"Pagan College" and "Witch School"

[Raphael70]

Hello,

Should I be concerned that a close Roman Catholic friend of mine has for many months been reading information and completing questionnaires on web-sites like Pagan College and Witch School? She says it is an “academic” interest. Could this type of interest in Wicca, etc., jeopardize her faith? What should I do?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

In the interests of fairness, I suppose it is possible that there could be a genuine “academic interest” involved, especially if you know that she is solid in her faith, has a firm intellectual grasp of her faith, and knows neo-paganism well enough not to be shaken by its claims. That is a tall order, however, and one that would be rare in the average modern Catholic. It is more likely that she is curious about neo-paganism and is justifying her curiosity by putting down her interest to a purely “academic inquiry.” Such curiosity for curiosity’s sake can be dangerous because it can lead to dabbling, loss of Christian faith, apostasy, and, ultimately, occultism and its attendant spiritual dangers.

Some resources to suggest to her would be paragraphs 2115-2117 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the following articles:

The Witches Next Door by Sandra Miesel

Dispelling the Charms of Wicca by Mary Zurolo

Wiccan Work It Out by John Gibson