Between 2008 and 2011, children's entertainment network CBBC aired a comedy series entitled "Sorry, I've Got No Head". The series involved a number of comedy sketches, including some about a man who, literally lacking a head, causes a number of calamities with his clumsiness.
Aside from Bill the headless man, the only other character I really remember is the man you see in the header image. Each of his sketches involves him doing something surprisingly "normal", such as standing in line in a coffee shop, but eventually getting impatient or annoyed. Finally, losing his temper, he points at the object of his frustration and loudly declares "witch! She's a witch!", at which point a mob of peasants joins the scene, carting off the protesting victim.
It's funny to see. To this petty little cosplayer, everything that mildly annoys him is witchcraft. One way or another, he's getting his cappuccino to go, and if you're taking too long to count up your change so he can order, it's off to the stake with you. But as funny as this guy is, it bothers me just how realistic he is, too.
See, witchcraft is a genuine sin in Scripture. In both the Old and New Testaments, God voices His disapproval of it, ultimately stating that those who practice it will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But in our Western culture, we seem to have forgotten what, exactly, witchcraft is.
But not entirely. There are aspects of witchcraft we rightly condemn. Seances, ouija boards, things like this, are genuine witchcraft. Even horoscopes are pushing your luck. But what about things like Yoga, martial arts, or anti-depressants? These are all things which, all too often, are included in lists of "witchcraft" things to avoid.
Yoga, personally, is of no interest to me what so ever. It's not something I've ever practiced, nor have I even wanted to. I've written one article on the subject, and that was always where I planned to leave it. That is, until I discovered yet another one of those "witchcraft" lists on Facebook, which was fairly accurate overall. "DON'T DANCE WITH THE DEVIL. Paranormal, Ouija Board, Tarot Cards, Horoscopes, Astrology, Fortune Telling, Psychics, Necromancers, Witches, Yoga, Enneagram.... ARE AN ABOMINATION TO GOD".
That's almost all true. Each and every one of those things is, in some way, connected to the ultimate sin of witchcraft (except possibly enneagram, which I do not know enough about to assess). But the comments section was flooded with one common question: Why Yoga? And why indeed? For those "in the know", it's perhaps a less obvious question. See, Yoga originates from Hinduism. It is, supposedly, a path to spiritual growth and enlightenment by uniting one's self with the infinite Brahman, which is a sort of Deistic god. When practiced in this sense, this is obviously sinful.
But one comment stood out to me. After this was explained to her, one woman expressed her despair, as her physical therapist had prescribed a few Yoga poses. Being a faithful Christian, practicing Hinduism, even accidentally, was of course intolerable to her. Thus, she indicated that she would be looking elsewhere for her medical recovery.
I'm hoping the problem with this should become immediately obvious to anyone with a hint of the compassion Christians are required to possess. Without knowing the physical injury or illness this woman has suffered, it can be assumed a qualified physical therapist has more interest in healing her than tempting her to worship a made up god. Yet, in their ignorance, some Christians would prefer this woman's suffering be prolonged than have her stretch in particular ways.
On that topic, it should be noted that those who practice sports, or similar physical activities, will likely perform various stretches as well. Perhaps as a warm up, or a warm down. The same is true for martial artists. I won't claim to be an especially good one, but personally, I practice Krav Maga (which I'm told is a one way ticket to Hell on its own). After a particularly intensive class, our instructor will often have us perform various stretches. Are any of these from Yoga? I don't know. I haven't asked. Why would I, given that the purpose of the stretches is to make recovering from a tough class a little easier?
But as I alluded to, the class itself is often seen as some kind of devil worship. There are Christians today who, aside from not understanding why a Christian might ever need to know how to fight, are unable to separate certain martial arts from the religious aspects attached to them. Kung Fu, for example, is supposedly Buddhism.
Now, as I stated in a previous article, it is illogical to suggest that a martial art depends on a specific belief system when those who teach it do not even share the same belief systems. If someone teaches you math, it shouldn't matter if they're a Buddhist, a Sikh, a Hindu, or anything. Math is math. In the same way, Kung Fu is Kung Fu, and unless you're watching a movie or a dodgy BBC documentary, you're not going to get the impression that it belongs to any particular religion.
With Krav Maga, such accusations are even more foolish. Krav Maga is a relatively recent fighting system, designed by a Jewish man named Imi Litchenfeldt, who developed the system in response to rising anti-semitism in the 1930s. Given that this is a problem we are seeing once again, less than 100 years later, this seems like quite an appropriate time to learn it, and quite irresponsible to associate it with ouija boards.
Perhaps the worst example, as I mentioned above, is anti-depressants. Depression is a tragically neglected topic in the Church as it is. Far too many Christians see it as a sign of weak faith, or even an active sin. In reality, depression is an invisible illness affecting the brain itself. I like to compare it to alcohol. Not in the moral implications, as getting drunk is a genuine sin, and a choice that can be intentionally made. However, we all acknowledge that alcohol affects the brain, decreasing one's ability to think clearly. Depression, likewise, prevents clarity of thought, but unlike with alcohol, one cannot simply choose to put down the drink. You're stuck with it no matter what choices you make.
What one can choose is to seek medical help. The result may be... "witchcraft". Otherwise known as anti-depressants, which of course help correct the chemical imbalance causing depression. To some Christians, this is repugnant. Why go to a doctor instead of going to Jesus?
But when you open Scripture, you won't find any of that. You won't find the Bible condemning the use of Yoga poses for the improvement of physical health. You won't find the condemnation of practicing martial arts for the defence of yourself, your loved ones, and maybe even your own country. You certainly won't find the condemnation of prescription drugs to help clear your mind and resume normal function of life. None of that is in there. It exists only in the minds of ignorant Christians who see witchcraft behind every bush.
But as I've said before, when you see demons behind every bush, sooner or later, people stop checking the bushes. The examples I've given today are not as trivial as others I could have cited. These are things which concern one's physical health. They are examples of when ignorance can actually have consequences. This is damaging in two ways, the first of which is obviously the prolonging of unnecessary suffering. If you're sick, you can listen to a doctor. That's what doctors are for, a fact which Christ Himself literally uses to justify His fellowship with sinners (Mark 2:17).
But the second problem is the spiritual damage. It is obviously a bad thing to mishandle the word of God, making His word of no effect that we may hold to our traditions. For this, He will demand a reckoning, and it's not one I would prefer to receive. Remember, even the righteous will be judged, and we can lose reward in Heaven, being saved "...yet so as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:9-15).
But the worst part is the potential for apostasy, or resisted witness. Tragic though it is, as we are Christ's representatives, people do not see Him through us, but Him as us. If we run around preaching ignorance, and especially if this ignorance causes harm, that harm is attributed to Christ, whom we also preach. Is this what we want?
As Christians, we are supposed to be wise and mature. We cannot be expected to be omniscient, but it is essential that we speak what we know, and do not speak what we do not know. Where real sin is present, we must expose it, but what we cannot condemn from Scripture, we should not condemn from personal preference. As Scripture warns, "Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar." (Proverbs 30:6).