Breaking the spell

[silenceowl]

Im not saying this is right, but im not saying its wrong, i just wanted to see what you all think.


Breaking the Spell: The Hidden Traps of Wicca
By Catherine Sanders
http://www.family.org/pplace/images/18257.jpg

Before 16-year-old Rebecca lights candles on the small altar in her bedroom each night, she says her prayers: “Hail fair Moon, ruler of the night, guard me and mine until the light. Hail fair Sun, ruler of the day, make the morn to light my way.” On her altar are four porcelain chalices representing the elements — air, water, fire and earth. Each contains rose petals, semi-precious stones, melted candle wax and dried leaves. They rest on the corners of a five-pointed star. A frog symbolizes “spirit” and “life” and sits on point five of the pentagram. Here, in front of her altar, Rebecca performs rituals and casts spells. Rebecca is one of the growing number of teenage girls who practice Wicca. For the past half-century, this religion has been growing by leaps and bounds in Europe and North America. Drive to the mall and you’ll see cars with bumper stickers declaring “The goddess is alive. Magic is afoot!” Flip on the tube or go to the movies and you’ll find witches portrayed as young, powerful and glamorous. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The Craft, something is definitely “afoot” in American culture. Wicca Goes Mainstream For many reasons, including the positive attention they’re getting in entertainment, paganism, goddess worship and witchcraft have a whole new crop of devoted followers. The book Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation has sold more copies for occult publisher Llewellyn than any other in its 95-year history. Also, the Christian-based Spiritual Counterfeits Project hotline in Berkley, Calif., reports receiving more inquires about Wicca in the last 10 years than any other religion. The callers are nearly all teenage girls. It’s hard to deny that Wicca and other similar practices are exploding in popularity. Possibly you’ve experimented with these religions yourself. Or maybe you have friends who call themselves Wiccans. Whatever the reason for your curiosity, this booklet will help you discover the truth about Wicca, what its followers believe, why it’s so appealing and how it’s at odds with God’s Word. What Is Wicca? Wicca is a complex religion that is often associated with witchcraft, occultism and neo-paganism. The way these words overlap can get confusing, so let’s dive into the dictionary. Wicca: From the Anglo-Saxon word wicce. It means to bend or shape nature to your service. Witchcraft: The practice of magic or sorcery by anyone outside the religious mainstream of a society. This term is used in different ways in different times and places.1
Occultism: Belief in practices such as astrology, alchemy, divination and magic that are based on "hidden knowledge" about the universe and its mysterious forces. Occultists try to tap into this unseen knowledge to bring about whatever effects they desire.2
Neo-Paganism: The recent revival of ancient polytheistic European and Middle-eastern religions.3 Neo-paganism is a loosely defined system of worshipping nature and the gods of nature.
Right about now, these terms may seem as clear as mud. Since different people use them to mean different things, it’s hard to keep it all straight. What’s important to notice are the common themes of worshipping nature and using spiritual forces to get results. Most anyone who calls himself or herself a Wiccan, goddess worshipper or witch practices these things. Another important thing to remember is that Wicca is not the same thing as Satanism. In fact, most witches don’t believe in Satan at all. In addition, Wiccans live by one central rule called The Rede, which says, “Harm no one, do what you will.” In other words, witches are free to do whatever seems right to them, as long as they avoid harming others. A closely related rule is the Threefold Law, which instructs that, “Anything you do will come back to you three times over.” Other Wiccan Beliefs Wiccans worship "the mother goddess" and her companion "the horned god." They say both of these deities manifest themselves in nature. For instance, Rebecca's prayer acknowledged the sun as the female goddess and the moon as the god. You may also have heard the goddess referred to as Mother Nature. Wiccans believe that the goddess is in everything — in rocks and in trees, the earth and the sky. Sometimes, the goddess is represented by specific female deities such as the ancient Greek goddesses Artemis (the goddess of War) or Gaia (the goddess of the Earth), who was celebrated in the film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Some Wiccans even claim that the goddess is Mary, the mother of Jesus. The horned god is often represented by the Greek god Pan or the Egyptian god Osiris. Most Wiccans celebrate eight holidays or "sabbats" centered on the solar cycles and "esbats" centered on the lunar cycles. These celebrations are supposedly times of heightened interaction between the natural and supernatural worlds.5 Magic and spell-casting are an integral part of Wicca. Wiccans say that spells are symbolic acts performed in an altered state of consciousness in order to cause a desired change. There are spells to overcome loneliness, to attract money, to bring inner power and to bind an enemy, among others. Witches acknowledge that spells can be used to do good or harm. Wicca has no central book (like the Bible) that spells out its beliefs, so different witches practice their religion in different ways. Some witches meet in groups called covens or circles, while others practice alone.6Bewitched Teens We’ve already mentioned Buffy and The Craft, and then there’s Sabrina, Charmed and Practical Magic. Why are movies, television and magazines so obsessed with Wicca and witchcraft? And why are teens, especially girls, so enthusiastic about picking up on the trend? Here are a few factors that might help explain this phenomenon: Girl Power: According to its own myths, Wicca began more than 35,000 years ago within Earth's very first civilization. In this culture, women ruled. Life was peaceful and prosperous and people worshiped nature and the goddess. The serene existence was supposedly shattered when male warriors invaded the nurturing female-led communities.7 Wiccans say that throughout history, they have been fighting to overcome the oppression of a male-ruled society. Today, Wiccans claim there is a goddess revival. They say that women are realizing their power again after living under male domination for too long. They call for women to usher in a new era of peace by throwing off the "shackles" of "male-dominated monotheistic religions" such as Christianity, and follow the goddess again in all her forms. It's easy to see why this myth has huge feminist appeal. Just Plain Power: The thought of being able to control spiritual forces sounds pretty good to many teens who otherwise might feel powerless. Wiccans boast that their religion gives even young witches a great deal of control. Also, the secrecy of rituals may provide a sense of power.4 Saving the Earth: Teens who have grown up hearing news about the rapid destruction of the environment are likely to feel compelled to do something to help stop it. Wicca seems to provide an opportunity to treat nature with great care and reverence. Having It My Way: Wicca has no set rules or absolute standards. Think back to The Rede, which tells followers to "Do what you will." In Wicca, each individual gets to decide on his or her own rules. As one Wiccan high priestess notes, "Within the circle there are no absolutes — no rights and wrongs."8 Since most teens don't believe in truth or absolute moral standards, Wicca can appear to be the perfect mix-n-match religion.

[silenceowl]

Unfortunately, though these things may sound good, they’re just deceptions that lead followers down a path to destruction. In Over My Head: A Former Wiccan Tells Her Story Kathy was raised in the church but rejected its teaching in her teens. She lived in Salem, Mass., a place with a history of witchcraft and many practicing Wiccans. “I was always kind of artsy, different and non-conformist,” she says, “Wicca attracted my interest because it appealed to those facets of my personality. It was certainly non-conformist and I liked the mystery surrounding it.” So Kathy found a Wiccan high priestess who took her under her wing and taught her how to be a witch. “She told me it was all white magic and that’s all I was interested in.” But after a few years, things turned sour. “The more I learned, the more things started to spiral downwards, deeper and deeper into darkness and black magic. I became very good at what I was being taught. My teacher never acknowledged Satan but did say that there was something called ‘the abyss’ that we should avoid.” For Kathy, however, that proved to be difficult. “One hot summer night I was lying awake in my bedroom, when all of a sudden the room became very cold. I started to shiver and broke out into a cold sweat, although it was the height of summer. A cold wind blew in through my windows, startling me. Now I was terrified. I hugged my knees to my chest and gasped as a legion of what can only be described as black demons encircled my head, all laughing at me. I started screaming out my Wiccan spells to rebuke them, hoping they would disappear. That only made things worse. The laughter escalated with each spell I tried. “Then all of a sudden I remembered my days in Sunday school as a child and the teachings of Jesus. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time, but something inside of me told me to. In a loud voice I called upon Jesus Christ to rid the room of this dark presence. Instantly they were gone, and my bedroom was once again calm and warm. My life was never the same after that.” The next day on the way to school she told herself, “Kathy, you have some serious personal inventory to do.” She walked into a church that afternoon and has never looked back. Kathy is a Christian now and warns women who think that Wicca is harmless. “A lot of women think that by practicing Wicca, worshipping this so-called goddess, that they are celebrating their womanhood. I am here to tell them there is a lot more to it than that. Lots of them haven’t had the experiences I have. But they can and will if they stick with it. It’s like the warning on a pack of cigarettes: ‘Wicca is dangerous and could be hazardous to your health.’” What Does God Think About Witchcraft? Since you’re reading this booklet, you’re probably somewhat curious about how Wicca measures up to the Bible. Can you be a Christian and dabble in Wicca? What does God have to say about magic and the supernatural world? Keep reading! The spiritual world is real, and so is Satan. One thing Wiccans have right is that there is a supernatural world that interacts constantly with the world we see, touch and smell. Unfortunately, they believe that it's okay for humans to interact with spirits and spiritual forces any way we choose. To the contrary, the apostle Paul writes that the spiritual realm is potentially dangerous. Therefore we need to treat it the way God tells us to and be prepared for spiritual battles of good versus evil.
The Bible Says:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." — Ephesians 6:12-13
Many Wiccans say that Wicca is harmless and nature-loving — that it has nothing to do with evil, Satanism and darker forces. But that is exactly what Satan wants them to believe! Intent on deceit, "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light," says Paul. "It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness." Paul says that if they don't turn toward God and repent, "their end will be what their actions deserve" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
We should worship God, not His creation.
Wiccans are also right to care for and appreciate nature. But they go too far when they start worshipping it. Jesus tells his followers in the gospel of Luke, "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only" (Luke 4:8). Creation is merely a reflection of His glory and is not to be worshipped.
The Bible Says:
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. . . . They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen." — Romans 1:21-23, 25

[silenceowl]

Don't try to contact or control supernatural forces.
Magic and spells depend on what Wiccans call a psychic link. Psychic development can involve training in divination — the attempt to obtain information about the past, present or future by occultic means or one's own psychic abilities.9 The Bible is very clear that divination and any other form of supernatural contact (other than prayer, of course!) is forbidden, since it relies on a supernatural power apart from God. In other words, there is no such thing as "white magic."
The Bible Says:
"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you." — Deuteronomy 18:10-12
"You shall not practice divination or sorcery." — Leviticus 19:26
Jesus is the Source of real girl power.
Many Wiccans are critical of the church's view of women. They claim that Christianity does not empower women where Wicca does. While it's true that some Christians have distorted God's Word and not honored women, the Bible says that men and women are equally important in the eyes of God.
The Bible Says:
"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." — Genesis 1:27
Because of the high value God places on women as bearers of His image, Christianity honors women in a way that's unique. That's why women were often with Jesus during His ministry. And in John 4 we see Jesus treating a Samaritan woman with utmost respect, even though men weren't supposed to talk to women and Samaritans were considered outcasts in Jewish society.
We don't need to make up our own rules.
In Wicca, each follower is told to do as she wills. Their only standard is that no one should do harm. In other words, there is no absolute truth. But this presents several problems. First, how can one be sure that no harm is being done? Is there any way to know all the consequences of an action? No way! And aren't personal feelings an awfully wishy-washy method of determining right and wrong? After all, Alex Sanders, a well known Wiccan who died in the 1980s, wrote, "A thing is good for me until I feel it is not right for me." Another witch named Stewart Farrar elaborates, "The witch's own conscience must be the final arbiter."10 What if a witch one day feels that incest or murder is the right thing to do? Is there anything to stop him? Even though most Wiccans would say that these things are wrong, they have no firm basis for saying so.
Christianity, on the other hand, provides a powerful authority for denouncing racism, crime or any other moral wrong: God's holy character and His Word, the Bible.
The Bible Says:
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." — 2 Timothy 3: 16-17
Wiccans do not believe in sin as Christians do. They see sin as an outdated, constraining concept. Therefore, they see no need for God. Wiccan high priestess Starhawk says, "We can now open new eyes and see there is nothing to be saved from, no struggle of life against the universe, no God outside the world, to be feared and obeyed."11 Through spiritual self-improvement, Wiccans hope to reach their equivalent of heaven, called the Summerland or the Land of Eternal Youth.
On the other hand, the Bible tells us that no amount of good work can get us to heaven. Through Christ alone we are saved.
The Bible Says:
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." — John 14:6

It’s Your Choice. God has made clear that Wicca is dangerous and incompatible with Christianity. He made His creation for us to enjoy as a reflection of His character but not to be worshipped instead of Him. Wicca may seem attractive, magical and different, but it does not give eternal life and a relationship with the God of the universe. If you choose Wicca, you cannot choose God as well, because He will not tolerate worship of anything but Himself. He is perfect and holy. Study God’s word and you will find that a life centered on the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us at Calvary is better than anything we could ever find here on earth. Endnotes
1 Ellwood, Robert. "Witchcraft." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000.
2 Ellwood, Robert. "Occultism." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000
3 "Neo-Paganism" 1999-2000 Britannica.com and Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
4 Hinlicky, Sarah "Witch Path Would You Choose?" www.boundless.org, 1999.
5 Crowley, Vivienne. The Principles of Wicca, Thorsons, 1997. pp 6- 7.
6 Starhawk. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess. Harper, 1999. p 27.
7 Hinlicky, Sarah "Witch Path Would You Choose?" www.boundless.org, 1999.
8 Crowley, Vivienne. "The Initiation" in Jones and Matthews, Voices from the Circle, p 82.
9 Hawkins, Craig S. Goddess Worship, Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism. Zondervan, 1998. pp 21.
10 Edwards, Catherine. "Wicca Casts Spell on Teenage Girls." Insight Magazine, October 25, 1999.
11 Starhawk, The Spiral Dance. p27. Catherine Edwards Sanders is a journalism fellow at the Philips Foundation in Washington, D.C. where she writes about Wicca and social issues. Previously, she was a reporter at The Washington Times' Insight Magazine and the producer for the nationally syndicated radio program "Janet Parshall's America."

[MexicanJewLizard]

Bull shit. Most of that stuff isn't even true. I find this offensive in many ways.

The religion is now seen as a bunch of teenage chicks who want to be pretty and think it will happen by doing a spell. If I ever met any of these girls I would rip their guts out.

This is my religion.

The Bible Says:
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." — John 14:6


It’s Your Choice. God has made clear that Wicca is dangerous and incompatible with Christianity. He made His creation for us to enjoy as a reflection of His character but not to be worshipped instead of Him. Wicca may seem attractive, magical and different, but it does not give eternal life and a relationship with the God of the universe. If you choose Wicca, you cannot choose God as well, because He will not tolerate worship of anything but Himself. He is perfect and holy. Study God’s word and you will find that a life centered on the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us at Calvary is better than anything we could ever find here on earth.

Wicca is NOT dangerous in any way. It is a religion taken from Christianity, but most don't believe in Satan.

I do believe Jesus died for us on the cross, and it is better then anything we can find here on earth, but this is now. Why not use what God has provided, (Herbs, stones, and so on) and use it for our benefit? Telekenisis, ESP, are all things practiced by a lot of us. It's a source of energy put on this earth by God. This is our home. He wouldn't put something on this earth without reason and I doubt that they're temptations, and if they are, they blow.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Very true, but how does this intertwine with Wicca? Yeah I know a lot of the Bible says not to do majik, but seriously it's doing no harm.

Don't try to contact or control supernatural forces.
Magic and spells depend on what Wiccans call a psychic link. Psychic development can involve training in divination — the attempt to obtain information about the past, present or future by occultic means or one's own psychic abilities.9 The Bible is very clear that divination and any other form of supernatural contact (other than prayer, of course!) is forbidden, since it relies on a supernatural power apart from God. In other words, there is no such thing as "white magic."

Bull shit. Whoever wrote this whole thing probably has a stick up their ass.

[MexicanJewLizard]

Bewitched Teens We’ve already mentioned Buffy and The Craft, and then there’s Sabrina, Charmed and Practical Magic. Why are movies, television and magazines so obsessed with Wicca and witchcraft? And why are teens, especially girls, so enthusiastic about picking up on the trend?
Bewitched Teens We’ve already mentioned Buffy and The Craft, and then there’s Sabrina, Charmed and Practical Magic. Why are movies, television and magazines so obsessed with Wicca and witchcraft? And why are teens, especially girls, so enthusiastic about picking up on the trend?

haha funny... no. I know why. Teenage girls think that playing with it is "cool", yet none know what they're talking about. I've ran into a few and all I can say is I can't wait till a wild tiger bites their head off.

Girl power? No. Plain power? No. Saving the world? No. Doing it their way? No. It's all about trend and having to be in it. Most teenage girls, (usually the preppy bitches) HAVE to be in the trendy circle. All of those are not true, girls just like being popular, and I can tell you now, doing it that way is something that will not get them popular in the after life.:)

[Xzengrim]

Come on! Wicca is a fantasy! It's just something for little suburban girls to do to make them feel special. As though they have magical powers and stuff. IT's just a fad. Just the latest style in pop-psychology neo religion.

To that effect, I prefer to just let the wiccans go. There's no such thing as magic, so they're not really DOING anything. Just wasting their time. I'd just let them go. As long as I don't have to hear about it, I don't care how many candles they light.

And now... for your entertainment... A parody of one of those Jack Chick religious tracts. Only this one is about Cthulu!

http://www.howardhallis.com/bis/cthulhuchick/

"Who Will Be Eaten First?"

[MexicanJewLizard]

Come on! Wicca is a fantasy! It's just something for little suburban girls to do to make them feel special. As though they have magical powers and stuff. IT's just a fad. Just the latest style in pop-psychology neo religion.

To that effect, I prefer to just let the wiccans go. There's no such thing as magic, so they're not really DOING anything. Just wasting their time. I'd just let them go. As long as I don't have to hear about it, I don't care how many candles they light.

And now... for your entertainment... A parody of one of those Jack Chick religious tracts. Only this one is about Cthulu!

http://www.howardhallis.com/bis/cthulhuchick/

"Who Will Be Eaten First?"

I've noticed in most of your posts you have to have negativity in there. :rolleyes: Go watch a movie.

[MexicanJewLizard]

You do the the Necronomicon isn't our book.. right?

[LV426]

Wicca is like paganized christianity. It was made more like christianity to make it more pallatable to people. Don't really like Wicca, my sister got into it but she was fruity before she was wiccan. She's a lazy wiccan though.

Oh and the Necronomicon isn't even a real book. It's fiction but I found it amusing. I mean can you imagine a powerful book of black magic being sold at Barnes and Noble or Walden Books? Heh, every kid in school would be casting curses on each other.

Die hard christians love to make non christians out as evil demon lovers. I saw this article in a church about how there was a wiccan priestess put into a prison to help the chaplan counsel the non-christian people in there. The Minister of the church had written above the article, "SHE IS SATAN, SHE MUST BE STOPPED". Never mind that she had actually helped people, she must be Satan.

Ah well.

[Tempest]

The serene existence was supposedly shattered when male warriors invaded the nurturing female-led communities.
Actually, I have read in several books that this life was broken when Christianity arose. Have you ever heard of any wars in the name of the Goddess?

The thought of being able to control spiritual forces sounds pretty good to many teens who otherwise might feel powerless.
No. That is completely false. We don't control spirits. We work with them. Working with and controling are two different things.

Also, the secrecy of rituals may provide a sense of power.
Secrecy? If you can pick up any Wiccan book or look at any Wiccan website and find rituals and spells, there is no secret.

Unfortunately, though these things may sound good, they’re just deceptions that lead followers down a path to destruction.
And eating donuts makes you lose weight.

‘Wicca is dangerous and could be hazardous to your health.’
That is complete and utter bullshit. Any religion can be "hazardous to your health" if you take it the wrong way. Even Christianity. I wish this Kathy person would get off her high horse and realize that Wicca is as good or bad as the person practicing it...just like all religions.

Many Wiccans say that Wicca is harmless and nature-loving — that it has nothing to do with evil, Satanism and darker forces. But that is exactly what Satan wants them to believe!
Of course. No one else but you can be right, can they?

Wiccans are also right to care for and appreciate nature. But they go too far when they start worshipping it. Jesus tells his followers in the gospel of Luke, "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only" (Luke 4:8). Creation is merely a reflection of His glory and is not to be worshipped.
I can see that Nature is a thing of beauty. If something is absolutely beautiful, doesn't it deserve to be at least recognized? I don't think worshiping Nature is wrong. I think it is my way of recognizing that I am not the only one created by the God and Goddess.

I am a teenage female Wiccan witch. I hardly ever practice magick, but when I do, it is for important things, not fruitless acts of selfishness, like for a boyfriend or good skin. I am very offensed that this article could even consider that my peers and I are as mindless and easily persuaded as this makes us out to be.

[ArcaneWolf]

This article is like the stuff on the 700 club channel. It's almost as funny as comedy central. Almost, 700 doesn't have south park :D

[MexicanJewLizard]

Temptest is my new best friend.

[LycanSpectre]

The person writing that article is a hypocite and is definetly very, very biased. The bible says do not judge lest ye be judged yourself. Now what the hell was she doing? Its funny how people like that can look past the parts of the evidence that counteract what they want to do or believe.

My beliefs are my own. I believe that each person is entitled to their own beleifs. Its not my place to tell everyone what is right and wrong. Im sure that by some standards I am a pagan, simply for my therianthropy. The only way I will have a problem with someone's beliefs is if that person tries to push them onto me. Or when their religous practives harm me.


To each his (or her) own.

[DarkWolf]

I can't be assed to read all that so if I'm reiterating something: take it as agreement to that point.

Witches/Witchcraft/whatever:
Today often means people willing to believe in something they feel most comfortable with.

The rules they follow are simple: Harm no-one, and good deeds get returned, so the more good you do, the more good you receive.

Magic is mostly manipulation of energies of the world, not harnassing nature.. basically.. they ask for things and nature, if in a good mood, grants them.

Witches were slaughtered by the thousands due to christianity, and yet probably a small handful if any at all praticed or related or even knew about witchcraft.

Originally witchcraft was said to be a group of satanists, wishing evil on the world, having orgies and serving a warlock (male witch). There was no documented evidence of this except what was said by the Church. Later found out to be false.

A women living alone with a cat: would be taken, beaten, tortured, trialled in trials designed to fail, and slowly killed. Church said they were witches because they had a cat.

Cats, was almost wiped out in Europe as being witch familiars by order of the church: cats at the time were the only effective rat-killer and if cats had not been wiped out in europe, the rat-borne black plague would not have killed over a third of europe.

Nowadays witchcraft is sought for a way to be different from the most normal. Or as simply a method of hanging around with interesting people.

Wicca is the religious aspect, witchcraft is spells and such: but they ARE mutually exclusive. You can be wiccan without being a witch and vice versa.

The more non-media famous witches are from Greek mythology: which had three witch goddesses: Circe, the Witch Goddess who caused trouble for the Argonauts in their quest, Hecate; Goddess of animals and witchcraft and Gaia, Goddess of Nature and witchcraft.

Hecate was both good and evil, like the others, but for her she also had minions, vampiric creatures who would be summoned from Tartarus to feed on farmers and shepards in their fields.

Time for bed, Goodnight.

[adalia]

Come on! Wicca is a fantasy! It's just something for little suburban girls to do to make them feel special. As though they have magical powers and stuff. IT's just a fad. Just the latest style in pop-psychology neo religion.

To that effect, I prefer to just let the wiccans go. There's no such thing as magic, so they're not really DOING anything. Just wasting their time. I'd just let them go. As long as I don't have to hear about it, I don't care how many candles they light.



...Now it's things like THAT, that tick me off. I mean seriously, would you like it if I went around bashing your religion. How about this, I go into a Christian or Jewish or Buddist or whatever religion you are, and start saying "This is the stupidest religion! What a bunch of bull. People who worship this have way to much time on their hands and have something wrong with them in the head." Now tell me you would find that a plausible reply to a post about your religion.

Second off, Wicca isn't solely worshiping the goddess. Wiccans worship the goddess AND the god. The lord and the lady, however you want to say it. Also, just because you think magick is wrong, stupid, and doesnt exist, does not mean it you're right.

Respect other's religions. What I find funny is that people get so upset when others question their religion, and then they go around making fun of or questioning other's religion.

Oh and about the whole teenage girl thing. I hate that stereotype. I got into studying Wicca not because it was the "popular" thing to do. Frankly, if I told anyone besides my family about it, my popularity would seriously decline. I got into it because I found it to house many of the beliefs I already went by. Not all teenage girls do it so they can just do spells or call themselves a witch or even because of the feminine appeal. I'm definately not saying that all teenagers do it for the "right" reasons. But I am saying that some do it because its what is right for them. Not just to be different. People who bash Wicca like that...I just want to smack them. But I hold back...ahem.

*~*always*~*
me

[Blazer]

The person writing that article is a hypocite and is definetly very, very biased [...] Its funny how people like that can look past the parts of the evidence that counteract what they want to do or believe.

I'd agree.
To summerise the article:
"A sixteen year old girl practiced Wicca. Had a dream one night about devils and then turned back to Christianity." And this is proof Wicca is bad how?

"The Christian Bible disagrees with Wicca (+ lots of quotes to prove this)."
Of course they disagree; they're different religions!

The article contradicts itself in several places & takes a very biased view. Also it has not backed up any of its claims with facts or evidence.
Conclusion: This is just one person's point of view & should only influence people whom follow everything they read unquestioningly.

[Gettir]

Wasn't the Necronomicon the book from Evil Dead and Army of Darkness...The most plotless movie series ever? Funny, but still plotless.

[LV426]

The necronomicon was before Evil Dead and the following movies.




The Necronomicon of Alhazred, (literally: "Book of Dead Names") is not, as is popularly believed, a grimoire, or sorcerer's spell-book. It was conceived as a history, and hence "a book of things now dead and gone". An alternative derivation of the word Necronomicon gives as its meaning "the book of the customs of the dead", but again this is consistent with the book's original conception as a history, not as a work of necromancy.

In times past the book has been referred to guardedly as Al Azif , and also The Book of the Arab. Azif is a word the Arabs use to refer to nocturnal insects, but it is also a reference to the howling of demons (Djinn). The Necronomicon was written in seven volumes, and runs to over 900 pages in the Latin edition.

The Necronomicon was written in Damascus in 730 A.D. by Abdul Alhazred.

No Arabic manuscript is known to exist. The author Idries Shah carried out a search in the libraries of Deobund in India, Al-Azhar in Egypt, and the Library of the Holy City of Mecca, without success. A Latin translation was made in 1487 (not in the 17th. century as Lovecraft maintains) by a Dominican priest Olaus Wormius. Wormius, a German by birth, was a secretary to the first Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, Tomas de Torquemada, and it is likely that the manuscript of the Necronomicon came into his possession during the persecution of Spanish Moors who had been converted to Catholicism under duress and did not exhibit the necessary level of enthusiasm for the doctrines of the Church.

The book must have held an obsessive fascination for the man, because he was finally charged with heresy and burned after sending a copy of the book to Johann Tritheim, Abbot of Spanheim. The accompanying letter contained a detailed and blasphemous interpretation of certain passages in the Book of Genesis. Virtually all the copies of Wormius's translation were seized and burned with him, although there is the inevitable suspicion that at least one copy must have found its way into the Vatican Library.

Almost one hundred years later, in 1586, a copy of Wormius's Latin translation surfaced in Prague. Dr. John Dee (left), the famous English magician, and his assistant Edward Kelly (below, right) were at the court of the Emperor Rudolph II to discuss plans for making alchemical gold, and Kelly bought the copy from the so-called "Black Rabbi", the Kabbalist and alchemist Jacob Eliezer, who had fled to Prague from Italy after accusations of necromancy. At that time Prague had become a magnet for magicians, alchemists and charlatans of every kind under the patronage of Rudolph, and it is hard to imagine a more likely place in Europe for a copy to surface.

The Necronomicon appears to have had a marked influence on Kelly, because the character of his scrying changed, and he produced an extraordinary communication which struck horror into the Dee household. Crowley interpeted this as an abortive first attempt of an extra-human entity to communicate the Thelemic Book of the Law. Kelly left Dee shortly afterwards. Dee translated the Necronomicon into English while warden of Christ's College, Manchester, but contrary to Lovecraft, this translation was never printed - the manuscript passed into the collection of the great collector Elias Ashmole, and hence to the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Parts of the Necronomicon were translated into Hebrew (probably in 1664) and circulated in manuscript form, accompanied by an extensive commentary by Nathan of Gaza, mystical apologist for the pseudo-messiah Sabbatai Tzevi. This version was titled the Sepher ha-Sha'are ha-Daath, (the Book of the Gates of Knowledge).




You can also go to Barnes and Noble or Walden Books and get a copy of the Necronomicon but it is nothing like the original book of the dead and is purely fictional. There is nothing really all that esoteric about it but I did see one burst into blue flames one time.

[Wolffy13]

...Now it's things like THAT, that tick me off. I mean seriously, would you like it if I went around bashing your religion.

People do bash my religion, and yeah, I really don't appreciate it, and most of them seem to be wiccan fundies.

Doesn't it suck when people are nasty to you because of your religion? Doesn't feel real good, does it?

Fortunately, it's not like it's illegal to practice your religion, so you do yur thing and I'll do mine and maybe we could even share some cookies and be nice to each other like our religions suggest.