Tag: Sharia law

This Halloween, witchcraft isn’t just a costume anymore

By Linda Harvey, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, October 27, 2026

iStock/Siarhei Khaletski
iStock/Siarhei Khaletski

We are told in Scripture to love good and hate evil. And of course, evil is defined by God, not by today’s sin fable factory churning out “transphobia,” “colonialism” and the like.

American culture is so far from hating evil that we accept almost anything without much of a fuss. The fuss itself is considered evil.

So, satanists providing the invocations recently at an Iowa city council meeting and at a town council in Washington state produced only a ripple of objection to a lengthy diatribe implicitly defying Judeo-Christian faith and closing with “hail, Satan.” There was one pastor at the Iowa meeting who requested a pause to negate this dark declaration by the satanist, a former council member. “Let’s reverse this curse that was put on our city,” the pastor asked. A moment of silence was then granted.

A moment of silence? To counter “hail Satan”? What has America become?

That pastor represents the diminishing remnant.

The Washington audience voiced no objections. In fact, some members of the Battle Ground, Washington audience affirmed the wicked message through voice or gestures. It’s interesting because this town has been the focus of news stories about an emerging “Christian nationalism” presence, which agitated local liberals.

So, the hellish invocation was a planned political statement in response to the scary threat of Christian patriots. Yet at this meeting, where were the Bible thumpers? If there’s a Christian takeover, it was invisible, as the council heard the satanist with nary a raised eyebrow.

Proud paganism is simply not shocking anymore. As we enter another Halloween season with its strangely exploding popularity ($13.5 billion expected expenditures), it’s time to recognize that the mechanics of paganism and witchcraft are incorporated into the everyday routines of many Americans. Even those who claim Christian faith think nothing of practices that are eerily similar to sorcery.

Incantations like “naming and claiming” (the prosperity gospel), which twists words of Scripture to carry power apart from trusting God’s will, are actually covetous, power-grabbing rituals. Witches would be OK with that.

So is the repetition of words or phrases as a mantra for the same reason (even Scripture). Also, revering objects or icons in prayers; any type of divination; following one’s astrological sign; sending any prayers to female figures as goddesses instead of God Almighty; or seeking altered consciousness, even if one is trying to “connect” with the Holy Spirit. There are even Christian witches, self-declared. But their conduct is heretical, not faithful.

God never told us to do any of this, but instead, He gives stern warnings against pagan practices like these, even if we believe our intentions are good.

As our populace abandons faithful Christianity, paganism is the choice by more and more, although some, especially satanists, call themselves “atheists.” There is even research about what issues are most important to pagans. It’s about what you would imagine: the environment, feminism, acceptance of “LGBT” behaviors, and an “open mind” are at the top.

But many observe that as our populace deteriorates mentally and ethically, those who are somewhat or heavily antagonistic toward Judeo-Christian beliefs — like witches and pagans — are easier to manipulate toward the most radical beliefs. We can see how the politics of paganism may be contributing to a sizeable voting bloc of unthinking screamers.

Unstable males gravitate toward neo-Nazi influencers — Hasan Piker and even, oddly, Tucker Carlson — with hate-filled messages where demonic deception is a convenient side dish. Many “satanists” are simply hard-Left disaffected rebels.

But Satan is not choosy. He will use whatever person invokes his name.

Polling indicates that women lean more liberal politically, and it’s easy to see why. American females are way too easy to draw into even the weirdest insanity of progressive politics — even support for misogynists who love Sharia law.

Doreen Virtue explains in a video, The Dark New Age Rabbit Hole, how easily Christian women can be lured into one occultic practice after another, still believing they are covered through quick prayers to the Lord. Women are moved by an appeal to empowerment and the “self,” but this often ends in disaster.

It’s not just personal tragedy at stake. Our national security may also be going down the rabbit hole through massive spiritual deception.

Feminism has taught females to respond emotionally to self-declared “victims,” tear-jerking messages about immigrants, so-called genocide in Gaza, trans-“affirming” health care for teens (actually, mutilation), defending the “need” for one’s abortion (and even perhaps the murder of one’s toddlers) and the cruelties of alleged GOP “fascism.”

And they will readily believe any tale of conservatives as racists, pedophiles, rapists, etc., who recklessly leave countless (usually unnamed) victims in their wake. These women conveniently ignore the hundreds of thousands of children lost after Biden’s open border invasion, the children mutilated by “trans” procedures, or the millions of babies butchered in abortion.

Our girls are magnetized to dark forms of empowerment, and the spiritual danger is real. The number of adherents to witchcraft is rising rapidly and it’s mostly the young — “maidens” — yet a segment of “crones” embraces the craft as well.

New movies this fall continue the trend to normalize witchcraft — Practical Magic 2 — and to fuel the narrative that some people are “born” witches or into witch families (where have we heard that before?). Hexed, the Disney animation slated for Thanksgiving, will deliver this message to millions of children unless discerning parents turn away.

There’s Forbidden Fruits, out earlier this year. And of course, many American children are feasting on the distortions of the Wizard of Oz knock-off films, Wicked and Wicked for Good, featuring Glinda the Good Witch with her school friend Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, transformed into a victimized, person-of-color animal rights activist.

Of course she is. Even our American classic “witch” stories aren’t sacred anymore but force-fitted with the ever-present leftist agenda.

In the past three decades, the number of witch movies is hard to keep track of. Subject matter that once was repugnant is now ho-hum.

Observe how formulaic today’s typical witch tale is. Witchcraft, sorcery and paganism are portrayed as attractive, useful for problem-solving, empowering, intriguing and free of the “oppression” of orthodox Judeo-Christian values. These beliefs allow for personal (especially sexual) freedom. The sales pitch goes from embracing alleged “good” witch practices to eventually conceding how helpful the “bad” witch tools can be, like calling down curses on enemies.

It is a quick walk the emotionally challenged can easily travel and it is not a big stretch to say that the rapidly advancing embrace of political violence on the left has a strong connection to witchcraft and paganism. They have embraced the lie and are motivated to act.

Pagans and satanists will be found not infrequently among vicious “trans” rights demonstrations and Antifa protests. These “direct actions” can actually be spells, you see.

So, is it any wonder that Christians have more warnings than ever against all occult practices and the observance of Halloween? Ex-witches and ex-satanists are sounding the alarm.

Ex-witch Ashley Jones says that the Word of God is essential. “The only way you can discern evil is to know the truth.”

To which I say, Amen.

Linda Harvey is President of Mission America.

Understanding the Threat of Islamism to Christians and Western Values

The global surge of Islamist activity, marked by violent acts, protests, and religious tensions, has sparked significant concern for Christians and Western societies. From terrorist attacks in New Orleans and violent demonstrations in Europe to widespread grooming and abuse scandals in Britain and brutal persecution of Christians in Africa, these events reflect both historical patterns of conquest within Islam and the modern implications of Islamism. This escalating threat underscores the urgent need for vigilance, prayer, and support for persecuted Christians worldwide.

The rough start to 2025 did not start on January 1. On New Year’s Day, a U.S. Army veteran plowed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans in a terrorist attack done in the name of the Islamic State. A few hours later, pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked Sixth Avenue in New York, calling to globalize the intifada. Across the Atlantic, a report was released about Muslim “grooming gangs” preying on lower-class white girls in Britain, although “grooming” is too mild of a descriptor for what the report claimed.  

Since 2000, 250,000 British girls have been drugged, sexually assaulted, and trafficked. Those who reported their assaults were blamed or ignored. Fathers who attempted to rescue their daughters were arrested. People who tried to expose this behavior were imprisoned. Apparently, officials were afraid of being labeled racist or being accused of inciting racial tensions. They were more fearful of being insensitive than protecting girls from sexual abuse and exploitation. 

Across Europe, Christmas markets were attacked and disrupted by Muslim demonstrations. In many European cities, Muslims regularly pray publicly in areas in acts designed to cause maximum disturbance. This is something rare in actual Islamic nations and indicates the intent of Muslims to claim new territory as their own. On New Year’s Day, immigrants, mostly Muslim, rioted in Brussels, Berlin, and other cities. 

Also, in what’s become a terrible tradition on holy days in Nigeria, Christians again suffered a series of murderous attacks over Christmas at the hands of Islamic Fulani herdsmen and ISIS-related groups. According to a report from Open Doors, at least 25 were killed, some while returning from a Christmas Day church service. 21 Christians were also killed in Christmastide attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Most Muslims are peaceful and would condemn such attacks in the name of their faith. However, a significant percentage of Muslims are Islamists, and Islamists who believe that Islam is destined to rule the world often think that jihad is how this domination will happen. Islamism is not an aberrant form of Islam, as is often claimed. In view of the history of Islam, Islamists more closely reflect the life of Mohammed and the history of Islam than is often acknowledged. 

Mohammed, a merchant turned religious leader turned warlord, initially attempted to convert the surrounding Arabs by preaching to them. When that failed, he turned to raiding and sought conversions by military conquest. As his power expanded and Mohammed’s raiding extended into Persia and the Byzantine Empire, he allowed his warriors to take non-Muslims as sex slaves, similar to what is happening today in Britain. 

Mohammed’s successors also expanded Muslim territory by conquest. In fact, conquest is the primary means by which Islam has spread across the world. Some groups, like the Turks, converted to Islam to avoid slave raids. Others allied with the Caliphate for economic reasons or to obtain better military technology. In some areas, Muslims were welcomed as merchants and granted concessions until, when they were strong enough, the Muslims took over those regions. A recent parallel is Lebanon, once a majority Christian country until Palestinian refugees consolidated enough power to topple the government.

Muslims often claim that jihad does not mean “religious war” but rather “struggle” and that the “greater jihad,” according to the Qur’an, is the struggle to submit to the will of Allah. That is true according to the Qur’an, but in Islamic literature and history, jihad overwhelmingly refers to religious warfare. In principle, jihad as warfare is to be defensive. However, in practice, and according to Mohammad, anyone who is called but refuses to convert to Islam is a threat to the Islamic community and subject to jihad.  

The early chapters of the Qur’an contain statements prohibiting coercion in religion, as well as positive statements about Christians and Jews. However, these statements are considered by Islamists to be abrogated by later statements prohibiting friendship with Christians and Jews. Included in these later passages are particularly vicious statements against the Jews. Historically, in Muslim countries, Christians and Jews were considered second-class citizens, with limited rights and increasing prohibitions on their behavior, often designed to humiliate them.  

Many critics and scholars suggest that Islam needs a Reformation, like what happened in the sixteenth century within Christianity. Arguably, Islamism is that reformation, a return to the authoritative sources of Islam, a literal reading of the Qur’an, an embrace of Sharia law, and an emphasis on the personal example of Mohammad.  

Clearly, the rise of Islamism around the world holds serious implications for Christians and the West. Even more, the implications are immediate for our persecuted brethren in Islamic countries and in borderland territories like Nigeria. Pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ living under Islamic rule.

By John Stonestreet – President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program.

Source: Christianity .com