Wolves Among Us(77)

Lingering Effects

One other issue of particular interest to historians about the medieval witch hunts was the lurid connection between women’s sexuality and their prosecution for witchcraft. Not only were many of the accused women molested in the name of “interrogation,” but the witch hunts blamed women for sexual crimes in a way that still permeates our culture today. The prevailing medieval social theory was that women “made” men sin. According to the theory, if women weren’t so carnal and tempting, men would have no trouble staying pure. Today women are still held responsible for sexual crime in many of the same ways. The shame of reporting a rape and the fear of being accused of tempting a man beyond what he can bear still keeps women silent and rapists free. Our justice system continues to operate with a double standard when prostitution is involved too. Women are arrested for prostitution at nearly three times the rate that men are arrested for solicitation.

But why should you and I care about prostitution arrests or subtle slurs on “femininity” within the church? Because history has shown us, time and again, that even little twists on truth can end with plenty of destruction. From the garden of Eden to the witch hunts of the Inquisition, to the persecution of Jews, to cults and suicide pacts, half-truths and best guesses leave a wake of pain.

The issues of gender roles and religious thought are so much more complex than I can cover here. If you want a beautiful, thoughtful exploration of gender roles and differences, I recommend you read Jonalyn Grace Fincher’s excellent book Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home. You can also learn more about her work at Soulation.org. Jonalyn writes about these issues with passion and searing intellect.


Which Witch?

The vast majority of witch-hunt victims were not witches, but true witchcraft has always played a role in history. Throughout history, many women have practiced folk magic because they were denied access to education, medicine, and the courts. Women relied on the promise of magic to fight disease, keep their children alive, and bring justice to the afflicted. Wherever women were powerless and excluded, magic seemed to offer help.

Today, you and I live in an age of unprecedented abundance and access to law, medicine, and education. So why is witchcraft often cited as the fastest growing religion in America?

I decided to find out.

I contacted a local New Age bookstore, and they invited me to sit in on a regular meeting of local witches. I was given free rein to ask any question. I came to the meeting with a notebook, a pen, and plenty of prayer. I worried that the witches would be strange, hostile, or want to hurt me because I was a Christian.

I left the meeting burdened with sorrow and with a tender spot in my heart for these women. The women I met—these witches—were just like the women I knew in church. Lovely, wounded, searching, fascinated by a world beyond our own, generous, and open. These women were my neighbors, fellow taxpayers, and part of my larger community. We were much more alike than I would have guessed.

In fact, all the women I spoke with that day grew up in church. Each expressed a strong awareness, early on, of the hypocrisy rampant in churches. (This is, of course, a plague affecting every church across the world. I don’t think Christian hypocrisy disproves the validity of Christ and Christianity. Rather, it proves it.)

At my meeting with the witches, the women said something else that shocked me. Most of the women had experienced a strange supernatural event as a child. One woman saw spirits. One was plagued by bad visions. Each had sought help, or information, from others in the church and church leaders. Each received no help, no counseling, no information. So the women turned to the only people willing to listen, explain, and help: the local occult bookstore.

Many of these witches now say that persecution, especially from Christians, is part of their everyday lives. One woman received death threats that included Scripture. Stories of hostility from Christians toward these witches broke my heart. If you want to reach out to a practicing witch or Wiccan, know that they most likely have been abused or berated in the name of Christianity. As with any opportunity to evangelize, we must earn the right to tell others of our experiences or opinions.

As I sat with the witches and we discussed Jesus, one woman sighed and said, “I’d like to think that if Jesus were here on earth, He’d walk right into our meeting. He’d want to know us.”

Knowing that Jesus lives within my heart, I smiled at her. “He is here,” I said. I saw myself in a new way that day: as a physical body with the spirit of Jesus living within. My job was to take His Spirit out into the world so that He could tend to the wounded and reach out to the hurting. I’m just His physical chauffeur. I wasn’t given this body so I could run my own errands. Those women belonged to Him, and He wanted to be there, sitting in that meeting, listening to their stories, looking into their eyes, and hearing their hearts. I know that He longs for them, for us all, to know Him and to know His truth expressed in love. This truth and this love are the source of all true hope and salvation.

As I close this book, you may like to know that much of the book is based on fact, including the baptizing of the cat. Bastion’s arguments and theology and some anecdotes are taken from the Malleus. Stefan’s story of ministering to Ava the witch is based on a true story too. During the witch hunts, a witch was kept in a cage and used like a circus animal to scare people. One wise and courageous priest developed a relationship with her and taught her the truth of who Jesus was and how she could find true peace and love only in Him. This priest led her to Christ, and the woman escaped her captivity.