Sexual Sin: Neo-Paganism, "Sacred Sluts", and Their Illusion of Freedom v. 1.0
by Iain Mac an tSaoir

    Most of the time, when a Christian tries to relay the Gospel to a Neo-Pagan they get shut down. The reasons are two-fold. The first is that the Neo-Pagans are watching how the Christian acts. If actions don't match words Neo-Pagans aren't interested in hearing. Second, is that, way too often, Christians approach Neo-Pagans with errant stereotypes in mind, and end up being rudely offensive. These dynamics are covered in two other articles on this website. Sometimes, even now, when I go to a church, and someone asks my life story, the moment I state that Christ called me out of Neo-Paganism, you see the lights go out and the shades get drawn. Their loss. Yes, I am chiefest amongst sinners, but without Christ being in them and I, they are no prettier than I inside.

   Christ truly saved me. Having come from a Neo-Pagan background, there is a lot that I see that others may not. Sorcery, necromancy, witchcraft, and venerating other gods weren't my only sins. Believing the lies that led to those also led to many other sins. Thus, I can see some things a mile away. Perceptions and realizations come from very subtle things. And amongst those perceived things is just how bad sexual sin is in the church. In fact, that which I perceived from the start of my Christian walk has been verified from several sources. The awesome missionary Paul Washer has referred to those that make up the Church as "a largely unregenerate body". And the esteemed evangelist Billy Graham has stated that he would be happy if 5% of the church really knows Christ. The rest of the "Christians" are acting very pagan, and believe me, I know that when I see it. And with that as the background and motivation of this article I start with recounting something I sometimes do. Sometimes, when I have nothing to do, which is rare but it does happen, I look at friends of friends of friends from my Myspace account. I praise G-d for so much of what I see. Especially, when I see where someone has come out of the sex industry (prostitution, porn creation, etc).

    What I don't know though is, how many of these people saved out of the sex industry, or how many people in general even, realize what an impact Neo-Paganism is having in the adult entertainment industry. In fact, Neo-Paganism is a breeding ground for a never ending stream of young, very young, people to get caught in the snare of the sex industry. The bait is the illusion of freedom and promise of money. I was in Paganism for a long time. And many of those who I knew either directly, or indirectly, were also adult entertainers (sex workers). These included strippers, prostitutes, performers in dungeons, and porn actors and actresses. One person in particular, a Neo-Pagan woman, and porn star, who goes by the name of "Annie Sprinkle" headed up a whole submovement within Neo-Paganism. Her thing was the "sacred slut". The very premise being that women only became truly free when they stopped being subject to the mores of society, and engaged as fully as possible in their sexuality, even to the point of being prostitutes and porn stars. Her ideals caught on like wildfire.

    This was picked up by a great many women. One of those, Jennifer Hunter, even wrote a book, that not only spoke about the Wiccan and Neo-Pagan idea that all acts of physical pleasure are sacred, but also stated:

"There are people today, mostly women who identify as sacred sluts/harlots/prostitutes...they keep the faith by making love with sacred intent, by working in the sex industry, and so on." (1) Later she continued, "It is not only the sacred prostitute who is holy in this exchange; the client or worshipper must be granted the same esteem and respect, else the Pagan belief of everyone's inner divinity falls short. Cosi Fabian writes, "it seemed only fair that if I were to claim lineage for my desire, then I mmust grant the same to men: as they worshipped the Wondrous Vulva, I in turn approached each man as the fascinum, the 'sacred phallus', the annointed one, the Christos .."(2)
   Later, on the same page, she quotes Annie Sprinkle as saying, "To me every human being is sacred, and special, and unique, and sexy. When I was a prostitute, even if I didn't like the person, when you take the clothes off, and you get naked together, there' some humanity there. I had a Beauty and the Beast fantasy anyway, so it worked for me. [LAUGH]".

   These ideas are manifested throughout Neo-Paganism. That is, I suppose, a natural consequence of a mostly humanist religiousity that in part describes itself as "a fertility religion". When I was pagan, I was a Traditionalist Pagan. In other words, I looked to the actual ideas and practices of the ancient, pre-Christian pagans. I recall a dialogue I had with one of the most influential Neo-Pagan/Wiccans of the last 30 years, a woman known as Starhawk. She tried to convince me that one of the most basic of ancient Irish protective symbols, and certain other ancient symbols were "orgasmic" in nature. For them its all about a spirituality that is directly connected to sex and orgasms. If you listen to many of them, they make religion sound like an Overstock.com ™ commercial [its all about the O]. You no doubt caught the equating of the Christ to the human phallus. The sad fact is that they do worship sex as god.

    There are now dozens of writers on the topic of the relious or magickal powers of sex, how liberating it is, and how spiritually empowering it is. And it's not just professional writers. An amatuer writer in one Pagan magazine, who is a stripper, recently wrote of her own physical responses, and the joys of bringing others physical joy - for pay, and how freeing it was. One young woman on Technorati describes her blog thusly, "The blog of a politically aware, radical socialist eco-feminist, eclectic pagan and sacred slut. Topics range from feminist blogosphere topics of interest, to issues on sex, open marriage, men's rights, paganism in the world and what's good on TV."

    They never tell you about the horrors and myriad types of addictions and psychological disorders that arise. They don't recount the spread of disease, rampant drug abuse, physical or mental abuse of the 'entertainers'. They don't present how these people make so little money that they can't escape, or how if they do have the money how they are otherwise threatened. They don't tell you about the slavery, and addictions, and loss of hope, and loss of quality of life, and high incidents of suicides, hpv and herpes infections, and death by HIV/AIDS. They don't tell you about the loss of self esteem, and lonliness from the loss of family, loss of friends, and loss of the ability to be truly intimate, and the loss of hope. All of these things are the true realities of those in the sex industry. These equally hold true for those average people who simply live like porn stars.

    I look at that way of existing now, then I look at Romans chapter 1. In Romans chapter one it tells of how people who insist on believing a lie rather than the truth, are given over to the "lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them".

    The rest of the text reads,

26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;

32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of)death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

    There was a time when I too bought into this set of philosophies, before G-d called me out. Now I look at it and see it for what it it. The lie? That there is no G-d to whom we are accountable and that humanity itself is what is sacred. The further lies are that these things are a source of freedom, and intense spiritual fulfillment. The end result of them applauding each other, is that they continue to draw in generation after generation of young person into slavery.

    They look at we Christians, we who have the power of Christ working in our lives, and think we are shackled down, repressed and suppressed, and in slavery. But who is really in slavery?

    1. Drugs are there 'free' for the taking to those in the sex industry, as most time being numb is the only way to do what is expected of you.
* One of the things I have a hard time publicaly admitting is that at one time I was a coke addict. But Christ freed me, and I walked away cold-turkey.

    2. Outside of a healthy loving, monogamous, relationship sex becomes cheap, and people become sex addicts who are incapable of true emotional intimacy.
* I was once a sex addict. I did not know what true intimacy was. I just craved sex for the sake of sex, the physical release. But Christ freed me from that addiction as well, and by His replacing my "heart of stone with a heart of flesh" I now understand what I missed.

    3. In the sex industry, or any place where sex is misused, so are the people misused. And with the illusion of freedom people become further enslaved to addictions, and to being maltreated. I know this because, and this is the hardest thing for me to admit, *gulp*, I did some posing long ago when I was dreadfully strapped for cash. Christ freed me.

   4. The product of the sex industry not only destroys the people in it, but it also destroys those addicts who purchase the service of the harlot, or the videos, or magazines, or the internet images. It not only eats away those people's hearts and minds, it destroys marriages. But Christ can free the slaves, heal the personal wounds, and heal the marriages.

   5.The sex industry is not just a job, but also a style of living. One that is nearly impossible to get out of once there. People become trapped in the slavery. But Christ is calling those people out of their hell on earth, and providing loving understanding Christians to help them out.

   6. Marriage is not a big deal in that world. "Open Marriage", "Polyamory", etc, is the movement whereby "married people" or those in "commited relationships" can openly indulge their sexual addictions, with the subsequent loss of true deep intimacy. It is huge and growing in the Neo-Pagan world, and the effect of porn tries to spread that way of living further afield amongst the general population. But Christ repairs that breakage everyday in those who turn away from the addictions.

    7. By worshipping the created, whether it be humans, or their body parts, or their biological functions, they are given over. And every one of those things listed in Romans chapter one is seen in technicolor in the Wiccan, Neo-Pagan, and the subculture of the sex industry subsidized by Wiccan and Neo-Paganism. The result is that people become slaves! I know, I was there for over 30 years.

    In short, what they are claiming as freedom is only an illsuion of freedom. It is an illusion of freedom that delivers slavery, heartbreak, deprivation, disease, and ultimately death. Those in the sex industry are addicted to various things, from chemicals, and abuse cycles born of self esteem problems, to sex, and even addiction to porn itself. By believing the lie, all of us become slaves to those things as we become more and more shackled to the slavery of our own basest instincts, urges and desires. And only Christ can free us. The love and light of Christ does that where nothing else can.

   And if you are a user of porn, or if you do go to strip clubs, adult theaters, or hire prostitutes here is a heads up. If you claim to be a Christian but do these things, and don't feel guilty at all, then you need to evaluate yourself in the light of scriptures. You may likely not be a Christian at all, but rather be right on track to hell. If you are a Christian who uses these things, and you feel guilty about it, then you can be rid of guilt. That guilt is the Holy Spirit moving you to repent! Confess your sins to Christ and beg His forgiveness. Then confess to your mate and ask their forgiveness. Then stop feeding the flesh! If you have a problem with what's on cable, either switch to a Christian cable network like SkyAngel, or get rid of cable altogether. Get involved in your church, and confide in your pastor, or a trusted solid friend in your church, and be accountable to them. Acountability partners are an awesome resource. If you have to use the computer, then use one of the software programs that will email to your pastor or accountability partner, and your mate, where you've been and what you've done while online. These things, like porn, are an addiction, treat it as such, knowing that Christ will forgive you and give you the means of overcoming it. And remember, every time you view porn, you are contributing to the destruction of someone in the sex industry, physically, mentally, and spiritually, perhaps even to the point of your sin being what eventually causes them to go to hell. Think about that.

    Daddies? Do want to keep your little girls from ending up in evil places like Neo-Paganism and/or the sex industry? Then love them. Let them know you love them with your words and your actions. Be there for them and with them. Be there for the softball game, or the chorus, or the teacher-parent conference. Put only G-d before your family. Give them affection, gently hug them, tell them they are pretty. take your daughter(s) out on "dates". Open the doors for them, and do all the other things a gentleman should do for a lady, as you treat them and their mom as ladies should be treated. Go to church with them, pray with them, read the Bible to them. Be a man your daughter can genuinely respect, as a man who is deserving of respect. They will gain so much of their self image from you. They will learn how to be treated by men from you. Protect them diligently from anyone and everyone who would harm them in any way. As she is growing up, you are the closest thing to G-d there is in her physical universe - be worthy. All of these are true for your sons as well. And remember, your sons are watching you. Your sons will learn how to treat women by watching how you treat your mom, your wife, and your daughters. Both your sons and your daughters will learn to live as G-d wishes us to live if they see you living that way. Don't live like Neo-Pagans.

    And so, in closing, I minister to Neo-Pagans. I don't proselytize. I minister by showing to them the same love Christ showed to me. I do my best to emmulate Christ, and let Him speak to them by how I live. In other words, just love them. The love and understanding you show them may be the only real, compassion they've ever known. Be there to help when they need help, and be patient, understanding, kind and compassionate. Like the Casting Crowns song says, "just love them like Jesus". Only then, when they ask me why I am different, why I love them so much, do I tell them how much Christ loves me, and that He loves them also. I see how Neo-Pagan ideals are permeating our society and sending fresh fodder to the meat marketeers. Thus, I see my ministry going hand in hand with those who are directly working to take Christ to those working in the sex industry. Gals, and guys, I pray for you daily, and give thanks for you. Maybe G-d can use our effort on this end to keep people from going in, even while He uses your efforts on that end to get people out. Bless you!!!!

    To those who, by the grace and power of G-d, have escaped. I'll keep you in my prayers! The time is short, keep running the good race. And remember that G-d does love you, and always has.

The best sermon I've ever heard on sexual sin: Pastor Mark Driscoll on sexual sin Other Sermons Other sermons on overcoming. People Who've Escaped the Sex Industry: Shelly Lubben's Testimony Various Women's Testimonies Annie Lobert's Testimony Johnny Trejo's Testimony Help For Those Trying to Escape the Sex Industry: I'm a Treasure Women Standing Firm Against Sexual Sin: Wive's Against Porn Broken Mom's Healing Ministry Workshops & Outreaches: Pure Intimacy (for males & females)PureOnline Men's Workshop For Purity Accountability Software: Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability Other Organizations: Enough is Enough, Protect Kids Safe Families, Keeping Children Safe Online	Books and Other Resources On Regaining Sexual Purity: Conquering Pornography: Overcoming the Addiction By Dennis Frederick The Purity Principle: God's Guardrails on Life's Dangerous Roads - Slightly Imperfect Pure Freedom: Breaking the Addiction to Pornography By Mike Cleveland False Intimacy: Understanding the Struggle of Sexual Addiction By Harry W. Schaumburg Every Young Man's Battle : Strategies for Victory in the Real World of Sexual Temptation By Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker with Mike Yorkey Every Woman's Battle -Damaged By Shannon Etheridge Hope After Betrayal: Healing When Sexual Addiction Invades Your Marriage By Meg Wilson Purity Challenge: Training Youth in the Battle for Purity By Mike Cleveland with Nathan & Jena Wells Protecting His Workmanship By Jeff & Pam Koehlinger
Music Video: "Slow Fade" From: The Altar and The Door CD By Casting Crowns	Music Video: "Does Anybody Hear Her" From: Lifesong CD By Casting Crowns

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