This One Time, At Band Camp, I Had A Picnic On a Bloody Altar with A Satanic Witch.

Christine O’Donnell’s upset win during the Republican primaries in Delaware has been the subject of much debate and discussion over the last few days.  Democrats are generally elated, because they can not envision O’Donnell winning in November.  The reaction from Republicans has ranged the Karl Rove-esque, old-guard criticism, to ardent Tea Party applause.

I must admit, I never heard of her or her opponents until a few days ago when her stunning primary victory was announced.  A flood of reports about her has deluged the news, and I could not help but find myself curious about this young, attractive, upstart candidate from Delaware, famed for suggesting that male masturbation renders a woman unnecessary in a relationship.

One point that held my interest was a report that she had appeared on Bill Maher’s program “Politically Incorrect” in 1999 and had claimed to have dabbled in witchcraft.  Reminiscent of Bill Clinton’s admission that he had smoked marijuana, but never inhaled, Ms O’Donnell admitted to the dalliance with sorcery, but added the saving caveat that she “never joined a coven.”  The comments were made during a discussion of the celebration of Halloween, a holiday that Ms. O’Donnell vehemently opposes.

O’Donnell went on to tell Maher that, "I hung around people who were doing these things. I'm not making this stuff up. I know what they told me they do….One of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar, and I didn't know it. I mean, there's a little blood there and stuff like that," she said. "We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar."

The clip from Politically Incorrect raises many questions.  I can not help wondering, if the “picnic” on the altar was her first “date” with a Satanic witch, how many witches did she date?  She went to the movies and then went to a “midnight picnic” on an altar that had blood on it.  Did they bring sandwiches and root beer and have a snack?  What went on at this picnic?  Why did she continue to date witches once she found out that they were witches?  What were the things that they “told her” to do?  Were spells cast upon her? Where was this “altar,” anyway?  Perhaps a Satanic blood-soaked altar might have been of some interest to the New Jersey police.  Did she report it?  Even after 25 years, should the police not be directed to the bloody altar, in case Satanic rituals involving the loss of blood might provide evidence of crimes?

O’Donnell had been slated to appear on several Sunday morning news and commentary programs this past weekend, but she decided to cancel those appearances in favor of what she claimed to have been prior commitments to religious services and a Republican Party event.  At the GOP event, she addressed the witchcraft issue by making light of it.  She asked fellow Republicans, "How many of you didn't hang out with questionable folks in high school?”  And, she said, "There's been no witchcraft since. If there was, Karl Rove would be a supporter now.”

Honestly?  I can not recall any of the “questionable folks” in my high school being witches.  I know this not because I know what everyone in my high school did in their spare time, but rather because I know that there are no such things as witches or witchcraft.  There are people who pretend to be witches, and there are people who may believe that they are witches, but there are no real witches.

Curiously, in a controlled environment not subject to unwelcome questioning, she addressed the witchcraft issue short and sweet:  “there has been no witchcraft since.”   But does this really answer the important question?  The important thing, to me, is not some 25 year old adolescent sex romp she had in a graveyard, but rather whether she thinks that witchcraft is real, today, in the present.  Does she know that witchcraft is not real?  Or, does she think it is real, but to be avoided?

The idea of people really believing in witchcraft may sound comical to most people in this supposedly enlightened age.  But, it is not as uncommon as most of us might hope.  Many Christians believe in witches.  The Bible has passages about witches which clearly evince the Biblical notion that witchcraft is real.  The King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible says, “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”  Exodus 22:18.  Another example is Galations 5:19-21 which states, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft….they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Other passages can be cited to demonstrate the Biblical position that witchcraft is real, however, the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia’s entry regarding witchcraft summarizes as follows, “In the Holy Scripture references to sorcery are frequent, and the strong condemnations of such practices found there do not seem to be based so much upon the supposition of fraud as upon the abomination of the magic in itself.”  In other words, the Bible expresses opposition to witchcraft because it is real, not because witches are frauds.

If she believes that witchcraft is real, and she believes she “dabbled” in it and was told to do certain witchy things, how can she assure the public that she is not still under the influence or even control of witches or warlocks/  Has she been exorcised, or has she been otherwise cleansed of the actual or potential evil influence?  How was that accomplished?  As citizens, are we not entitled to know?

Ms. O’Donnell’s religious views are relevant to her political ambitions.  She is running for the United States Senate, not city council of Dover, Delaware.  On certain occasions, she has advocated the teaching of Christian “creationism” in public schools. She, a theater major who attended Farleigh Dickinson University in the late 1980’s, and received a B.A. in English Literature in 2010 after completing unfinished coursework, has been critical of the biological theory of evolution, asserting that it is merely “a theory.”   Clearly, her religious views are going to inform her decisions on education, and we can reasonably surmise on a variety of other issues as well.

My guess is that her cagey answer, explaining that there has been no more witchcraft, was carefully worded to allow two conflicting interpretations.  One is that witchcraft is not real, and her association with it is just ancient history, something to be laughed at as juvenile indiscretions often are.  Another interpretation is that she had a close brush with witchcraft, which she of course believes is real, and she has avoided ever since.

So, Ms. O’Donnell, on the subject of witches:  which is it?