What ensued next was a plethora of all the dark images moviegoers have faced over the last 12 years at theatres and on DVD. Witches made an entrance. Battles began. Blood spilled. Nature turned dark. Manhunts took the viewers on an escape or capture of the “good” person, and life after escape and capture began. Moviegoers then were taken on a journey in the view of the “hero” to see how life for them was now that they were embroiled in this battle of good versus evil. Would the heroine/hero escape and win the day (the battle) or would the witch/wizard rule the kingdom (the watcher’s universe) for eternity? This particular fairy tale, the director’s version, was about 1 ½ hours of evil and battles by an unbeatable army - fear and death. The story was not about a happy-ever-after event but about the time between beginning and end.
This plot has been played out repeatedly and increasingly since the beginning of the Harry Potter series. The fascination people have with “darkness” and witches/wizards has led readers and moviegoers to be drawn toward this genre. Back when the above series first began, some people said, “Allowing our children to read these books promotes witchcraft and wizardry.” Many people bellowed back, “It did not.” Many people laughed at them that nothing of that kind could happen. Yet I have seen the fascination of these dark stories with evil, wizards, and witches become very important in the lives of people throughout the world. Yes, evil has existed on earth since the fall of humankind in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). My point is that our fascination by these genres and stories has made people seek them out. It has made dark stories more acceptable (what Satan wants) and, thus, allowed it to make inroads into our lives. Preteens, teens and adults read vampire and witch stories and are fascinated by stories set in medieval times, times when sorcery was prevalent and where Christianity was not taught to the masses. Christianity was kept to the priests and performed by the priests for the congregants’ sakes. Witchcraft and sorcery were strictly prohibited by the LORD God. These and worshipping false gods God called an abomination. You can read it in Deuteronomy (12:2, 16:21, 18:9-14), Leviticus (19:31 & 20:27), and Galatians 5:19-21. God abolished them because they were detestable and would distract and lead the children of God from worshipping Him exclusively to worshipping other gods (those manufactured by Satan).
The medieval times were called the Dark Ages for a reason. Satan was
working hard amidst humanity to lead it astray before the Gospel became prevalent
and spread worldwide. Fascination with wizards, brought about because of
books with characters who were witches and wizards, has intrigued humanity so
much they began delving into the Middle Ages. Should we not learn that
foremost what occurred during the medieval ages should be a lesson to us? We
should not to go backward but forward into the future with hope and with the
salvation plan God has given us? We should be stronger in our faith than
the people of the Middle Ages by now. We have had the opportunity of over
500 years distance to learn how to be strong against evil and how to have a
relationship with Jesus, not to allow the priest to be the “go-between” for us.
We should not allow Satan to distract us from the LORD with fascination about
witches and wizards. Yet we are drawn to this age, to the darkness, maybe under
the ruse we are studying it, but we are drawn to it. Shouldn’t we think
that Satan would love to use our curiosity against us to plant ideas in our
minds. These ideas then would make us start accepting the culture of the people
of the Middle Ages again under the pretext that all people have a right to live
according to their will. Curiosity about the gods of Canaan by the
Israelites was why the LORD God told them to destroy the places of worship they
found in the Promised Land when they entered it to possessed it. The curiosity
of humankind and then rationalization are what leads us to probe and consider
the ways of others that do not follow the Lord.
If we find ourselves saying, “We must be tolerant of all,” does that include people who choose a lifestyle from that dark time even though we see by hindsight what it did to the people of that age? That lifestyle is counter to the one the Father has taught us since that then. How much can we challenge people about that lifestyle they are trying to live for themselves? Wicca and pagan cults have seen a large increase in their numbers over the last 15 years. From 1990 until 2001, the membership of Wicca and pagan cults more than doubled in the US and around the world. Wicca was the seventh largest organized religion in the US as of 2001. Another survey in 2008 found this number had doubled again[i]. Wiccans do not stay in hiding much anymore but are becoming more visible. We must challenge these beliefs and then stand up for ours and teach ours to our children and the next generations.
In the Crusades of the Dark Age, this religious battle occurred as Christian
against Muslim and Christians against witches and wizards. Alternative
religions continuously juxtapose to Christianity and people today consider them
acceptable religions. “All religions are thought to be right for everyone because
all people will eventually get to heaven,” some people say. Others say the
contrary, “Only one religion is right so each religious group must fight for
the right to be the “true” religion.” When do we step out and say, “Stop, this
is going backwards in our religious growth and maturity?” When will we
understand that this fascination with medieval times, wizards and witches, and
religious warfare actually opens the door to bring the thoughts and actions of
the Dark Ages back into existence? At what point do we realize we have
opened a door that should have remained closed? This is no longer a
fascination we are feeding, but a battle we are waging for the minds, hearts,
and souls of those who live today and of our descendents. We must be
accountable to our future generations.
This story could be about a “happily-ever-after” if we would open our
eyes, which Satan wants to be closed and darkened, and see that history is repeating
itself. It is not futile and hopeless. We have a Champion of the
historical story, of the plot of humanity. We must let Jesus Christ become
our Savior and Champion. He will not come to our aid unless we allow Him;
He does not storm in. Yet if we can see beyond the darkness in which Satan
has enveloped us by the ruse of fascination, we can open the door we have
allowed Satan to shut. We can open the door to Jesus, our Champion. We do
not have to walk backwards in time and re-live the darkness of the Dark Age. We
can walk forward knowing the battle is won. There is a Champion. The days and
times do not have to be dark. We can live in victory today. Because Jesus
is the conqueror of death and Satan, we can also be more than conquerors
through Him (Romans 8:31-39). Jesus is our “happily-ever-after.”
