"Wiccan Stabbing"

[enchanted_one1975]

Earlier this week, Angela Sanford stabbed Joel Levya to death in Albuquerque, NM. She blamed it on a Wiccan ritual. Luckily the police have found other evidence to show that it was just outright murder. Unfortunately most media sources think of Wicca as a joke and they love using stories like this to make us look bad, crazy, or otherwise discredit our faith. Instead of pasting the story I will provide links below to several different versions of the story. You can see how the media twists it. One site posted the Albuquerque Chief of Police's email address and recommends that all Wiccans email him to demand the truth about Wicca be told to the public. Chief Schultz can be contacted at [email protected]

CBS News

KOAT aka ABC

Daily Me

KRQE Channel 13

 

[Storm]

I only read the first two, but they didn't seem to be twisting it.

 

[I Am]

The media makes money by stretching the truth. This has and will continue to be the cornerstone of their trade. One has to be apathetic towards the views and beliefs of others in order to make a story. They simply don't care. Plus, with such a minority religion as Wicca, they are easily able to exploit and criticize the faith without substantial criticism that would "offend" most people (as most people don't have an understanding of Wiccan creed, rites, etc.)

 

[Just_me_Mike]

I think most people look as Wicca as a joke No different than any other religion :no:

Not doubting anyone's sincerity in what they practice, but at the end of the day it is all in our heads, much more than it is in reality :yes:

 

[enchanted_one1975]

I think most people look as Wicca as a joke No different than any other religion :no:

Not doubting anyone's sincerity in what they practice, but at the end of the day it is all in our heads, much more than it is in reality :yes:

Oh, you are right. A lot of Christians try everything they can to belittle the Wiccan faith. I have heard those radio preachers say that Wicca is being used by Satan to recruit souls. That is why events like this irritate me so. The media put a lot of emphasis on the suspect being Wiccan. For those that do not understand the religion it helps further distort their picture of us. The police do not believe her story so why even drag in all the stuff she tried to blame on Wicca? Were it an Abrahamic religion I doubt it would have been such a huge part of the articles.

 

[Storm]

Oh, you are right. A lot of Christians try everything they can to belittle the Wiccan faith. I have heard those radio preachers say that Wicca is being used by Satan to recruit souls. That is why events like this irritate me so. The media put a lot of emphasis on the suspect being Wiccan. For those that do not understand the religion it helps further distort their picture of us. The police do not believe her story so why even drag in all the stuff she tried to blame on Wicca? Were it an Abrahamic religion I doubt it would have been such a huge part of the articles.

I think it would if an altar boy went postal during mass.

She killed the guy during a ritual.

 

[enchanted_one1975]

I think it would if an altar boy went postal during mass.

She killed the guy during a ritual.

I don't believe she did. She is kind of in the wrong month for Beltane, as she said she was celebrating. She also said she carries her ritual dagger everywhere. I don't know of any Wiccan that brings an item as sacred as their Athame everywhere. I doubt this woman was really even Wiccan.

 

[Storm]

I don't believe she did. She is kind of in the wrong month for Beltane, as she said she was celebrating. She also said she carries her ritual dagger everywhere. I don't know of any Wiccan that brings an item as sacred as their Athame everywhere. I doubt this woman was really even Wiccan.

Well, and you may be right about that. I still think they're just reporting the facts as they know them, though.

 

[enchanted_one1975]

Well, and you may be right about that. I still think they're just reporting the facts as they know them, though.

It is possible. And being a "minority" religion, as mentioned, they probably don't know the ins and outs and what some of us find ridiculous or offensive. It may just seem worse to me because it is my religion.

 

[xkatz]

All I can say is that it is terrible. Regardless of religion, no one should kill someone due to their faith nor should anyone use faith as an excuse to murder.

 

[Revasser]

I have to agree IWE, unfortunately Wicca often IS looked upon as a bit of a joke by a lot of people. You can probably thank TV shows like Buffy or (*shudder*) Charmed for some of that perception, as well as certain people claiming to be Wiccan (like rebellious middle-class teen girl X from straight-laced middle-class Christian family Y) who have only a cursory knowledge of it but like to go around telling everyone that they're a "witch."

That being the case, I've found media stories involving Wicca to go one of two ways usually.

There's the one that goes "Hah hah, silly kids thinking they're doing magic. Everyone have a giggle."
The other one goes "Evil satanic religion causes <problem> because of black magic/depression/madness/etc."

Either way, it's a great way to get people to buy a newspaper or watch the nightly news because it makes the majority feel better about their own "normal" religion. If this had been just some woman stabbing some guy to death without any claims of religious involvement, if probably wouldn't even have made the news at all.

 

[MoonWater]

I'm with storm, I really don't see how these news articles are "twisting" wicca. Sure they bring it up a lot in the articles but I think that's largely because the suspect used a wiccan athame to do the killing. And one of the articles even went out of it's way to briefly describe the wiccan religion and how it is very much against brutality such as this.

 

[Circle_One]

I don't believe she did. She is kind of in the wrong month for Beltane, as she said she was celebrating. She also said she carries her ritual dagger everywhere. I don't know of any Wiccan that brings an item as sacred as their Athame everywhere. I doubt this woman was really even Wiccan.

Um... considering the Rede states, quite matter of factly "An' it HARM NONE, do as ye well"... yeah..I'm going with definitely not Wiccan.

 

[Azakel]

a wiccan athame

What makes the Athame Wiccan? Is she never mentioned her religion would anyone know she was Wiccan just because of the Athame?
Athames are used in main practices for ritual magick and most have nothing to do with Wiccan, and some pre-date Wicca.

 

[MoonWater]

What makes the Athame Wiccan? Is she never mentioned her religion would anyone know she was Wiccan just because of the Athame?
Athames are used in main practices for ritual magick and most have nothing to do with Wiccan, and some pre-date Wicca.

I'm aware of that. I was under the impression that the suspect herself had called it a "wiccan athame". Though that could have been a misinterpretation.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

When I saw the headline of this thread, I thought it was going to be about this story:

Murder Suspect Eric Christensen Had 'Wiccan Blood Oath' With Victim, Police Say - AOL News

I think it's odd that in a story about a murder by a Wiccan man with a history of violence against ex-girlfriends, they play up the "Wiccan" aspect and play down the "violence against ex-girlfriends" aspect. The "Wiccan blood oath" is in the headline and the first paragraph; the fact that he attempted to murder at least one ex isn't mentioned until halfway through the story.

Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier talked about this story at length on their Smodcast podcast recently. Their general consensus was that the guy was nuts and the story made no sense.

 

[Azakel]

I'm aware of that. I was under the impression that the suspect herself had called it a "wiccan athame". Though that could have been a misinterpretation.

Okay, I might have missed that. Maybe she did. If she did, I have misunderstood myself.
And apologize.

 

[MoonWater]

Okay, I might have missed that. Maybe she did. If she did, I have misunderstood myself.
And apologize.

it's okay

 

[Xafwak]

How dare anybody claim Wiccans do sacrificial rituals? It´s the satanists, remember?

I actually hope he was trying to rape her. The articles are filled with him being a father of three, a son of a clergyman and so deep in his faith in God. Those don´t make one innocent, yet the general population seems to think so. Especially if the killer was a member of a minority religion.

 

[Gentoo]

After reading all 4 articles, she's the one that's twisting Wicca... not the journalists...