DUP MLA for South Antrim Trevor Clarke took to his Facebook page with the following post:
I nearly fell off my chair this morning when I heard on the Nolan Show that the Alliance Party’s Chair of the Education Committee, Nick Mathison, could not, when repeatedly asked, rule out “Witchcraft” or “Paganism” being taught in primary schools!
It must be a magical place to be in the Alliance Party that you have to be soooo inclusive, you wouldn’t rule out having Harry Potter teaching RE.
The Alliance Party’s Nick Mathison is the same man who also said it is not up for him to comment on whether a 3 year old is old enough to decide whether they can be transgender!
As a Governor of a Primary School and as a grandfather, I will stand up for a Christian ethos in our schools. This is, and always will be, a Christian country.
Apart from the obvious humour of it all it does highlight a common misconception. Paganism isn’t Satanic. Witchcraft isn’t an anti-Christian conspiracy. The whole link was basically a branding exercise from a few centuries ago that stuck around far longer than it deserved. Most people following those paths today aren’t the enemy of anything. They’re trying to live meaningfully in a world that’s constantly grinding them down, same as the rest of us.
So let’s clear a few things up before someone faints into the hymn books. (with a little help with AI as I am in a rush to get my lunch)
First: Satan is a Christian invention
If your belief system predates Christianity, you physically cannot be worshipping Satan. He’s simply not in the cast list. The old Celtic stuff, the Greek and Roman worlds, Norse cosmology, all the bits of folk magic that hung around rural Europe… none of them had Satan in their worldview because Christianity hadn’t knocked on the door yet. So painting these traditions as “anti-Christian” is about as logical as accusing Neolithic farmers of being bad Catholics.
Most modern pagans and witches aren’t reenacting anything sinister anyway. It’s usually nature-spirituality, rituals tied to the seasons, or simply people trying to make sense of the world in a way that isn’t confined to Sunday mornings.
Second: the Church created the Satan link for political convenience
This is the awkward truth a lot of people prefer to skip. When the medieval Church wanted to shut down local folk healers, unlicensed spiritual types, or simply the wrong sort of woman, the quickest method was branding them as agents of Satan. Useful tool. Terrible history.
The association wasn’t theological, it was bureaucratic. If you define everything outside your authority as dangerous, you never have to explain yourself.
Third: modern pagans aren’t plotting a war with Christianity
Honestly, most of them are too busy organising solstice picnics or debating whether certain herbs “feel right”. If you want a picture of contemporary paganism, think community rituals, environmentalism, poetry, and a mild obsession with the moon. You’re more likely to see a spreadsheet than a goat.
They’re not gathering in the woods to dismantle the parish. They’re just doing their own thing.
Fourth: being non-Christian isn’t automatically hostile
This feels obvious but apparently needs saying out loud. Declining to join a religion is not the same as attacking it. And if Christianity can survive empire collapses, theological schisms, the internet, and more dodgy televangelists than anyone deserves, it can probably cope with a handful of people lighting candles at the equinox.
And let’s not skip the elephant in the room: Christian culture already swallowed half of pagan Europe. Christmas trees? Pagan. Easter eggs? Pagan. The dates of the festivals? Pagan. Yet nobody’s accusing the Methodists of heresy.
Fifth: most of the fear comes from not knowing what you’re talking about
When someone’s entire understanding of “witchcraft” comes from horror films and the odd sermon from the 1980s, of course it sounds dangerous. But talk to actual practitioners and you discover it’s closer to mindfulness with a folklore accent.
Every belief system has its weirdos. Christianity included. Judging the whole lot by the fringe is lazy, and we all know it.
Finally: learning about other traditions won’t melt your faith
Some Christians act like the moment you acknowledge the solstice your baptism spontaneously reverses. It doesn’t. Understanding your neighbours isn’t betrayal. You can hold your own beliefs and still recognise the rest of humanity isn’t living in opposition to you.
If your faith collapses because someone mentioned ancient Celtic spirituality, that’s a structural problem, not a pagan one.
Alliance Party Leader had this response:
Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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