Sunday, March 18, 2012

A Grimm Reminder

A pastor’s wife I know who works part-time as a school bus driver recently watched a play put on by first graders. “Groovin’ with the Grimms” featured well-known fairy tale characters created by the Brothers Grimm.  Among the songs performed by the kids were “Please, Wake Up Sleeping Beauty”, “Rapunzel Rap”, “A Dragon Can Be a Princess, Too” and “Three Un-wicked Witches.” The latter song features these lyrics…

We’re three un-wicked witches, what trying times we’ve had.
It really burns our britches when people say we’re “bad.”
We’re three un-wicked witches, we try hard to be good.
Of course, we have our glitches but we’re just misunderstood.

Worldly people will argue it’s harmless to expose children to witches. Most of us probably watched movies like “The Wizard of Oz” when we were little. My kindergarten teacher read books to us about “Dorrie the Little Witch.” I also remember having a comic book that featured “Wendy the Good Little Witch.”

On the other hand, we are commanded not to give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27) and to “abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV) Witchcraft is now more commonplace in modern society than ever before. Yet many Scriptures clearly forbid the practice of it…

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,” - Deuteronomy 18:10

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.” - 1 Samuel 15:23

“And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.” - 2 Kings 17:17

Witchcraft is not something anyone (especially children) should play around with. Revelation 21:8 warns, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

I’m not advocating we go on modern-day witch-hunts like what happened in New England and Europe during the 1600’s. Still Christian parents need to take a stand against the hypocrisy practiced in our public schools. These learning institutions won’t allow our kids to pray, bring Bibles, and talk about Jesus. Yet they encourage reading books about fictional characters such as Harry Potter who practice witchcraft. I’m sure it’s frustrating for God-fearing parents who either cannot afford private schools or have the resources (and in some places the freedom) to homeschool their children. 

Nevertheless, all of us can be part of the solution by voting in local elections and speak out against ungodly legislation. We should also pray for revival to happen in our communities. School board members who have an encounter with God could change things faster than Christians simply holding up picket signs.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
- Proverbs 22:6

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