LL asks: “Is it alright for my daughters to watch the new version of Charmed?”
Parents must make their own decisions about what their children watch, but this is not a show I would recommend for the audience it’s aimed at – teen girls.
For those who never heard of it, The CW launched a reboot of the 1990’s hit, Charmed, which airs at 8PM on Friday nights. The show is about three college-aged sisters who discover their magical powers and use them to try to rid the world of evil. One sister, Macy (Madeleine Mantock), has telekinetic powers that enable her to move objects with her mind. Mel (Melonie Diaz) is able to freeze time with her brain, and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) can read minds. Another character named Harry, known as a “whitelighter” (a kind of guardian angel who watches over witches), has special powers that enable him to orb (teleport) from place to place.
This is how reviewers at Focus on the Family’s Plugged In have to say about this series: “The new Charmed uses (as the old one did, to a less-shrill extent) the vocation of witchcraft as a way to express the inherent power of women, and how (in the show’s perspective) people try to usurp, undermine or belittle that power. Mel, a lesbian engaged in a physical, on-again, off-again relationship with police detective Nico Hamada, seems the most obvious conduit for the show’s righteous anger. (That said, the show often pokes a bit of fun at Mel’s double-barreled quest for justice, too.) But all the characters here are party to its in-the-moment ‘woke’ vibe.”
In addition to the problematic story line which promotes the specious notion of “good” witches, “The politics of the show lean ‘progressive’ – sometimes radically so—and I doubt that conservative Christians will get much of a positive voice here, if they get one at all…Sexuality is a big theme, too, with none of the girls shying away from some serious physicality with various partners. And yes, things can get gory as well.”
Even though the girls were supposedly born with their powers and did not consort with a demon to acquire them, they participate in rites, spell-casting and Ouija board readings.
This show clearly promotes the current fad among teen girls to view witchcraft as something hip and trendy and empowering rather than what is truly is – a dark and dangerous practice.
The fact that these shows can encourage girls to practice witchcraft is attested to in this article where Jenny Weaver of Jenny Weaver Worships relates how she was led into the practice of witchcraft after watching a similar show, The Craft, which was about four high school girls who were practicing witches. She saw the movie during a vulnerable time in her life and the idea of having so much power and control was very appealing to a girl raised in a dysfunctional family. She went on to become a practicing witch and didn’t repent until her life was literally falling apart.
Shows that glorify witchcraft can – and do – have a negative influence on girls’ lives and are certainly playing a part in the explosion of interest in the dark arts among this age group. As our Young Women of Grace study teaches, we need to help our girls find true empowerment by discovering the genius that belongs to daughters of the Most High God.
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