‘WICKED, Witches and Sorcery’ – Oh No!
An Analysis Of WICKED
By Derrick Warfel
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
-Isaiah 5:20
The Word of God clearly condemns witchcraft and sorcery as detestable and those who practice them are condemned to eternal fire. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Revelation 21:8).
So how does a country filled with Christians spend $268,000,000 at the box office on a movie about teenagers and sorcery over a week that is supposedly given to thanking God for its many blessings. And, why would a major distributor like NBC/Universal owned by an even larger cable provider Comcast spend $150,000,000 to produce a film (and probably an equal amount to distribute it) with a title like “Wicked” about witches and sorcery. Their CEO’s didn’t worry a bit that it could offend their customers? Well, it didn’t happen overnight. Read on.
Now some people think there is a cabal of Hollywood writers that gather and plot how to destroy the morality of the U.S., but having associated with writers in Hollywood for over forty years I can tell you no such conspiracy group exists. The truth is it is far more subtle. The principalities and powers of Ephesian 6 do plot to destroy all things Christian, but they influence writers, directors, producers in more nuanced ways. They get them to gradually replace previous Christian paradigms we used to evaluate morals with new paradigms. Creative types abhor anything that limits their freedom to create or explore new ideas. Religion is just full of rules that limit growth and freedom. And, freedom and liberty are good right? To the artists freedom is the ultimate paradigm by which all things should be judged, not God’s Word. The ad for “Wicked” says “everyone deserves a chance to fly.” So, limiting human longings like gay marriage, transgender operations for children, and exploring human powers like sorcery can’t be bad right. What kind of spoilsport God would do that?
So, the definitions of terms like “bad” and “wicked” have been redefined. “bad” used to mean “bad” but now it means “baaaaad” which can mean very good, and “Wicked” now means exceptional. In Boston, “Wicked Pizza can mean really good pizza. “Wicked Tuna” on cable TV show can describe a great fishing profession with exceptional revenues. Voila, a new paradigm is born. Good is bad, and bad is good. The film “Wicked” takes it to a new level. In your face Isaiah 5:20.
How did this happen? I once heard that an individual or a nation doesn’t fall into gross immorality overnight, but it happens with many, many small compromises. Remember Eve? The fruit was a delight to the eyes, then it was good for food, and then it was desirable to make one wise… and then she ate. All “seemed” OK, right up till she ate and then God judged. For “Wicked”, it all starts back decades.
A segment in the 1940 Disney Film (and Walt Disney is safe for kids right) was “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with Mickey mouse as a hapless assistant to a Sorcerer, and he kept spilling the magic potions and creating funny havoc. Harmless fun, right? About the same time in 1939, “The Wizard of Oz” introduced the idea that there are good witches, the white witch, and bad witches, the wicked witch of the West. However, the Bible makes no distinction between witches’ power, it all comes from the same place, the Occult. Then, jump forward to the 1998 TV show “Charmed” about teenage witches. Of course, 2001 “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” where there are nice teenagers are practicing sorcery. And over the years there have been hundreds of other TV shows and movies with similar themes where the occult is looked at in a positive light.
Moreover, kids dress up as witches every Halloween. Harmless fun, right? But what are the kids taking from this? They get there’s no danger here. The Bible is just an overly stuffy killjoy book. Psychiatrists call this “desensitization”. Gradually getting a person or society used to an idea that used to scare or bother them by introducing it in small steps where no harm is done and it even seems fun.
So, bring in Gregory Maquire in 1995 with a political ax to grind against fascism, and an idea to write a prequel to the beloved favorite the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz” and take the idea even further. Maybe The Wicked Witch of the West, here named Elphaba, got an unfair rap. Besides, Elphaba sounds like Elf. And elves, like Santa’s elves, are fun creatures that we like, right. In case you didn’t get the positive reference, Glinda, the good witch even nicknames Elphaba “Elfie”. And at the beginning of “Wicked”, we find out that the White Witch, Glinda and Elphaba were once good friends and classmates, not enemies. Hmmm, maybe Elphaba isn’t so bad. Then Glinda is asked “Why does Wicked happen?” and Glinda replies, “Are they born wicked, or is wicked thrust upon them?” So immediately, you see where the movie is going. Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, is going to be shown a victim of society, and on the other hand the Wizard of Oz, who is sort of metaphor for God is shown to be a fascist, dictatorial ruler.
Elphaba is teased from childhood about the color of her skin, green. Of course, we all believe judging a person by the color of your skin, racism, is wrong. This point is doubly made in that Elphaba is played by a black actress with green make-up. Her levitation skills are just her natural born abilities, not occultic. Sorcery is just a way to harness those. Are you getting the paradigm shift? If you are rejecting Elphaba because she is different, you are a racist. To make sure you get the point, Elphaba’s sister is crippled. Again, she is someone who is different and is overlooked by society. Creative people are different and sometimes push the envelope of acceptable behavior. However, it doesn’t matter what they are into, you are wrong to reject them even if the behavior is forbidden by the Bible. Let’s face it, the white witch, Glinda wasn’t all that great either. Maybe, you should side with the Green witch. Glinda is a bit of a dumb, beautiful, rich, spoiled blonde, who is vain, self-promoting and not as talented as Elphaba. Again, turning the usual paradigm on its head. However, as the story progresses Glinda is more and more supportive of Elphaba, again endorsing Elphaba and her sorcery.
Then, there are all the other tricks writers, directors, producers use to get you to accept ideas that you don’t believe in. One is called “save the cat”. If you want the audience to like an unlikable main character, you have them save the cat, or pet the dog, or help the little boy, or give a dollar to the street beggar. In this case, the Wizard has a plan to cage all the animals in Oz, and keep them from learning how to speak. (“Animals should be seen and not heard.” (Is this meant to be a metaphor for certain types of people too?). Yes, the animals in Oz can speak at first. A goat is even a professor at the Sorcery School called Shiz, so the beloved Goat professor is really … the G.O.A.T. However, Elphaba stands up for animal rights and freedom and this puts her on the bad side of the Wizard, and so she is declared “Wicked” and chased out of Oz. So, it is the Wizard who is evil and Elphaba is the one who is called wicked is really righteous for being persecuted for standing up for animal rights, thus making her sympathetic.
Don’t forget acceptance by association. It’s the reverse of guilt by association. If something that is questionable is associated with something you cannot reject, then you have to accept the questionable item. For example, if sorcery is associated with freedom, or racial acceptance, or protection of animals, then you cannot reject sorcery. There are even television commercials now associating the movie Wicked” with disabled people and wanting to have the freedom “to fly”, i.e. no longer be limited by society to their disabilities. So if you reject the movie Wicked, then you are against disabled people having freedom.
The film ties into movie memes that audiences love. The sets are spectacular, fanciful and reminiscent of Harry Potter, a story audiences loved. The costumes and sets are all very colorful and bring back “Barbie” images. Glinda (played by teen pop singing idol Ariana Grande) in her pink almost looks like “Barbie”. The actors, singers, dancers, and choreographers are the best in show biz and the song and dance numbers are a feast to the eyes, and are sure to please children. How can you not like Elphaba? Yes, she’s a sorceress, but she seems to be using it for good and it’s only awkward when she gets angry at some injustice to her or others. Then, there is the genre: Coming of Age and a love triangle. Perennial movie favorites. Who better than “Winnie Holzman, writer of the popular teen tv series, “My So Called Life” to tell a sympathetic “coming of age” teen story.
Then, there is the process of how the story built support. It was first a novel by Maguire with rave book reviews from the elites. Progressives on Broadway saw it as a great opportunity for a musical, inspired by the ever popular 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.” The liberal audiences in New York, loved the twist on the old story: that maybe all wicked people were just different and misunderstood. What’s the phrase “Sympathy for the Devil,” he’s just misunderstood. Finally, progressive Hollywood producers saw an intellectual property with a large following and decided to make a huge holiday movie with a PG rating so children could come see it with their parents. Audiences weren’t bothered by Harry Potter and sorcery, so how bad could “Wicked” be. Universal and Comcast thought it’s perfect for a Christmas release with tons of advertising. Beside 30% of the U.S. population today now identifies as “nones”, no religious affiliation, so there shouldn’t be any pushback. Wait, there’s more! “Wicked” ends with the tag “To be Continued.” This movie is only part one. There is more to the defense that Elphaba is not a bad person and sorcery is not a bad thing. Universal and Comcast see more dollar signs to come. Even conservative talk hosts are raving about Wicked and seem to completely miss how it promotes witchcraft and Sorcery.
In 388 B.C., Plato urged the city fathers of Athens to get rid of all poets and storytellers because he felt they were a threat to society. They did not deal with ideas in a rational manner like philosophers but instead the artists buried their ideas inside the enticing emotions of art. A movie uses not only writing, but visual images, actors, music, sound effects, editing, almost all the arts to move an audience emotionally to possibly get them to accept an idea they might otherwise intellectually reject. Children who have limited analytical ability to see the deception are the most at risk.
Fear not, God is not fooled. Sorcery is an abomination to Him. There is a judgment day. (Proverbs 24:19-20). Christians should not be fooled by a slick presentation. It’s said that the victors rewrite history to their beliefs. It seems like the secular victors in the culture wars are rewriting our favorite stories according to their beliefs. What’s next? Do we learn the itsy bitsy spider is really a new bold Sisyphus who refuses to be a victim of climate change. We are to love sinners, but not to applaud the sins they do. Most of all, we need to protect our children and curate the movies we watch. We desperately need a God ordained revival where our society is called back to true righteousness, not this fake paradigm that bad is good.
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