NBC News recently reported that officials investigating a horrifying murder scene in Pensacola, Florida, have suggested that Wiccan ritual played a part in the killings. Followers and supporters of the pagan religion have expressed outrage that authorities have perhaps erroneously implicated Wiccan practices in the homicides.
Jumping to Conclusions
Sgt. Andrew Hobbes, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, was asked about the evidence that led the department to the conclusion the deaths are Wiccan-related. He responded, “It appears that this might be connected to some type of Wiccan ritual killing and possibly tied to the blue moon … The injuries to the victims, the positions of the bodies and also the person of interest right now is also a practitioner.” Protesters admit that while it is feasible that the person responsible could be a Wiccan, ritual killings do not play a part in religious practice.
Official Religion
Wicca was recognized in the courts as an official religion in 1986. While magic is an important component at the core of Wiccan belief, the Satan of other, more mainstream religions has no role in Wiccan practice. In other words, Wiccan witches do not recognize a Devil, let alone worship or perform rituals centered on one. For Wiccans, universal energy is divided between the God and the Goddess. Dr. Gwendolyn Reece, of American University, is an expert on paganism as it is practiced today. Reece criticized the Florida authorities roundly for their comments. “If they had done even a modicum of research it would be clear this had nothing to do with paganism,” said Reece. “It’s very irresponsible and highly prejudiced on the part of the sheriff.”
Old Prejudices Die Hard
Witches have been under fire for centuries. It was common in the Middle Ages for witches to be associated with the Devil and Satanic will. It is dismaying for modern practitioners of witchcraft that the link remains so strong today. While the Wiccan religion has nothing to do with Satanism, the example of the Florida Sheriff’s Office demonstrates that the bias is still going strong. Authorities cited several pieces of so-called evidence in support of their conclusion, including:
- The murders occurred on a blue moon.
- The bodies were positioned in a specific way.
- The primary person of interest is known to be a practicing Wiccan.
In fact, while the bodies were discovered on July 31, the day of the blue moon, the killings actually took place on July 28. This is not the first time pagan or Satanic ritual has been suspected in murder cases around the country.
“West of Memphis”
A documentary by Peter Jackson addressed the murder of three boys in Arkansas in 1993. Three other young men were convicted of the killings. The prosecution blamed Satanic ritual for the murders. A primary piece of evidence in support of the claim of Satanism was the castration of one of the victims. It was later discovered that animals had had an opportunity to feed on the body prior to its being found by police. Similarly, in July 2013 in Dartmoor, England, a livestock protection officer speculated that a pony found mutilated was killed in a pagan ritual. As with the Arkansas boy, it was later revealed that wild animals had simply got there first.
Histories Intertwine
The persistent maligning of pagan religions enjoys a long history. Several groups, significantly fundamentalist Christians, hold pagan practices as suspicious at best, morally dangerous at worst. Religious conservatives often view even Halloween, which developed as an amalgam of a Celtic seasonal observation and the Roman Catholic feast, All Saints Day, as an affront to Christian values. Fundamentalists point to Biblical passages, specifically Exodus 22:18, which is interpreted to read, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Wiccans still have a long road in the United States to separate their brand of worship from a widespread public notion of the Satanic occult.