.realmagicwands.com). Too numerous to mention are sites specific to role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons; and toys, CDs, DVDs and video games with occult themes. Potter-spawned discussions and books have generated a whole Internet culture as well. Is there any avenue of modern information where children are not subject to spiritual seduction?

One web site has taken a strong stand against this promotion of witchcraft to teens. Kathi Sharpe has a site called Ex-Witch at www.exwitch.org . She recommends boycotting Scholastic Books because of its promotion of witchcraft and sorcery to kids. "Nearly every school district in the U.S. has a Scholastic Book Fair several times yearly," she writes. "Today we are urging parents and educators to prayerfully consider a general boycott of Scholastic materials in homes and schools country-wide." Kathi, a former witch who is now a Christian, has strong opinions about the Potter books. "Anyone who allows their children to read these books and participate in related activities is allowing their children access to the occult." She stresses that the activities Harry and his friends so casually engage in are all forbidden in the Bible, "-and with good reason: They are dangerous, and serve to draw people away from Him. Furthermore, the power behind spells and divination is demonic."

Witchcraft hides among the rushes on other teen sites. On the questionable sexuality dimension, Planned Parenthood's Teen Wire at www.teenwire.com goes beyond its teen sex territory to explore aspects of "spirituality." One article on the site is entitled, "Life as a Witch." A teenager named Torprme writes, "I am a sophomore in high school and I am a witch." Another article describes witchcraft in general terms after deceptively luring teens to the page with the title, "Buffy's Tale." The author, Patricia Telesco, has written several other articles on the PP site, one about horoscopes and another called "Winter Festivals." It describes winter solstices, native American winter ceremonies and Yule traditions of Christmas. This article was all that surfaced after a search of this site using the keyword "Christian," dispelling any thoughts of genuine inclusivity.

Teen Wire, of course, promotes the general Planned Parenthood philosophy that abortion is an ethical, safe and viable option. Sex -heterosexual or homosexual--is perfectly appropriate whenever one is "ready", no matter the age. Any risks involved are only a matter of proper management through contraception and "choice." The heartbreak of early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, now at epidemic levels in our country, are as usual ignored in this adult-generated site aimed at exploiting the young for commercial purposes.


The "Empowered" Young Feminist


As an adjunct to the spiritual deception taking place among adult women as a part of radical feminism in America, witchcraft is increasingly being adopted as a practice in ostensibly Christian churches. This trend is filtering down to teen girls. Ravenwolf in Teen Witch attempts to paint "Wicca" as an alternative practice that is powerful yet positive, and compatible with most religious beliefs. She writes, "WitchCraft is a nature-based, life-affirming religion that follows a moral code and seeks to build harmony among people, and empower the self and others. If you think about it, we could use that statement for almost any positive religion, couldn't we?" (p. 4)

Like my e-mail correspondents, Ravenwolf seems to single out biblical Christianity. "Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion,-is...that these institutions have claimed to be 'the one true right and only way.'-Witches are sick and tired of people in other religions passing judgment and spreading lies about our belief system just because they are either insecure in their own faith or don't realize that many paths to God exist in our universe." (pp.7-8) After numerous classroom and cultural messages about 'tolerance,' frequently with orthodox Christians set up as the bad guys, many teens will naturally embrace Ravenwolf's ideology as a positive, progressive alternative.

Thus, Teen Witch reinforces the ample doses of nature worship girls are already receiving throughout the culture, including at school, while justifying ignorance about and hostility toward Christianity. And it is all set within a framework that appears to be an extension of tolerance and compassion, and in fact, even a part of "civil rights."

Taking a chapter from the feminist and gay playbook, "pagan pride " is set to burst upon the American scene with its accusations and demands. Groups are springing up like the Witches Anti-Defamation League, Witches Against Religious Discrimination and the Alternative Religions Education Network, taking refuge under the constitutional protections on religious freedom. With the "witch hunt" chapter already- written, sorcerers playing victim to 'evil' Christians is a believable role in the eyes of many Americans.

So the activist organizations and legal defense are falling into place. The ACLU defended a girl in a Detroit high school several years back who was asked to stop wearing a necklace with a pentacle ( a witchcraft symbol). A settlement was made in the teen's favor which required the school to change its policies on witchcraft symbols and attire. The ACLU defended a local teen in a case Oklahoma as well, and other witch defense groups threatened to sue a middle school in Colorado Springs in 1999 after a vice principal questioned a group of twelve-year olds who were rumored to be casting spells. The school backed off after the "rights" groups organized a publicity and letter-writing campaign.8

And if your teen isn't an activist or practitioner in middle school or high school, college is a fertile field for the growth of witch sympathies. Your daughter or son who takes a religion or women's studies class at a non-Christian college can expect to be exposed to the benefits of alternative religions, mostly occultic, in overcoming the "oppression" of the entrenched Christian mainstream. This is maintained all the while any hope of an authentic study of Christianity should probably be abandoned.

My daughter, a senior at a small liberal arts college in Ohio, tells numerous tales of occult bias in her classes. Her class on "Women in American Religion" required reading the Cynthia Eller book, Living in the Lap of the Goddess, which dwells extensively and positively on witchcraft as a liberating faith for women. In the class, pairs of students were assigned to develop their own "rituals" and lead the class in carrying them out. In other words, they were assigned the task of casting spells for college credit.


Why Witchcraft is Wrong


When one does not know the genuine, the counterfeit is easy to accept. So a limited knowledge of Christianity plays right into the hands of promoters of witchcraft in America. There is no power and authority outside oneself, witchcraft maintains. The "goddess" and her male consort honored in many witchcraft beliefs may be conceptualized as nature-based deities, but most operate as if the power they are invoking is just an extension of the "higher"self. This lie from Satan is as old as Genesis. "You shall be as gods," the serpent told Eve. If you are "as gods," you can make your own rules. Forget parents! Forget teachers! We'll just live for the moment, the latest sensation and party on down. So witchcraft is a perfect fit for a paganized, pleasure-centered, shallow America.

Christ was just a nice teacher, so the thinking goes. A dumbed-down, uninformed view of a saviour-less "Christ" becomes a tool to clobber traditional Christians. Didn't Jesus say "Judge not?" But it wasn't to discourage people from realization of sin and the need for Him as Saviour. It was to keep us honest about our own failings while we are keeping each other accountable as Christians. Christ was always and still is, not just a nice guy, but our Saviour from sin. That's what He said, over and over.

And sin is always defined by God, not man, who would change the definitions endlessly to fit the occasion. Yes, there are many aspects of Christianity that fit the "nice guy" image of Christ-compassion for the unfortunate, food for the hungry, healing for the sick-but witches tend to forget about those other Christian principles that are part of the whole fabric. These include belief in one God, repentance of sin, Christ as Saviour. That's what the New Testament is all about. That is the hope of the Gospel.

Another important revealed truth is the reality of Satan. Christ cast out demons because He has authority over Satan, who is only allowed access to humans as we allow it either deliberately or through casual spiritual dabbling. If a good supernatural divine power exists as revealed through Scripture, why not also supernatural evil? There is no logical reason to reject Satan as a possibility except wishful thinking. What do we imagine those voodoo spirits in Haiti are, in reality?

Once one has really understood that the God of the Bible exists, the revelation of Scripture makes so much sense. He is truly all-powerful, perfectly just, as well as merciful through Christ. Then, how can so-called Christians be thoughtlessly disloyal to Him, violating the first and second commandments, by casually exploring witchcraft or letting their children anywhere near it?

Many who are seduced into the pseudo-spirituality of witchcraft and neopaganism buy into the lie that the Bible's claims are questionable. And from that belief, any spiritual cohesiveness disintegrates. Ironically, one of the major claims of wiccans is that the "goddess" and earth-centered religions existed before Christianity. Christians maintain that God created everything and Christ has been eternally part of the Godhead, present from the beginning.

But if we are debating claims of antiquity, nothing is more ancient than the prohibitions against witchcraft and sorcery, and this is just one more way the Bible (if one takes the trouble to read it) reveals timeless knowledge. There is nothing "progressive" about these practices, and nothing in them to surprise God. He's known about them since the Creation. There are numerous descriptions of pagan practices in Old and New Testament writings. Spell-casting, witchdraft, astrology, goddess-worship, fortune-telling, worshipping the moon, sun or stars-all are there in the ancient Near East. And all reflected in Old Testament times, just as they do today, an attempt to override the one true God and "discover" different truths, those that just happen to support our own self-interest, when God has our highest self-interest in mind all along.

When we deliberately or neglectfully allow witchcraft to have access to our precious children, we show God how little we truly value the little ones He has placed in our care. Those who truly respect and honor God's creation and the stewardship entrusted to us, will not willingly hand their children over to seducing spirits.

When God gave us the First Commandment, it should come as no surprise to anyone that He meant it.


Sources:


1. See web site, www.silverravenwolf.com .
2. "Must- See Metaphysics," New York Times Magazine, September 22, 2002.
3. "Innocence Lost: The Spaying of Scooby-Doo," by Meg van Huygen, at www.thestranger.com/2002-06-13/film3.html
4. www witchvox.com/teen/teen_2002/teen_parents04.html
5. "The Lore of Harry Potter," by Claudia Puig, USA Today, November 16, 2001, Section E.
6. www.silverravenwolf.com .
7. www.witchvox.com/teen/teen_2002/teen_parents02.html
8. www.witchvox.com/cases/abrahamsen.html

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Permalink Reply by Witch School on August 30, 2009 at 9:26am

Thank You Karl,

I forget that I live with this so much that I forget that a lot of people do not understand. This is a excellent piece you did. It is a truly in depth hunt of her opinions.

Blessings, Ed

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Permalink Reply by Night Raven on August 30, 2009 at 11:38am

And given all this Linda Harvey is a very bigoted person....who has nothing better to do with her time than to promote it.....Her time would be better spent with her family...

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Permalink Reply by Ash Jao on September 2, 2009 at 2:24pm

Checking my "Gay Rights Playbook"...yep that's in there! Wow, if only I were Jewish too, I could fit right into that Liberal Media Conspiracy That Brainwashes Good Innocent Christer Kids. The bigotry of people like her bubbles just below the surface. I've dealt with reactionary facists like her my whole life, and their fear of Otherness is really what fuels their hate. Very sad, don't you think?

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Permalink Reply by Witch School Administration on September 2, 2009 at 2:35pm

In the grand political scheme of things, history suggests that any time two or more forces come to power, especially in a manner that would obstruct the status quo or what is accepted society, much infighting can ensue and lead to violent repercussions. Of course this naturally depends on if one side is open to violence to begin with or not, or is hard pressed into such action. Today the Christian Right is very... determined they are in the right. Time will tell if they will step up to become violent and declare a Witch Hunt here in the United States any time soon.

Rome tried to make Roman all things that it took for itself, but not everything could be made Roman. Some people stuck to their own ways. Objectively speaking, she may feel threatened that her way of life, in fact, the perceived Christian America way of life may very well be threatened. Whether this threat is real or imaginary we cannot say for certain just yet, but it is without a doubt she is concerned about the rising amount of Paganism in the United States today.

Now as per ethnic-religious existences and the remaining true to one's people and way of life throughout history and all cultures supplanted in, I think it best we not concern ourselves with the Jewish question here.

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Permalink Reply by Karamoon on August 30, 2009 at 11:19am

Who ever stated that ignorance is bliss, obviously didn’t understand people like this. And we wonder why we have hate crimes. People like this don’t want to understand, they thrive on conflict. What has happened to freedom of religion, or choice? Because I don’t believe the way she thinks I should I am evil? I refuse to subscribe to her interpretation of these beliefs. I live my own life, as I see fit. I am not standing out on a street corner trying to recruit individuals to my way of thinking. Hmmm…..sound familiar?

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Permalink Reply by Tony Jenkins on August 30, 2009 at 2:03pm

While I see nothing wrong with defending her faith, she does make some rather bold statements. Upon closer examination of both Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft, there are classes that simply call for one to be of a "lawful good" nature (we geeks will get that), and that scream holy avenger. I've played good clerics and even Paladins a few times in my tabletop days (which aren't over at all if you're in the area and wish to game).

Seeing as she is a bit out of the loop, I will give her some benefit of the doubt. Sometimes when we think of teenagers in Paganism, even within our own circles, we think of them doing silly things, wreaking terrible karmic consequences to themselves and others, and overall perhaps dealing with spirits that they are not all equipped to deal with. Let's face it, not all gods and spirits are love and light. So I can see where she is coming from there.

On Harry Potter, she is right there as well. It excited me as a teenage Pagan, and was an influence upon me. I got absorbed into the world and loved the books. Of course I didn't let it go beyond that, but they were my escape when I was open to the pages of the books. That is for certain.

On Halloween, and I love this part, Christians are always so quick to forget the reason they should celebrate it, or at least the Protestants. It was the very day, October 31st, 1517, that Martin Luther hammered up his 95 theses against the Catholic Church. The rest is history, but it is still a day for them to celebrate and be made happy. Plus it glorifies "Him" as she would say, as it meant Luther was a holy man that had broken the bonds of the Church of his time. He even translated the Bible into German for his people. That was revolutionary!

In her closing statements I can see her concern, but living a sheltered life and not knowing how to deal with others in terms of their cultures and faiths would be a shame. There's much to be enjoyed. Besides, if these teenagers were strong in their faith, which I am almost certain a great percentage only pay lip service, then they would have no worries referring to Ephesians 6: 10-20 daily to put on their Armor of God if they must.

There is however, one point she is dead right on. I can see how many teens see Christianity as being outdated, bigoted and unresponsive. Well, if you rely upon the church for your relationship, then yes. Church is for worshiping together and having a community, but your relationship to God and your savior is supposed to be personal. Hm, if I were a Christian I wonder how well I'd deliver this common sense to them. Still, Martin Luther said the same things, and it would seem several have forgotten that over time.

Quite the interesting article.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Surdam on September 12, 2009 at 2:44pm

I am one of those Geeks!! And I think you have a great point of view...

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Permalink Reply by Sea Wind on August 30, 2009 at 3:56pm

It would seem that Linda Harvey is just another extreme-right fundie propagandist, and a long-winded one, at that. But in the end, it's all the same old arguments, repeated ad nauseum.

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Permalink Reply by Cinaed on August 31, 2009 at 1:34am

Having read through the accumulated replies, questions, articles, etc., it reminded me of a reported discussion among the last council of druids before the Church finally consumed the blessed isles. To paraphrase: This new religion would dominate the world through the age of Pisces. OK, now all you little CNT folks, when did Pisces end?? And now, in defiance of this "new" religion, the Old Ways are making a come-back in Aquarius. Are they pissed, or what?

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