Paganism and Witchcraft in Youth Culture

Tradition Family and Property ^ | Wednesday, August 26, 2009 | Crusade

[GonzoII]

Paganism and Witchcraft in Youth Culture

Written by Crusade   

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Mrs. Linda Harvey

Mrs. Linda Harvey is the founder of Mission: America, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help in dealing with cultural issues such as feminism, homosexuality, education and New Age influences. She is the author of Not My Child—Contemporary Paganism and New Spirituality and her articles have appeared in USA Today and Whistleblower. Mrs. Harvey is a frequent guest on radio talk shows and has testified on legislation before the Ohio General Assembly on numerous occasions.

Crusade: How would you define witchcraft?

Mrs. Linda Harvey: A narrow definition of witchcraft would be a series of rituals, spells and actions that attempt, whether they realize it or not, to contact the demonic realm to try to get the evil spirits to cooperate with them with whatever they want to do.

Crusade: How is witchcraft affecting our youth today?

Mrs. Harvey: What’s happening today is that our kids don’t know Scripture or Christian doctrine because so many of them don’t go to church. They don’t have the spiritual armor they need to protect themselves, and they are bombarded by the very anti-Christian nature of the media and public-school education they are getting. In view of this, paganism seems much more charming and fascinating to our children than Christianity and they have rejected Christianity as being outdated, bigoted and unresponsive. So our kids are being lured into this, which makes it much more critical for parents to be very discerning of what  their kids are learning and what effect that is having on their spiritual life.

Crusade: Now, what are the reasons why youth feel attracted to witchcraft in the first place? Is there a vacuum in society that makes this more enticing?

Mrs. Harvey: It is packaged as very charming and fascinating. Harry Potter, for example, is packaged empowerment. Our children have an innate need to develop whatever can help them be stronger and better able to deal with the stresses of ordinary modern life. For example, Harry Potter is an 11-year-old nerd who is shoved under a stairway by his cruel relatives and suddenly his whole world changes when he discovers that he is by inheritance a messiah wizard, and this is the empowering thing for him. What kind of kid doesn’t want to hear that? It says, “I have tremendous supernatural powers already inside of me.” This is an insidious and disturbing message to send to our children.

Crusade: Where is witchcraft promoted most in our American society?

Harry Potter: positive, frank, open
expression of witchcraft and wizardry.

Throughout the entertainment media. The publishing phenomenon of Harry Potter proves for the first time that they got away with a positive, frank, open expression of witchcraft and wizardry as a role model for kids and parents. Conservative parents did not rise up in rebellion and say, “Oh no, you’re not selling that to my kids.” Parents are clueless. As a follow-up to Harry Potter, there have been a lot of other media that have been tried because Satan is out there prowling about and perfectly willing to use selfish marketeers to package these products. In addition, there is the TV cartoon area. The Japanese publishing industry has influenced manga and anime cartoons, which are full of sorcery and demons. Within video games we have Dungeons and Dragons, which has been around for almost twenty years, World of Warcraft and many other occult-themed offerings. Of course there are the movies, but also the TV shows that have been out for a while. For example, in Charmed, Sabrina was a bubble-gum witch. Then there are soap operas. There was a soap opera called Passion that was canceled last year because it had dolls coming to life and witchcraft. It is just amazing to see how this has penetrated virtually all areas of entertainment and the media.

Crusade: However, many children will claim that it will just stop there. There might be a lot of children who want to dabble in it just a little bit. Do we see youth going from these very common and accessible forms of witchcraft and getting more involved?

Mrs. Harvey: Yes, there was a 2002 survey that showed Harry Potter was creating an interest in witchcraft and wizardry for our kids. Unfortunately, all these children have to do to get information is get on the Internet. Several Web sites have a youth section where kids can go and find covens in their cities and suburbs. Yes, these youth are going right from these books and media to these fora. All it takes is for them to have a little more interest and then going a little further with their interest and looking it up.

One of the things that stimulates this interest is predicting the future because children want to know what’s going to happen. So they start with astrology, using the Ouija board or any other kind of fortune-telling device that is featured throughout all of these occult books, movies or games, which then give children details on how they can learn about the future. This is anti-Christian. There are prophets in the Bible but the prophets did not use these devices. God initiated the contact. People did not initiate the contact. This is a huge distinction that takes us outside the realm of Christianity. It’s not going to be honored by God. God doesn’t want this for us. He wants to protect us and go by His timing.

Crusade: Halloween has become more filled with witchcraft and the occult. Do you think this has a role in getting people more used to the devil?

Mrs. Harvey: Definitely. My family doesn’t celebrate Halloween since I became a Christian. People say, “Well, Christmas was a pagan influence originally.” But the difference is that God is in charge of everything, and I believe the original pagan underpinnings of Christmas and Easter have been co-opted by Christianity. But the Lord has left Halloween alone to test us. For some reason God is allowing the work of Satan in the world today, and the devil has co-opted Halloween. On top of that it is becoming an emphasized holiday. It is right behind Christmas as far as decoration, spending, costumes and all the paraphernalia involved. You see houses decorated for Halloween just like a house would be decorated for Christmas, and it makes me shudder because there is nothing holy, honorable or positive about this date. October 31 is the pagans’ highest holiday and we are helping them celebrate it. What a slap in the face to our wonderful God!

Crusade: Many of our readers are parents. Could you give them some tips on how to protect their children from the influences of witchcraft?

Mrs. Harvey: First of all, your children spend the most amount of time in public schools. So keep them in a good Christian school or home school them. Do not send them to public school. There are too many occult influences in public schools. Some schools assign Harry Potter but others have occult works or ideas in novels that you wouldn’t find unless you read the novels from cover to cover. Furthermore, you have observances of pagan, multicultural events and all kinds of “religions” interacting with demonic pagan entities. Second, read and watch everything your children read and watch. Don’t assume anything your children read or watch is harmless. There are all kinds of accommodations to pagan beliefs and other practices throughout children’s media. So you need to have a discerning eye. You have to decide up front what you’re going to stop and stick with it. You have to decide in advance that this is your child’s future you are worrying about and then think ahead and find substitutes.        

Last Updated on Wednesday, August 26, 2009

 

[GonzoII]

[Salamander]

Stealth satanism ping

[Nikas777]

It really is fake paganism and fake witchcraft since it is an attempt to mimic what was done in the re-Christian era.

If you are half way into history you can see that their version of witch craft and paganism is made up BS not resembling any ancient practices.

[Claud]

I wrote a column once deriding witchcraft, and got lots of angry letters. But one pagan in particular interested me. We got to emailing, and it turns out she couldn’t STAND wicca and neo-paganism. She thought it was all phony ahistorical trash, which of course it is. She was in this group that was trying to bring back ancient Roman paganism. They actually read the ancient sources.

Like you said Nikas, anyone who knows ancient European history knows how phony half this stuff is. And if you know Native American history/ethnology—wow—it’s even phonier, if that’s possible!

I have this theory, some people are not gonna like it but feel free to disagree. I think bleeding all the sacramentality out of the Christian religion has helped feed into neo-paganism and Masonry and things like that. We NEED sacramentals and ritual. It is part of our makeup.

[Nikas777]

I have this theory, some people are not gonna like it but feel free to disagree. I think bleeding all the sacramentality out of the Christian religion has helped feed into neo-paganism and Masonry and things like that. We NEED sacramentals and ritual. It is part of our makeup/

I deeply agree.

The Orthodox Church maintains all that element of ritual and mystery as do the Copts and Armenians and so on.

Ritual and repetition is how the human mind works. When Jesus (or his apostles in the New Testament - I am red faced that I can't recall) said be like a child he meant be open to learning - you have to understand how children were viewed in the ancient world - they were viewed as small adults before they invented the teen and tween ages for marketing purposes.

I remember in college I dated a self professed pagan who was into the Greek goddesses or goddesses in general and I asked her if she was for real when she would start sacrificing doves or rabbits to the goddess as the ancients did. She said they don't need to do that anymore since they are enlightened and are one with nature now. I laughed. My Greek pagan ancestors piled up the dead animals.

There are real "pagans" of old out there who perform ritual blood sacrifices - Santaria and voodoo and African native religions but those are too ethnic and scary for white suburban kids looking to piss mom off. So they dress like vampires and paint their fingernails black. The real pagans are in the Spanish barrios bleeding a chicken or goat to their god and would make the goth kids crap their pants at the sight of their rituals.

[GonzoII]

"Like you said Nikas, anyone who knows ancient European history knows how phony half this stuff is."

All level of lies are phony. Nonetheless the father of lies gets influence on those who involve themselves in this garbage, no matter how historically "pure" it is.

[Nikas777]

I want to say that the ancient pre Christian Gods were not “lies” in the sense people made stuff up consciously. In fact the Old Testament treats the existence of other Gods as being real but lesser Gods than the God of Abraham. God insists to the Hebrew people that he wants their worship exclusively and he does not want to share their devotions with other Gods. It is clear from that context that those other Gods are considered as existing but are bad/evil or inferior to Abraham’s God.

[GonzoII]

"I want to say that the ancient pre Christian Gods were not “lies” in the sense people made stuff up consciously."

Understanding the fallen nature of man it's not difficult to understand how these pagan gods were the result of the imaginations of unchristianized people, imaginations under the influence of the devil.

Wis: 14: 12-16: "12 For the beginning of fornication is the devising of idols: and the invention of them is the corruption of life. 13 For neither were they from the beginning, neither shall they be for ever. 14 For by the vanity of men they came into the world: and therefore they shall be found to come shortly to an end. 15 For a father being afflicted with bitter grief, made to himself the image of his son who was quickly taken away: and him who then had died as a man, he began now to worship as a god, and appointed him rites and sacrifices among his servants. 16 Then in process of time, wicked custom prevailing, this error was kept as a law, and statues were worshipped by the commandment of tyrants. "

[Zionist Conspirator]

I want to say that the ancient pre Christian Gods were not “lies” in the sense people made stuff up consciously. In fact the Old Testament treats the existence of other Gods as being real but lesser Gods than the God of Abraham. God insists to the Hebrew people that he wants their worship exclusively and he does not want to share their devotions with other Gods. It is clear from that context that those other Gods are considered as existing but are bad/evil or inferior to Abraham’s God.

I'm sorry, but you're very wrong. HaShem is the Only G-d. The Torah insists that all the other "gxds" are false and vanity and there is nothing to them whatsoever. As a matter of fact, even non-Jews who serve other "gxds" technically and objectively incur the death penalty.

I realize that you prefer nineteenth century German "criticism" to the Oral Torah given to Moses at Sinai and I'm probably whistling to a hurricane by posting this, but I cannot be silent when someone claims that the "old testament" (!!!) acknowledges the existence of other "gxds." It does not, and only an impious higher critic would say such a thing.

[JenB]

Wait, Harry Potter, anime & manga, Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft are all satanic? Well crap. I thought church attendance would make up for liking Harry Potter but there’s no way just going to church will compensate for the fact that ALL my hobbies are apparently satanic.

I guess I’m screwed.

[onedoug]

Modern witchcraft stems principally from Gerald Gardiner in the 1930s-40s
who's main attraction to it seems to have been running about "skyclad", or naked

[onedoug]

Deuteronomy 4:19 & Malachi 1:11

[allmendream]

Harry Potter is about as satanic as The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia or The Wizard of Oz.

What a loony tunes.

[Salamander]

It shames me to admit how much I know about this subject.

“Fake” or not, the end result is the same.

[Salamander]

Well said.

[Nikas777]

Well still it is fake.

I met a guy who claimed he was an initiate in the "Templar" order. A made up order that claimed to be linked to the original somehow. Same delusion.

[allmendream]

Sort of like “ninjitsu”. Ninjas were hot in the 80’s and 90’s so a bunch of know nothing yahoo's wanted to ‘learn ninjitsu’. Where there is a demand, there will be an entrepreneurial con man to fill that demand.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Deuteronomy 4:19 & Malachi 1:11

One day, G-d willing, you will accept the Oral Torah which tells how the Written is to be interpreted.

The Oral Torah also tells exactly how idolatry originated and developed. It's all included in The Divine Code.

[Ransomed]

“Within video games we have Dungeons and Dragons, which has been around for almost twenty years, World of Warcraft and many other occult-themed offerings.”

The master “occult themed” game, D&D, has been creating Satan’ slaves out of kids since around 1974. I have no idea what “within video games” means, but I’m sure Jack Chick agrees.

You must admit that millions of cheetos have been sacrificed to evil dungeon masters over the years. You will know a D&D cultist by their orange stained fingers, the mark of the beast.

Freegards

[onedoug]

So Oral Torah conflicts with written Torah? One over the other?

Torah and an understanding of science lead me to God. Neither conflicts.

Though I'd still like to have your take on Deuteronomy 4:19 and Malachi 1:11.

Baruch Hashem

[Nikas777]

Oh, I hear that about the Ninjas. I never advanced beyond a blue belt in Karate because where I was going to wanted to jack up the fees for higher belts.

[Zionist Conspirator]

So Oral Torah conflicts with written Torah? One over the other?

You know better than that. And I think you know what I meant.

[Oztrich Boy]

For example, Harry Potter is an 11-year-old nerd who is shoved under a stairway by his cruel relatives and suddenly his whole world changes when he discovers that he is by inheritance a messiah wizard, and this is the empowering thing for him. What kind of kid doesn't want to hear that?

OTOH he also learns there's a organisation of psychopathic terrorists following an evil megalomaniac who wants him dead.

Swings and roundabouts really.

[allmendream]

Yep, and he also learns you cannot trust what they say in the press, that people want to deny that there are psychotic madmen on the loose that want to kill, and that you cannot count on the government to keep you safe. Proff Umbridge teaching ‘non confrontational’ defense against the dark arts clinched it for me.

[onedoug]

Not really.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Not really.

I trust you do now.

[Claud]

Very well said. Yes, Orthodoxy has wonderfully managed to preserve the sense of the mystery and sacramentality. We in the Western Church haven’t been so lucky, although I think we are starting to find our footing again.

Ha...that’s a good story about that pagan you dated, and you couldn’t be more right about goths vs. chicken slayers. That’s what the modern pagans DO NOT GET.

Paganism has no creed. Paganism has no ethics, except as vestigial or borrowed from Christianity or other religions. Paganism is every bit as wild and reckless and uncontrollable as Nature herself. That’s why people like it! But that’s also why they should hate it. Because for every Plato and Marcus Aurelius and Brahmin and their lofty philosophical theorizing, you have rivers of blood—Dionysians tearing goats apart with their teeth and Aztecs piling up mountains of skulls.

[Nikas777]

Wiccans claim they are really about knowledge and wizard comes from the word wise.

What they forget is that the wizards were wise in the ways of the spirit world and what is meant by that is how to bribe a spirit to do stuff for you through sacrifice of some kind.

Paganism in reality was a quid pro quo between a human and an alleged spirit. If I kill X number of doves the spirit entity for some reason (why do they need blood sacrifices? anyway) will be pleased and grant me a favor.

See also the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter in 'The Illiad' for the greek fleet to be granted favorable winds.