Evil wears many masks in this world, but none so dangerous as the mask of righteousness. The American Family Association (AFA) is a group of Christian Fundamentalists who have come together in a common belief that the world we live in has been corrupted by immorality. They have decided to fight back against this corruption by trying to re-instate the "proper" religious morals given to us by the Bible. These moral views are narrow minded in the extreme and are often full of hate and prejudice. They often voice their beliefs that abortion is wrong, that homosexuality is a sin, that separation of church and state is a violation of their rights, that the media isn't biased enough in favour of Christianity and much more. The more I read articles from their website (http://www.afa.net) the more angry and horrified I become. So why do I keep going to their site? It's like a train wreck. I don't want to see, but I can't turn away. I was thinking of ranting about them in my Rant and Roar section, but there is just far too much that I have to say. That's why I have created this section. Every so often, I will chose an article from their website and analyze it. I don't know if they store their articles on their website or if they remove them after time, so you might encounter some broken links.
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Today's article is actually a news story from Family News In Focus. The AFA had a direct link to the article on their main page, so I figured it was worth a look. Also, I'm rather tired and don't really want to write about a long article. This was the shortest one I could find. Today's article focuses on Paganism. Basically, the article is trying to scare people into thinking that Paganism is starting to become a real problem here in North America and that Christian groups should be prepared to fight them. Let's take a look, shall we?
Hollywood is
credited with helping to spark a religious renewal.
But it's not that "old-time religion" that they're
promoting.
Before dawn on the shortest day of the year, more than a hundred
people like Chris gathered for one purpose.
"We're drumming up the sun," Chris said.
Another participant, Jeremiah, explained why: "Drumming up
the
sun not only keeps our bodies warm, but at the same time it lets
the sun know that we are here to greet her in all of her
magnificence on this wonderful day."
Chris and Jeremiah
are followers of the religion known as Wicca,
or paganism. Adherents, who often prefer to be called witches,
are attracting a lot of interest. In fact, one witch-advocacy
group
claims 113 chapters on college campuses, with 38 added just
last September.
*Gasp* This is horrible!! Clearly we should round these people up into camps before things get completely out of hand! Drumming up the sun?! Next thing you know, they'll be using guitars and fiddles! Clearly Paganism is pure evil! I bet they follow up their daily "drumming up the sun" with their daily "sacrificing babies and then drinking their blood." Chris and Jeremiah are clearly servants of Satan with evil intentions! Sarcasm aside for a moment, you have to wonder how many people out there actually think Paganism is a serious problem. As if America is actually in danger of being overrun by people who like to play the drums when the sun comes up! Christians seem to think Pagans are a bunch of people who go around in dark cloaks sacrificing virgins to Satan. These people sound more like Hippies than Satan worshippers!
Former spiritualist
and now Christian evangelist Ben Alexander
offers one reason.
"Witchcraft is autonomous and you can do your own thing, and
that's what they enjoy more than anything else," Alexander
said.
Even witches admit their cause is boosted by TV shows such as
WB's "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and movies like "The
Craft."
Does that mean we can blame Melissa Joan Hart if Satan comes to earth to destroy us all? I always knew that the WB would eventually lead to the destruction of all humanity. I just didn't think they'd do it through the promotion of witchcraft.
Paul Carden, of the
Center for Apologetics Research, believes
the witch renewal is only beginning.
"In the next five to 10 years, the Wiccan and the Druid and
the
neo-pagan next door (are) going to come out of the closet and
you're going to have to understand them in order to share the
Good News with them," Carden said.
He added that the church cannot afford to hide from or ignore
this
Wiccan revival.
"The church cannot afford to hide from or ignore this Wiccan revival"? Why not? Would Wiccans suddenly gain control of the world if Christian groups didn't speak out right away? I don't know why Christian groups feel so threatened by Paganism. I mean, it seems from this article that their biggest problem with Pagans is that "you're going to have to understand them in order to share the Good News with them." Man, that would tragic, wouldn't it? Fundamentalist groups UNDERSTANDING where other people are coming from? Unheard of! That would lead to nothing but anarchy and chaos! I guess they feel that if they don't act now, they won't be able to judge them with hate and prejudice based on ignorance and lack of understanding. Old habits die hard I guess.
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