The online magazine Jezebel is well named; it evokes the wicked biblical queen by the same name who married King Ahab. Queen Jezebel used her influence over her husband to abolish the worship of the one true God and usher in the worship of the pagan god Baal. She was envious, vain, and actively responsible for the murders of God’s prophets. In other words, Jezebel is rightly the archetype of a wicked woman.

The feminist rag got shut down in 2023 but was bought by Paste Magazine, an Atlanta-based, culture-focused outfit. While Jezebel continues its limp into irrelevancy, traffic numbers likely got a boost last month after the website published a piece titled, “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.” Apparently, in late August, the author solicited several witches on the online marketplace Etsy, and one witch promised results from her curse within two to three weeks. “I want to make it clear,” wrote the author of the piece, likely to fend off legal trouble, “I’m not calling on dark forces to cause him harm.”

The article was taken down on September 10 after the horrible assassination of Charlie Kirk. On September 12, the paper decided to explain the justification for publishing such a piece — but now it can’t be found at all. It wasn’t an apology; it was a cover-our-butt rationalization. Variety, however, saved this bit of nonsense for posterity:

On Monday, September 8, we published the humorous piece titled ‘We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.’ The piece was intended as satire and made it absolutely clear that we wished no physical harm. We stand by every word. But in light of Wednesday’s events, and on the recommendation of our lawyers, we have removed the text. To be clear, this decision was driven by an abundance of caution for our staff and to avoid the piece being misused in a tense and volatile environment, not by a change in our editorial judgment. We may republish at a later date, but out of compassion for the victim’s family, we want to make clear that we prioritize an end to violence over anyone wanting to read about Etsy witches.

Jezebel claimed the piece was published as satire, but it only exposed the foolishness, stupidity, and vice of that company’s editorialists.

This crazy story prompts an important question: Did the witches get more than they bargained for out of their “spells”? Jezebel certainly did.

As a Christian, I believe that the schemes of the devil (including the “curses” of witches) are of no use against the power of Christ and those He has called His own. For those of us who have given our lives to Jesus, we are now His children, adopted by grace into His royal family. We need not fear the devil’s schemes because God has already won. Charlie Kirk believed this, too. Here’s an example of him rebuking a satanist who made threats at one of his events:

I do not believe that a witch’s curse had any effect on Kirk’s assassination. It was simply his time to be called home. But that’s not to say that evil doesn’t happen to faithful Christians. We live in a fallen world and are facing off against the powers of Satan. Moreover, God does allow the devil to attack the faithful to bring about His will for the good of those who love Him (see the Book of Job).

By the same token, America has long been asleep when it comes to overt spiritual battles. Some would argue that the saturation of faithful Christians since our country’s founding has helped deflect the devil’s attacks. However, in other parts of the world, the spiritual war is raging. Christians in Africa are sometimes visited by a demon before an Islamist attack. Christians in South America fight demonic spirits of oppression that linger around homes.

The Christian Post noted that Jezebel wasn’t the only rag advertising paganism as a way for people to obtain what they want. The Washington Post encouraged readers to hire a witch to “get rid of their toxic ex.” The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and TIME magazine talked about the increasing market demand for witch spells on the Internet.

In October 2024, just days before the presidential election, witches tried to curse Donald Trump. According to the Toronto Star, a group of 100 witches cursed him in unison over a Zoom call. Another group of Alabama-based witches told their followers that spells don’t work because Trump has a shield over him thanks to the prayers of Christians. One witch wrote, “He has a shield, a flimsy one of course, but a shield nonetheless (I am trying to figure out a way to create spells that can bypass that, but it’s difficult).” Even a “flimsy” shield is stronger than the machinations of any witch because God is King, and none of the Satanic forces can do anything if we are under the Lord’s protection.

The promotion of witchcraft and psychics is prolific and mainstream. We have become desensitized to the reality of the spiritual realm and the fact that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against Satan-aligned spiritual forces.

All witchcraft is evil. Every former witch or psychic who ultimately turned to Christianity will tell you that once they gave their life to Christ and were freed from their sins, they realized with absolute certainty that they had been communing with demonic spirits. As much as New Ageism has tried to make witchcraft trendy with tarot cards, Ouija boards, crystals, and burning sage, it’s the same old pagan practice that ensnares those who practice it with ties only God can free them from.

Buying spells also invites demonic spirits into a person’s soul. Perhaps that’s one reason the spiritual battle is changing in the U.S. — because demonic influence and prominence are spreading.

We do not live in a spiritually neutral world. There is a clear battle between good and evil, and the devil isn’t hiding anymore. Have courage, though, brothers and sisters. God, our King, has already won the war.