"Witchcraft Is No Longer Evil?"

Christian parents should be very cautious about “Hocus Pocus 2,” the Halloween-themed sequel to the popular 1993 film starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.

The film has occultic themes prevalent throughout. 

However, the handling of witchcraft in the new version of the movie takes an entirely different approach.

The original “Hocus Pocus” emerged in 1993 amid the so-called “Satanic panic,” a timeframe during which allegations of satanic ritual abuse and other elements ran rampant in culture.

The original film reflected negative cultural views on witchcraft but the new movie takes a different approach. 

“Witchcraft is no longer evil.”  McDonald's has been serving up free Tarot cards with your burgers and fries.

Parents and grandparents, please be informed, not misled.

"Witchcraft is no longer evil" according to the entertainment industry, McDonald's, and a growing number of youth.

Heather Green has written an excellent article informing and warning parents to beware and I would add to avoid "Hocus Pocus 2", which is out now on streaming in advance of Halloween.

Heather Greene noted the original film reflected negative cultural views on witchcraft but that the new movie takes a different approach. According to Greene, in the sequel, “Witchcraft is no longer evil.”

 Here’s how she summarizes the changes:

Flash-forward 29 years. Satanic panic is ancient history and modern witchcraft has fully emerged from the proverbial broom closet, legally recognized and accepted as a spiritual path and religion. Pentacles appear on gravestones even in veterans' cemeteries. Prison chaplains host Wiccan circles and Satanists fight openly for religious equality.

Occult practices, such as tarot, are now openly practiced by teens from all walks of life and all faiths.

McDonald's serves up fries...and the occult with Tarot card offer.

For anyone wondering just how pervasive occult practices are becoming in mainstream culture, look no further than McDonald’s most recent marketing ploy, which involved, among meal deals, the chance to win tarot card readings.

The lead of a USA Today story covering McDonald’s ploy reads, “McDonald’s is preparing for this week’s celestial and astrological change of Mercury retrograde with both a deal and tarot card."

USA Today began with this back in May:

McDonald’s is preparing for this week’s celestial and astrological change of Mercury retrograde with both a deal and tarot card readings.

The fast-food chain will have a two-day deal — Tuesday, and Wednesday — in time for the start of retrograde. Get a free McChicken or McDouble with the purchase of medium fries exclusively in the McDonald’s app at participating locations nationwide.

The Golden Arches also is teaming up with tarot card reader and astrology expert, Madam Adam, to offer select fans “McDonald’s-inspired” readings on Tuesday.

In an unfortunate infusion of occultism, customers using the McDonald’s app to buy a medium order of fries were given a free McDouble or McChicken and the chance to snag a tarot card reading.

McDonald’s reportedly partnered with Madam Adam, a tarot card reader with expertise in astrology, to offer readings to select customers. To “win,” customers reportedly needed to go to Madam Adam’s Instagram or TikTok posts to share their Zodiac sign and name.

Adam advertised the effort on his social media platforms, encouraging people to partake so they could learn their “fate.” The comments sections on Adam’s social pages were filled with people sharing their Zodiac signs in hopes of receiving an apparently-coveted tarot reading.

“I don’t know about you, but for me, Mercury in retrograde can be a real difficult time. So why not ease the discomfort with comfort food?” Adam said in a video promotion. “Want to know what the tarot has in store for you? Join me and McDonald’s for a very special TikTok Live… to know your fate.”

What is "Mercury retrograde"?

McDonald’s discount effort coincided with Mercury retrograde, an optical illusion that unfolds a few times each year and appears to show Mercury moving backward in its orbit. When Mercury laps Earth in its 88-day move around the sun, it causes Mercury’s appearance to be retrograde from Earth’s perspective.

But why do so many care about an optical illusion? And why did Adam say it can make for a “difficult time?”

Astrologists believe happenings in the sky impact life on Earth. Thus, Mercury retrograde has people engaging in all sorts of speculation and superstition over purported disruptions they think it can cause.

People routinely blame communication problems and other issues on Mercury retrograde, tragically putting their faith in the stars and celestial happenings rather than in  Almighty God. And that dynamic seems to be worsening.

God says "No" to this.

Here’s the issue with these supposed oracles: they’re a form of divination, defined by Merriam-Webster as “the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.”

And while tarot cards might seem like harmless fun to some, the Bible clearly rebukes divination in the strongest terms imaginable, warning people to steer clear of it at all costs.

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 is just one place in the Old Testament that deals with the subject matter:

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.”

And in Acts 16:16 in the New Testament, we see Paul exorcise a slave woman who has the “spirit of divination.” The Bible is filled with warnings against these practices, yet culture continues to adopt them and is increasingly celebrating these practices.

McDonald’s is the latest big brand to commemorate such anti-biblical practices.

As for the history, tarot reading goes back 600 years, and though it’s used as a parlor game by many, it is also a tool psychics use to try and foretell the future. A tarot deck has 78 cards, and practitioners rely on occultic practices to use the cards to create a narrative about peoples’ lives.

Anyone mistakenly thinking of engaging in such tactics should remember the biblical commands to trust God with our futures, not man.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) reads. “In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.