Wicca is the fastest growing religion in the U.S.

How is it proposed to reach out to these folks within the community?

 

I blame the facination with fantasy novels. In a way they can indoctrinate towards wiccans. You also see it on TV with the shows like Charmed, Buffy, Supernatural, the Ghost Wisperer, and a multitude of others. The country has a facination with the Occult and would rather believe in fantasy than in a responsibility to a God. In fact, I can draw similarities between this facination and the Greek gods.

 

I grew up reading fantasy novels and (gasp) playing D&D.don't discount the Sci-Fi,Civil War and Westerns I read either.
This led me to take up gun fighting and spell casting as I zip around the universe in my Starfighter draped in Confedrate Flag paint.

Culture only affects as much as one allows it to.

As to how to witness to a Wiccan? That answer is easy, we need another million buck industry involving specialty bibles, work books, tracts etc etc etc. OR maybe we can treat them as the rest of the Lost and preach Christ and Him crucified.

 

Ah man you played D&D. Wow I'm worried about your salvation! (JK) Thanks for the business opportunity. I think I'll take you up on it as long as its millions though with inflation it may not be worth much. Anwyay be blessed. and

 

I started talking about Wicca in 1995 in churches. Only the teens seemed to believe me because it was in the schools then (some of them anyway). The adults looked at me confused, as though maybe I was imagining things or as though they could not believe it. I also wrote my first article then on Wicca, which has been updated and is now on my site:
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_Wicca.html

I used to do astrology charts for Wiccans and Neopagans before I was a Christian.

Wiccans are one of the groups my ministry addresses and reaches out to. I've had witches come hear me speak - I once did a talk at a Md college co-sponsored by Inter-Varsity and the Pagan Student Union - that was back around 1998. Christians, Pagan, and those who were neither came. At a state college in PA, some Wiccans came from off-campus to hear me.

The best way to reach out to them is to meet them individually and talk to them, asking questions like, "why did you get involved in Wicca?" "What is it you like about it?" If they have a Christian background, ask why they reject Christianity. They usually say things like, "I don't like to follow rules," or "people in the church were mean to me," and things like that. Some say, "I feel at home in Wicca." One of the biggest misconceptions about them is that they worship Satan. Actually, Wiccans don't believe in Satan at all, and Wiccans and Satanists do not get along.

I've dialogued with a lot of Wiccans, in person and by email. I guess what gets me is that I knew about this long ago but probably no Christian publisher would have touched it then.

I am not sure it is the fastest growing religion. It attracts a lot of people - usually younger people - but it loses a lot, too.

 

Not a very practicle religion especially when you consider some of the consepts were caused by Alister Crowley.

I believe people see the constuctions of man and want peace and feel wicca is natural and about that. they also like the idea of magic and nature manipulation. So good for you reaching out to people that most christians would have a hard time understanding. I think that a group that is in need of the gospel message are the Goths and the Neo Vampire groups most people I've met in those areas are very depressed and angry. Though there are some that think is just cool to dress in black. But sex is the driving force for many of these types of things.

 

What kind of media do you think wiccans, neo-pagans, satanists, et. are reading and looking at? I once found a lot of such folks that hung out at a coffee shop. I went and shared the Gospel with them there. There was a lot of hate toward me, and one witch layed hands on me and cursed me. The others were amazed when nothing happened to me.

Would a discussion board work? Blog? Maybe put an ad in the newspaper or some other publication reaching out to them?

RB

 

Right, Gerald Gardner, who pretty much started Wicca (though it was not all his idea) had met Crowley and probably got the Wiccan Rede, "Do no harm and do what ye will" from Crowley's "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

I have articles on Goth and also on the Vampyre Underground on my site. The Goth article was published in a magazine 2 yrs. ago.
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_Goth1.html

http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_Vampyre1.html

 

I think they are on their own forums (I've run across witch/Wiccan chat forums) a lot.

I don't think an ad would do anything. Probably a discussion board, although many will stay away if a Christian is running it. I would imagine you'd have to moderate very closely as you could get people coming on just to be disruptive or rude (both Christians and non-believers).

And there are places, like coffee shops, where they gather, especially in certain cities and parts of the country.

 

Is libertarian freewill at the heart of satanism and wicca?

 

Very Funny. But then again you may have a point.

 

I would say that is true more so with satanism than with wicca.

Wicca still teaches to abide by certain principles - such as "do no harm" and following their view of ethics. Satanism is patently against ethics. Satanists consider Wiccans (and Christians) to be "white lighters" -- that is, people who believe in trying to be or do good.

Interestingly enough, last night on the WE channel on the show "Secret Lives of Women," they profiled 3 women - one a Satanist, one a Wiccan, and one a Vampire. I thought that was interesting after our discussion on these topics!

I thought the show was very well done. I am sure it will be repeated but you have to watch for it and check it out when they run these (assuming you have cable). Some of the vampire story was a bit unsavory, but I was not surprised at that. The Satanist was married, they lived in a suburban home with their dog, and if you saw her, you would never guess she was a Satanist. This is pretty much how it is with adult Satanists. They briefly interviewed the Satanist's mother, who said she loved her daughter and they had a good relationship, but she could not go along with the satanism and was praying for the daughter.

The Satanist explained she does not believe in God or Satan. Satan is used as a metaphor for strength, power, and individuality. She rightly said, "We don't worship Satan, we are our own god." This is what I have in my article on Marilyn Manson, which I forgot to mention.

 

I forgot to post this, but I'll be discussing Wicca tomorrow Sept. 25 on a live radio show from 8 to 9 p.m. ET. I will also give my testimony and discuss my book, SpellBound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today's Kids.

For further info and to hear live on the Internet, please go to http://www.carm.org/radio/radio.htm

 

thanks for the info. What was the title of that 3 person interview and on what channel?

 

]

You're welcome!

Not sure I know what you mean by "3 person interview." It's someone interviewing me. As far as I know, there will be no one else.

I am not sure if there is a channel (except maybe in Idaho where it is broadcast). You can listen live on the Interet at that link I gave. Sometimes I'm on radio stations on regular channels, but even most of those are on the Internet as well these days.

I've been on radio shows probably at least 7 or 8 dozen times in the past several years. I like doing radio.

 

I was able to talk about Wicca quite a bit, including witnessing to Wiccans.

If you missed this program, you can get a podcast by going to this link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/carmorgpodcasting. The podcasts normally are loaded onto the site within 12-36 hours after the original (live) show.

 

I can't tell which one to click.

 

Hi, RB,

It looks like it has already been put up on the site. Click on "Ryan interviews guest on the occult 9.25."

I just started listening to it - yep, it's me. There is some seemingly extraneous noise right at the beginning for a minute or so (I think it's their intro - not sure) so get past that and you'll hear me.

 

Marcia did you hear about the resurgence of the worship of Zeus in Greece? It seems that Wiccans and Druidism and other Neopagan belief systems are having a come back. The Temple of Zeus seems to be coming back as well.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6283907.stm