Wicca (a.k.a. Witchcraft) About the Bible and Wicca

The religion of Wicca is sometimes called "witchcraft." But the terms "witch" and "witchcraft" have at least 17 different meanings. Most of them are unrelated to each other. They range from:

• A belief that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in which profoundly evil persons were believed to have existed who were in league with Satan and who issued curses to spread disease, harm and murder across the country.

to:

• Followers of Wicca -- a modern-day Neopagan religion, which is a reconstruction of an ancient Celtic religion. Its main rule of behavior is the Wiccan Rede. It requires Wiccans its believers to do no harm.

Six main forms of "witchcraft" actually exist today; they share virtually nothing in common, except the name "witchcraft."

Unfortunately, many people believe that these many practices are similar or identical to each other. In various countries of the world, judicial and church murders, lynching, shootings, attempted mass murders, common assaults, etc, have resulted from this confusion

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT WICCA AND WITCHCRAFTOverview:

It is important to realize that:

	The term "witchcraft" in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) refers to (mostly) women who used spoken curses to injure other people or destroy their property.
	The term, "witchcraft" in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) refers to murderers who use poisons to kill people.
	In North America, "Witch" and "Witchcraft" most often refer to Wiccans and Wicca.
	Wiccans are modern-day Neopagans. They follow Wicca, a new religion that has been created, in part, from ancient Celtic beliefs, practices, Gods, Goddesses, holy days and symbols. They follow the Wiccan Rede, a rule of behavior which prohibits Wiccans from performing any activity that dominates, manipulates, controls, or injures others.

Thus, in terms of behavior, Wicca is a benign and healing religion; the "witchcrafts" mentioned in the Bible are evil and destructive. The two are exact opposites.

That said, it is important to remember that:

	The Bible contains many passages exhibiting intolerance towards other religions, and almost no passages which actively promote inter-religious tolerance. Wicca is certainly a religion that is very different from Judaism and Christianity. Wicca, as well as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Native Spirituality, Taoism, and hundreds of other religions are thus equally condemned by many verses in the Bible.
	Many Wiccans engage in specific practices to foretell the future. These include scrying, tarot cards, I Ching, runes, etc. Although these practices are not mentioned in the Bible, they are similar to other divination techniques which are condemned in various biblical passages. However, not all Wiccans engage in divination. And the vast majority of persons who use divination are not Wiccans.

Who exactly is a Witch?

In this section, we are considering whether the Bible specifically condemns Wicca. We have not been able to find any translation of either the Hebrew or Christian Scriptures which contains the words Wicca or Wiccan. However, many translations of the Bible, such as the King James Version and the New International Version, condemn what they call "Witches" and "Witchcraft". This causes serious misunderstandings.
The religion of Wicca is one of at least 18 different practices associated with the term "witchcraft." Most of are unrelated to each other. Of these 18 practices, six main forms of "witchcraft" exist today.
The most popular usages of "Witch" refer to:

1. A woman of such incredible beauty that she bewitches men.
2. An old woman, often portrayed with an evil appearance; sometimes called a "hag."
3. A follower of Religious Satanism who either worships Satan or recognizes Satan as a virile pre-Christian, pagan concept. They may perform evil sorcery, but only against their enemies.
4. A person devoted to performing evil sorcery: using rituals, spoken curses, etc to injure or kill others.
5. A Wiccan; a follower of a modern religion that was reconstructed partly from an ancient religion of the Celts. Wiccans are prohibited from harming others.
6. In Africa, a native healer who practices alternative, holistic medicine and may engage in evil sorcery.
7. In TV programs like Bewitched, a person, usually a woman, who was born with supernatural abilities and is capable of performing miracles by waving a wand, wiggling a nose, etc.
8. In children's books like the Harry Potter™ series, where people live in an alternative universe with unicorns, invisibility cloaks, dragons, talking animals, magical quills, flying broomsticks, magic wands, etc.

There are many additional meanings not cited above. Most are variations on the above eight.

General religious intolerance in the Bible:

Passages in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are quite intolerant of other religions:

	The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) condemn, in particular, non-monotheistic religions. One example is The Book of Joshua, where God authorizes the genocide of Canaanites because they were Pagans.  Since many Wiccans believe in the existence of a dual divinity (a Goddess and a God), Wicca would fall under this general condemnation of non-monotheistic religions, as would Hindus, followers of Native American spirituality, and hundreds of other religions.
	The Christian Scriptures (New Testament) attack Jews as being children of the Devil. They contain many passages which condemned Gnostic Christianity -- a part of the early Christian movement which believed in the existence of two deities. The Scriptures also state that non-Christians worship either Satan or a demon. This latter condemnation would include followers of Wicca and hundreds of other religions. Together, they constitute about 67% of the human race.
	Various passages from the Hebrew Scriptures condemn methods of foretelling the future. Although these practices are sometime used by some Wiccans, they do not form an integral part of their religion. Many Wiccans follow their religion without using divination.

These are general condemnations. They criticize a wide variety of non-Judeo-Christian religions, not Wicca specifically.

On the other hand, many English translations of the Bible refer to Witches and Witchcraft by name. A careful analysis of the original passages in the original Greek and Hebrew, shows that they condemn individuals who:

	Use spoken curses to harm or murder others.
	Use poison to harm or murder others.

Wiccans are prohibited from engaging in either of these activities. Wiccans are prohibited by the Wiccan Rede from dominating, manipulating, controlling, or doing harm to others. The use of the terms "Witch" or "Witchcraft" in English translations of the Bible is either a poor translation or a mistranslation. The Bible appears contain no direct references to Wicca and Wiccans.

Ambiguity in Bible translations:

By translating the original Hebrew and Greek text as "Witch" and "Witchcraft", translators have selected one of the most confusing words in the English language. In the case of the King James Version, this seems to have been done deliberately. King James had a deathly fear of "Witches" (in the 4^th meaning above). The justification for choosing such a misleading word in a some recent translations, is less clear. The translators must be aware of the exact meaning of the original Hebrew word; yet they selected an English word which was clearly ambiguous. Further, it makes large numbers of people vulnerable to religious hatred.
The only large religious group in North America who describe themselves as "Witches" are Wiccans and other Neo-Pagans. That minority of Wiccans who are open about their faith suffer extreme persecution from very well meaning, very devout but very misinformed Christians who honestly believe that they are following the guidance of various Biblical passages. In recent years in the U.S., this discrimination has occasionally taken the form of lynching, attempted mass murder by stoning, shooting, and other forms of assault. Fortunately, most modern translations have been using the slightly less ambiguous term "sorcery" in place of "Witchcraft". We expect that this change, plus accurate portrayal of Wiccans in the media, will gradually lessen the discrimination that they experience.

 

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT WICCA AND WITCHCRAFT

Interpretation of Exodus 22:18

Exodus 22:18 in 19 English translations of the Bible: Various Biblical translations render this verse as:

1. American Standard Version "Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live."
2. The Answer: Put to death any woman who does evil magic.
3. Amplified Bible: You shall not allow a woman to live who practices sorcery.
4. Good News Version: Put to death any woman who practices magic.
5. James Moffatt Translation: You shall not allow any sorceress to live.
6. Jerusalem Bible: You shall not allow a sorceress to live.
7. King James Version: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
8. Living Bible: A sorceress shall be put to death.
9. Modern Language Bible: Allow no sorceress to live.
10. New American Bible: You shall not let a sorceress live.
11. New American Standard Bible: You shall not let a sorceress live.
12. New Century Version: Put to death any woman who does evil magic.
13. New International Version: Do not allow a sorceress to live.
14. New Living Translation: A sorceress must not be allowed to live.
15. New Revised Standard Version: You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live.
16. New World Translation: You must not preserve a sorceress alive.
17. The Promise: Contemporary English Version: Death is the punishment for witchcraft.
18. Revised Standard Version: You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19. Revised English Bible: You must not allow a witch to live.

In the original Hebrew manuscript, the author used the word m'khashepah to describe the person who should be killed. The word means a woman who uses spoken spells to harm others - e.g. causing their death or loss of property. Clearly "evil sorceress" or "woman who does evil magic" would be the most accurate phrases in today's English usage for this verse.The Good News Bible uses the term "magic." This is also a poor selection because that term has been used to refer to:

	stage magic, sleight of hand, magic tricks.
	ceremonial magic used to harm other persons.
	ceremonial magic used to heal other persons.

The King James Version and Revised English Bible use the term "witch." In North America, the term normally refers to Wiccans -- the followers of the Wiccan religion. According to the Scofield Reference Bible this verse from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) was written in the year 1491 BCE. This is some 650 year

About Revelation 21:8:

This chapter deals with life after death. Some people will attain Heaven; others are sent to Hell, which is here described as the lake which burns with fire and brimstone (sulfur). In his commentary on this verse, Matthew Henry refers to the horrors of Hell as involving the: "...far greater terrors and agonies of eternal death..." Its victims will: "...die and [continue] to be always dying." ₁
Verse 8 describes various groups who will automatically be relegated to Hell. In a typical biblical display of religious intolerance, the verse defines one group of victims as consisting of "unbelievers" -- apparently those who follow a non-Christian religion, or no religion at all. This would involved more than two thirds of the human race.

How the verse is translated:
There is no consistency in the translations of this verse, as they appear in various English versions of the Bible. The sixth group which is destined for Hell has been identified as:

1. 21st century King James Version: "sorcerers"
2. American Standard Version: "sorcerers"
3. An American Translation: those who "practice witchcraft"
4. The Answer (New Century Version): those "who do evil magic"
5. Amplified Bible: "practicers of magic arts"
6. Authentic New Testament: "sorcerers"
7. Darby Translation: "sorcerers"
8. Good News Version: "those who practice magic"
9. James Moffatt Translation: "sorcerers"
10. Jerusalem Bible: "fortune tellers"
11. King James Version: "sorcerers"
12. Living Bible: "those conversing with demons"
13. Modern Language Bible: "those practicing magic arts"
14. New American Bible: "sorcerers"
15. New American Standard Bible: "sorcerers"
16. New English Bible "sorcerers"
17. New International Version: "those who practice magical arts"
18. New Living Translation: "those who practice witchcraft"
19. New Revised Standard Version: "sorcerers"
20. New Testament & Psalms: An Inclusive Version: "sorcerers"
21. New World Translation: "those practicing spiritism"
22. Phillips Modern English "those trafficking...in sorcery"
23. The Promise: (Contemporary English Version): "uses witchcraft"
24. Rheims New Testament: ""sorcerers"
25. Revised Standard Version: "sorcerers"
26. Revised English Bible: "sorcerers"
27. Today's English Version "those who practice magic"
28. Today's New International Version: "those who practice magic arts"
29. Tyndale's New Testament: "sorcerers"
30. World English Bible: "sorcerers" The translation has a footnote: "The word for 'sorcerers' here also includes users of potions and drugs."
31. Young's Literal Translation: "sorcerers"

Conclusions:

In the 31 translations studied, the original Greek has been translated as:

	Sorcerers, or those practicing evil magic: 19 times. These are people who engage in black magic to harm or murder others.
	Those who practicing magic: 6 times. This would presumably include people who either try to hurt or heal others through spells, incantations, etc. It is unclear whether this would cover Christian clergy who conduct healing services.
	Witches: 3 times. This presumably includes people performing at least one of the 18 different practices that have been referred to as "witchcraft." It is not clear to which of the 18 practices the passage refers.
	Fortune tellers: once. Presumably this would include tea-leaf readers, palm readers, preparers of horoscopes, people who predict the weather based on the actions of a groundhog, or the diameter of caterpillars, etc.
	Those who contact demons: once.
	Spiritists: those who contact the dead: once.

The latter two categories may include channeling by New Age practitioners.
It would seem that this verse has traditionally been translated incompetently. It appears that the translators simply selected their favorite evil, and inserted it into the text. This is seen throughout many translations of the Bible, particularly with passages that refer either to homosexuality, poisoning, or evil sorcery.

before the origin of the Celtic people circa 850 BCE from whom some elements of Wicca were taken. So Exodus 22:18 can hardly be referring to Wiccans.

Some commentaries on Revelations 21:8:

	Clarke's Commentary: defines "sorcerers" as "Persons who, by drugs, philtres, fumigations, &c., pretend to produce supernatural effects, chiefly by spiritual agency." This would appear to refer to persons performing magic. 2
	John Gill's Exposition of the Bible defines sorcerers very broadly. He includes: "conjurers, dealers with familiar spirits, necromancers, and such as use the magic art...and poisoners of kings and princes; whoredoms and witchcrafts..." (Bigoted statements against Roman Catholics deleted). 3 It is unclear how he can derive so many varied activities from a single Greek word.
	Wesley Notes comments "...whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters - These three sins generally went together; their part is in the lake" of fire. 4

What does the original Greek text imply?

The critical word here is "pharmakeus" pronounced <far-mak-yoos'>. It is derived from "pharmakon," which means a drug. It is commonly believed to have two meanings:

	A person who uses magical potions for to poison others.
	A person who engaged in black magick to harm others -- a sorcerer.

A few commentators suggest a third meaning:

A person who goes around spreading dissention - poisoning people's minds.

Of all of the translations, the word "sorcerer" is probably the best. Unfortunately, while this term usually refers to a person who casts evil spells to harm others, it is occasionally used to refer to any spell caster, whether the intent is to harm or to heal. So the optimum translation would probably be "evil sorcerer." Since the Wiccan Rede specifically prohibits Wiccans from harming, dominating, manipulating or controlling others, Wiccans could in no way be covered by Revelation 21:8.