From the segment on
Wicca on the most recent episode of
PBS' news show
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (emphasis mine):
MARCIA MONTENEGRO (Christian Answers for the New Age): All sorcery, or all manipulation of energy to bring about
a desired end, which is basically casting spells, is condemned by God. It is all
bad, it's wrong. You are seeking to manipulate energy or power that is the province
of God.
(from a transcript at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week442/cover.html)
You know, perhaps they're right. There's a group of people all over this nation that
manipulate
energy to get a desired result. They have
some organization(s), but really have no leader. They often argue that the
popular view of them is incorrect. They study
hidden knowledge, and say that
not everyone might understand it. Their books are filled with
obscure symbols,
and their discussions are difficult to follow. It is possible to find
teachers and
books almost all over the world. Who is group?
Engineers, who apply
science to produce a desired result, often
by the manipulation and transformation of energy.
If I stopped here, you might think this was a simple screed against Christianity. But that really isn't my point.
My point is that people don't think about what they are saying. Given that she was filmed in a lighted
room and did not appear to be Amish in dress, I find it hard to believe that Ms. Montenegro does without electricity.
But every time she flips a light switch, she is calling forth energy to illuminate for her. I suppose she could have said
"all magical manipulation of energy", but even that is hard to nail down. She likely would have been
better off removing the "manipulation of energy" bit. At least, her meaning would still be clear; I feel it would
be clearer since I consider engineering a form of magic (Crowley, after all, described it as "The Art and Science of making changes to reality in conformance with Will").
Disclaimer: I know that not all those who call themselves Christian would agree with the statement
I'm picking at, or (more likely) my interpretation of it.