W I T C H C R A F T O R THE GREAT WITCHCRAFT DELUSION Many Christians have found it difficult, at best, to answer the claims and accusations of the practitioners of the Wicca cult. This paper will educate the Christian and serve as a means to challenge, and witness to occultists. First of all, let's look at the claims of the Wicca cult. Witchcraft practitioners claim: 1. Early Christianity co-existed with Wicca until the inquisitions. 2. It's an ancient pre-Christian religious system which was driven underground during the middle ages. 3. Satan was a doctrine conceived of by the Christian church as a scare tactic. 4. The devil is only mentioned in the New Testament. Witchcraft is a positive nature-based religion, preaching brotherly love and harmony with all life forms. Its origins base in early mans development. The basis for this claim comes from a book published in 1921, _The Witch- Cult in Western Europe_ by Dr. Margaret Murray who introduced the idea of a coven of twelve witches headed by a devil or leader acting like a devil. #1 George Kitredge, a contemporary of Murrays said "this speculation will not stand the test of the most elementary historical criticism. There is not the slightest bit of evidence that witches were ever organized." Perhaps the basic cause for Dr. Murray's as well as other scholar's confusion, is the face value acceptance of confessions of alleged witches under torture. The idea of a mystical nature-based religion caught on in the late 60's and early 70's with the advent of the hippie movement. However, its author was one Aleister Crowley, an early 20th century occultist. In 1915 he wrote a letter to a disciple, a Canadian occultist named Charles S. Jones #2 "The time is ripe for a natural religion. People like rites and ceremonies and they are tired of hypothetical gods. Insist on the real benefits of the Sun, the Mother force, the father force and so on." The translation of the word witch is supposed to mean "wise one" taken from the Old English word wita or wicca. If the modeern witchcult was as it claimed, decendent from an old religion, why wasn't the word wicca ever recorded in any documents over the 300 years of the Inquisition? Why then does the Welsh word pwcca, obviously taken from the same root word or root language, mean satan? Why then does the word witch in any other culture, non-Christian as well as pre-Christian, go hand in hand with evil? Did Christianity ever co-exist in harmony with any pagan religion as the witchcult claims? Unlike other religious systems during the time of the first century church, Christianity forbade intermingling of its thoughts, ideals and doctrine with paganism for several reasons. 1. A hybrid religious system would lose ther real meaning of Christianity. 2. Christianity was the only religious system that had ties to ancient Judaic prophecies and laws. 3. With the abundance of mystery cults at that time Christianity was the only religious system which claimed with substantial proof that its founder had risen from the dead, thus proving He, Christ was the Son of God. In Ephesians 5, verses 11 & 12, written before the end of the first century, Paul addresses the issue of the mystery cults who held meetings very much the same way the modern witch cults hold their meetings. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret." Why does Paul refer to these mystery cults as unfruitful works of darkness? Due to the human and animal sacrifices, homosexual and bestial practices of these ancient pagans. The futility of pagan mystery religious is obvious to anyone because all that remains of these cults is their ruined temples. Paul describes this in Romans 1, verses 21-24: v21. Because that when they knew God they glorified Him not as God neither were they thankful; but because vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. v22. But professing themselves to be wise they became fools v23. And they changed the glory of the uncorruptable God into an image made like to corruptable man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. v24. Wherefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodis between themselves. As a religion the modern witchcraft cult owes its conception to Margaret Murray and its continuance to Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner. Crowley, who wrote it's rituals better known as _"The Book of Shadows"_, Gardner, who commissioned Crowley's writings plus writing his own work _"Witchcraft Today"_, giving this cult the necessary publicity to bring it out of obscurity. #2 According to Richard Cavendish; Murray, Crowley and Gardner did nothing more than resurrect the works of several 19th century occultists. #3 Murray's great work _"The Witchcult in Western Europe"_, 1921 contains a great deal of material from the 19th century Rosicrusian writer Hargrave Jennings _"The Rosicrusians, Their Rites and Mysteries"_ she seemed to have forgotten to acknowledge the use of this material. #3 Gardner's _Witchcraft Today_ is no more than a book review of Murray's earlier work. The main themes of the witchcraft cult are Hedonism, pleasure being the chief end of life and Narcissism, a morbid delight in the physical self. This is seen in the invocation to the Mood goddess which speaks of "no peace and ever be in cruel suffering till she [the moon goddess] grant the fulfillment of my innermost desire"....love freely, caring for neither age nore kin." Romans 1:28 "and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do these things which are not convenient." In order to create a religious system with few or no apparent parallels to Christianity it was necessary for the founders of the New "Old Religion" to dispose of anything which resembled the Christian doctrines of original sin, judgement, death, heaven and hell. Thus Crowley introduced reincarnation to the witchcraft which he'd been exposed to as a young man from Hindu Tantric Yoga and Eastern Mystics. Satan is not an idea but a Hebrew word meaning the accuser and slanderer a descriptive noun for a spiritual being existing in a fallen state, also known as Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, the serpent, and the dragon. In Isaiah 14:12-14 KJV we find it was Lucifer who first rebelled against God. v12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! v13. For thou has said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north: v14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I wil be like the most high. We see from this passage that the idea of Satan's worship or Luciferianism was conceived eons ago not from Christian doctrine but through the mind of the evil one himself. Man's concept of Satan's worship has existed much longer than Christianity. It would be logical to some people that worship of evil in a good vs evil belief structure would create balance at the very least. Many of the pagan mystery cults were based on this. The idea of modern Satanism and the Black Mass was first introduced into modern literature by DeSade in his book _Justin_. One needn't believe in evil to be a slave to it. Had the church in the early Middle Ages grown very Strict, or corrupt? It was not a question of the Roman Church being strict but rather corrupt. With this came weakness and insecurity. Apostasies and Heresies began to appear in most of civilized Europe. Some of these would later usher in the Reformation and Protestantism. The witchcraft of the Inquisition was an invitation of the inquisitors and torture the method of proving it. As time passed, more and more crimes were added to the witchcraft delusion. Perhaps the best example of this is the word coven. Modern witch cults claim this word as a part of the evidence for the survival of a pre-Christian pagan religious system in the Middle Ages. Oddly enough there is no mention of this word until 1662, two hundred years after the beginning of the Inquisition. The witchcraft of today, byt its practitioners' own admission, in no way resembles the witchcraft delusion of the Inquisition. Therefore it makes no sense to use the Inquisition as a means to illustrate supposed persecutions of the New "Old Religion." _CONCLUSION_ Despite the continuous claims of witchcraft practitioners, there is no real historical evidence to support their claims. As with the rest of the occult world, theirs is a history of deception, a sordid past, plagarism, and poor scholarship, although this cult would like to add respectability to the New "Old Religion," it's really not possible. Despite the fact that; "the Federal Government recognizes the religion and even provides appropriate instructions in a handbook for chaplains..." This doesn't make it respectable, just tax exempt. There's really no such thing as white or black magic regardless of whether its spelled Magic or Magick. The difference between witchcraft and satanism is in the eye of the beholder. Both satanism and witchcraft believe and practice things which are clearly defined in the Bible as abominations to God. These references are found in both Old and New Testaments. Modern Witchcraft & Satanism are one and the same. It was Crowley who frequently identified himself as the Beast as mentioned in Revelation chapter 17. #4 "...this reference to white and black magic was meant to refer to the intentions of the Magician in it's invocation, not the character of magic itself." _WHAT THEN, IS THE WICCA, OR THE WHITE WITCHCRAFT MOVEMENT?_ 1. It is devil worship and Satanism. 2. It is anti-Christian, a religious parody; conceived in the twentieth century. _WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT WITCHCRAFT?_ The Old and New Testaments repeatedly make reference to all forms of occultism, including witchcraft, magic and sorcery, clearly condemning these practices. In the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 15:23 describes the character of witchcraft. v23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubborness is an iniquity and idolatry. In the New Testament Paul describes witchcraft as a work of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21. v19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleaness, lasciviousness. v20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, v21. Envyings, murders, drunkeness, revellings and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Let's look at a clearer meaning for each of these 17 words: Adultery - Maritally unfaithful Fornication - premarital sex Uncleaness - impure Lasciviousness - Lustful lewdness Idolatry - Worship of idols or images Witchcraft - Practice of sorcery or magic Hatred - Intense Dislike Variance - Dispute Emulations - Selfish Ambitions Wrath - Rage, great anger Strife - Conflict, discord Seditions - Rebellion Heresies - False doctrine Envyings - Covetousness Murders - Taking of lives Drunkeness - Intoxication Revellings - Riotous merrymaking Each of these works of the flesh can be found in the witchcraft cult and its rituals today. The ultimate end for those who practice such things is seen in Romans 1:32: Who knowing the judgement of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them ... When Paul speaks of death he's referring to spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Rev 21:8 But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murders, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. If you are or have been practicing witchcraft or occultism, change. Real happiness doesn't come from any mystical religious system, living from ritual to ritual or orgy to orgy, or belief in a mother goddess, but rather through a relationship with God. Christianity isn't just another religious system; but rather a relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ. God wasn't and isn't a god of wrath but rather the only God of Love. Jesus Christ doesn't demand due sacrifice, He is the only sacrifice. Jesus Christ is waiting to welcome you into His kingdom. SEEK HIM TODAY Four steps to Christ: 1. It's because of God's love for you that He sent His only Son to die for your sins: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting live. 2. Christ died for each one of us because: Romans 3:23 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 3. Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior: John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. 4. Confess Him before others: Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. References: #1 _Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & Demonology_ Russel Hope Robbins Crown Publishers Pages 116 & 117 #2, 3 As quoted in _Encyclopedia of the Unexplained_ Magic, Occultism and Parapsychology Richard Cavendish McGraw Hill Pages 275 & 276 #4 As quoted in _Understanding the Occult_ Here's Life Publishers, Inc. Josh McDowell & Don Stewart Page 93 Reference Truzzi Religious Movements If you have any further comments or questions feel free to direct them to: Paul Lund P.O. Box 9991 Fountain Valley, CA 92728 (c) Copyright, Paul Lund