Thou shalt not bear false witness

One aspect of the divisiveness referred to by Metropolitan Saba in my previous post is the increasing tendency of (particularly American?) Orthodox Christians to use the blogosphere  and social media to spread lies about other Orthodox whose theology, ethics, and/or politics they disagree with. And I was reminded of a book review I wrote thirty years ago, which catalogued similar tactics used by evangelicals against New Agers. Normally, I would not post a review of a (not very good) book that is long out of print, but it seems so relevant that I have decided to make an exception:

I have recently read a very disturbing book. Casting the First Stone (Shaftesbury: Element Books, 1993) by R. A. Gilbert is a catalogue of intolerance towards New Agers and neopagans. Sadly, but understandably, the book is a reaction against such intolerance and as a result tends to adopt similar tactics, e.g. guilt by association and condemnation by innuendo rather than rational argument.

While hardly a classic, Gilbert’s work did set me thinking. It reminded me of the tremendous amount of verbal hostility which conservative Christians exhibit towards those whose views differ from their own. Setting aside isolated examples of illegal activities (e.g. kidnappings and fire bombings) cited by Gilbert, it has to be admitted that there is a fundamentalist smear campaign against the New Age. Epithets like ‘barbarism’ and ‘darkness’ are used freely; we are warned that ‘New Age could lead to another Holocaust’; it is even suggested that New Agers promote human sacrifice. More generally, Christian commentators are tempted to describe the current resurgence of esoteric spirituality as a satanic conspiracy.

What is the attraction of witch-hunting? Witch-hunters are very concerned to draw clear distinctions between Light and Darkness, between the children of this world and the children of God, and in this way to maintain the purity of the faith. Witch-hunting identifies those from whom we must separate ourselves if we are to be free from impurities. At present, this appears to include many forms of mysticism, psychology, environmentalism, and alternative medicine. Presenting these as facets of a satanic conspiracy is an easy and emotive alternative to the task of providing rational and biblical critiques; critiques which, precisely because they are more nuanced, may not draw the same sharp distinctions.

As a corollary, such witch-hunting serves to promote particular interpretations of Scripture. A striking feature has been the extent to which the witch-hunters’ shibboleths have been used to put fellow Christians beyond the pale. Outrageous accusations have been levelled against prominent Christian leaders and organizations solely because their doctrinal stance or political agenda differs from those of the witch-hunters. Thus James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, C. S. Lewis, Ron Sider, World Vision, and IVCP have all been accused of having New Age or occult connections!

If the purpose of witch hunting is to draw clear boundaries between true believers and heretics, one must also ask about the effect of such barriers. They have certainly created a great deal of pain as believers have been encouraged to sever all ties with satanic influences including their own parents.

One effect is to demonize the accused. If the New Age is a satanic conspiracy, then consciously or unconsciously New Agers are satanic conspirators. Christians may pray for them and act against them, but dare not befriend them for fear of spiritual pollution. Thus it acts as a major hindrance to evangelism: demons are exorcised not evangelized! It also provides disturbed individuals with a religious pretext for illegal acts against New Agers (in much the same way that the presentation of abortionists as murderers has provided a pretext for violence and murder).

In the face of such hostility, it is not surprising to find that New Agers and occultists are increasingly resistant to the gospel. Too many of them have been hurt by the ignorance, fear, and malice of individual Christians and entire churches.

Such demonization can only too easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I know of people who are convinced that they cannot become Christians because they have been (wrongly) diagnosed as demon-possessed. Witch-hunters have distorted their self-perception to the point where they are incapable of hearing the gospel. This may even happen with entire groups. For example, the Benandanti were members of a pagan fertility cult which flourished in mediaeval Italy. At the major agricultural festivals they would go into trance and do psychic battle against the forces of evil in order to ensure the fertility of the crops and the well-being of society. Eventually they came to the attention of the Inquisition. Fifty years of persecution resulted in their gradual realignment with the very forces of evil they had once combatted!

But if witch-hunting demonizes its victims it also dehumanizes its practitioners. If we present others as darkness incarnate, we tend to think of ourselves as all light. The witch-hunter’s obsession with purity translates into a failure to recognize that we might be mistaken or sinful. Truth is one of the first casualties as we descend to the adversarial standards of the courtroom (or worse). We come to believe that, in the interests of truth, we are entitled (even called by God) to bear false witness against our pagan neighbours. Since we can no longer admit our own darkness, we go to unedifying lengths to justify the sins of Christians past and present. For example, some American fundamentalists justify the genocide of native American Indians by claiming that it was divine judgement upon people who indulged in idolatry and human sacrifice.

I believe that we should take the ninth commandment very seriously in this context: ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.’ Accusations of satanic conspiracy are a form of false witness. The accusers do not intend to suggest that New Agers or neopagans are engaged in a conspiracy in the legal sense. They simply use such language to blacken the character of their victims. But in what sense is the New Age or neopaganism any more or less satanic than any other non-Christian belief system including the free-market capitalism that so many evangelicals have bought into?

The command not to bear false witness is much more than an ethical injunction. It is also fundamental to mission and evangelism. It is a call to eschew simplistic Christian polemic against other faiths or other branches of our own faith. It is a reminder that the starting point of mission must be understanding and respect. It implies that, when we are confronted with those whose beliefs differ from our own, we must take time to hear what they have to say for themselves.

The destructive potential of campaigns against unorthodoxy far outweighs any benefits. Remember the parable of the wheat and the tares. When his servants sought permission to pull up the weeds, the Lord of the Harvest replied ‘No, because while you are pulling up the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest’ (Matt. 13:29f.). Those who are called to sow the good seed of the gospel should not indulge in weeding on their own behalf.