Entertainment Pt. 5 (Witchcraft In Movies)

 

Does God care about this?

Yes! Just as God cares about our words, actions, and thoughts, He also cares about what we allow into our minds. The Bible warns us repeatedly about not being in fellowship with darkness and the works of the devil.

Ephesians 5:11 – “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Acts 19:19 “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

That verse shows how believers in Ephesus, after trusting Christ, completely cut ties with their past in sorcery and destroyed everything connected to it with no halfway association.

So how practically do we apply that to the movies we watch?

Within the world of entertainment, there are so many questions when it comes to what kind of witchcraft and demonic themes we should let in our home. Should we watch movies with witches? What about zombies or Harry Potter?
It is important to note that even the Bible has witches. Consider the witch at Endor or the maniac of Gaderra. 


1. The Principle of Presentation

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness…”

Whether we admit it or not, even the Bible has demons, witches, drunkeness, murder, and countless other sins.

So just the presence of sin cannot be the entire test.

The better question is:

How is it being presented?

The witch of Endor is in the Bible, but witchcraft is not celebrated. The maniac of Gadara is demon-possessed, but the demons are not portrayed as good. Christ helps the man from them.

Movies like Harry Potter make witchcraft seem powerful, clever, and even good. That’s the opposite of God’s Word, which calls it an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:10–12).

The main character in Harry Potter is a wizard who is portrayed as clever and a good guy. He learns about wizardry, sorcery, and spells from the school, Hogwarts. They present all the witchcraft in a positive and interesting light, while God condemns it.

In Snow White, the Evil Queen practices witchcraft. She uses magic to disguise herself, creates the poisoned apple, and attempts to murder Snow White.

But notice how the story presents it.

The witch is the villain. She is the dark evil. Children are not being taught that the witch is the hero they should become. They are supposed to fear and reject her. Compare that with Harry Potter. The main characters themselves are witches and wizards.

How is the movie, video game, or show presenting witchcraft and spells? 

Does the movie expose darkness, or does it celebrate it? Does it make evil look evil, or does it make evil look exciting, harmless, and good? Does it teach us to reject what God condemns, or does it encourage us to take interest and imitate it?

2.  The Principle of Influence

There is a major difference between a kid watching a story where an evil witch is defeated and watching a story where the heroes practice spells and then pretending to cast those spells themselves.

The question becomes, "Who does the story teach you to admire and imitate?"

A kid reading about the witch of Endor isn't normally going to finish 1 Samuel 28 thinking, “I want to be her!” However, a movie where the main characters make spells and witchcraft look cool, then the sirens of principle one go off.

Every movie, song, or show influences us. What we allow before our eyes shapes our thoughts, attitudes, and eventually our actions.

When someone watches magic, sorcery, or spells that are presented in a good and positive light, those things stop looking dangerous and start looking interesting. That’s how influence works: not by forcing, but by familiarizing.

Another way influence works is by building an appetite.

What does this entertainment make me hunger for?

Does it make me want more darkness? More horror? More occult themes? More violence? More sensuality? More zombies?

A movie ends in two hours, but sometimes the appetite it creates doesn't.

Influence can also work the other way. If we fill our minds with what’s pure, holy, and uplifting, that will influence us toward Godliness. A Christian who loves the Lord will want to guard their eyes and heart carefully. Because whether we realize it or not, what entertains us eventually shapes us.


3. Principle of Testimony

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” —1 Thessalonians 5:22

As Christians, we carry the name of Christ wherever we go, and that includes what we watch. Our testimony is our visible witness to the world that we belong to Jesus. People around us are watching how we live, what we love, and what we allow into our homes.

When we choose to watch movies that glorify witchcraft, darkness, or sin, it doesn’t just affect us personally; it affects how others see our walk with God. The lost world already expects Christians to be different, and when they see no difference in our entertainment, our testimony loses its strength.

These principles we have discussed will help us make wise decisions about what we allow before our eyes and into our homes.