Magic and witchcraft have been with us a very long time and are mentioned several times in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament Scriptures. God forbade Israel from practicing magic arts and they were commanded to put witches to death. When King Saul was about to lose his kingship, he went to a witch in his desperation, rather than going to God for help. There is no commandment in the New Testament to put witches to death, but when Jesus and the Gospel were preached people realized that their occult practices were not lawful or appropriate (See Acts 19.18-20). My brothers and sisters who live in the Developing World see spiritualism and occult practices regularly, and this is becoming more common in Western nations as well as the residue of Christian culture has been melting away. The presence of witchcraft, spiritualism, and the occult is a reality all over the world that we all must acknowledge.
Because of Modernism and the rise of science, most people in the West have considered witchcraft to be nothing but a silly superstition from the days of man's childish ignorance. Modernism is really Naturalism, or the belief that the natural, visible world is the only reality and that there is no supernatural or spiritual reality. This is why many modern people are atheists. To believe in God would be to admit that there is a higher, spiritual reality. Most thinkers have noticed that we are now moving beyond the modern world-view and that many people are again admitting the possibility of a spiritual or unseen reality. The popularity of the Harry Potter series is evidence of a return to the old, pagan beliefs of our barbarian ancestors. It should be obvious that mankind is inherently spiritual and where there is a spiritual vacuum something will fill the void. And so we have seen the return of the old pagan ways.
Of course, Christians have never given up on their belief in the spiritual world and the supernatural. But Christianity is often seen as the oppressor by those who want to practice the old, magic arts. As Christianity spread throughout the ancient barbarian tribes of Europe the old, pagan practices were mostly abandoned and some of them were “baptized” as Christian holidays to keep the people from returning to the old ways. But now that Christianity is largely losing its power over Western culture, the old ways, which never really completely left, are making a strong comeback.
So what is wrong with magic and witchcraft? Is there such a thing as good magic or a good witch? Most folks today are horrified, not by witches, but by the Bible's condemnation of witches and magic. The infamous Salem Witch Trial in American history is often cited as one of the greatest abuses of religious power and the evil of intolerance. (I am not about to defend the Salem Witch Trial as a good example of justice! However, the only reason we probably don’t lock witches up today is because we don’t really believe in witchcraft, at least not like our Puritan ancestors did!) In Western culture we are being told that we must tolerate witchcraft as a religion just as we would tolerate Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims or any other alternative spirituality. This is religious pluralism. I would argue that all of these religions are false because they do not acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. But some errors are farther from the truth than others, and there is something seriously wrong with magic, spiritualism, witchcraft, and the occult. There is a reason God condemned these practices in His Word. We should not dismiss these practices as silly superstitions. God does not make a habit of condemning something that is not real and that is not dangerous.
I believe there are two major problems with magic and witchcraft:
1. Those who practice magic arts are making themselves vulnerable to evil spirits. It is a grave mistake to think that the spiritual realm is a neutral realm. There are spiritual beings in the universe and many of these beings are evil and are hostile both to God and to humanity. It is naive of people to think that they can play around with the spiritual world and remain safe. We know that Satan and his demons are spiritual beings and that they are evil and hostile and they also specialize in deception. You can't play games with the demons and win.
2. The practice of magic or witchcraft is really a desire for power or control. This desire for power is at the very root of sin and man's sinful nature. The very first temptation that Satan introduced to man was the desire to be like God, that is, to be in control of one's own destiny. Magic offers the promise of power or control. If you know the secret and can say the right words, you will have control! You will be a god! C.S. Lewis pointed out that, even though modern science mocks belief in magic, ironically the modern scientist is really just the new magician. Science also seeks power and control so that man can control his own destiny. At the root of all paganism is this sin of wanting to be a god instead of submitting to the living God. And you don't have to be a witch to commit this sin!
God is also a spiritual being. Angels are ministering spirits and there is a Holy Spirit who works powerfully in believers. Christ has defeated all of the spiritual principalities and powers and even bruised the head of the Serpent himself. Satan and all his demons will eventually be thrown into the Lake of Fire. We must join the winning side! Furthermore, we must submit to God. Rather than trying to be gods, and attempting to gain control our own destinies, we are to humbly trust in God to care for all of our needs in this world.
The opposite of magic and witchcraft is humility and faith in God.
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