November 21, 1987


      Where's the Real Threat
           to Delmarva?


                by

             Starrider



   After reading the article which
appeared in the Maranatha Manna, I
felt some answers should be given
to the charges put forth in it.

   Yes, there is alot of occult
activity on the shore, and I agree
that some of it is Satanistic. I
strongly disagree that all of this
activity is Satanistic.

   There are many individuals on
Delmarva who are practicing the
occult, who would like to see such
misconceptions put aside.

   Not all occultists are opposed
to Christianity as the article
would lead one to believe. Most
in truth, have less against the
Christian faith, than the Christian
faith has against them.

   Since fundamentalist Christians
view God and Satan as opposing
forces, they tend to view all those
activities not attributable to God
as originating with man or Satan.

   This point of view allows the
assumption that that since these
activities are "not of God" then
they are to be "overcome by the
blood of Christ" and avoided at
all cost by born again believers.

   I myself, do not wish to fall
into the trap of lumping all
Christians into the same group as
this article appears to have done
with occultists. For that reason,
I will say now, that the following
applies only to some fundamentalist
teachers and followers.

   Many Christian teachers have
"investigated" the occult and have
written extensively on the subject.
One prime example of this is the
contemporary writer, Hal Lindsey.
In his book, "Satan is Alive and
Well on Planet Earth" he speaks
in an "informed" manner on the
subjects of Witchcraft, the occult,
and Satanism. The one point he
makes quite clear in his book is
that no Christian should even think
of investigating these things for
him/her-self. They are told of the
seductive nature of these subjects
and that they should seek truth
within the Bible alone.

   This kind of teaching, when it's
followed, leads to an attitude that
the teacher has overcome a great
conflict by the strength of God and
that it is better to let them tell
of the "evils" of the Devil than
to approach them on a personal
level. That works out very nicely
because it allows the teacher to
present whatever point of view
he/she wishes to be taken as truth.
It also "protects" the flock from
the "snares of the enemy".

   So where does that leave us? It
leaves us with a group of people
who believe their teachers are
giving them the truth and that
further personal investigation is
illadvised and unwarrented.

   As long as things remain in that
state, it offers no threat to
anyone. However, in Christianity,
the "truth" must be spread to all
who believe. That brings us to the
article which appeared in the
Maranatha Manna.

   I am a witch, a follower of The
Old Religion, the religion of
Wicca. This was not said to shock
you, but only to get it straight
from the beginning where I stand.

   I will speak honestly and from
my experience on these matters and
ask only that hear me out.


             *******


1)  In the article, Skip Venable
says he believes there is at least
one witch's coven in each county on
the Eastern shore.

    I do not personally know of any
witch's covens on the shore. This
does not mean that there are none,
only that I am not aware of them.


2)  Skip says he would not wish to
have a group of people, who believe
that evil is good and good is evil
as neighbors.

    Neither would I. Such people
could prove to be quite dangerous.

    As a Wiccan, I do not believe
that evil is good, or that good is
evil. We believe that all evil
should be deminished and that good
should be the goal of all.

    In his one statment to that
idea, he has set all occultists up
as doers of evil and enemies of the
Body of Christ.


3)  In the article, he states that
during rituals held on occult
(pagan is prehaps a better word)
holidays, that a murder/sacrifice
is demanded.

    I agree that in some groups
which call themselves Satanist,
this is practiced. In wicca though,
such actions are against the very
nature of the religion. We respect
all life and do not perform animal
or human sacrifices for any reason.


4)  He goes on to say that other
dangers posed are the use of drugs,
violence, and deviant sex, not only
used in ritual but in recruiting
new followers. He goes on to say
that children are especially in
danger of these things.

    I have never used drugs or
violence in any ritual. As far as
the deviant sex part goes, one
must define deviant. First off,
most occultists are heterosexual,
and would do nothing to harm any
other individual either sexually
or otherwise.

   As to the the part about being
a threat to children and using
the things he mentioned to recruit,
Wiccans do not recruit. They do not
try to "win" converts to their
religion. The seeker must come on
his/her own.

   Some groups may use drugs, most
don't. Then again, that's the way
it is with most people. It has been
my experience that most occultists
do not use drugs.


5) Skip relates an incident in
which some teenagers had been
chased from an abandoned building
and that in the building, signs of
"Satanic activity" were discovered.

   There has been an increasing
interest among teenagers in the
occult, mainly due to recent
movies dealing with the subject.

   Is this something new? No, not
at all. How many of you had parties
when you were younger where you
played with Ouija boards or
"contacted a ghost"?  Most of these
kids never get more involved than
you did. As to the symbols and the
writing on the walls, these are the
things society, the church, and the
media have taught them are things
not to be touched. These kids are
expressing one of the oldest human
traits, curiousity.  It is the
adults who are to blame. In their
own fear, they have created the
circumstances which cause these
young people to explore "forbidden"
subjects.


6) It was stated that the "Son of
Sam" killings are now believed to
have been ritualistic.

   This may be true, but again to
attribute it to the occult and all
but say every occultist may one day
"graduate" to human sacrifice is
going a bit too far.

   As I said earlier, a respect for
all life is foremost in the mind of
the majority of occultists and
Wiccans.


7) Skip goes on to say that Satan
is real and should be taken very
seriously.

   Here, I have to state the Wiccan
view of Satan. The view is that the
entity known as Satan does not
exsist. We do however believe that
if one or a group of people believe
strongly enough that such a being
does lvie, they will actually bring
a thought-form into being.

   A thought-form is the mental
creation of one or a group of
individuals, into which that one
or group has put so much energy
that it comes to be "real".

   They store up power in this
being and that power can be used
by those who believe in it.

   In that sense, the being known
as Satan is real. He holds no
reality for me because I do not
believe that the Creator of the
universe, that which you call God,
could have an opposite.


8) The article says that the
ultimate goal of the occult is to
bring personal power to the
individual.

   We believe that the individual
is a part of the whole of creation
and that he/she must strive to be
in balance with that creation.

   We believe in Karma, as a basic
law of the universe, and that what-
ever we send out, returns to us
multiplied. If we seek to harm
others, we will reap what we have
planted.  We do not seek power
through the subjugation, misery,
or harm of another.  There is a
basic tenet of Wicca which says
"An it harm none, do as ye will".

   In this sense, we believe the
same as Christians do. "Do unto
others, as you would have them do
unto you."


9) The subject of Hitler was
brought up also. Hitler himself
claimed to be a Christian, though
he was heavily involved in the
occult also.

   Hitler was a powerful but quite
insane tyrant who chose to seek
personal and national power through
the harm and subjugation of others.

   He ended up dead and his country
subjugated.  Karma won out.

   It's true that he was resposible
for the extermination of six (6)
million men, women, and children. I
have no arguement with the fact
he was expressing evil in it's most
dramatic form.

   But I also present for your
consideration the fact that the
Church during the course of the
inquisition, put nine (9) million
men, women and children to death,
because of their heresies against
the Church, God, and the "truth".

   Am I saying the church is evil?
No, just that the act was evil. It
would be wise to clean up your own
backyard before you going throwing
stones at another.


10) Skip ends the article by
pointing out that the goals of all
occultists, and New Agers is the
establishment of a one world leader,
one world monetary system,
and one world religion.

    I am well familiar with the
current interpretation of the
prophesies regarding the Christian
idea of an Antichrist.

    There has been enough written
on the subject that it is not worth
going into detail here.

    The point I would like to make
though is that not all occultists
and Wiccans want those things. I
feel though that fundamentalist
Christians fear those things for
they have been told they are the
work of the Devil.

   Since an increase in occult
activity is supposed to be one
of the signs of the last days, as
intepreted by those who take the
Bible as the final infallable
word of God, then it is even easier
to attach the idea of Satanism to
all occult activity.


              *******


   So where does this bring us to?
What is the real danger to those
living on Delmarva?

   Well, as I see it the danger is
in the fear and false knowledge
contained in such articles.

   By continuing to propagate such
misinformation, the writers of the
same are encouraging their readers
to look upon all occult activity as
something to be exposed and done
away with.

   Where can this end?

   It could end in the alienation
of innocent people, the persecution
of those practicing the occult, the
actual turning of violence against
occultists. The last idea is not so
far fetched as it may seem. If you
will recall the burning of abortion
clinics by some who felt "lead by
God" you will see what I mean.

   There have been examples of
people driven out of communitites
for their personal occult beliefs.
There have been instances of some
violence also.

   Not all Christians would do such
things, but the continued fears,
that articles of this type nuture,
could lead to such actions.

   I understand the Christian idea
of not cohabiting with the Devil,
but prehaps they should find out
where the Devil actually is. They
spend much more time with him than
most occultists.

   Let us offer a prayer, a hope,
for an awakening that will lessen
this real threat to Delmarva.

   We who follow Wicca feel all
should be allowed to seek the
Creator in thier own way, as long
as that way harms none.  When that
way causes harm to others, we to
would like to see it changed.

   I have come to you in peace and
a desire for better understanding,
may we part in the same way.


                    Blessed Be...
                       (Amen)



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