Christian web sites with inaccurate descriptions of Wicca

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NOTE

This essay was written in 1998 when a great deal of anti-Wiccan hate
literature appeared on the Internet. Since then, conservative Protestant
Christian groups have generally abandoned their misinformation.

They still condemn Wicca but are far more accurate in their depiction of
Wicca. We have left this essay online for historical purposes. The essays they
describe caused a lot of pain at the time, and not a few physical attacks on
Wiccans, so they should not be forgotten.

Overview:

Listed below are examples of religiously motivated misinformation about Wicca on the Internet. To our knowledge, all of these web sites are sponsored by conservative Christian ministries. We do not wish to criticize all conservative Christian web pages; most do not deal with Wicca at all. We are only critical of the small minority of fundamentalist and other evangelical ministries which spread misinformation about Wicca and other non-Christian religions. They rarely draw on primary source material written by Wiccans; they tend to base their writings on hate literature written by fellow Christians about Wicca.

There are about 17 mostly unrelated activities that have been called "Witchcraft." Many of the authors on these hate web sites treat these very different activities as if they were one. In particular, they often fail to differentiate among:

	Witchcraft as evil sorcery, as mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
	Witchcraft as the activity of homicidal poisoners, as mentioned in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).
	Witchcraft as Wicca, a reconstructed Neopagan religion based in part on Celtic Paganism.
	Nonexistent Witchcraft as described in fantasy novels and TV programs, as in the Harry Potter books.
	Religious Satanism

Throughout the material below, we have added our own comments.

Christian Broadcasting Network

URL: http://www.cbn.org/special/moralcrisis/day5.asp  

This organization is led by Pat Robertson, who also leads the 700 Club. In 1999-JAN, they began a series titled "America's Moral Crisis." They discussed The Moral State of the Union, Materialism & Greed, Substance Abuse and Crime, Growing up Godless, and False Religion. As of 2001-JUN, this series appears to have been deleted from CBN's web site. Under the last topic, they discussed Witchcraft (i.e. Wicca) and Satanism. Although the two religions are very different, they are treated interchangeably. They also include unrelated religions and pastimes, such as New Age, materialism, the Occult, Astrology and devil worship under the category of "false religion" :

	They refer to "false religion" as rearing "its ugly head." We find this a trifle judgmental.
	Their icon shows a Los Angeles Time newspaper with the heading "Today: 70,000 Witches in America." They are probably low by a factor of 3 or 4. They show an inverted pentacle, which of course is not a typical Wiccan symbol.
	Under "Symptoms" they estimate that there are 3 million "avowed witches" in the U.S. They are probably high by a factor of 5 or so. They do not seem to be troubled by the juxtaposition of two very different estimates of the total number of witches: 70 thousand and 3 million.
	In a short paragraph, they mention that: a Witchcraft calendar sold 90,000 copies and   Marilyn Manson's latest album may sell 1 million. Manson is correctly called a "Satanic Priest."  This is a common technique used by anti-Wiccan groups: they place two unrelated but two statements together in the same paragraph in the hope that their readers will assume that there is a direct connection between the two -- in this case, a link between Satanism and Wicca.
	Apparently referring to the Church of Satan, they state "In San Francisco, the Satanic Church has 10,000 members" While this may well be literally true, it implies that other large cities would have similar membership numbers. The  thousand members of the Church of Satan are spread across the United States, Canada and other countries; relatively few live in San Francisco.
	They claim that there are 2,000 Witchcraft-related web sites and at least one receives over 17,000 hits a day. These data seem quite low.
	They state that elements of the Occult and New Age are all linked together. They define these terms very broadly to include Secular Humanism, false religions, Satanic cults, astrology, vampire cults, mass murder, Santeria and network television. No such links exist. On an associated essay, they discuss New Age saying "When you cross certain moral barriers, it's like a willing initiation in the witches' circle...and you cannot regain that innocence you've lost." The meaning of this passage is a little obscure; but it apparently links all elements of the Occult and New Age with immoral activity, and implies that involvement with an Occult or New Age group will permanently injure a person. We know of no data to back up these assertions.

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Media House International ₁  

URL: http://www.forerunner.com/champion/X0038.html

	In an article "Child Sacrifice in the New Age", Jay Rogers states: "The promotion of abortion is not just a political issue for members of Wicca; it is part of a religious agenda - the religion of witchcraft and child sacrifice....we were not able to ascertain whether or not Witches use the blood of aborted children in their sacrifices....it stands to reason that such a sacrifice, protected by law, could be used by witches." (Here, they are confusing modern-day Wicca with Christian beliefs during the Renaissance. Witches were then viewed as Satan worshipers who killed and eat children. The Media House author assumes (incorrectly) that Wiccans engage in sacrifices, and speculates whether they use the blood of aborted fetuses (they don't). The reader may be left with the belief that Witches kill babies. (They don't; they are specifically prevented from harming themselves and others by the Wiccan Rede.)
	In Statements of a Practicing Witch? the anonymous author states that "research revealed a vaster [sic] network of abortion providers associated with the Wiccan religion". (Wiccans are probably over-represented among the staff at abortion clinics, but then so would Atheists, Unitarian Universalists, and members of the United Church of Christ, Unity Church, and other faith groups with a strong concern over social policies.) "Witchcraft is an ancient religion requiring child sacrifice which has resurfaced in our day." (There are many historical writings about human sacrifice among ancient Celtic people; but all are based upon one passage in the writings of Julius Caesar. There is some doubt that he was accurate in his description of the Celts; his description of human sacrifice may well have been imaginary. Even if the ancient Celts sacrificed children, as did many cultures in pre-Christian times, Wiccans do not today.) "A revival of neo-paganism has brought with it a revival of human sacrifice in the form of abortion." (There is no obvious link between the legalization of abortion in North America and the rise of Neo-paganism; Wiccans have never had significant political power because their numbers are so few. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v Wade, they probably averaged only about 1 Wiccan per 5000 adults in the U.S.).
	In What is the Wiccan religion? an anonymous author again claims, incorrectly, that "Wicca is an ancient religion requiring human sacrifice".
	In Witchcraft and Satanism: Are they one and the same? Eric Holmerg of Hells Bell's, Reel to Real Ministries, writes the following misinformation: "Although Wiccans deny their association with the devil, they readily admit that they worship a 'Horned God' named Pan. It is an inescapable fact that Pan is the universal symbol for Satan." (Present-day beliefs about Satan as a totally evil quasi-deity were largely developed during the Middle Ages. Pan is a fun loving satyr of the woodlands; one of the oldest Gods of ancient Greece. He predates Christianity by many centuries. They are totally unrelated) "The universal law of witchcraft and satanism is one and the same...". (They are not. For example, Wiccans are prohibited from harming others; members of the Church of Satan are allowed to attack and even attempt to kill enemies using magick.2)

Perilous Times

URL: http://www.sounddoctrine.com/ptimes/

The Website: This is a very ambitious project. Tammy Ritche, the webmistress, bills her site as "Fundamental, Bible-believing, King James 1611 Bible only, Pre-Tribulation, Independent Baptist Christian" It doesn't matter whether you are gay, lesbian, Pagan, Satanist, feminist, Freemason, pro-choice, a supporter of the New World Order, or concerned about Mother Earth. This web site "is disgusted" by your "agenda." She appears link a wide variety of religions with Satanism: "I will continue to speak out against witchcraft, wicca, paganism, satanism and other assorted "fruitcake" "religions". I will not be silenced by the evil minions of Satan and if you practice any of the above rest assured you are a HELPER OF SATAN whether you admit it or not!!!" AOL apparently removed her site because its content violated their standards.  She has since moved to the Sound Doctrine website which is sponsored by the Open Door Baptist Church. Their standards must be quite different from AOL's.

Campaign & Pledge: She originated a "Say NO to Witchcraft" campaign & pledge on 1999-MAR-24. She promises that it "will continue as long as the Lord Jesus Christ so leds [sic] this ministry to do so." We have not been able to find out what the wording of her pledge is; it does not appear to be on her web site. There is a copyrighted graphic associated with the campaign: she has taken a white ribbon, of the form used to oppose child pornography, and superimposed a phrase: "Say No to Witchcraft in America Campaign." We would show her graphic here, except she does not allow it to be displayed on sites which promote Neopaganism, Satanism or religious tolerance. She threatens legal action that might lead to a $200,000 fine if we show it. You can view it yourself by going to: http://www.sounddoctrine.com/ptimes/nowitch-ribbon.gif

Washington DC meeting of Neopagans: She expressed alarm about the 1997-NOV "Blessed Be and Meet Me in D.C." gathering of Wiccans and other Neopagans in Washington DC. She commented: "These people work 365 days a year to destroy America and corrupt our youth for the devil and Halloween will be their 'all out' day in Washington DC. I want Christians to pray about this and pray that the rituals that will be done at this 'march' in front of the Jefferson Memorial will not adversely affect America. We have enough problems. We don't need witch curses too." [Wiccans don't corrupt youth; most covens will not allow underage persons to join their group. They don't recognize the devil, who is a Christian semi-deity, not a Neopagan one. The rituals performed in Washington were positive ones, for the good of all. And, of course, no curses were recited.]

Some random excerpts from her web site:

	She refers to one of the Wiccan deities as "a whorish female 'goddess' (demon) who encourages them to do ANYTHING and everything their sin-sick minds can imagine."
	"...make the month of October a whole month of awareness of the dangers and deathtraps of paganism and how it leads one (including your children) into eternal Hell."
	"The [Wiccan] lord is not our [Christian] Lord, but the lord of darkness."

Thunder Ministries ₃  

URL: http://www.thunderministries.com/cults/wiccaprint.html (no longer online)

This essay contained the greatest concentration of hate and untruths that we have ever seen in a single essay about Wicca. We believe that none of the following concepts have even the slightest connection with reality:

	Wicca and Satanism are sister religions.
	Wiccans worship Satan.
	Wicca and Satanism use the same rituals.
	Wiccan and Satanic rituals all symbolize a woman making love to Satan.
	Wicca involves blood oaths, sexual orgies, blasphemies and curses.
	Wicca's "bottom line" is to alter a person's mind against Christianity.
	Few Wiccans "escape from the horrors of the cult."
	Many Wiccans have a desire to be damned with Lucifer and spend eternity in Hell.
	All Wiccans engage in group sex and perverted sexual acts.
	From 1985 to 1997, there have been hundreds of Wicca and Satanic occult killings of babies in America.
	Covens sometimes act as the local Masonic Lodge.
	There are only two Wiccan and Satanic traditions: Gardnerian and Alexandrian.
	There are 32 paths in Wicca and Satanism. (Unfortunately, the author does not define what a path is, and how it differs from a tradition.)
	Oaths used in Wicca and Satanism are the same as in Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and the Kaballah.
	New members are first drawn to Wicca and Satanism  through their desires for sexual perversion.
	A coven takes the new member's "spirit (heart) captive...oaths of blood...are sealed to lucifer and witchcraft."
	After death, Wiccans deserve to be tortured for all eternity in a Lake of Fire because they have sacrificed babies, children, young boys and girls, and adults.
	The initiation oath of Wiccans is the same as used in Freemasonry and Mormonism: "I will ever conceal and never reveal, any arts, parts, or points of the hidden mysteries under no less penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots, and my body buried in the rough sands of the sea where the tide ebbs and flows twenty four hours a day."
	Eventually Wiccans "become shells without life." If you look in their eyes, "you can not help but notice that no one is home."
	Wiccans eventually become schizophrenic, become manic- depressive and violent on an instants [sic] notice." They see hallucinations. "Many become recluses and dress drabby. [sic]"
	All Witches have red hair.
	Witches all "die lonely, eyes sunken, ashen faces...Many kill others and themselves..."
	After Witches sell their soul to the Devil, they receive a mark on their body, called the devil's mark.
	Dogs have better morals and self-worth than Wiccans.
	In 1998, there were more than 50 Satanic killings in the news in the U.S.
	The greatest sacrifice that a Wiccan can make is to kill their mother.
	Part of a Wiccan initiation ritual must be held over the grave of a relative in the cemetery.
	Wicca-Satanic candles are made from human fat; the wicks are taken from the clothes of the person who was killed to extract the fat.
	Wiccans believe that when they commit a crime, Satan makes them invisible.
	Favorite activities of Wiccans are: shoplifting, destroying marriages, burning churches, targeting pastors and church members for destruction through sexual seduction.
	A female Witch can only achieve the greatest power if a baby is ritually butchered over her body. This is the only way that she can adsorb the baby's life energy.
	A coven's high priest and priestess perform sexual intercourse in the presence of the rest of the coven. (Actually, there is an element of truth in this accusation. Some covens do celebrate what they call the "Great Rite". But it is normally done symbolically without actual sexual contact. When it involves a real sex act, it is done by two people who are already a sexually-intimate couple -- and it is done in private.)
	Babies conceived during ritual sex are dedicated to Lucifer; some are sacrificed.
	Homosexuality is a demonic spirit of witchcraft. Covens authorize and approve the sexual orientations of individual gays and lesbians.
	Wiccans are fully controlled by "Lucifer, by others in the cult, by demons and by the rituals of the craft."
	"Sexual orgie [sic] is the central ritual" of Wicca.
	Some covens are organized around bestiality.
	Most Wiccans are sexually dysfunctional.
	Wiccans are threatened with death if they reveal any coven secrets.
	All Wiccan secret teachigs [sic] are also taught in the [Freemason] lodge.
	Television, movies and print media have been featuring witchcraft for over 100 years.
	A Wiccan ritual concludes "with sexual orgie, [sic] drugs, partying and sometimes death..."
	A Christian cross is urinated, defecated and spit upon in Wiccan rituals.
	Incest and bestiality are common in Wiccan rituals.
	All Wiccans are bisexual.
	Wiccans are required to be anti-Christian. Each initiate becomes an antichrist. This gives them access to special powers.
	All Wiccans are demon possessed. Multiple personality disorder, fantasy role playing games, drugs, etc. are common.
	Wicca descended from the Baal pagan religion mentioned in the Bible.
	Wiccans can be delivered from Wicca  through confession and baptism. But the Wiccans "must be reached before they have lost their minds and have crossed the point of no return."

To their credit:

	They described the 8 Wiccan Sabbats and the various tools used in Wiccan rituals with reasonable accuracy.
	Some hospitals, high schools, junior colleges, universities, military schools, military bases, TV stations, radio stations, magazine publishers and newspapers really do have covens.
	Some police officers, judges, lawyers, and doctors are in Wicca.

The above essay appears to be no longer online. They have a new essay on Wicca at: http://www.thunderministries.com/cults/Wicca.html which attacks Wicca from a theological point of view. Their stance is that anything that is not of the Christian God is of Satan. Their error is in believing that a number of different, unrelated, conflicting activities which are all called "Witchcraft" are the same. 

References:

1. Media House International is an Evangelical Christian group that publishes a quarterly magazine Champions. They have a section of their home page devoted to providing misinformation about Wicca, and trying to show that Wiccans engage in human sacrifice. See: http://www.forerunner.com/champion/X0038.html
2. A.S. LaVey, "Evocation Employed Towards the Conjuration of Destruction" in "The Satanic Bible," Avon books, New York, NY. (1969)  P. 149-150.
3. Thunder Ministries, an Evangelical Christian group, features an article by Pastor C.G. Reckart on Wicca at: http://www.thunderministries.com/IJN/wicca.html

Copyright © 1998 to 2010 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2010-JUN-07
Author: B.A. Robinson

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