After some time of doing research, I've come to find that the Wicca faith followers
use all forms of new media and have no particular religious/moral stance against
it. I signed up on a Wiccan message board called www.everythingunderthemoon.net/forum
and asked a few questions about Wiccans’ use of media.
Most of the responses I received were personal opinions
rather than one position on what Wiccan doctrine states or what an authority figure has said in the past. Since Wicca is a very personal religion
(you choose what you want to believe and how to act as long as you don’t harm
others or yourself—and understand that you are accountable for the consequences
of your actions if you do so), most Wiccans accept and use media in their own
ways and not according to how someone else tells them to. However, there will
be some Wiccans that will reject certain media such as news reports, television
shows, or movies because of the inaccuracy of their reporting on Wiccans and
Witches.
One member of the forum under the username “The Judge” told
me:
“Currently I use social media, such as, Facebook, email,
postal services, and this web forum to communicate with others. I use these
forms of media because they allow me to respond to questions, and to make
corrections. The internet web forums also allow us to find information and ask
questions of others who may have had more experience or more knowledge in certain
areas of interest. I have used this forum to get my bearings and to find
information about things I didn't know. It has also allowed me to help others
who were asking questions.”
He’s referring to the media that misrepresent—in an
exaggerated manner—the Wiccan faith and therefore he must use his own form of
communication, in this case social media, to correct those assumptions and
extreme misrepresentations.
To sum up his thoughts this user said, “I'll just say that I
am willing to use any form of media as long as it doesn't betray the intent of
the message. Mis-quoting people is not only counterproductive but also
disrespectful to the originating author/speaker.”
This comment to me, seems to be true for portrayals of any
religion. Of course the media will do what they have to in order to provide
entertainment to their viewers, which most of the time consists of inaccurate
or extreme representations of a religion.
A response from forum member “Raynelae” said:
“I feel many people misunderstand the Wiccan ways, movies
like "The Craft", even though I'm a fan of the movie, make Wiccans
and Witches look bad, and sadly people believe those fictional stories. I do
not reject the media because I feel there are some good things to it, in fact
the internet has gotten me quite far in my Wiccan studies. I really wish
everyone would at least know what we Wiccans really are and what we aren't.”
So, although she seems a little disquieted on the subject
once again about inaccurate portrayals, she seems more positive on the use of
new media and uses it to her advantage to further her studies rather than
correcting other people on their understanding of the Wiccan faith.
Nevertheless, both of these users gave insightful
commentary that opens one’s eyes to see that it’s important to do research and
use media in a positive way to learn more about a religion before one assumes anything.
