Wiccan at Work

We've had quite the discussion in the comments section, over the workplace 'witch'.

Says Carlos:Well, if she says that she is a witch, then she is most likely a Wiccan, which is a pagan religion whose participants call themselves witches. I wouldn't insult her faith because that may get you in trouble at work yourself. I think "spells" are a form of prayer for that religion.

I think you should be charitable in how you deal with her, but make it clear that you're not interested (assuming you're not). You should pray for her as well.

I believe I also said we shouldn't be sarcastic and that we should pray for her. But the discussion continues:

I agree with Carlos. "Witch" is not just a fantasy creature like unicorns. Wiccans, and many Pagans in general, use the terms "witch" and "warlock" to describe their role in their faith. I can tell you from personal experience that calling her silly and telling her you'll pray for her is the number one way to guarantee she will never EVER listen to anything a Christian has to say ever again and will, in fact, make sure all of her friends know to hate Christians as well. Again, personal experience. I know a number of pagan people who decided to invest firmly in that faith because of the final straw when the Christians treated them with mocking and disrespect.

One main idea that many pagans (Wiccans especially) hold as a foundation is "An harm none". If you need to talk to this co-worker in her language, you could point out that doing something to you ("casting spells") against your will is harmful. Ignore the fact that we don't believe in spells... she obviously does. She needs a reason to stop that makes sense to *her*. The best way to get through to her may be you taking the time to figure out some of her faith language.

Wiccans brought me back to Christ after a traumatic absense. Most of them have a firmer and stronger faith than many Christians I know; it's just faith in the wrong thing. I really hate to see when a loving group of people such as these are attacked or demeaned by those who don't take the time to understand.

and also:

Carlos is correct: Wiccans consider themselves witches and telling them there is no such things as witches is insulting to them, and frankly, naive. It's too big and serious a thing to be brushed off so easily. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca Sorry, Sister, but I think you're way off on #1. However, I believe #2 and #3 are both excellent advice.

I beg to differ. Witches are indeed fantasy creatures. Perhaps not like a unicorn, though, and more on a par with vampires and werewolves.

I can call myself a vampire until my face turns blue. I can dress up and go to vampire nightclubs and rob blood banks and drink blood and go to a dentist and have my canine teeth filed to razor points.

I'm still not a vampire. I'm just a poor sad person who thought it was cool to have my teeth filed and run around looking scary. I will not live forever, be burned to ashes by exposure to the sun, turn other people into vampires by biting them, not be reflected in a mirror, have super strength or turn myself into a bat.

Although, a lot of people seem to think I can turn myself into a bat or that I already am one.

In any case, if you come up to me and tell me you're a vampire, I don't have to give you a big speech and say that I think you are a poor sad person who is trying to be hip or that you are looking for some sort of power in life that you are very sadly lacking and that you couldn't be barking louder up the most wrong of trees. But I think it's legitimate to mention to you that there really is no such thing as a vampire.

So even if I am part of a group that calls itself "Wiccans" and as a girl Wiccan I call myself a witch, the truth is, I am not a witch. I have no power over anyone. There is no such thing as a love potion or a love spell, so it really doesn't matter what I call myself when I 'cast' one.

Power comes from God. Not from a love of nature or dancing around in the forest or crystals or the roots of plants.

A person can certainly run around and do evil in the world. But said person will have no actual power over you except the powers of persuasion.

And a person can do evil in the world by running around worshipping nature instead of God, who made nature, by getting other people to follow along, thus taking those people away from their relationship with God.

I especially disagree that telling this poor girl she is silly is in any way a disservice to her. I expressly stated that there is no reason to be unkind or sarcastic. I didn't say, "Tell her to go find someone more gullible and cast her spell on that poor sap." But telling her that it is silly to believe that her love potion has any sort of power, that is the truth in its simplest form.

Where is St. Boniface when we need him? The Germans were worshipping a big tree, "The Tree of Thor". Boniface went a lot farther than telling them it was silly. He chopped the tree down. The Germans were quaking in their boots for a minute there, waiting for Thor to strike them all down. When Thor was no where to be found after the incident, St. Boniface had an instant Catholic parish.

We're not chopping her tree down here, as much as we would love to do that. We are just stating two facts: there are no people, except Catholic priests, with any kind of supernatural powers, and it is actually against the law to harass people at work with your 'religion', even if it turns out that your religion is the One True Church. As I said, you can't have a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe on her desk and she can't run around being a "witch" casting "spells". Not at work.