Why Is Witchcraft Still Being Practiceed Today?
Witchcraft, often called The Craft or magick, is a sensitive subject in religious circles and is subject to a lot of skepticism. It is, however, still practiced today, for example in the Wiccan and Voodoo religions. Many Christian religions connect black magick with devil worship. One of the most famous incidents involving Christianity's ongoing conflict with witchcraft would be the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 1600's. Superstitious fear of witches, magic, and the like was common for the early settlers of New England. However, this was four hundred years ago. Why is witchcraft still being practiced today? It is dependent on their religion, moral beliefs, and whether they even believe in witchcraft or
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Witchcraft plays a major part in religion; in texts such as the Bible, for example, it portrays the Devil as the cause of such magical powers. In folklore there are tales of men and women selling their souls to the devil to gain superhuman knowledge and magical abilities, one of the more famous stories being Faust. In these tales, however, witches are portrayed as inhuman and cruel- the stories range from a stereotypical old hag casting curses to beautiful seductresses that lure good men to their deaths. Those who believe in the power of Christ, however, would not be harmed by these witches or their powers. Women accused of witchcraft were always put to death, again alluding to the Salem Witch Trials as an example, which began in the spring of 1692 and brought several women and young girls to be convicted of conspiring with the Devil and performing black magic. They were often not given a true trial in the sense that we know it; anyone could be brought before the judge for any reason at all, even if the only evidence present was hearsay. Unfortunately, as far as witches were concerned these people were considered guilty until proven innocent, and with no way to defend against evidence that did not …show more content…
Many who profess to be atheists still believe in the supernatural. However, witchcraft is a religion, also known as Wicca. Wicca is worship of the Lord and the Lady, the God and Goddess, and is the prime concern of Witches, who practice Wicca. Magick is only secondary to that worship, and is in itself merely a practice. Aleister Crowley, a prominent Witch in the Wiccan faith, defines magick as "the art or science of causing change to occur in conformity with Will," or, in other words, making something happen that you want to happen.You do not have to be a Witch to practice magic; one does not have to practice a religion to practice magick, and such a person is referred to as a Magician rather than a Witch. (Before continuing, a note on the spelling of the word should be made. Magic is the stage magic- prestidigitation, illusion, pulling animals out of hats and the like. Magick, spelt with the final "k", is the occult world's profession of the craft- the true magick- the old spelling.) Two types of magick exist. White Magick is performed for good purposes; Black Magic is performed for ill purposes. The terms white and black are taken from early Persian concepts of good and evil, the Sun and Light being Ahura--Mazda or all good and it's counterpart being Darkness, Ahriman or all-evil. (Buckland, a prominent Witch within the Wiccan community, maintains in his Complete Book Of Witchcraft
Witchcraft plays a major part in religion; in texts such as the Bible, for example, it portrays the Devil as the cause of such magical powers. In folklore there are tales of men and women selling their souls to the devil to gain superhuman knowledge and magical abilities, one of the more famous stories being Faust. In these tales, however, witches are portrayed as inhuman and cruel- the stories range from a stereotypical old hag casting curses to beautiful seductresses that lure good men to their deaths. Those who believe in the power of Christ, however, would not be harmed by these witches or their powers. Women accused of witchcraft were always put to death, again alluding to the Salem Witch Trials as an example, which began in the spring of 1692 and brought several women and young girls to be convicted of conspiring with the Devil and performing black magic. They were often not given a true trial in the sense that we know it; anyone could be brought before the judge for any reason at all, even if the only evidence present was hearsay. Unfortunately, as far as witches were concerned these people were considered guilty until proven innocent, and with no way to defend against evidence that did not …show more content…
Many who profess to be atheists still believe in the supernatural. However, witchcraft is a religion, also known as Wicca. Wicca is worship of the Lord and the Lady, the God and Goddess, and is the prime concern of Witches, who practice Wicca. Magick is only secondary to that worship, and is in itself merely a practice. Aleister Crowley, a prominent Witch in the Wiccan faith, defines magick as "the art or science of causing change to occur in conformity with Will," or, in other words, making something happen that you want to happen.You do not have to be a Witch to practice magic; one does not have to practice a religion to practice magick, and such a person is referred to as a Magician rather than a Witch. (Before continuing, a note on the spelling of the word should be made. Magic is the stage magic- prestidigitation, illusion, pulling animals out of hats and the like. Magick, spelt with the final "k", is the occult world's profession of the craft- the true magick- the old spelling.) Two types of magick exist. White Magick is performed for good purposes; Black Magic is performed for ill purposes. The terms white and black are taken from early Persian concepts of good and evil, the Sun and Light being Ahura--Mazda or all good and it's counterpart being Darkness, Ahriman or all-evil. (Buckland, a prominent Witch within the Wiccan community, maintains in his Complete Book Of Witchcraft