Witchcraft — the practice of attempting to access or manipulate spiritual power through occult means — is directly and repeatedly addressed in Scripture as sin. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 explicitly lists sorcery, divination, and contact with spirits as 'detestable to the Lord.' Galatians 5:20 includes pharmakeia (sorcery/drug-assisted occult practice) among the works of the flesh. Acts 19:18-19 shows early Christians burning sorcery books. The prohibition is not peripheral but central across both Testaments. Modern forms — Wicca, tarot, astrology as divination, crystals used for spiritual power, spells — fall within the biblical category. 5/100 Avoid.
Scripture addresses witchcraft, sorcery, and occult practice directly, repeatedly, and without ambiguity. This is not a peripheral biblical topic — it is addressed from Exodus through Revelation.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 is the most direct Old Testament prohibition: "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord." The word "abomination" (Hebrew: to'ebah) is the same word used for idolatry — this is not a minor concern but a central one.
Galatians 5:20 lists pharmakeia ("sorcery" or "witchcraft") among the works of the flesh — alongside sexual immorality, idolatry, drunkenness, and envy. The word pharmakeia referred to drug-assisted occult practice and the broader category of using substances or rituals to access or manipulate spiritual power.
Acts 19:18-19 shows the appropriate response of new believers encountering their previous occult practices: "Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all." The value of the books burned was 50,000 silver coins — a significant financial sacrifice for the sake of spiritual purity.
Revelation 21:8 includes "sorcerers" among those whose place is "in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur" — serious New Testament language about the spiritual stakes.
The biblical prohibitions cover: Divination — seeking knowledge of the future or hidden things through occult means (tarot, astrology as fortune-telling, tea leaf reading, palm reading, crystal balls). Sorcery — attempting to manipulate events or people through occult rituals, spells, or incantations. Necromancy — seeking contact with the dead or with spirits (séances, Ouija boards, mediums). Consulting familiar spirits — seeking guidance from non-divine spiritual beings.
Modern forms that fall within these categories: Wicca (a modern religion based on witchcraft practice); tarot cards used for divination (not as art or game); astrology used for guidance about life decisions; crystals used for spiritual power or healing; spells and incantations regardless of "white" versus "black" framing; Ouija boards; mediums and psychics.
Modern Wicca and pop culture witchcraft often present witchcraft as: (1) Spiritually neutral or positive — "harm none" ethics; (2) Nature-connected and empowering, especially for women; (3) Fictional or playful, not seriously spiritual. None of these framings change the biblical analysis. The "harm none" principle does not address Scripture's concern — the prohibition is about engaging with spiritual powers other than God, not about the practitioner's intent to harm. The "it's not serious" framing is inconsistent with taking spiritual reality seriously — if there are no real spiritual powers being invoked, the practice is pointless; if there are, the biblical warning applies.
See our guide on Should Christians Watch The Conjuring? for the occult in horror film context. See our Is It a Sin? hub. GotQuestions on witchcraft. Plugged In.