Witchcraft, Part 2 – Biblical View
“The Witch of Endor – Ghost of Samuel Appearing to Saul” by William Blake (c. 1800), National Gallery of Art, Source https://www.nga.gov/artworks/11498-ghost-samuel-appearing-saul#inscription, (PD)
With Halloween approaching, our thoughts are likely to turn to candied apples, witches, ghosts, and goblins. But the Bible takes witchcraft very seriously as a dark art, a means of contacting the spirit world that unleashes demonic forces.
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (Ex. 22: 18).
“‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying’” (Lev. 19: 26).
“‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them’” (Lev. 20: 27).
“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer” (Deut. 18: 10).
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred…and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5: 19-21).
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21: 8).
Witchcraft is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments. It was considered on a par with the sin of sacrificing a child to the god Molech in a gruesome ceremony during which the child was burned alive. That correlation has not changed.
Queen Jezebel
The wicked queen Jezebel was described as practicing witchcraft (2 Kings 9: 22).
King Saul
Saul, Israel’s first king, sought out a medium to contact the deceased prophet, Samuel. This episode is described at 1 Sam. 28: 3-25. Mediums and spiritists had been expelled from the land. But Saul’s servants found such a woman at En Dor. Hesitant for fear of punishment at first, the woman did conjure up a spirit resembling Samuel. The spirit (whether Samuel or a demon assuming his guise) then prophesied Saul’s downfall and death for failure to obey God.
This event was likely Shakespeare’s inspiration for the scene in Hamlet where the main character encounters his father’s ghost, and for the witches’ prophecies of doom in Macbeth [2].
King Manasseh
King Manasseh, too, was known for idolatry and rebellion against God. The Bible says of him, “Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger” (2 Chron. 33: 6).
White Magic vs. Black Magic
Some 1.5 million Americans identify as witches today [3].
Modern day practitioners of Wicca (described as a nature religion) view magic as a neutral force to be used for good or evil [4]. Many cultures, however, have distinguished between white and black magic [5][6]. White magic is said to be associated with positive actions like healing, protection, and spiritual growth. Black magic is associated with selfish, harmful, malevolent intentions (curses).
In truth, there is no distinction between so called white magic and black magic. But neither is magic a neutral force.
The tools of witchcraft – ritual knives, wands, spells, pentacles, cauldrons, tarot cards, crystals, and the like – are not harmless amusements. Those who use such devices open themselves up to demonic possession. Nothing could be more dangerous.
Satan utilizes witchcraft – mediums, horoscopes, etc. – to entice people away from God, and provide them with the delusion of enlightenment and power, rather than the holy spirituality only a relationship with God can provide. This is effectively idolatry.
And the consequence of following false idols is eternal damnation.
—
[1] Wikipedia, “Witchcraft and divination in the Hebrew Bible”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft_and_divination_in_the_Hebrew_Bible.
[2] Number Analytics, “Unlocking Shakespeare’s Allusions” by Sara Lee, 5/27/25, https://www.numberanalytics.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-allusion-in-shakespeare.
[3] Pluralism, “Rising Wiccan Tide: 1.5 Million US Witches Challenge Mainstream Religion”, 3/3/24, https://pluralism.org/news/rising-wiccan-tide-15-million-us-witches-challenge-mainstream-religion.
[4] Wikipedia, “Wicca”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca.
[5] Wikipedia, “White magic”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_magic.
[6] Wikipedia, “Black magic”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_magic.
Part 1 in this series was posted last week
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 
Thank you for stating what so many Christians need to hear, Anna! The prevalence of harvest parties, trunk or treat, and other similar activities that many churches now sponsor is very alarming to me. That the Body of Christ would sanction that which is identified with Satan is an indicator that the church has become so like the world as to be nearly inseparable from it.
I’ve heard all the arguments such as “it’s for the kids” or “why shouldn’t our kids get to “celebrate” Halloween just like all the other kids”, or the ever popular “they’re just having fun”. What has been lost among the proponents of such things is exactly what you stated so clearly: the Lord condemns such activities. Shouldn’t that be enough?
Witchcraft in all its forms feeds on ignorance.
I agree, Anna
Thank you so much for this great summary and clear warning regarding the matter of witchcraft. So needed today around the world!
As I write it seems the matter of ancestor worship and other forms of witchcraft are strangling my own beloved country, its politics, its economy with corruption at every level of society, not to speak of its morality and true spirituality. Very recently our ambassador to France and former Police Minister, Nathi Nthetwa, plunged from a 22 storey Paris hotel to his death, with allegations of suicide or even murder at the hand of corrupt, evil political networks in S.A. His body was flown back to his native Zululand for ‘reintroduction to his ancestral spirits,’ can you believe it?! Despite some very highly educated leaders, superstition continues to abound.
In my journeys I’ve seen the home of voodoo in West Africa, and this exported to South America, where a superstitious syncretistic Roman Catholicism reigns: I saw it in several visits to Brazil and Peru.
Of course, we are not surprised if we recall e.g. Eph. 6. The same passage promises that despite the present darkness, our Lord Jesus Christ will prevail and is doing so, pushing back the powers of darkness. Just today I read a very reputable report (GODREPORTS) of the growth of Jewish believers and congregations in Israel over the last 25 years and the harmony between Jews and Arabs despite the conflicts in the Middle East. In fact, the author Charles Gardner claims this Christian growth and reconciliation has been accelerated by the Gaza war. Praise God!
I’m sure you’re aware of all these issues named above Anna, but maybe other readers are not, hence the longish response on my part. Got carried away…
Thank you so much for sharing all this, Erroll. I saw ancestor worship and syncretic Christianity in the inner city, as well. Many families had both Christian and Muslim members. Often, the Christians would compromise their beliefs, in an effort to maintain the peace.
None of this is new to me, but I’m glad you posted it. There is someone I love dearly who has left the Church and has been practicing some of those things. It is out of my control, 💔 but I pray for her every night (Psalm 139), and I know God can bring her back to Himself. ❤️
What begins as curiosity can end in captivity which is why I was appalled to see in one bookstore tarot cards and witchcraft/New Age paraphernalia next to Harry Potter books. We ought to be most protective of our children being lured into such beliefs, something that more mature readers can be equipped against.
In my opinion, Christians did not do a good job of explaining the reason for their opposition to the Harry Potter books.