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What is Wicca and Why It Appeals to Teens · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of Five Minute Parenting.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Today is Halloween, not one of my favorite holidays.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I recently read an article from Focus on the Family about Wicca, W-I-C-C-A.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: The Gospel Coalition says that Wicca is the largest subset of the modern witchcraft revival movement.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's characterized as a worldview, religion, and practices associated with using rituals that are believed to harness and focus cosmic and psychic energies to bring about some desired change.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Modern witchcraft is the largest and most common subset of neo-paganism, a diverse group of religious movements that claim to be derived from historical pagan religions.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And Wiccan now has a growing footprint, a digital footprint, and it's online, social media.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: There's lots of hashtags that go along with it, as long as as well as emojis.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: But it supports tolerance and openness.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: So you'll see hashtags such as mindfulness, meditation, spirituality, wellness, and so forth.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And there's an overlap with areas of mysticism and also LGBT, and they promise the acceptance of everyone, no matter who you are or what you do.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: And Wicca especially appeals to younger teens who feel pressure to show tolerance.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: One of Wicca's primary goals is to re-establish female power and usher in a new era of goddess worship.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: We see that all around in our culture.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Both Wicca and feminism share an overarching desire to replace male rule with female rule, effectively reversing gender roles that we see in the Bible and a biblical view of men and women.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Wicca also offers emotional highs, and this appeals to young teens, especially females.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Wicca promises a safe medium to manage and heighten one's emotions.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Wiccans believe that connecting with nature enables them to both receive and give extensive healing and miracles.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: And they also believe that you can influence your own reality.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can be able to influence your reality.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: It sounds particularly appealing to teenagers who might otherwise feel powerless.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Through incantations and rituals, Wicca promises an outlet for teens to manipulate power in the universe for their personal benefit.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: All of these beliefs are anti-Christian, anti-Bible.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we need to help our teens be aware that all these practices are on social media.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: So what do you do if your teen is interested or involved in Wicca?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, listen.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: The more questions you ask, the more room you will earn to speak.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Ask your teen why they are interested.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Seek to understand their perspective first through listening, and then use thoughtful questions that show genuine consideration.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Find out the why.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Research.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: You research.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Have them research.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be afraid to break the conversation up into separate smaller conversations after you've had some time to collect your thoughts.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Also, when you're ready, offer your insight.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Use some of the points above and in this article to help your discussion.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: You are still the parent.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Engage in a discussion outlining the biblical perspective on witchcraft and magic.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Provide the space for your teen to reason and think, both individually and alongside of you.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And we need to show our teen that only God has the power and that He offers us eternal salvation and a relationship with Jesus.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: For the Christian, there's absolutely no room for worship or anything, for anything but God.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Also, I will list a phone number that focuses on the family list to talk to a counselor.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have questions or your teen has questions, feel free to reach out to them.