Customer Reviews

Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

While I cannot say whether or not Mr. Schnoebelen is "crazy" as some seem to think, one thing I do see is that he is shrewd. He uses general points and embellishes them with a convoluted twist to give the fundamentalist Christian book market what it has wanted since the author of "The Satan Seller" was proven a fraud..... something to use against those who find their truth in pre-Christian spirituality.

I was raised in a fundamentalist church, went through the "saved" phenomenon, and studied theology. The only problem was that my deeply analytical, rationalist mindset drove me to find the genuine truth, at least as much as one can, behind Biblical scripture and it's modern interpretation. The undeniable fact is that Christian mythology was merely a borrowed, rehashed version of older Hebrew and Pagan mythologies.

This discovery led me into studying and eventually becoming a Priest of the Craft, a position I have held for over thirty years. I have worked with many Wiccan/Pagan groups and individuals in the Midwest, and have never known anyone who has heard of Mr. Schnoebelen. If his claims of having been a Wiccan Priest are true, I find that a bit odd. Furthermore, as one who has been privy to the "inner teachings" of this path, I can attest that I have never found a Satanic connection in any way, shape nor form in Wicca or any other true Pagan path.

As for Mr. Schnoebelen's claims that Wicca and Paganism are virtually modern practises, with no true roots in ancient history, I would ask him whether he's ever heard of the Druids, the Strega or the Vikings? (Not to mention the many indigenous tribal paths that are enjoying a resurgence, such as American Indian, African, etc.)

My impression is that Mr. Schnoebelen has made a handy profit on the fundamentalist Christian book market by embracing the very "white lies" he professes to expose. No religious path is perfect or without it's flaws, including Christianity. As a Pagan who has never lost respect for the ideals and examples of tolerance and love the Christ represented, I must say that I find today's Pagans far more akin to genuine followers of Christ than most contemporary Christians, who are actually following the teachings of Paul in their dogmas.

I only hope those who don't know all the facts are not easily taken in by this deliberately misleading bit of propoganda, as so many were in the early seventies by Mike Warnke's "Satan Seller".

Is a *serious* overestimation of its usefulness.

Schnobelen claims to have been highly-ranked in several religious organizations (Several of which didn't and don't exist, and at least *three* of which he claimed membership in simultaneously).

Several of the other organizations he claims to have joined never even *offered* the services he claims to have obtained.

Additionally, Schnobelen is a known disseminator of the 'Satanic Conspiracy' myth.

Don't give this book, or this author, a second glace.

As someone once said, 'It's not a book to put aside lightly; it should be thrown with great force'.

Nothing more needs to be said.

Man, this book is awful. Wiccans have told people like him that we DO NOT believe in Satan, let alone worship him. He claims to have been a Wiccan priest at some point, but he describes a religion that have no connection with Wicca. I must admit that yes, there are morons in this world who use thier powers for harm, but those people belong to a different faith!

I cannot believe how easily it is to write a book of lies and have it published.
There are many groups who 'say' they are Wiccans but have no idea of what Wicca is. SO many join so they can be "Fluffy Bunnies". Those are people who like to have all the items in the Azure Green Catalog for their homes and altars and wear clothes straight from Holy Clothing.
Those are Wiccans who play with the Craft, they may do a candle spell or try their hands at herblore but for the most part this is what they are doing for the moment, a pop hobby.
When the TV series "Charmed" was at the height of its popularity, Fluffy Bunnies were all over the place. They wore symbology they did not understand and were basically harmless. But there are others who feel that Wicca has power, some kind of power they could use. It is those types that scare people like the author.

No true Wiccan is satanic. Satan has nothing to do with Wicca because we do not believe in the Devil. We believe that there is good and evil in the world, but the evil is done by people.
Wiccans try to make the world a better place. We work for our communities, we help others, we volunteer for charities and we honor our particular beliefs.

My group of "sisters" got as much money together as we could afford (from our own pockets) and took 5 gift requests from the Salvation Army tree. We bought 5 bikes for kids who would not have had any gifts for Yule. We will try to do it again this year.
We celebrate holiday differently from most but we hurt no one. Do I care what is going on in your home on Christmas day? No. Should you care what goes on in my home on Yule? I wouldn't think so. But so many people are frightened of Wicca. We celebrate Yule (Winter Solstice) instead of Christmas.
We put up Yule trees. The decorated Christmas tree only caught on in the mid-19th century. We exchange gifts, but they are usually handmade or meant to be of a special request or desire of the person receiving it. Yule isn't about exchanging thousands of dollars worth of useless presents, it is about honoring the Goddess during her time of bringing forth the new year's sun.

The author confuses modern-day Wiccan (a.k.a. Paganism) with the Paganism mentioned in the Bible. The latter worshiped what the Jews considered to be idols, and allegedly engaged in child sacrifice. These practices are totally unrelated to modern-day Neopaganism.

The author confuses Wicca with the imaginary Satan-worshiping religion which was created by the Christian church in the late Middle Ages in order to justify the burning times -- the era from about 1450 CE to 1792 CE when secular courts and the church condemned witches, other heretics, midwives, etc. to be burned at the stake. The people burned at the stake were innocents, the church was showing how fear can keep the masses in line. It can also make the church very rich due to the fact many family members of thsoe accused would give over their estates if the family member was set free.

The author has a fear of retribution from God. He appears to believe that if he demonstrated religious tolerance by recognizing Neopagan traditions as actual religions, that he would somehow become a Neopagan and would be attacked by God.

This book is full of propaganda against a group of people who are gentle and loving, selfless and strong enough to stand against the closed minds of those who dislike us.

This book is horrible and filled with half-truths & blatant lies.

Mr. Schnoebelen claims that he was "initiated into the Alexandrian Wicca on Imbolc, February 2, 1973 and made a High Priest and Magus in September of the same year.

Alexandrian Wicca is very traditional and it takes a few years minimum to make it to the rank of High Priest.

But hey, don't just take my word for it. Kerr Cuhulain, author of Witch Hunts: Out of the Broomcloset, wrote a rather long article on this book exposing the falsified information contained within.

This book, I thought, was excellent for a good laugh. I have been a practicing Wiccan Witch (Eclectic) for over 6 years now. A friend loaned me this book to read, and in the first thirty pages, I was able to write 2 pages worth of mistakes. He mixes up a lot of terms, only tells the reader portions of certain rituals, etc etc. He also claims to have been so many things . . . Alexandrian High Priest, Craft of the Wise high priest, Druidic High Priest, Minister, Satan worshipper . . . and all in only 50 years? Doubtful. Also, from reading his other books, it is apparent the man is a psycho. Can you really trust a man that believes aleins to be part of Satan's mastermind in creating babies with his "fallen angels"? I don't think so. Not to mention the book is from Chick publishing . . .

~Path

I did not want to give this book 1 star, but well we have to give it at least one. Wicca aside this book should never have made it to print. His theories are so outlandish. He claims that Satan is using ufos to cross-breed with humans to create a new breed of demons. According to this author even Catholics are satanists, which I find very offensive as I come from a catholic family. It appears to me as just another book that will appeal to those who are looking for satan everywhere. It is just a book of hate and slandering and offers no real academic value.

A very horrible book, whose sources can be linked to such shoddy scholars as Higgins and Vallency who calimed that the Druids had directly emmigrated from India and Armenia respectively. Upon further research, I also discovered that the "Wiccan" organisation which this man claimed to be a member of, was not specifically a Wiccan group to begin with, and also kicked him out for physical and psychological abuse of other students. I do not suggest this book to anyone, it is just dreadful.

Well, I've read a couple of this guy's books now, and he certainly has been a busy little beaver in his short span on this earth, hasn't he? If I cared enough to give this gentleman the ripping refutation he deserves, I'd construct a time line and try to pinpoint exactly when/where he was doing all his wicca/satanist/masonic/catholic/UFO abduction activities, just to see if it is at all plausible. But, I'm bored enough after reading this one and skimming another, and I won't be subjecting my poor brain to any more of this silly mess.

Hmmm ... I nearly vomited after reading the first pages of this book. Not because what was in it was true, but because the author CLEARLY has a vendetta against anyone/anything that isn't Christian. The "Prime Directive" of the Wiccan religion (the Wiccan Rede) states, "And it harm none, do what you will." This means, "do no harm." DO NO HARM (I THINK that's the first line of the Hippocratic Oath, too). This book is just so full of lies that under different circumstances, it'd be funny.