Witches Are Real People Too
by
Phil Wyman
12-9-97
In completion of the course
"Folk Religion: Belief and Practice" Fuller Seminary
Welcome
to The Gathering
You have just stumbled into our pages on Neo-Paganism
and Witchcraft.
At the bottom of the page you will find links taking
you to further resources, such as our Pagan
- Christian discussion list, further
writings from The Gathering, and general information
about who we are.
The Gathering logo will take you to our homepage,
and the symbols in the left column will spirit you
around our site as well.
Is this what you would expect
from a Christian Church in Witch City USA?
Thanks for visiting, and
now...back to our regularly scheduled program.
We had to add this little commercial, because
this page was being accessed, as a first page to
our website by so many of you.
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An Introduction
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Born-Again Christians and American
Neo-Pagans do
not typically get along. In most cases, Born-Again
Christians have a fear of the occult practices of
modern Witches, which is based upon misrepresentation
of what Witchcraft is all about.
This
is an attempt to reach in both directions: 1) To
communicate to the Pagan community, that we understand
and love you, and 2) To educate the Christian community
on modern Pagans, and Witches in a real, and compassionate
manner.
The
paper will help set a course of response to the
Pagan community in Salem, Massachusetts, and will
help lay a foundation for the planting of "The
Gathering," a Foursquare Gospel church. The
city of Salem has a long history of feuding between
Christian and Pagan groups. It is my desire to learn
how to preach the Gospel in the uncompromising boldness
of my Foursquare tradition, and yet maintain the
respect due to every individual created in God's
image - in this case, especially the American Neo-Pagan.
The source of study has primarily been Wicca based
groups. Solitary practicing Pagans, and some eclectic
sources have been used as well.
Special thanks are due to the following Witches
and Neo-Pagans: Olwen Fferyllt (my favorite Witch),
Marsha Smith (a studying anthropologist in American
Paganism, and a Pagan as well), Christian (a good
friend at a long distance), Star and the people
at the Church of Amazement, Bill from the First
Wiccan Church of Escondido, Jerrie, and to the people
working at the Crystal Cauldron.
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Defining Terms
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In
the following paper, the terms Paganism, Neo-Paganism,
Witchcraft, and The Craft (and their cognates) will
be used interchangeably.
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Diving into the Cauldron
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I
stood
just outside the door of the Crystal Cauldron. The
smell of incense floated out the door. Just inside
I could see shelves of books devoted to occult practices,
things I had a vague idea about, and other things
which were totally foreign. Pentagrams, tarot cards,
runes, herbs, incense and other ritual items could
be seen around the shop. My heart beat just a little
faster. I stepped into the shop, and....
Jeff and I stopped the truck. I went back and
locked the gate which went across the road. We were
inside now.
We had driven to edge of nowhere, and now we had
locked the world as we knew it behind. Down the
dirt path another mile, we would find the remote
campground. We had been invited to a Pagan weekend
celebration. We would certainly be outnumbered greatly
- A couple lone Christians in a pack of Pagans.
The jokes, and the concerns of our friends and families
crossed our minds. "They invited you for the
sacrifice!" "Most witches practice skyclad.
You know what that is don't you?"
We sat in the truck, and prayed for a few minutes.
After prayer, we looked at each other with a degree
of trepidation, and drove down to the campground.
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These story introductions help
to illustrate the emotions which the average person
feels in response to Witchcraft, and the occult. The
Christian media has not helped to dissolve the fear,
and uncertainty which we have, in respect to people
who are involved in "The Craft." Books, films,
and teachings on the subject have flooded churches with
a sensationalized tabloid version of Witchcraft.
I too entered this study, and the relationships which
I was required to develop, with my own prejudices and
fears. Yet, this course of action was necessary to understand
American Neo-Paganism. But I was determined to discover
something which I was certain was true. It had been
haunting me for weeks, and although it may seem almost
too simple to consider of great value, I have found
it has been the most liberating aspect of all that I
have learned. Witches warm to the sound of this simple
truth, and "fundamentalists" (such as those
in the Craft consider me) are graciously surprised as
well. This is the truth which has changed my perspective
of the American Neo-Pagan permanently, and given me
a whole new world of experience: Witches are real people
too.
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The
paper follows this basic outline:
1. A Brief History of the American Neo-Pagan
Revival, and its Place in Understanding the People
In this introductory section, we will examine the
cultural sources which have given rise to the resurgence
of Paganism in the 20th century. From this we should
be able to better determine, "where they are
coming from."
2. Values and Behavior in the Pagan Community
The purpose of this section is to discover the values
of this uniquely eclectic community. What they believe,
what they fear, and what they honor will be discussed.
We will look at the connection between the Pagan
value system, and their community behavior.
3. Pagan Ritual and Religious Practice
This section will dovetail with the previous section.
The belief system of the Neo-Pagan will be reexamined,
and religious practices will be discussed. The theology
of the Pagan, the laws of the Pagan, the rituals
of the Pagan, and the organization of Pagan religion
in America will be discussed.
4. A Gospel Response: The Message, the Minister,
and the Church
In this last section, information from the previous
sections will be taken into account, in order to
design a pattern for ministry. The message of the
Gospel will be looked at, with the purpose of determining
how to answer the needs of the Pagan community,
without changing the fundamental values of the Gospel
message. The minister of the Gospel will be evaluated,
in order to determine the best responses for the
needs of those within Neo-Paganism. Lastly, church
structure will be viewed, with the purpose of designing
a church which will effectively reach out to the
Pagan community.
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