In my presentations at the Ark Encounter, the Creation Museum, and churches across the US, I often share the statistic that Generation Z is twice as likely as previous generations to call themselves atheists—but that doesn’t mean that Gen Z isn’t religious. They are all very religious—most just don’t want to believe in the biblical God. Instead they want to be “spiritual,” including dabbling in—or running headlong into—the occult.
A recent article from the UK confirmed that the resurgence of the occult isn’t just happening here in the US. The University of Exeter now offers “the UK’s first postgraduate degree in magic and the occult” as this school seeks “to harness growing interest in the subjects.” This multidisciplinary master’s degree will “explore the history and impact of witchcraft and magic around the world on society and science.”
Now, why does this school want to offer such a program?
Selove [the professor leading the course] said, “a superficial glance at our own beliefs and the beliefs of the people around shows us [that] magic is a part of our everyday life. Responsible scholars would do well to take this seriously”.
This is confirmed by the growth in the popularity of folklore, witchcraft, tarot and crystals, which has been understood as a reaction to the decline of organised religion. The 2022 census found a rise in the number of people identifying as pagans and wiccans in the UK, while shamanism was the fastest-growing religion.
It’s interesting that this article makes a direct connection between the “decline of organised religion” (really, Christianity) and the growth of paganism, wicca, and shamanism. Really, it shows the truth of what God’s Word teaches about mankind:
- We aren’t just a physical body or an animal (Genesis 1:27, 2:7), like naturalistic evolutionists believe.
- God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11)—humans long for something outside of themselves.
- The human heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) and will turn to anything rather than submit to the authority of God and his Word.
As fewer and fewer people turn to God and his Word (even superficially, as many in the past did) for guidance, meaning, direction, hope, and a greater purpose, they are left seeking and wanting—looking for living water to quench their thirst. But only Jesus supplies that! Diving into paganism and wicked practices that God forbids will not bring lasting joy, peace, and meaning. It just leads people deeper and deeper into slavery to their sin and unbiblical beliefs. As Romans 1 tells us, as people reject God they will worship the creature—the creation.
Human beings will always worship something (usually it’s ultimately themselves!), and the only solution to this false worship (idolatry) is the gospel. It’s the gospel that’s desperately needed to free people from their sin and give them lasting meaning and hope.
