There is a startling report in the Telegraph which claims that 50,000 women a year are leaving the church and taking up pagan religions. Apparently, this is partly inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer!
The old-fashioned attitudes and hierarchies of churches are causing a steep decline in the number of female worshippers, according to an academic study
The report claims more than 50,000 women a year have deserted their congregations over the past two decades because they feel the church is not relevant to their lives.
It says that instead young women are becoming attracted to the pagan religion Wicca, where females play a central role, which has grown in popularity after being featured positively in films, TV shows and books. (read more)
Now, you might react to this by thinking that Buffy isn’t real, why would people be inspired by a TV programme. But that is to fail to realise the majority view of the Church in the UK today. Most people in Britain don’t believe that the Christian story is any more real than Buffy. This is the reality of multicultural and multi-religious environment. And rather than lamenting that people are daft enough to be inspired by a TV series in this way, we should be wondering how come we let the Gospel of Jesus Christ become so unnatractive and confused that a Saturday night TV thriller seems to offer a better answer to the big questions of life.
2 replies on “Leaving the Church for Wicca”
What a complex question! Aren’t we all drawn to heroes – though the heroes change from age to age and culture to culture? Heroes are often formed by what we see and hear most – what our friends talk about.
I find that media, especially television and movies, define our heroes. When we find opportunities to step into arenas where we can be like our heroes, we’ll do so eagerly. Whether it is Buffy and Wicca, or American Idol and karaoke, people will play the fool to become the hero.
Unfortunately, if I don’t intentionally surround myself with God’s heroes, I find myself walking down that wide and easy road with everyone else. It’s not always easy to keep your eyes focussed on that which is unseen, is it?
May God go before us, working signs and wonders to catch peoples attention. And may we take advantage of those opportunities to return the favor and bring others out of captivity, sharing the long-standing promise of being true heirs of the eternal king.
Interesting, but are we talking about 50,000 women who have ever actually sat in a pew, at least since they were christened? Or are we talking about women who have never had any kind of Christian faith?