Theistic Satanism: Home > To Pagans > Stop scapegoating Satanists! > Proposal to PEN



Proposed revisions to PEN's "Modern Witchcraft" document

by Diane Vera


Copyright © 2003 by Diane Vera. All rights reserved.



Below are my proposed revisions to PEN's Modern Witchcraft document, as of October 25, 2003 C.E.

My proposed revised version still does distinguish between Pagan Witchcraft and Satanism, but does so in a way that does not scapegoat Satanists.

Furthermore, I think that my proposed revisions are also likely to make a better impression on PEN's intended target audience, thereby serving PEN's own purposes better. My proposal reorganizes the "Setting the Record Straight" section in a way that, in my opinion, not only eliminates the scapegoating of Satanists but also does a much better job of putting Paganism's own best foot forward.

Below are copies of (1) the current wording of the "Setting the Record Straight" section and (2) my proposed revised version. First, the current wording:

Setting the record straight

Witchcraft has no relationship with Satanism; all Pagans, including Witches, emphatically disavow Satan or any other personification of evil. Satanism is a Christian heresy, while Witchcraft is a religion independent of Christianity. Witches are essentially healers, whether they heal broken bones or broken spirits. Witches are not anti-Christian or against any other positive faith. Pagans of all paths respect the individualšs right to freedom of worship. Pagans do not prosyletize or "recruit." Instead, they trust individuals to discover the spiritual path most appropriate for them.

Wiccan ethical principles temper personal freedom with personal responsibility. Federal and state courts recognize Witchcraft and other forms of Paganism as religions entitled to First Amendment protections. Wicca has been included in the U.S. Army chaplain's manual since the 1970s.

Two items often misunderstood by the public are the Book of Shadows and the pentagram. The former is a compendium of a coven's or a Witch's ethics, rituals, spells, training techniques, and experiences. The pentagram, or five-pointed star, has been known since Babylonian times and represents, among other things, protection, the human body, the hand, the element of Earth, and perfect balance. The inverted (point down) pentagram is used as a symbol in Gardnerian Witchcraft, but in general the pentagram is shown in the upright position. Some Pagans feel the inversion of the pentagram by Satanists is as much a corruption of the Craft as is Satanists' inversion of the cross a corruption of Christianity.

Lastly, while terms such as "white Witch" or "black magic" may seem like good clarifiers to separate Witches from Satanists, the terms are actually inherently racist and most Witches do not use them. Male Witches are not called "warlocks," as this term derives from the Anglo-Saxon term for "oathbreaker."

Witchcraft is a dynamic, demanding spiritual path, based in personal growth, natural rhythms, and an intense relationship with Divinity. Healing the self, the community, and the Earth, Witches are making positive contributions to create a healthier world.

And below is my proposed re-wording:

Setting the record straight

Wiccans and most other Pagan Witches are primarily healers, whether they heal broken bones or broken spirits. Hexing is strongly discuraged, especially in Wicca, in light of the Wiccan Rede and the Law of Three. Wiccan ethical principles emphasize personal freedom tempered with personal responsibility.

The Wiccan Goddess and God do not personify either "Good" or "Evil." They personify Nature.

Two items often misunderstood by the public are the Book of Shadows and the pentagram. The former is a compendium of a coven's or a Witch's ethics, rituals, spells, training techniques, and experiences.

The pentagram, or five-pointed star, has been known since Babylonian times. Today it is a commonplace symbol, used by many different people to mean many different things. For example, point-up pentagrams have often been used as Christmas tree ornaments. (They are not usually refereed to as "pentagrams" in that context, but they are the exact same shape.) There are fifty pentagrams on the American flag (albeit solid, filled in pentagrams rather than line drawings). The point-down pentagram has been used by many different groups also, such as the Order of the Eastern Star.

To Pagan Witches, the point-up pentagram represents, among other things, protection, the human body, the hand, the element of Earth, and perfect balance. The point-down pentagram is used as a symbol in Gardnerian Witchcraft, but more commonly the pentagram is shown in the point-up position.

Pagan Witchcraft is not Satanism. Satan is not part of the Wiccan pantheon.

Satanists are among the many people that have used the point-down pentagram. But this does not imply that all who use it are Satanists, any more than the use of point-up pentagrams as Christmas tree ornaments by many Christians implies that all who use the point-up pentagram are Christians. Pentagrams, whether point-up or point-down, are part of the common heritage of humanity, not the property of any one group.

While terms such as "white Witch" or "black magic" may seem like good clarifiers to separate Pagan Witches from Satanists, we consider those terms to be racist, and most Pagan Witches do not use them. Male Witches are not called "warlocks," as this term derives from the Anglo-Saxon term for "oathbreaker."

Pagans of all paths respect the individualšs right to freedom of worship. Pagans do not prosyletize or "recruit." Instead, they trust individuals to discover the spiritual path most appropriate for them.

Federal and state courts recognize Pagan Witchcraft and other forms of Paganism as religions entitled to First Amendment protections. Wicca has been included in the U.S. Army chaplain's manual since the 1970s.

Pagan Witchcraft is a dynamic, demanding spiritual path, based in personal growth, natural rhythms, and an intense relationship with Divinity. Healing the self, the community, and the Earth, Witches are making positive contributions to create a healthier world.

In addition to my proposed re-wording of the "Setting the record straight" section, I also ask that, in the entire "Modern Witchcraft" document, the words "Witch" and "Witchcraft" be replaced by either "Wiccan"/"Wicca" or the larger category "Pagan Witchcraft"/"Pagan Witch," as appropriate, depending on the particular context.

(Reason: Wiccans and other modern Pagans don't own the word "Witch" and thus should not claim to speak for all Witches. As far as I am aware, the first modern writer to reclaim the word "Witch" in a positive sense, with emphasis on the Witch as healer, was Jules Michelet, in _La Sorciere_, a work of literary Satanism. But I'm NOT asking PEN to discuss such historical issues in its intro literature; I'm just asking them to define only "Pagan Witchcraft" rather than "Witchcraft" in general.)



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