Why Christianity Hates Witchcraft

Being raised Southern Baptist I have always wondered why Christian churches preach so heavily against witchcraft, when it's a way to grow closer to the Divine, learn about yourself, and learn more about the world around me. Reading in the Bible I find numerous cases of leaders consulting mediums, diviners, and prophets. And often the prophets worked magic! So what is the problem? Power.
Power is, and has always been, the motivating force behind the Jewish and later Christian hierarchies. Tell the people the only way to communicate with the Divine is through a select few, and the people are dependent on you. They need rain for their fields and a blessing for their children? If they can't sacrifice to their god(s), bless, pray, or worship without the consent of a few, the people are powerless. All control over what they think, believe and are able to do is stripped away. This doesn't mean that a leadership structure isn't needed. A leadership structure should be there to help teach and train, to pass on knowledge. Not to be a dictatorship that restricts or forbids contact with the Divine.

1 Samuel 15:23 in the New King James version reads, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." In the time that 1 Samuel was written the Jewish people wanted a King of the Jews to rule them and unify them as a new nation. The Jewish leaders realized that to do this would destroy their relationship with the government, and they would no longer receive the protection and benefits of being citizens. So what do they do? Create fear. To do witchcraft - sacrifice to your god yourself without a priest, to divine your own future, and to pray to your god directly - is rebellion. How can you be unified if the people are rebellious? Look what happened to Moses. The people rebelled and God punished them. Believe you are right and become stubborn? Then you are a sinner and as bad as the idolaters who worship the gods of the ruling government as well as Y-HW-H, the Jewish god. All past stories for the Jews taught that those who worship false gods are the reason they've been enslaved. God will be mad at them for having different opinions and punish them yet again.

A good Jew would be very familiar with the books of the Law and Moses. Deuteronomy 32:35-36 reads, "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.’ ³⁶ “For the LORD will judge His people and have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, and there is no one remaining, bond or free." Disobey and god will take vengeance. He will destroy you and your entire family; he will be sure all power is stripped from you. Power and fear.

Power remained the motivating force as the Holy Roman Catholic Church sprang up under the Roman Empire. Power dictates their command structure, their influence over people, and why their priests are raised above the "lay people". The priests were always from the highly educated. They studied history and the Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic texts. They knew that fear and power are the cornerstones for the control they lust after. Their priests were deemed the average persons way of communicating with the Divine. They teach that the Divine will not communicate directly with all people, only through Saints or their ordained ones.

But what happens when people, these witches, laugh at them and say they have direct connection with the Divine? That what the Church teaches is obviously wrong and the people can know this through their own experiences? Their power base is threatened. The whole reason they exist becomes obsolete. Persecutions, wars, and genocides ensue to terrorize the people and to create an iron fist for the Church to rule with. Don't follow the Church? Burn in eternal flames with no rescue. Commit a heresy (the definition of which changes every 50 years if not sooner)? Burn in eternal flames with no rescue.

Judaism, even though its prophets were diviners and Jewish mysticism is still a practiced form of magic, has always taught against witchcraft to maintain power over its people. The Catholic Church has continued this practice, and proclaimed the torture and slaughter of millions to maintain their power. Power and fear, that's why Christianity preaches against witchcraft.

You are have a spark of the Divine within you.

You can communicate directly with the Divine and experience the Divine in a number of ways. It is not wrong to worship, pray, and divine. Each person is an agent of free will on their own path of spiritual development. A High Priestess or High Priest can help you along your path by passing on knowledge and techniques to you.

They are never a replacement for your connection with the Divine; being a witch means you are responsible for yourself.

Ostara 2012

Today, March 20th 2012, is the Spring Equinox often called Ostara (Germanic Goddess of Spring) or Eostre (Saxon version of Ostara). It is the time for celebrating fertility, new life and renewal. The Germanic tribes would celebrated this as the time when Ostara, a lunar goddess, mated with a fertility god (giving birth nine months later to the renewed god at Yule).

Interestingly it is not only the time celebrated by pagans for new life and renewal, but also celebrated by the Jews and Christians. The Jewish Passover feast is celebrated at this time in remembrance of the Angel of Death passing over the Jewish houses in Egypt that painted their doorways with the blood of lambs. Christian Easter is celebrated as the time when Jesus was crucified and rose again.

When is Easter?

The full moon following the vernal (spring) equinox - the same as the feast day of Eostre. All are stories of blood, death and renewal. Despite ardent attempts through two millenias to separate themselves from their pagan  neighbors, Judaism and Christianity follow the flow of nature just like the pagans; exception being the Celts who didn't celebrate Ostara as a holiday.

Where does the myth of the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs come from?

A popular legend tells that Eostre found a wounded bird laying on the ground. To save it she transformed it into a hare, but it retained the ability to lay eggs. In gratitude the hare would decorate its eggs and leave them as gifts for Eostre.

How do modern pagans celebrate Ostara?

As this is a time when light and dark are equal, celebrate the turning of the Wheel. Start seedlings if danger of severe storms is past and prepare soil for late spring planting. Spend a few moments enjoying the new life beginning around you. Feel the new winds blowing, hear the birds singing and see the plants budding forth with new life.

"In the spring, when night equals day,

time for Ostara to come our way.

When the Sun has reached it's height,

time for Oak and Holly to fight."

- the Wiccan Rede

Militias on the Rise

With an economy in depression, a nation divided on every issue, and christian prophecies about the anitchrist coming from domestic government, the number of anti-government militias is on the rise. The following article was originally written by and published on MSN.com under US News on March 8, 2012. The lead photo is from the Christian militia group Hutaree's 2010 training video. Many militia groups are centered around Christian sects that are anti-Semetic, anti-gay and neo-Nazi.

Text in bold was part of original article, but was bolded only in this post.

Following by Stephanie Schendel, Murrow News Service

Screen shot from a training video used by the Christian militia group Hutaree in March 2010. The group was allegedly preparing for a battle with the Antichrist, whom they believed would be supported by local, state and federal officials. Nine were arrested and charged with conspiring to kill police officers, then kill scores more by attacking a funeral using homemade bombs.

The election of President Barack Obama in 2008 triggered an explosion in the number of militias and so-called patriot groups in the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported in its annual tally of such anti-government organizations. There were 149 militias and patriot groups when Obama took office, compared to more than 1,200 today — an increase of 755 percent, the nonprofit civil rights organization reported. "The increase has just been astounding," said Mark Potok, editor-in-chief of the SPLC report. "The reality is that many of these groups are becoming more and more fearful that Barack Obama will win the re-election. You can see the anger rising along with that fear."

The SPLC defines the "patriot" movement as made up of conspiracy-minded individuals who see the federal government as their primary enemy. The movement includes paramilitary militias as well as groups of "sovereign citizens," who believe they are not subject to federal or state laws, nor obligated to pay federal taxes, according to SPLC. The center also reports a steady rise in the number of hate groups in America — from 604 in 2000, to more than 1,000 last year. Those include anti-gay groups, anti-Muslim groups, black separatists and "Christian Identity" groups, which hold racist and anti-Semitic views that overlap with neo-Nazi beliefs.

The spike in these groups can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the sluggish economy, radical propaganda and anxiety over the election of a black president, Potok said.
Potok said although many individuals involved in patriot militias are not criminals, a handful of these groups have been responsible for a significant amount of violence in recent years.

Government employees targetedSPLC provides one of the few annual reports on militia or anti-government groups. The Federal Bureau of Investigation does not track militia groups unless they are alerted to violent or extremist activity, according to an agency spokesman. "Some of these groups veer into violent extremism," said Frank Harrill, special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Spokane, Wash., and spokesman for the Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force. "Where hate and ignorance and violence collide, that is where our interests lie." Two militia groups have made headlines in recent years for allegedly hatching violent plots to target government employees.

Seven people from the Michigan-based Hutaree Christian militia are on trial for allegedly conspiring to ambush and kill a police officer. They allegedly plotted to follow up the ambush with an attack on the officer’s funeral procession in the hope of killing more officers, and thus sparking a revolt against the U.S. government. Recent evidence presented in trial included a recording made by an undercover FBI agent in which the militia’s leader, David Stone, 47, says he is going to "start huntin'" police soon. The seven have pleaded innocent, and argue that the "plot" was nothing but talk, protected by the First Amendment. And in November four members of a Georgia-based militia, all in their 60s and 70s, were charged with plotting to buy explosives and the ingredients to make a deadly toxin to attack government officials. They are in custody awaiting trial. But members of other militias say that exercising their constitutional right to bear arms does not mean they are committed to revolution.

Spokane-based militia member Ed LeStage, 59, denied that his group, the 63^rd Battalion of Lightfoot Militia, which was listed on as an active militia group in the SPLC’s report, was a danger — unless, he said, "you're a communist or socialist who attacks us." LeStage, a veteran to the patriot movement, said he believes the increased number of militias comes from U.S. citizens’ desire to restore the country to its constitutional roots. He also said that what he called President Obama’s intrusion on personal liberties also has driven growth in the movement. "He’s been after our guns," LeStage said. "Obama’s been the best gun salesman there ever was."

From his home in eastern Washington, LeStage broadcasts weekly training videos to militia members across the country. Those videos — which include instruction on such things as drinking one’s own urine and scavenging for food — are meant to help members survive anarchy or economic collapse. LeStage said he has been involved in militias and related groups for more than 20 years, including the Idaho Mountain Boys, a member of which was arrested in September 2002 for plotting to kill a federal judge and a police officer.

That member, Larry Raugust, served 77 months for possession and production of pipe bombs. Today, Raugust has a member profile on LeStage’s militia website, which has added more than 1,000 members since its launch last fall.

"(Raugust) is just a friend," LeStage said. "He doesn’t belong to our unit. He is a convicted felon." LeStage explained that his militia requires each member to obtain a concealed weapons permit. As a felon, Raugust is not allowed to carry weapons, LeStage said. The patriot movement first peaked in 1994, said Potok, the author of the SPLC report, in the aftermath of deadly confrontations at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992 and Waco, Texas in 1993, where anti-government groups came under siege by federal authorities. Membership then dropped sharply during President George W. Bush’s two terms before rebounding in late 2008 after the election of Obama, which created a backlash that included "several plots to murder Obama," according to SPLC. The numbers of those groups have continued to grow, jumping from 824 in 2010 to 1274 this year, the SPLC said.

'Sovereign citizen' movementThe ailing economy also helped fuel a huge expansion in a subset of the larger Patriot movement — the so-called "sovereign citizens" movement. Followers generally believe they do not have to pay federal taxes or follow most laws. The SPLC estimates some 300,000 Americans are involved in the movement. In September, the FBI issued a bulletin to law enforcement officials that called "sovereign citizens" a growing domestic threat due to some members’ belief that they can use armed force to resist police.

The bulletin noted that sovereigns have killed six law officers since 2000. In one of the more deadly clashes, a shootout in West Memphis, Ark., in 2010 left four people dead including two officers. Terry Nichols, convicted as a conspirator in the Oklahoma City bombing, was a sovereign citizen. In 2010, a shootout with a member of the group in West Memphis, Arkansas ended with four people dead, including two policemen.
Last month, a Texas man who said he was a sovereign citizen was sentenced to 35 years in prison for repeatedly firing at a police officer trying to arrest him.

A Washington state man, David R. Myrland, was sentenced in December to 40 months in prison for threatening to "arrest" the mayor of Kirkland and other local officials "with deadly force." Investigators said Myrland sent an e-mail to the mayor warning that "50 or more concerned Citizens will enter your home and arrest you.  Do not resist, as these Citizens will be heavily armed." "As sovereign citizens' numbers grow, so do the chances of contact with law enforcement and, thus, the risks that incidents will end in violence," the FBI said at the time. From LeStage’s point of view, though, the risk comes from the top of government.
If Obama is re-elected this year, "we will probably lose our republic," he said. "We will probably turn into another socialist country." On his website www.modernmilitiamovement.com, some forum members have raised even more dire concerns about the fall's elections.

"Nov. the 8th should be the start of the next civil war," a member with the username "Thunder" wrote in January. "May GOD guide us safely."

POW! Pagans of Waco

There is now a dynamic group of pagans meeting in Waco!

We are a completely eclectic group open to all pagans and pagan friendly seekers of knowledge. Our purpose is to meet others who consider themselves to be any form of Pagan so we may all learn from each other. In Waco there seems to be only 2 spiritual options; Christian or atheist. To strengthen our community and reach out to one another we will start having meetings to offer a place for everyone to share their spiritual beliefs and knowledge so we may all grow on our paths.

 

Group members' areas of expertise include Qi Gong, meditation, Reiki, crystal healing and Tarot reading. Areas of interest include elemental magickal theory, general history of witchcraft, sabbaths, drum circles, herb gardening and more!

 

Join us on Facebook to learn more about what we're doing and when we're meeting!

Pagans of Waco on Facebook

 

 

 

Christians Perform Exorcisms on Homosexuals

Copy and reposted in its entirety from guardian.co.uk, Sunday 24 April 2011

Nigeria's Gay Church is Reborn Amid a Climate of Fear

House of Rainbow church offers underground prayer and preaching to Christians ostracised by rampant homophobia

• Shyamantha Asokan in Lagos

In Nigeria, religion is central to everyday life but many Christian churches exclude gay members. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

 

When Ade's aunt learned he was gay, the then 16-year-old Nigerian was made to go through an exorcism to expel "the demon of homosexuality". "The priest came to the house with candles, holy water and anointing oils. I had to kneel down, holding candles in my hands," recalls Ade, now 25, as he sits in a cafe in Lagos. He does not wish to reveal his full name. "He kept shouting 'Come out! Come out! Come out!' in a fevered voice … I was allowed to go back to church after that but I had to pretend to be straight."

In a country where homosexuality is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, it is no surprise that many of Ade's friends – those who, like him, are both gay and religious – stay away from church altogether for fear of being outed. However, an alternative could soon be at hand. Ade is helping to resurrect a religious refuge for himself and his friends. He is part of the team restarting House of Rainbow, the country's only gay church, which was forced to close in 2008 after a witch-hunt stirred by exposés in local newspapers.

The Rev Rowland Jide Macaulay, the gay minister who founded the church, is leading the comeback even though he remains in self-imposed exile in London. "Religion is a backbone to life in Nigeria, so we all want to go to church," he says. "But we don't want to lie to God about who we are."
Macaulay first set up House of Rainbow in 2006, when he openly held Sunday services in a Lagos hotel hall decked out with rainbow flags. A public backlash culminated in members being beaten as they left church. Macaulay fled to the UK after death threats.

This year, he has recruited a small team that includes Ade as his local leader in Lagos. In his voluntary role, Ade started holding prayer sessions and Bible study groups at his house at the end of last month. A full church might be set up again if it is considered safe. The project could even spread beyond the borders of Africa's most populous country. Macaulay has recently recruited a local leader in Accra, the capital of nearby Ghana. He is considering applications from Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Religious groups are central to Nigeria's culture of homophobia. Pentecostalism, an evangelical school of Christianity thought to have started in America just over a century ago, has blossomed in southern Nigeria and across Africa in recent decades. The "megachurches" in and around Lagos can attract tens of thousands of worshippers to a single service.

Pentecostal pastors often see gay desire as the work of demons. "You might start casually but, once you get into it, you will be possessed by the spirit," says Emmanuel Owoyemi, a pastor in Lagos.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria's mostly Muslim north, 12 states have adopted sharia law over the last decade. Gay sex carries the death penalty under sharia, although no executions have yet taken place. A national anti-gay marriage bill, which pushes for jail sentences for anyone who even assists gay marriage, has been before Nigeria's parliament since 2009. Being gay is regarded as an offence across much of Africa. Uganda's parliament continues to debate a proposed law that would introduce the death penalty in some cases. Malawi's president only pardoned a gay couple last year sentenced to 14 years in jail after an international outcry.

Apart from being on the wrong side of the law, many homosexual Nigerians say exclusion from church is one of the hardest parts of being gay. "We are brought up to believe that you should belong to a religion. We feel that, if we don't go to church, God will not answer our prayers," says a young gay man in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. "When I recently told a friend I was having financial difficulties, he said, 'When did you last go to church?'" In oil-rich Nigeria, where corruption robs many of even basic services, religious groups provide more than spiritual assistance. Muslim movements such as Izala have built schools in the north, while southern pentecostal groups such as the Redeemed Christian Church of God run universities. "[We] lose out on all these services," says the young man.

Some argue that African homophobia is slowly waning. Marc Epprecht, an expert on sexuality in Africa at Queen's University in Canada, says the continent's growing number of gay rights groups are challenging negative stereotypes. He adds that despite the bad press it attracts, African homophobia is not markedly stronger than that of poor or patriarchal parts of the Middle East and South America.

Macaulay, however, is not taking any chances this time. Prayer sessions are being held in secret locations. No unknown newcomers are being admitted. He continues to preach via YouTube from London – he thinks it would be unwise to return home. "We have learnt our lesson," he says. "It is a hostile situation."

Prayers Against Witchcraft

It's fascinating to me that there are so many adamantly opposed to witchcraft who don't even know what they're praying against. There is a blog called "Prayer Against Marine Witchcraft" I came across tonight. Happy to find another form of witchcraft I don't yet know, I scanned through the blog. If they're praying against it, there must be an explanation to describe what they're praying against, right? Turns out "marine witchcraft" is a term meaning any form of magical work in which one prays to or is familiar with water spirits.

What's sad to see is that followers of the blog don't even know what it is they're praying about. For example,

"Rosaliar says:

February 21, 2011 at 1:36 am

I need urgent prayer, I joint a fire church in my home town and without my knowledge I was initiated in witchcraft by the former pastor, I just found this out when we held a 40day fasting and demons start to manifest and I was one of them in someones body, nobody believe me when i say Im not aware of myinvolvement , please pray for me"

Rosaliar, you can't be initiated without your knowledge. Initiation is like baptism, it requires consent and willingness. And demons started to manifest after a 40 day fast? Awfully suspicious seeing how everyone's blood sugar was low, good chance they were dehydrated, and if you've never experienced fasting before there's a good chance you were hallucinating or travelling astrally.

Why is it that the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism are so opposed to witchcraft? Well according to 1 Samuel 15:23 "The sin of witchcraft is rebellion." Note this was written when there was infighting amongst the Jews over who the rightful King of the Jews should be, because they were sick of being ruled by Judges, so any form of rebellion could quickly turn into a riotous mob. (Hence why in the Bible 1 & 2 Samuel are after Judges and 1 & 2 Kings are after Samuel.) Also, it is argued that witchcraft is rebelling against God by claiming to have the powers of God. John 10:34 "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" But there I go again, actually reading and studying the Bible. Silly witch, reading is for priests! Oh wait, this isn't Medieval Times...

I personally use witchcraft as a way to grow closer to the Divine. Sadly, this lack of education will continue to blossom periodically around the world as zealousness extinguishes intelligence.

Zealousness extinguishes Intelligence