11.26.2004
Dewitch?
For my Christian friends in the audience, let us pretend that a large Pagan publisher put out a book called, lets say, "DeChristing Our Youth", in it the author who has had no direct experience with Christianity (he has, say, a friend who is Christian and knows a couple others who have "dabbled" in it) spends some 240 pages talking about the "dangers" of youth following Christ and how "hollow" the faith is. Perhaps the author also includes a story narrative which goes even further and implies that Christians kill people and mutilate animals during their rites.
Can you imagine what would happen? The editorials, the endless blog tirades, the holding up of this book as representative of the depraved "secular left". No doubt national leaders of the Christian faith would denounce it and the publisher would endure a hailstorm of criticism that could conceivably put it under.
Now imagine that such a book *has* been published only it's about Wicca.
In this book (with a cover design that could have come from an occult publisher) youth minister and author Tim Baker purports to give people curious about Wicca everything they need!
"Dewitched is the must-have resource for any teen, youth pastor, or parent who wants good solid information and advice from a Christian perspective about this popular but dangerous religion."
So what does the book tell us? Well, it compares and links Wicca to Satanism.
"Although he makes sure to present the different belief systems of Wicca and Satanism, such as Wicca being earth-based while Satanism is not, he also connects Wicca and Satanism through their founders and certain aspects of their beliefs." - Ruth Robinson
Which certain aspects? Certain aspects link Buddhism to Christianity but that doesn't make them the same or even "linked" as this author is trying to do with Wicca and modern Satanism.
But wait, there is more. In the one review of the book on Amazon.com a rather upset Wiccan clues us in to the "narrative" portion of the book.
"It does say that Wiccans don't cast spells to harm another or practice animal sacrifice, yet the fictional (but supposedly educational) story in the book features a so-called "Wiccan" who details the people she's harmed through spellcasting in her diary, and is part of a coven that is portrayed mutilating a cow during a Sabbat ceremony, and even sacrificing a human in a perversion of a traditional first-degree initiation." - "Cunning Woman"
Ah, sometimes the old slanders are the best! Wiccans engage in human sacrifice! Wiccans recruit and corrupt the young! Wiccans tell people to turn away from the true faith! Wiccans engage in child abuse! The irony of course is that all these slanders were said about the early Christians.
This book tries to have it both ways. It wants to present itself as modern and informed and dare I say "hip"? Sadly the book also wants to dabble in all the old slurs that have been thrown at modern Pagans since we grew large enough to worry the conservative Christians. In the end it is just another piece of garbage laced with the same ignorance only prettied up a bit.
For my Christian friends in the audience, let us pretend that a large Pagan publisher put out a book called, lets say, "DeChristing Our Youth", in it the author who has had no direct experience with Christianity (he has, say, a friend who is Christian and knows a couple others who have "dabbled" in it) spends some 240 pages talking about the "dangers" of youth following Christ and how "hollow" the faith is. Perhaps the author also includes a story narrative which goes even further and implies that Christians kill people and mutilate animals during their rites.
Can you imagine what would happen? The editorials, the endless blog tirades, the holding up of this book as representative of the depraved "secular left". No doubt national leaders of the Christian faith would denounce it and the publisher would endure a hailstorm of criticism that could conceivably put it under.
Now imagine that such a book *has* been published only it's about Wicca.
In this book (with a cover design that could have come from an occult publisher) youth minister and author Tim Baker purports to give people curious about Wicca everything they need!
"Dewitched is the must-have resource for any teen, youth pastor, or parent who wants good solid information and advice from a Christian perspective about this popular but dangerous religion."
So what does the book tell us? Well, it compares and links Wicca to Satanism.
"Although he makes sure to present the different belief systems of Wicca and Satanism, such as Wicca being earth-based while Satanism is not, he also connects Wicca and Satanism through their founders and certain aspects of their beliefs." - Ruth Robinson
Which certain aspects? Certain aspects link Buddhism to Christianity but that doesn't make them the same or even "linked" as this author is trying to do with Wicca and modern Satanism.
But wait, there is more. In the one review of the book on Amazon.com a rather upset Wiccan clues us in to the "narrative" portion of the book.
"It does say that Wiccans don't cast spells to harm another or practice animal sacrifice, yet the fictional (but supposedly educational) story in the book features a so-called "Wiccan" who details the people she's harmed through spellcasting in her diary, and is part of a coven that is portrayed mutilating a cow during a Sabbat ceremony, and even sacrificing a human in a perversion of a traditional first-degree initiation." - "Cunning Woman"
Ah, sometimes the old slanders are the best! Wiccans engage in human sacrifice! Wiccans recruit and corrupt the young! Wiccans tell people to turn away from the true faith! Wiccans engage in child abuse! The irony of course is that all these slanders were said about the early Christians.
This book tries to have it both ways. It wants to present itself as modern and informed and dare I say "hip"? Sadly the book also wants to dabble in all the old slurs that have been thrown at modern Pagans since we grew large enough to worry the conservative Christians. In the end it is just another piece of garbage laced with the same ignorance only prettied up a bit.
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