Girls Gone Wicca

Apparently it’s not Harry Potter’s fault any more. It’s Buffy’s fault. Yes, 50,000 women have stopped going to church and it’s all the faulty of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, according to a recent study published in Women and Religion in the West. The study's author Dr. Kristin Aune, a sociologist at the University of Derby, is quoted saying:

"Because of its focus on female empowerment, young women are attracted by Wicca, popularized by the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In short, women are abandoning the church."

Well, somehow I’m not convinced of this. First, Willow, not Buffy, was the witch. The report doesn’t mention 50,000 women patrolling graveyards at night with wooden stakes. Perhaps if women are abandoning the church, it’s because of some other reason.

Second, neither the summary of the actual study nor its index mention Buffy at all. Wicca is mentioned (it just says “see spirituality"), but it doesn’t seem to be a major part of the study. So I wonder if bringing Buffy into it isn’t just a way to drum up publicity for this otherwise distinct minority interest $100 book. (If so, it seems to have worked.)

Anyway, I won’t be convinced until I hear of 50,000 boys leaving the church to get into construction so they can emulate Xander. Now that would be surprising, if not exactly empowering.

 

Hey, Jesus was a carpenter you know.

Comments

[Zeno]

Furthermore, Joss Whedon simply used "wicca" because it was a trendy way to characterize Willow as a witch. There were comments at the time that the show was very casual in its use of the terminology, calling Willow a "powerful wicca" instead of "powerful wiccan." We can't blame Buffy or Willow for a rise in interest in witchcraft.

[Tonia]

50000 is that all - is that even statistically significant given the number of people in "the West"? Or does that just mean a few states in the US? I thought church attendance has been waning for other reasons for quite a while - but easy to blame a fictional story for stopping people believing in another fictional story.

[OzAtheist]

I don't believe any of it. This article was just an excuse to post photos of a hot looking girl and guy. LOL

[Nemo]

50000 is that all - is that even statistically significant given the number of people in "the West"?

When I read this story elsewhere, I got the impression that it was just referring to Britain... which still makes it a pretty small number.

Religioustolerance.org estimates there are 750,000 Wiccans in the U.S., and 100,000 in the U.K.

[Skeptico]

OzAtheist:

Damn - you rumbled me. (About the girl anyway.)

[Big Al]

Could I care much less? I don't think so.

Still, perhaps it's time we got a prime TV spot for a disciple of His Holy Avian Noodleness... could help spread the true creed.

[Charlotte]

Well, without wanting to sound too cruel about it, the University of Derby probably need all the publicity they can get. It's a competitive marketplace in HE these days.

[Stephen Newport]

I enjoy reading your posts, the smallest subtlties in the subtext scream logic-minded.

[John Marley]

Oh noes! Some other religion is becoming popular! Time to dust off the rack and thumb-screws.

[/sarcasm]

OT: SMG looks anorexic in that picture.

[Dr. T]

How could they get it so wrong? Willow was the witch; Buffy was the Slayer! They should be blaming Willow for the rise in Wiccism. And, (in reference to OzAtheist's post) the story wouldn't suffer: Alyson Hannigan is hotter than Sarah Michelle Geller.

[Dunc]

Anyway, I won’t be convinced until I hear of 50,000 boys leaving the church to get into construction so they can emulate Xander.

It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye...

[Mark Gibbs]

Jeez....you're really scraping the barrel with this story. You honestly can't come up with anything less tabloidish and dim-witted? A true skeptic would pay no heed to adolescent drivel sponsored by our corporate brainwashers.

[wikinite]

And a true scotsman doesn't put sugar on his porridge.

Obvious troll is obvious.

[Bronze Dog]

When it comes to woo, just about all of it is bottom of the barrel.

[Tom Foss]

Once again, Willow is overlooked. I'm curious if the study revealed that those same 50,000 women suddenly become bisexuals two years after becoming witches. Or developed a fondness for werewolves.

All joking aside, I just finished watching Season 2 of Buffy (I've been doing about 2-3 episodes a day) largely due to the influence of Akusai and his better half, and I think there might be something to this study. I mean, the high school library is a nice place, and tweed is starting to look really comfortable...

[Akusai]

Whoa there, Silver! Real-life high-school libraries are generally quite bereft of the things that make theirs so very appealing: Rupert Giles and a Hellmouth. Of course, you could get a job there and act like Giles to fill one of those holes.

Now, if you become a high school librarian as a result of watching Buffy, will that show up in a study someday?