... the Western religion of witchcraft. It does not endorse evil, let alone worship Satan, but instead attempts to draw on the spiritual powers in the universe to promote goodness and healing. Wicca recognizes many gods, including the supreme goddess, who is represented by the moon. It teaches that there are many invisible lines of spiritual power crisscrossing the world around us and that it is possible to tap into them for the sake of helping others. Wicca often likes to paint itself as the female alternative to male-dominated established religion. A membership figure of 50,000 is a highly speculative estimate since the practitioners meet in local covens with no unified headquarters.

Should Christians defend religious freedom for religions that compete with--and even oppose--Christianity?

I believe we should. We have nothing to fear from competing faiths, if we are effectively articulating, defending and applying our own. Biblical Christianity has been shown to thrive in any environment--whether open or oppressive.

But what about in the Old Testament, when idolaters and sorcerers were put to the sword?

Good point. But we're not living under a theocracy--or even a monarchy--but a democratic republic, the founding principles of which do not demand that its citizens adhere to Christianity.

Are there certain religions that should be excluded from the benefits of religious freedom, such as fundamentalist Islam and Wicca?

I don't think so. But there are practices common to certain religions and sects that should be outlawed, such as terrorism, polygamy, spousal abuse, animal sacrifice, female mutilation, etc.

If the majority of Americans were Christians, would it be a good idea to make the U.S. an officially "Christian nation" through the legislative process--and outlaw all false religions?

This is a great idea--in theory. However, there is no historical precedent of this working--whether in a representative government or in an authoritarian monarchy. In fact, it seems that whenever Christianity becomes a "majority religion" or a "state religion" of a nation, that nation soon slips into decline--both morally and politically.

Simply put, can we advocate religious freedom in places like Iraq, North Korea and China (for the benefit of Christianity) and not defend religious freedom here at home (for the benefit of Wiccans)? No. Like Paul--who lived and ministered in the pluralistic, idolatrous and oppressive context of the Roman Empire--we must recognize that there will come a time when "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord." And that includes Wiccans. In the meantime, we depend on the winsomeness of our message and the conviction of the Holy Spirit--not the force of government--to carry out our Great Commission.

Matt Green, editor
Ministry Today

Agree? Disagree? Weigh in with your comments below.

# posted by Matt Green : 7:51 AM