Charmed...How Alternate Is Their Universe?

Cafe Society
1

I know the show is fluff. But my housemate watches it so I catch it every now and then.

In Charmed, the Halliwell sisters are witches. They don’t, however, seem to be religious witches (which in this show appear to be some sort of pseudo-Wiccan/NewAge type). Yet whenever a spiritual event occurs in their lives (Piper’s wedding, Pru’s funeral) it appears to follow a pseudo-Wiccan outline/ritual. Which makes me think that perhaps the culture of the Charmed world is one in which neopaganism of various stripes is the dominant religion.

Yet the general run of the population on the show appears ignorant of “real” witches, demons, angels (whitelighters).

Does anyone know if I’ve missed some bit of exposition somewhere in which it’s explained just how alternate the Charmed universe is compared to ours? Is Christianity “normal” there? Has anyone ever made any references to going to church (neighbors, friends)? And if the culture is pagan/neopagan oriented, why would the existence of the Witches and demons be so shocking?

2

Nope, the mainstream world is mostly Christian. Pru’s ex-boyfriend (the cop who died in the first season) was a devout Catholic. One of the early episodes dealt with a Morlock who switched sides and purged his demonic powers–by becoming a Catholic priest. A more recent episode centered around a Buddhist monk and his disciples.

Since becoming witches, the Charmed Ones have met a number of Wiccans, but the vast majority of the characters on the show are from Judeo-Christian culture. The show’s official line is that all religions have their good points and bad points.