The Chicago Tribune had a potentially tremendous story to tell Sunday about a witch school setting up shop in Rossville, Ill., a small, economically struggling town in the heartland. The perspective of the story — about Wiccans trying to fit into a Bible Belt community — is what first jumped out at me.
By the fourth paragraph, a resident was quoted saying the Salam Witch Trials were back and traditional churches and members of the community were rallying against this strange group that had set up shop in a local storefront. The story, which has a reasonably interesting ending that I won’t share in this post, seems headed toward a brawl:
In a town that sometimes feels closer to the Bible Belt than to the city, churches had been holding weekly prayer sessions for months in hopes of driving the outsiders away. They also had erected a billboard denouncing Wiccan beliefs, proclaiming, “Worship the Creator not Creation.”
Fueling their sense of urgency was a ball held by the Wiccans last weekend to celebrate Samhain, their new year’s festival, which falls on Halloween.
As more than 150 people filed into the shuttered high school Wednesday night for the meeting, Andy Thomas, youth minister at the Rossville Church of Christ, said residents had a spiritual responsibility to drive the witches out. If they didn’t, he said, young people were in danger of being pulled off the Christian path.
“Rossville has fallen on hard times,” Thomas said. “The school closed. This is a popular place for meth. We’re like, ‘Great, now a witch school.’ It feels like we’re being attacked.”
Donald Lewis, who serves as CEO of Witch School International, said it was the other way around.
“They’re trying to make us scapegoats,” he said as he slipped into the meeting unannounced.
Lewis, a rotund 44-year-old with a silver ponytail and goatee, said he started the online school in 2001 with two friends he met through the neo-pagan community in Chicago. All three were devoted practitioners of Wicca, a controversial movement that, by some estimates, has hundreds of thousands of adherents nationwide.
Five of the school’s administrators operate out of a humble, white building with a green awning on Chicago Street, the main strip in downtown Rossville, which looks like an abandoned Hollywood set of a small town. Their office, which consists of five computers, copiers and a fax machine, is in the back of a store that sells silver wands, incense and colored candles wrapped in spells.
Attached to the story is a decent video that does a good job of putting names with faces. This was the future of journalism 10 years ago. It’s great to see it in practice.
The Wiccans’ side of the story isn’t entirely ignored. They get their quotes in there, but this story is definitely less about them than about the town’s residents. A reader of ours, Christopher, mentioned in a note to us that the story is largely about a community dealing with “economic decline, arson, and drugs.”
Megan Twohey, the reporter on this story, delves into the background of the Wiccan group. They left Chicago in search of cheaper rents and headed for small-town America. They moved to Rossville after a “lynch mob” drove them out of another town, and now they’re dealing with hostile neighbors once again. And by the way, Rossville’s downtown probably doesn’t look as much like a Hollywood set than, um, a downtown of an average Midwestern small city. (Since when does a Hollywood set make a better illustration than real life?)
A lot of this reminds me of the “pentancle wars” that the Department of Veterans Affairs dealt with over that last few years.
The story ends up being about how the Bible Belt responds to outsiders and less about what Wiccans believe. There are references to their beliefs, but there is little mention that Wiccans represent a very diverse group of traditions. From what I understand, Wicca isn’t exactly some strange East Coast religion that Middle America knows nothing about. Middle America is where Wicca has quite a number of followers, depending on how you count them, but that doesn’t mean they’re always accepted, as we see in this story.
This story had only broad, unsubstantiated estimates on the number of Wiccans. The general point of the story is about whether other religions are tolerated in the heartland. As Christopher said in his note, “the story is really about the local Christian community” and Wiccans are “little more than a foil for the community’s fears and anxieties.”
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Comments (21) |
October 31, 2007, at 1:15 pm
This is a very apt story considering that tonight is All Hallows Eve.
October 31, 2007, at 1:27 pm
What I read between the lines is that the “Bible Belt” is creeping northwards all the way to Rossville, IL. This must be another effect of global warming. Or maybe the moving Bible Belt is causing global warming!
October 31, 2007, at 2:29 pm
One TV anchor joked with the reporter who was covring this story today in words to the effect that “at least the broomsticks the witches use to get around don’t have any carbon emissions so they’re good for the environment.”
October 31, 2007, at 2:40 pm
Yes, it would have been nice if the reporter had included more of Lewis’ beliefs. What the article mentioned was scattershot—he believes in a goddess and reincarnation, but how does all that connect, and what’s the history? Another thing that would have helped is more description of the Wicca school’s curriculum. Apparently the Christian college professor’s lecture about Wicca helped to calm the waters, but the reporter doesn’t include the substance of that lecture other than the professor’s comment that it was “rather dry”, and there’s no response from Lewis regarding the accuracy of the lecture. Oddly, there was more of that information in the video than the written piece.
As the Tribune went to the expense of sending a reporter to the assembly, a follow up call to the town where the Wicca school first located would have been nice. If the school caused such an uproar, certainly someone would be willing to comment on it now.
The overall impression I got was the reporter was looking for fireworks and was disappointed with a slow fizzle. Salem witch trials? Hardly.
October 31, 2007, at 3:22 pm
The fundamental problem for me is how the church positioned itself in this struggle as well as how it presented itself as a Bible-believing church.
At the very start of the article (and the start of the struggle), it is noted that “churches had been holding weekly prayer sessions for months in hopes of driving the outsiders away.” Then, the article notes Andy Thomas’ asinine comments about youth “being pulled off the Christian path” if they didn’t drive out the witches from their community.
I’m not seeing either of these approaches as being true to the essence of the Christian mission to evangelize the lost. In fact, I may go as far as to say that the routes chosen by the church(es) in question and the mission of Christ are diametrically opposed to each other. Driving people away—even if they are witches—just does not seem to be consistent with Matthew 5.14-16, 43-48.
October 31, 2007, at 3:48 pm
I see this almost more as a story about economics than about religion per se.
We Americans are funny people. We use the language of race and ethnicity to talk about what are really issues of social class.
And we use the language of religion, here, to talk about Rossville residents’ fears that their town — and by extension, then — just does not matter any more in the America of Wal-Marts and mega-churches.
And no one is going to put a factory there and make Rossville prosperous again. They might as well promote it as the home of Witch School. Maybe someone would open a B&B or something.
October 31, 2007, at 3:48 pm
Oops, a typo. It should have read,
“—and by extension, them —”
October 31, 2007, at 4:26 pm
“Salem witch trials… driving out… lynch mob…” Does that sort of hyperbole really serve to get at the truth here? If I set fire to the local coven meeting room, you could reasonably describe that as an attempt at driving out wiccans. But if I get the members of my congregation together to pray about it, that hardly seems like persecution. Is there any example in here of actual harm done, or real opposition (beyond the argument level) to the wiccan group?
October 31, 2007, at 4:30 pm
Follow up…
There are people in my own community who regularly complain about the Christians and insult our intelligence. We’re tempted to describe that as persecution. But I try to remind the members of my church that “real” persecution is happening in lots of other places. This is just the clash of ideas that is exactly where we want to be - at the place where we can juxtapose the teaching of Jesus with the ideas of the world.
While the response of the churches in this article is less than inspiring (if accurate), it falls short of being persecution, driving out, or lynching.
October 31, 2007, at 4:42 pm
More information on the talk given by Robert Kurka to the town of Rossville, IL.
October 31, 2007, at 7:28 pm
I wish someone in the national media would do a story looking at how some people exploit the tragic deaths of those who were executed in the Salem witchcraft trials. I live in Lynn bordering on Salem (one of the accused was from here). For the most part all those executed were honorable people who would not lie under oath. All they had to do was lie that they were witches and they would be let go with a warning. (They wouldn’t do a Bill Clinton to save their lives).
There is no bigger corrupt amalgam of politicians and merchants than in Salem, Mass. Every civic vehicle, place, office has an image of a witch flying on a broomstick. According to today’s Salem Evening News over 100,000 tourists will cram into Salem for Halloween this year. Many will flock to see the city’s officially designated witch Laurie Cabot.
No wonder the high school kids I taught history to couldn’t comprehend anyone giving their lives up rather than lieing under oath.
Considering the “spin” given to the story (making it look like somehow people who really practiced witchcraft were hung here and it is till a witch haunted city) it is as if the city and its citizens and the tourists each year line up to urinate on the victims’ graves.
A few years ago the city even basked in the spotlight of the comedy TV and movie “Bewitched” as a publicity tour was done in Salem by them.
Of course the argument that is supposed to shut you up is “oh its all in Good Fun” and “look at the money it brings in.”
But all that those arguments betray is the moral vaccum that exists among the greedy people of today’s Salem. These people are of the mindset that would make the massacre of American Indians or Nazi butchery into a musical comedy to make a buck and entertain the tourists.
October 31, 2007, at 9:04 pm
To echo Deacon John’s point, most people miss the point that those persecuted back then were actually NOT witches. But the Salem Witch Museum and its promoters make the p.c. point over and over again that the “lesson” of the Trials was that people of different beliefs (i.e. witches) shouldn’t be persecuted. NONE WERE (as far as we know.)
The story of the original instigator of the hysteria - a Carribean immigrant, Tituba, who was said to have told some children stories about witches and magic - has been so whitewashed and sanitized by the PC academics that she comes off as innocent, too. But in truth, she is a likely culprit of the original stories, though that’s far too un-PC for that crowd to accept. If true, it would be a clear anti-multicultural “lesson,” not to mention a rather negative view of witchcraft. And we just CAN’T have that, can we?
October 31, 2007, at 9:56 pm
As a Wiccan, I want to confirm most of what Deacon John writes above (comment #11) and add one further note of irony. It didn’t happen in Salem at all! It happened in Danvers, the neighboring town, which was part of Salem back in 1692. You can find all the details in the excellent book Salem Possessed by Boyer and Nissenbaum.
Stephen A.’s comment (#12) is more troubling. It’s probably true that Tituba told some of the children some folk tales, and probably also showed them some folk divination methods. So I guess that makes her “guilty.” But of what? Should holding on to and sharing her own culture be a capital offense?
October 31, 2007, at 10:36 pm
Judy, of course no one should be forced to not share their own culture these days. But then again, we’re not talking about TODAY, we’re talking about 1690s Massachusetts.
The irony is that rather than a cautionary tale about tolerance, some might say that the story actually argues the case that alien cultures sometimes have an undesirable affect on our own, and that’s a “problem” for PC historians whom I am sure would fear such a conclusion might be blown out of proportion (and indeed it might.) Hence, the downplaying of her role in the whole nasty business in recent years.
Slightly off topic (though it IS still Halloween here in the USA) I go to Danvers every weekend to visit relatives and the Rebecca Nurse Homestead there, home of the first woman accused of witchcraft, is open each year for tourists. The 4th of July Strawberry Shortcake festival can’t be missed, though the interpretive video they show there makes some of the same mistakes as the Salem folks do. Be sure to take in the Witch Hysteria memorial in Danvers, funded in part by a descendant of one of the ill-informed judges who condemned Nurse and the others!
I’ll have to see how the Salem Evening News handles the story if they touch on it at all. It’s probably seen as overkill at this point to delve into it each yaer - no pun intended. (!)
p.s. Happy Samhain to you, Judy.
October 31, 2007, at 11:39 pm
Thank you, Stephen, and blessed Hallows to you as well. This season just seems to lend itself to remembering our honored dead, despite other, and major, differences in our understanding of the Sacred.
Another irony occurred to me after I had posted my last comment. Do you all realize that I am just about as distressed by the commercialization of Samhain, a holy day for us, as many of you are about the commercialization of Christmas?
November 1, 2007, at 6:49 pm
Dpulliam wrote:
Quite right. In fact, areas such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kentucky have been prime locations for early Wiccan communities as Gardnerians arrived from the British Isles. Parts of these areas are known today colloquially within the community as “Paganistan.” Despite well known Pagan events and sacred spaces as Circle Sanctuary, Pagan Spirit Gathering and the Starwood Festival (in the legendary Burned-Over District) Wicca and other forms of contemporary American Paganism still seem to have a ‘California Spirituality’ connotation for many. I would guess that is because of the influence of Starhawk and the Reclaiming Movement.
By the way, I’m quite flattered that you thought my comments on the Tribune story important enough to discuss in your piece
November 2, 2007, at 10:20 am
Something no one has mentioned here yet is the insinuation that the fact the school’s closed, there is a meth problem in the town and other ills that existed long before the wiccan school opened are somehow the fault of the wiccans.
I’d think someone would point out that all their prayer and holiness hasn’t done much to help their town so how much harm could come from letting a group that reverences nature, teaches personal responibility and other such things move in and start teaching?
Scott
November 2, 2007, at 10:40 am
Great article and comments everyone.
Christopher makes a very good point about Wicca and Paganism in Middle America. In Chicago alone, we have four well known and relatively large pagan congregations, and a great number of smaller ones. Madison WI, is much the same. Throw in Circle and PSG and the midwest becomes an area where paganism continues to thrive.
I think one of the challenges that faces midwestern pagans, is the dissonance and in-fighting that goes on in these communities. In Chicago, it has taken a great deal of work to get pagan groups to cooperate in any way whatsoever. This last April the Brotherhood of the Phoenix, Chicago Reclaiming, Temple of the Four Winds, and Amazon Queens and Crones collaborated on an Earth Day Event. The process was nerve-wracking and difficult as we struggled to create a syncretization of our purposes and desires for the event. But it was done.
In Chicago, and much of the midwest, there is a cultural concept of segregation and community that seems to be more limiting than you will find on the West coast. Chicago is still one of the most racially diverse, but extremely segregated metropolitan areas there is. This holds true for the pagan communities as well. We all sort of do our own thing, so no one group is noticed or recognized on a larger level. Elsewhere in the country, Pagan Pride events are organized collaboratively, and they get large press coverage as a result.
Witch School is an interesting group. They were in Hoopeston for several years, and when I heard about them moving to Rossville I was happy for them. Originally the Rossville chamber of commerce was extremely happy to have the school moving in. Sadly, the Religious zealots of the area have been doing their best to defame and damage the school, and try to keep it from suceeding.
Just one more demonstration of the challenges that minority religions face today, in small towns and large ones.
November 3, 2007, at 12:01 am
Scott wrote:
I think the article does an excellent job of communicating this tone of some of the residents without actually coming out and saying it, which would be a bit obvious. Another theological possibility for the Evangelical Protestants might be that the social ills that preceded the arrival of the Wiccans would have been social preparation for the arrival of that group. Certainly groups that believe in the tangible existence of a Supreme Evil Being could view this as part of a eschatological narrative/drama—in which the Wiccans arrive once the community’s defenses had been “softened” up by other problems—a la Frank Peretti.
November 4, 2007, at 8:47 pm
What’s a “pentancle?”
November 26, 2007, at 1:17 pm
A pentacle is the star within a circle, generally accepted to be the ‘symbol’ of the Wiccan religion. It represents the five elements joining together in each individual.