What Should Every Christian Know About Wicca?
The number of people who practice Wicca has risen dramatically in the West, especially among teenage girls. To learn more about Wicca, Biola Connections interviewed Craig Hawkins, a Biola professor and author of Witchcraft: Exploring the World of Wicca (Baker) and Goddess Worship, Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism (Zondervan).
What is Wicca?
When I wrote my book in 1996, the terms “witchcraft” and “Wicca” were used synonymously. But there are whole movements today, particularly among younger people, who make a distinction between practicing witchcraft and Wicca. Today, there are three categories of people who claim to be Wiccans: (1) those who use the terms “witchcraft” and “Wicca” interchangeably; (2) groups within witchcraft who follow the Wiccan variety of it; and (3) those who differentiate between Wicca and witchcraft. It’s hard to define Wicca because it’s a very syncretistic movement that deplores any attempt to standardize its beliefs. Despite the differences, many Wiccans/witches tend to be polytheistic, nature worshippers, experience-oriented, and relativistic.
Why have so many young girls taken up Wicca?
The type of Wicca growing among teenage girls is what other Wiccans and witches pejoratively term “fluffy bunny witchcraft.” They tend to worship the “Goddess,” who they believe is all goodness and light. This contradicts another Wiccan belief that the Goddess has three natures, including a dark side (or what Christians would call an evil side). Many of these girls work magic spells and incantations. A lot of their attraction to Wicca is — as with all young people — they want to be loved and accepted (which explains the love potions). Many others are simply rebelling against Christianity and the status quo. “Fluffy bunny witchcraft” has been popularized by mass-marketed books like Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf and TV shows like Charmed.
Has there been an effort to make Wicca/witchcraft more acceptable in the mainstream?
Absolutely. Wiccans/witches want people to see their movement as simply another religion, and their organizations are seeking to accomplish that. As far as TV shows like Charmed, I don’t necessarily believe a bunch of Wiccans are running the program. I just see the producers as people who are capitalizing on the popularity of this movement among young people.
Do Wiccans practice sacrifices or try to harm people with magic spells?
None of these folks is involved in animal, let alone human sacrifices for a number of reasons. (Sacrifices are practiced by people in other forms of the occult.) One reason is that many Wiccans/witches believe nature is divine. Also, many of the older Wiccans/witches believe in the “Wiccan Rede” — “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will.” They believe that any harm they inflict on others will come back on them threefold. This is also true for harmful magic spells. However, many Wiccans/witches are involved in rituals involving sexual immorality.
How do the teachings of Wicca compare with the Bible?
No matter which form of Wicca and/or witchcraft someone follows, it’s going to contradict the biblical teachings on the nature of God, the need for Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, and biblical standards as to how one should live his or her life. For those who practice things like sorcery, divination and spiritism, the Bible clearly forbids such occultic practices in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. As Christians, we know the source behind these practices is demonic.
How can we share Christ with a Wiccan?
We need to be aware of what these people believe and understand where they are coming from. For example, what do they believe about the divine being or beings? Do they practice sorcery or divination? Do they believe in reincarnation? While this can be complicated in one sense, it can also be very simple if we just stop and ask them questions about their beliefs and respond to them in a personal and caring way.
Craig Hawkins teaches Christian apologetics at Biola and is founder and president of Apologetics Information Ministry.
© Biola University 2005