Political Hotsheet
By

Stephanie Condon /

CBS News/ September 21, 2010, 5:08 PM

Christine O'Donnell's "Witchcraft" Comments Rebuffed by Satanist

Christine O'Donnell AP

Yesterday, Hotsheet reported that Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell's past remarks that she "dabbled into witchcraft" offended Wiccans, who said O'Donnell's comments misrepresented their religion. Today, a Satanist from New York City is taking issue with the Tea Party candidate.

Since pulling off a surprise victory in the Republican Senate primary earlier this month, O'Donnell has come under scrutiny for a number of controversial remarks. Liberal pundit Bill Mahrer on Friday released a video clip from 1999 of O'Donnell talking about her foray into witchcraft in an appearance on his television show "Politically Incorrect."

"I dabbled into witchcraft," O'Donnell said. "One of my first dates with a witch was on a Satanic altar, and I didn't know it. I mean, there's little blood there and stuff like that... We went to a movie and then had a midnight picnic on a Satanic altar."

Some Wiccan leaders complained that witches do not believe in Satan. Diane Vera, the founder of a group called "NYC Satanists, Luciferians, Dark Pagans, and LHP Occultists" added today that O'Donnell's anecdote also misrepresents Satanists.

"As far as I am aware, no serious practitioner of any variant of either Wicca or Satanism would have a picnic on one's altar," Vera said in a press release.

Vera also cited a 1997 Washington Post op-ed O'Donnell wrote as head of the Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth (SALT). O'Donnell wrote about proselytizing to concert goers in the Washington area.

"Walking through the crowd I also noticed more pentagrams than crosses around the teenage necks," she wrote. "'Satanism is the religion of the '90s, I was told."

Vera responded that O'Donnell "has a tendency to confuse Satanism with not only Wicca but also rock fan culture."



Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
13 Comments Add a Comment
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PirateRum says:
"LSD is a really scary drug." - Christine O'Donnell
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daffy64 says:
"We went to a movie and then had a midnight picnic on a Satanic altar."

-

"I don't know whether it's the light reflecting off the inverted cross or that this human blood drink is going to my head...but you look TERRIFIC tonight..."

Ahhhh romance...
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sharuse says:
She is a bit confused and very uneducated about the subject. This is all based on the confusion of Witchcraft/Paganism with Catholic Black Mass where a priest would do a satire of a Catholic Mass. The whole confusion with Pagans as Satanists comes from the pentagram which is an upside down pentacle. Some people see what they choose to see and really do not care about anyone else as long as they get their cheeseburgers and beer. That is true apathy.
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a_silver_story says:
Does it matter? There's no such thing as God, Heaven, Hell or Satan anyway. Stop being so stupid, ask some questions and apply some reasoned thinking to life.
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greco99-2009 says:
Maybe she thinks that the five point star in the US flag is a 'pentagram' as well...Then again, the US military is, in fact, run from a pentagram-inspired building called the Pentagon...hmmm....
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RobAla says:
I think she will be better off with out the support from either of those 2 weird groups.
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Clark Nova says:
The far, far right has always had a fascination with the occult. Google Ultima Thule, Hitler and Nazi.
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reclamation2011 says:
Not everyone wearing a pentagram is a satanist, or even a pagan or theist at all. Likewise, not everyone wearing a cross is a Christian, or lives anywhere close to a Christian lifestyle. Not everyone at a rock concert needs to advertise anything at all on a necklace.

How utterly, devastatingly out of touch we are with religion these days is what's truly sinful.
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bottomfortyradio says:
I like this article. first she says that she would NEVER EVER EVER lie. not about double parking, not to Hitler about hiding people in your basement... and now her story about how she was involved w/ Witchcraft, which was funny enough, is proven to be riddled with LIES!!!! This woman has no chance of winning
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rathomp99 says:
And this article is what passes for news??? Why and to what end--to destroy a particular political candidate??? Oh, I forgot... this is CBS

...news alert
...Stephanie Condon has been dabbling in journalism
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