Wicca's Charm
Catherine Edwards Sanders
When you hear the word Wicca, do you think of ladies having animal sacrifices while dancing naked in the woods? Are you confused about this new interest in Wicca? Rather than quickly condemning those "evil pagans", it might do you good to read Wicca's Charm to understand why people are drawn to this. I related to the topic covered in this book. First off, as someone who experimented with Wicca a few years ago, I was interested in reading this. Second, now that I'm a Christian, I wanted to read a book that covered this topic in a graceful way, without getting into the self-righteous attitude of how "those pagans" are ruining society. Catherine Sanders does an awesome job of writing this book that way. She didn't just study the topic from a distance. She met Wiccans where they were, spent time with them, engaged in deep conversations, along with studying about the history of Wicca. During that journey to find out what attracts so many people to Wicca, she shares insights that only someone who spent time with a Wiccan would know. Along with that, she shares how the church has failed to meet the needs of these spiritual seekers. It's funny that a lot of the things that people try to find by practicing Wicca, are already found in the Gospel. Liberation for women (and all people), concern for the environment, and a supernatural experience are just a few of those. Sadly, these aren't proclaimed often by many believers in Christ. I found this to be a bold look into the world of Wicca, from a Christian mindset. While reading this, I remembered how I was when I experimented with Wicca. While I eventually stopped, I still remember the people I met when I dabbled with it. They were confused, searching, and looking for meaning, just like me. I'm glad Catherine Sanders wrote this. It gives Christians a deeper understanding of why people are into Wicca, and encourages them to reach out a loving hand without being judgemental or superficial. And it also gives Wiccans a view of what the Gospel is all about, without the extra baggage that is added on by others.
5 comments:
Yet another strange parallel. My husband and i experimented with Wicca as kids as well. It was that darn Bookbin lady. She always had these very interesting occult books.
Gordon,
Great post! I find it interesting that as christians we have two options when we encounter other pagan "movements" like Wicca. Let me explain. If you're driving an you see a car with a "Fish" on it and in the mirror there's a dream weaver hanging, you could view this one of two ways. You could see it only as syncretism- in which you would take on a very negative view and you'd probably think how said it is that this person is so "confused". Or you could say, wow- here's a person who probably believes in the essentials of the christian faith, who's embraced the hope that can be found in new life offered by Christ, who's connected to the idea of creator God, etc, etc.
But for this person somethings missing. There are questions that this person hasn't found in christianity- there's a whole mystical wonder that the church has forgotten about and failed to teach and now in this "mystical" religion, this person finds the answers they need.
I think what the church and christians need to learn from examples like this is there is a mystical aspect to faith that needs to be addressed. That creation is filled with awe and wonder and it can't be explained in points. This is a classic fault of the western church with our systematic thinking. The reality is that true christianity is mystical. This is the prime reason that I believe we must continue to reach back into our past and discover the real story of God foundin the hebrew scriptures and life.
Okay enough rambling. I guess the real questionis, what is it that Wicca is offering that is not being found in christianity?
Dylan
the Gospel has baggage added onto it by others?!?
Surely you can't be talking about today's flawlessly knowledgeable Church who has absolutely everything about God figured out.
unimaginable right?
I will say this. Even thoughI agree that most/all churches have problems, the church is still the most beautiful thing in all of creation. It's so easy to fallen into the trap of negativity and critsicm, but instead I believe we're called to make it better which requires that we get involved- even if that means getting dirty.
I'll never give it on the church because I believe it is God's plan of redemption. I believe there are many churches that are seeking to reclaim that which has been stolen away.
D
I just realized there's no edit feature here. sorry for the grammer, I went to a christian school. :-(
D
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