Joshua Bennett
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is an American fantasy sitcom that premiered in 1996. The show follows the adventures of Sabrina Spellman, a teenager who discovers on her sixteenth birthday that she is a witch. While the show is primarily centred around comedy and fantasy, it has been criticised for its treatment of Christianity and its positive portrayal of Satanism. Interestingly, while Sabrina's father pledged her to the Dark Lord, her mother had her baptised in a Catholic Church, leading to conflicting claims on her soul.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Satanism | Worship of Satan, Satan as a force to be reckoned with |
| Catholicism | Baptized in a Catholic Church, Utilization of Catholic rituals and practices |
| Occultism | Depictions of witchcraft and magic |
| Contradictions | Tensions between Satanism and Catholicism, Challenges to authentic faith |
| Christian Response | Criticism of mockery and denigration of Christianity, Opportunity for spiritual discussion |
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What You'll Learn
Sabrina's Catholic baptism
In the Netflix series *The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina*, Sabrina's Catholic baptism is a significant event that shapes the narrative arc of the show. The show explores the interplay between Satanism and Christianity, with Sabrina's father pledging her to the Dark Lord and her mother secretly having her baptised in a Catholic Church. This sets up rival claims on Sabrina's soul, creating tension and conflict within the story.
Sabrina, portrayed by Kiernan Shipka, is a half-witch and half-mortal with magical powers. As she approaches her 16th birthday, she faces a pivotal moment in her life—the Dark Baptism, where she is expected to pledge herself to the Dark Lord and renounce her free will. However, Sabrina values her freedom and personal autonomy above all else. She questions the Church of Night's demands and struggles with the idea of sacrificing her free will to the Dark Lord.
In the episode "The Dark Baptism," Sabrina wrestles with the decision of whether to undergo the ritual. She seeks advice from her boyfriend, Harvey, and her friends, and even receives guidance from Father Blackwood, who attempts to assuage her doubts. Sabrina ultimately chooses to attend the ceremony, donning her mother's wedding dress, but when faced with signing the Book of the Beast and committing her soul to the Dark Lord, she hesitates. She realises that submitting to the Dark Lord would mean losing her freedom and self-identity, which are paramount to her.
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Satanism and the occult
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a dark reboot of the beloved 1996 sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The show has been criticised for its depiction of Satanism and the occult, with some arguing that it mocks and denigrates Christianity and Christian beliefs.
In the show, Sabrina is a half-mortal, half-witch who was pledged to the Dark Lord by her father as an infant but was also covertly baptised in a Catholic Church by her mother. This leads to rival claims on her soul and sets the stage for the tension between Satanism and Christianity that plays out throughout the show.
As the show progresses, Sabrina delves deeper into witchcraft and the use of darker magic, often with negative consequences. She becomes involved in Satanic rituals, including signing the book of the beast and promising her soul to Satan. She is eventually crowned Queen over the Church of Satan. The show also features depictions of torture, murder, sexual assault, orgies, incest, sadomasochism, and cannibalism.
While some viewers have found the show's content disturbing and offensive, others argue that it provides an opportunity for Christians to engage in spiritual discussions and to speak truth into a confused world. It is worth noting that the show's portrayal of Satanism assumes the truth of Christianity and differs from the beliefs and practices of organisations like the Church of Satan, which does not worship Lucifer as a deity.
The original Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic book series, published by Archie Comics, debuted in 1962 and centred around the adventures of Sabrina Spellman, a "half-witch" who lives with her two witch aunts, Hilda and Zelda Spellman, and their magical talking cat, Salem. The character of Sabrina first appeared in Archie's Madhouse #22 and later appeared in various other media formats, including an animated series and a live-action sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2003. The live-action sitcom, starring Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina, featured a lighthearted and whimsical tone, focusing on Sabrina's adventures as she learns to use her magical powers and navigates the trials of being a teenager.
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The Church of Night
The Judas Society, led by Faustus Blackwood, was a secret society within the Church of Night. It was formed by a group of warlocks who swore allegiance to Father Blackwood and his heir, Judas Blackwood. The society aimed to subjugate witches and establish male dominance within the Church, ruling with brutality and misogyny.
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Sabrina's aunts, Hilda and Zelda
In the 1996 TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart) discovers on her 16th birthday that she is a witch. She lives with her 600-year-old aunts, Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda Spellman, and their magical talking cat, Salem (voiced by Nick Bakay). Sabrina's aunts are witches who counsel her on the proper use of her magic and give her moral advice.
Hilda and Zelda Spellman are sisters and share a house in the fictional town of Westbridge, Massachusetts. They are described as caring, funny, and sometimes caustic. In the series, Hilda is the less rational and more impulsive one. She is more lenient and fun-loving than Zelda and is usually tolerant of Sabrina's schemes and mistakes. She is also more questioning about the Church of Night. Her magical abilities often manifest as a puff of smoke, accompanied by a "bong" sound. Hilda has had a variety of jobs, including blacksmith, donkey walker, and deep-sea fisher. She is believed to have been born in 1397 and is depicted as a tall, thin Caucasian woman with red hair. In the season 6 finale, Hilda meets her true love, Will, a train conductor.
Zelda, on the other hand, is stern and domineering. She is more pragmatic and devout to the Church of Night than Hilda. Her magic manifests as a stream of violet sparkles. She is a strong woman working under the patriarchy of the Spellmans' dark church. In the early 19th century, Zelda and Hilda worked together at a saloon before being run out of town. Later, they found financial security through junk. In the series, Zelda is portrayed as a blonde, and her full name is revealed to be Hildegarde Antoinette Spellman.
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The show's relationship with Christianity
The relationship between the show Sabrina and Christianity is a complex one, with some critics arguing that it mocks and denigrates Christian beliefs and values. The show has been described as a "thumb in the eye of Christian moralism", with characters engaging in behaviour that promotes witchcraft, alcohol use, sexual assault, orgies, murder, incest, torture, and sadomasochism. The show also includes references to Satan and the Dark Lord, with characters shouting "Hail Satan" and "Praise Satan".
However, others have argued that the show does not glorify Satan or witchcraft and does not attack the Catholic Church. Instead, it undermines the role of authentic faith while propagating a mystical caricature of the Catholic religion. The show explores the tension between Sabrina's dual identity as half-mortal and half-witch, and her baptism into the Catholic Church is presented as a loophole that allows her to enter consecrated ground, despite her dedication to the Dark Lord.
The show's depiction of Satanism and witchcraft assumes the truth of Christianity, and the existence of an ultimate evil in the form of Satan. This is in contrast to the beliefs and practices of organizations like the Church of Satan, which regard Lucifer as a symbol rather than an entity to be worshipped. The show's exploration of these themes can be seen as an opportunity for Christians to engage in spiritual discussions and speak truth into a confused world.
While the show may not be Christian-friendly, it does not necessarily promote anti-Christian values. Instead, it presents a complex and nuanced view of the relationship between good and evil, faith and mysticism, and the consequences of one's actions.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Sabrina was baptised as a Catholic as an infant. However, her father pledged her to the Dark Lord, leading to rival claims on her soul.
The show follows the adventures of Sabrina Spellman, a girl who discovers on her 16th birthday that she is a witch. Sabrina lives with her witch aunts, Hilda and Zelda, who counsel her on the proper use of her magic.
The show explores the interplay between Satanism and Christianity, with some critics arguing that it mocks the Catholic Church and promotes Satanism. However, others argue that it does not glorify Satanism or attack the Catholic Church but rather undermines the role of authentic faith.
The show depicts Sabrina's struggle between her Catholic identity and her involvement with the Church of Night, a group in thrall of Satan. For example, she takes advantage of her Catholic baptism to enter consecrated ground while also wielding Satan's power.
