The problem of Witchcraft/Paganism

[Holly3278]

I used to practice Wicca and was even involved a dark Occultic cult for a while. I did not stop practicing Wicca until yesterday. Yes, I know, I have been a Catholic for almost 4 years but I would still on occasion practice Wicca and magic. I am deeply ashamed of that. I did confess it to my priest yesterday and he told me that it was likely the source of a lot of my problems and I believe him too. So I confessed to it for the final time yesterday and I will not go back. Wicca and magic is extremely dangerous! You can become demonically possessed, oppressed, or harassed if you practice Wicca and/or magic. Maybe we need to tell the teens this so they don’t get involved. I just praise God that I am finally out of that demonic religion! :bowdown::extrahappy: :extrahappy: :bowdown:

 

[NoWings]

I used to practice Wicca and was even involved a dark Occultic cult for a while. I did not stop practicing Wicca until yesterday. Yes, I know, I have been a Catholic for almost 4 years but I would still on occasion practice Wicca and magic. I am deeply ashamed of that. I did confess it to my priest yesterday and he told me that it was likely the source of a lot of my problems and I believe him too. So I confessed to it for the final time yesterday and I will not go back. Wicca and magic is extremely dangerous! You can become demonically possessed, oppressed, or harassed if you practice Wicca and/or magic. Maybe we need to tell the teens this so they don’t get involved. I just praise God that I am finally out of that demonic religion! :bowdown::extrahappy: :extrahappy: :bowdown:

I’ve met plenty of Wiccans and I haven’t encountered any that I would consider ‘extremely dangerous’.

Adorably clueless, maybe.

 

[Holly3278]

I’ve met plenty of Wiccans and I haven’t encountered any that I would consider ‘extremely dangerous’.

Adorably clueless, maybe.

Of course you haven’t encountered any that you would consider extremely dangerous. You’re an Agnostic and if you’re like 99% of Agnostics, you don’t believe in demons and maybe not even in evil. But the fact is, Wicca is extremely dangerous whether you want to believe that or not.

 

[AnAtheist]

But the fact is, Wicca is extremely dangerous whether you want to believe that or not.

Oh, that is a fact?
How many Wiccans run around murdering people or fly jets into buildings? When was the last war started to spread the Wiccan faith among people who don’t to be Wiccans? Where do Wiccans burns their heretics?

All Wiccans I know have far better ethics than many Christians I see in the the media. Now that’s a fact. (Anecdotal evidence I know, so no valid argument, but still a fact.)

 

[Holly3278]

Oh, that is a fact?
How many Wiccans run around murdering people or fly jets into buildings? When was the last war started to spread the Wiccan faith among people who don’t to be Wiccans? Where do Wiccans burns their heretics?

All Wiccans I know have far better ethics than many Christians I see in the the media. Now that’s a fact. (Anecdotal evidence I know, so no valid argument, but still a fact.)

Yes, it is a fact. Wicca is extremely dangerous spiritually. It is dangerous to the soul. Of course you wouldn’t agree on this because you are an Atheist and you don’t believe in the soul or in spiritual things but it is a fact nonetheless and you can continue to deny it all you want but it is true. There’s a reason why witchcraft is called an abomination in the Bible.

abomination əˌbɒmɪˈneɪʃən]n**
1.** a person or thing that is disgusting
2. an action that is vicious, vile, etc.
3. intense loathing

(Deuteronomy 18:9 DRB) When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee, beware lest thou have a mind to imitate the abominations of those nations.
(Deuteronomy 18:10 DRB) Neither let there be found among you any one that shall expiate his son or daughter, making them to pass through the fire: or that consulteth soothsayers, or observeth dreams and omens, neither let there be any wizard,
(Deuteronomy 18:11 DRB) Nor charmer, nor any one that consulteth pythonic spirits, or fortune tellers, or that seeketh the truth from the dead.
(Deuteronomy 18:12 DRB) For the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these abominations he will destroy them at thy coming.

Witchcraft is condemned multiple times in the Holy Bible:

(1 Samuel 15:23 DRB) Because it is like the sin of witchcraft, to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry, to refuse to obey. Forasmuch, therefore, as thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being king.

(Nahum 3:4 DRB) Because of the multitude of the fornications of the harlot that was beautiful and agreeable, and that made use of witchcraft, that sold nations through her fornications, and families through her witchcrafts.
(Nahum 3:5 DRB) Behold I come against thee, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will shew thy nakedness to the nations, and thy shame to kingdoms.

(1 Chronicles 10:13 DRB) So Saul died for his iniquities, because he transgressed the commandment of the Lord, which he had commanded, and kept it not: and moreover consulted also a witch,

(Leviticus 19:26 RSV) "You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft.

(Galatians 5:19 RSV) Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
(Galatians 5:20 RSV) idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit,
(Galatians 5:21 RSV) envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Let’s see, from this passage from Galatians, we can determine that witches are guilty at least of idolatry and sorcery. The word for sorcery here is “pharmakeia”. From Strong’s, we can tell that this can also mean witchcraft:

G5331
φαρμακεία
pharmakeia
far-mak-i’-ah
From G5332; medication (“pharmacy”), that is, (by extension) magic (literal or figurative): - sorcery, witchcraft.

Witchcraft is also strongly condemned in Sacred Tradition. I don’t have the time to look up all of the quotes of the Early Church Fathers who condemn witchcraft but if you go to www.newadvent.org and search for witchcraft, you’ll find a lot of information on it.

As for Wiccans having better ethics than Christians, that may be true in some cases as many Christians are hypocrites but I am certain that there are hypocritical witches and Wiccans as well. That said, witches and Wiccans in general have worse morals than orthodox Christians. In general they approve of things like gay marriage, abortion, pornography, and various methods of divination, spells, curses, and the like. So don’t even try to tell me that Wiccans and witches have better morals than Christians because that, my friend, is hogwash.

 

[NoWings]

Holly, using a book that states that it’s infallible isn’t a good thing to use in an argument.

I can counter that in the Finnish mythos, magic and wizards were seen as holy men.

 

[Holly3278]

Holly, using a book that states that it’s infallible isn’t a good thing to use in an argument.

I can counter that in the Finnish mythos, magic and wizards were seen as holy men.

I was telling you that witchcraft is dangerous to the soul. I used the Bible, God’s holy word, to prove this point. I am a Christian. What do you expect me to use? A secular book? A secular book would not say anything about how witchcraft is dangerous to the soul. We are speaking about spiritual matters here, not secular matters.

That said, if you want a different source that condemns witchcraft, look at the Catechism!

**2117 **All practices of *magic *or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. *Spiritism *often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.

 

[gmcbroom]

You know I just read the last page and I have to say this all strikes me as a control issue. Dear Wiccan Teen, I recommend you follow the path your on. The other religions will be here should you change your mind. When/if you ever choose to leave the Wiccan faith choose one that resonates with you. God Bless.

 

[NoWings]

That said, if you want a different source that condemns witchcraft, look at the Catechism!

The Catechism is an extension of the Bible. Both have their source from Tradition.

What I find ironic is that ‘witchcraft’ and ‘miracles’ are so similar they could almost be said to be the same thing.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

The Catechism is an extension of the Bible. Both have their source from Tradition.

What I find ironic is that ‘witchcraft’ and ‘miracles’ are so similar they could almost be said to be the same thing.

Sorry but you’d be dead wrong there. Miracles are usually events involving healing (recovery from blindness, paralysis, wondrous signs etc). Witchcraft on the other hand, looks like something out of a horror movie (voodoo dolls, curses, demonic oppression) and the worse thing is that they came from the devices and machinations of human beings. Miracles on the other hand, rely on the will of an omnipotent being.

 

[Holly3278]

The Catechism is an extension of the Bible. Both have their source from Tradition.

What I find ironic is that ‘witchcraft’ and ‘miracles’ are so similar they could almost be said to be the same thing.

I don’t see how you think that witchcraft and miracles are so similar. How do you come to that conclusion?

 

[AnAtheist]

Yes, it is a fact. Wicca is extremely dangerous spiritually. It is dangerous to the soul. …]
Witchcraft is condemned multiple times in the Holy Bible:…]
Witchcraft is also strongly condemned in Sacred Tradition.

Doesn’t that apply to anything non-Christian?

As for Wiccans having better ethics than Christians, that may be true in some cases as many Christians are hypocrites but I am certain that there are hypocritical witches and Wiccans as well.

Probably, but Wiccans are a tiny minority, virtually no-one is born into that religion and fixed to it by means of social peer-pressure. So there is absolutlely no reason to pretend being Wiccan, while there are lots of reasons to pretend being Christian, e.g. to get jobs in the social sector (which in Germany for example is nearly impossible if you’re not Christian because of the strong state-church connection)

That said, witches and Wiccans in general have worse morals than orthodox Christians. In general they approve of things like gay marriage, abortion, pornography, and various methods of divination, spells, curses, and the like. So don’t even try to tell me that Wiccans and witches have better morals than Christians because that, my friend, is hogwash.

I see nothing wrong in gay marriage but a lot in telling or forcing people whom to love and how. And various methods of divination, spells, and curses are practised in Christianity too, it is just called differently.

Anyway, you implied that witchcraft opens the soul for demonic influences. Supposing for a minute that there really are demons willing to spread evil and doing harm to mankind, it is a very subtle strategy by them to posses people and giving them ethics in a way that they don’t harm others.

 

[masha]

Sorry but you’d be dead wrong there. Miracles are usually events involving healing (recovery from blindness, paralysis, wondrous signs etc). Witchcraft on the other hand, looks like something out of a horror movie (voodoo dolls, curses, demonic oppression) and the worse thing is that they came from the devices and machinations of human beings. Miracles on the other hand, rely on the will of an omnipotent being.

Both witchcraft and miracles are actions of the supernatural in the natural world. They are pretty similar, especially as, in Christian miracles, people are usually involved - praying to encourage Divine intervention, in witchcraft, people are always involve, but casting a spell is actually a very similar activity to prayer - generally towards different gods.

Miracles can be healings, recovery, etc. but they can also be the complete destrucition of an opposing army, finding love, driving away evil. Witchcraft can be curses, but it is more often related to healing, finding love, protection, and the like.

It really doesn’t help anyone if we argue against a hollywood version of Witchcraft, how would we feel if they refused to accept that Catholicism was anymore than the cruel, power-hungry entity of Dan Brown’s imagination?

Pax et bonum,
Masha

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Miracles can be healings, recovery, etc. but they can also be the complete destrucition of an opposing army, finding love, driving away evil. Witchcraft can be curses, but it is more often related to healing, finding love, protection, and the like.

It really doesn’t help anyone if we argue against a hollywood version of Witchcraft, how would we feel if they refused to accept that Catholicism was anymore than the cruel, power-hungry entity of Dan Brown’s imagination?

I’m not presenting a Hollywood version of witchcraft. We really have malicious folk called mangkukulam and mambabarang. Trust me, you hear a ton of horror stories from the mountainous regions here about folks who cross them.

And frankly, let’s look at the greatest miracle worker of all, Jesus Christ. Did His miracles in anyway involve inflicting harm upon an anti-Christian opposition? No. They were mostly healing miracles. What do you think that means?

 

[masha]

I’m not presenting a Hollywood version of witchcraft. We really have malicious folk called mangkukulam and mambabarang. Trust me, you hear a ton of horror stories from the mountainous regions here about folks who cross them.

And frankly, let’s look at the greatest miracle worker of all, Jesus Christ. Did His miracles in anyway involve inflicting harm upon an anti-Christian opposition? No. They were mostly healing miracles. What do you think that means?

I’m saying there isn’t malicious magic, and that it isn’t used, I’m saying that this is not a defining characteristic of those who practice magic - and saying “witchcraft is always after a negative result” is not true and not helpful when talking to witches who practice with only the best intentions.

Believe me, I come from a family of old-world gypsies, I understand the power of curses. But I also understand that not all witchcraft is about cursing.

My discription of miracles came from both the old and new testament, but you’re right, Christ’s miracles did not harm anyone.

 

[andrewv33]

where does one begin, it is a big topic. I guess the first step is to understand who are these people you are talkning about. They are what the marketing media refers to as the Y generation.

learningtolearn.sa.edu.au/Colleagues/files/links/UnderstandingGenY.pdf

A great article that seems to define the mind set and values of this segment of our society that represents about 28% of the population, our next leaders, doctors, policemen/women.

Today there are no good leaders, everyone seems to lie , or cheat on the wife or husband…

Abraham Lincon
“I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.”
“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right”…

 

[andrewv33]

I used to practice Wicca and was even involved a dark Occultic cult for a while. I did not stop practicing Wicca until yesterday. Yes, I know, I have been a Catholic for almost 4 years but I would still on occasion practice Wicca and magic. I am deeply ashamed of that. I did confess it to my priest yesterday and he told me that it was likely the source of a lot of my problems and I believe him too. So I confessed to it for the final time yesterday and I will not go back. Wicca and magic is extremely dangerous! You can become demonically possessed, oppressed, or harassed if you practice Wicca and/or magic. Maybe we need to tell the teens this so they don’t get involved. I just praise God that I am finally out of that demonic religion! :bowdown::extrahappy: :extrahappy: :bowdown:

that is some scary stuff… may i ask why and how did you start practicing magic/wicca and what where some bizarre experiences you had

 

[MadScot]

Oh, that is a fact?
How many Wiccans run around murdering people or fly jets into buildings? When was the last war started to spread the Wiccan faith among people who don’t to be Wiccans? Where do Wiccans burns their heretics?

All Wiccans I know have far better ethics than many Christians I see in the the media. Now that’s a fact. (Anecdotal evidence I know, so no valid argument, but still a fact.)

If you include Assatru as a Wiccan religion, I can name at least one who went around murdering people.

 

[KathleenGee]

I had the trial of my life when someone begged to come into our spiritual group even though this person admitted they were unconventional, different. The person then later shared the problems they were having with others elsewhere.

Later I was strongly led by the Holy Spirit to discern this person and then all hell broke loose.

Took me 10 years and moving to another area that finally got me over the affliction I suffered…and it caused my kids to turn away from faith…

There can be alot of power in wicca and paganism…especially when people use animal parts, because the animals lost blood…always the price of atonement for something…

I was told by a woman that these people can even hex priests, get priests to side with them. I met a woman who went to a New Age meeting in 1970 and the guest speaker was a former Catholic nun who told people the Catholics would be surprised how many covens there were in convents across the country.

Not those of us who encountered abusive nuns.

Another sign…once they have the upper hand, all their benevolence is out the window, and you see a totally different side, malicious to the point of sadistic…and to try to explain this to people…they think You are Nutts, and then you are hit again by the disbelief and you end up labelling yourself for warning people…not about an individual person or peoples, but just to be aware…

Because of my experience, I just stay far away from any of that…there are people in the church who can deal with it.

 

[Holly3278]

Doesn’t that apply to anything non-Christian?

Probably, but Wiccans are a tiny minority, virtually no-one is born into that religion and fixed to it by means of social peer-pressure. So there is absolutlely no reason to pretend being Wiccan, while there are lots of reasons to pretend being Christian, e.g. to get jobs in the social sector (which in Germany for example is nearly impossible if you’re not Christian because of the strong state-church connection)

I see nothing wrong in gay marriage but a lot in telling or forcing people whom to love and how. And various methods of divination, spells, and curses are practised in Christianity too, it is just called differently.

Anyway, you implied that witchcraft opens the soul for demonic influences. Supposing for a minute that there really are demons willing to spread evil and doing harm to mankind, it is a very subtle strategy by them to posses people and giving them ethics in a way that they don’t harm others.

First of all, no, it does not apply to anything non-Christian.

Second, of course you see nothing wrong with gay marriage. You’re a secularist. And no, divination, spells, and curses are not practiced within Christianity.

I don’t really understand your last paragraph. Wiccans may have ethics that say that they should not harm others but nearly every religion has that same ethic. The fact that that is the only ethic that Wicca has is disgusting. Also, could you please explain what you mean by saying it is a very subtle strategy to possess people?