Sigh. It’s as if people will believe anything these days, but in this case the theory simply isn’t true.
Gateway Pundit linked to this piece in Digital Journal which makes a number of false claims that anybody with “teh google” and a shred of integrity could have debunked had they not been too lazy. Instead Forsloff relies on the the author of Generation Hex (the anti-Wiccan Christian version, not the Generation Hex written by known racist and hack Jason Louv) Marla Alupoaicei who repeats a claim Wiccans themselves liked to blurt out in the 90s though there is no evidence this has ever been true.
Unlike the early days of Wicca (the 1950 and 1960s) Wicca is no longer a tradition a person needs to be initiated into (and thus trained) nor does it, unfortunately, have a standard set of values and dogma. As I’m quick to point out there are even Christian Wiccans these days, and there are Wiccans who believe in Atheism, Pantheism, and a stoic few even still believe in practicing Witchcraft although most Wiccans are now anti-Witchcraft. Anyone with a Pentagram can call themselves a Wiccan because the term is essentially meaningless.
In the same vein there is no central Wiccan authority who would be keeping count of converts, so how do we know so many new converts are in existence? We don’t. We don’t even know if there can be a few self-selecting studies done where young hipsters were asked about their religious preferences. We only know that people of various stripes claim that Wicca is growing faster than all other religions so we have to judge them by their credibility, and Forsloff’s credibility is lacking to say the least.
In a side bar Forsloff claims The Witches Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar is, well, the Witch’s Bible. It isn’t. It is simply one of nearly a million books written about Wicca for a bloated market. I would bet Forsloff good money that if a study were commissioned we’d find most self-identified Wiccans have never read the book. Of course they might actually know the author’s names which Forsloff thinks is Janet and Stewart Farrara. A small mistake but indicative of the sloppy research Marla has put into this subject.
Much is made of Marla Alupoaicei’s expertise on Wicca in this article. She is claimed to be an expert on Wicca but why do people trust her evaluation so much? Forsloff provides a link to this Christian Post article where she speaks of her deep knowledge of Wicca:
During the hour-long chat, the authors fielded questions submitted to them regarding their new book, Generation Hex, which informs and equips Christians – especially parents – about Wiccan and New Age teachings.
To write the book, the authors interviewed neopagan conference practitioners, travelers to Salem, Mass., and current and former Wicca followers.
“We … talked to over 20 Wiccans in the process of Generation Hex to be as authentic as possible about the movement,†Burroughs noted during the chat.
20 Wiccans! By the gods, you are an expert. I suppose if I spoke to 20 Christians I would be an expert on Christian conversion patterns as well.
That’s not all of the hackery going on with Forsloff and company. The claim in her article that Wicca’s membership doubles every 30 months is unsupported and were I not a gentleman I’d say pulled from a certain orifice. The whole article is grade school level at best, and now thanks to the web will have to be debunked for decades to come.
Well, geez, Rob! What’d you expect from her? After you’ve listened to 20 Wiccans, you basically have the personality traits of the whole pack! LOL
As far as I’m concerned, I will continue to refer people who ask about Wicca to books like the Frosts’ child rape instruction manual and sites like PaganSpace.net. Sure, these aren’t the entire realm of Wicca, but you know what? Until Wiccans hold these crappy, vile representatives of their religion accountable for what they are doing, they will have to reap what they have allowed to be sown! “So mote it be …”
Wiccans are all self-obsessed 16 year old girls who are too poor to join a real cult, and too afraid of pain to be “cutters.” Blessed Be!
If you read the comments in the Digital Journal story, they are clearly new to the net. They became flustered over the spam promoting WWF. Didn’t know what to make of it and actually thought it was a real person trying to contribute to the conversation.
The rest of their statements are clearly from people completely new to Wicca. They believe the whole article and regurgitate it as if it’s something they’ve known from “all their years” in Wicca. In other words, they’re either kids or retired folk and liars either way.
Kudos to Carol Forsloff for exposing this wicked doctrine of demons!
I would encourage the denizens of Wicca-world to redouble their dedication to the Wiccan Rede and Law of Three in response.
Spare no effort to promote the idea that TRUE WITCHCRAFT has nothing to do with spirits, divination, sacrifice or initiation of ANY sort!
Thus reassured that no real challenge faces them, Forsloff and her ilk can then narrow their targets even further.
Stamp out pentacles, Goth fashion, glitter dust and “teen witch” accessories! That will show the wiccans!!!!
Then the wiccans can start yet more ill-conceived public relations groups and ribbon campaigns! And the “spiritual warfare” folks can counter with a ribbon campaign of their own!
“I find the antics of these Eloi quite amusing,” quoth the Morlock.
A spiritually bereft religious arms race in effect. That would be amusing.
Now that I know that you lie about your stats, I wonder what other things you lie about. That is the big news. As for the growth rate, it could have been true since you are a small bunch to begin with. Whatever positive I had in my article was somewhat sympathetic to your having some integrity. Now that I know you have none, I will recognize you for what you are and make no more mistakes.
Huh? What stats am I lying about? What are you talking about Carol?
Also, as I’ve pointed out I’m not a Wiccan. And aren’t you the liar? You claim to be an expert on Wicca but you’ve spoken to 20 people and apparently never bothered to pick up a comparative religion book.
I’m not sure why you’re so upset (although I guess being exposed as a hack can be disconcerting) but please take the time to make coherent points here.
I never claimed to be an expert on Wiccan; just wrote a story about them in relationship to what they express as their growth and practices. That’s news. If I wanted to write a magazine feature, I might go to town, but frankly it isn’t worth it. It was, however, what the Wiccans at the conference believed and suggested. I guess you would call them liars as well.
What I object to is that your stupidity becomes part of the Google search.
But then it is your agenda one should worry about.as to why you wrote the critique in the first place, because it is poorly written and hardly thought out. I don’t know what you are but you are the hack as your poorly put together website clearly shows.
Well now I understand. I’ll keep writing about you until I reach the top of the Google list.
You still haven’t told me what stats I was supposedly writing about. As for my “hack” website-really? You self publish books on the Internet on a website that boasts about your inclusion in a number of Who’s Who publications (you pay to get in those don’t you?) but my WordPress blog seems hacky to you?
It’s funny how self-published authors like to complain that everything critical of them is “poorly written and hardly thought out” as if because they use a vanity press they’re suddenly different from bloggers. I’d say it was projection of some type were I to want to point out how poorly written your book was. But I’m not that mean a guy.
So again, I ask you to explain what your first comment meant. What stats did I lie about?
You will next hear from a lawyer because of your intent to do harm, which you have expressed on this piece. As for “self-published” and paying to get included, you likely do not know the Marquis publications and would never be admitted.
Your interest is to defame, which is against the law. Period. Secondarily, your ongoing junk is proof positive that the Wicca experience, if that is yours, is, growing or not, something that is unhealthy, if you represent the views of it.
Followers of Wicca in abundance were at a major religion day conference. They handed our material with their numbers. If they lied, well then they did. But they were far more gracious than you.
Sure I’ll hear from her lawyer. At which point he’ll tell me that criticizing someone’s public views is not defamation, we’ll both laugh snidely at her ignorance and I’ll wish him well.
“They lied” or you and Forsloff didn’t bother to do any research that didn’t involve Google?
My interest is in telling the truth. Please explain how disagreeing with someone is defamatory.