What do you make of witchcraft, voodoo, and black magic?

[Leah]

Not sure if this thread should be listed here, but thought I'd try. So, what do you make of witchcraft, voodoo, and black magic? My mom said she tried black magic when she was in college (so that had to be in the 50's). She said she saw something so bad that it scared her and she never did it again. We use to play Ouiji Board together...ever tried that? Anyway, I was just thinking of all those "outlets" that support the spirit world. What do you believe? What are your thoughts on witchcraft, voodoo, and black magic?

 

[benjamincarson]

Witchcraft is actually a religion, not a practice. "Magick" in Witchcraft is basically just prayer. I'd consider voodoo to be just a collection of superstitions. As for "black magic"...I certainly don't take it seriously.

 

[scott_alexsk]

I believe that there is something to it. Though I believe none of the superstitions and rituals can control it, there is something more there. I mean if there is a God behind the singularity at time zero, than why could there not be other forces beyond current scientific comprehension.
-Scott

 

[Smasherman]

Witchcraft is not, in and of itself, a religion. Witchcraft could be described as "active prayer" in that the forces (supposedly) behind prayer are being acutely directed when using witchcraft.

 

[benjamincarson]

Witchcraft is not, in and of itself, a religion.

Yes, it is.

"Witchcraft is an ancient religion that predates Christianity. It is not anti-Christian (or anti anything), it is simply non-Christian."

Taken from Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft.

 

[Smasherman]

Buckland is the founder of modern Wicca, right? Wicca and witchcraft aren't the same thing.

 

[benjamincarson]

When did I say that Wicca and Witchcraft are the same thing? Buckland was obviously not speaking of Wicca. Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner in the 1940's. If I'm doing the math correctly, that wouldn't predate Christianity.

 

[Smasherman]

Perhaps instead of arguing, let's get something straight: What is required for something to be called a religion? I consider witchcraft to not be a religion much the same way that prayer is not a religion.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Witches are very real. The secret of their magic is the word "Quantum". You can conjure anything with it:
I just found this post over at DiscussAnything:

Let me tell you something about the world being affected by the thoughts of others: For those who are empirically minded, Quantum Physics--and I believe that most people would not disagree that such a subject is not to be dismissed lightly--has actually quantified exactly the absolute certainty that the watcher changes the watched. No student of psychology could refute this same certainty...it has been proven (by quantum physics calculation) that a doctor who expects a certain outcome in an experiment will most absolutely affect that outcome--and I'm not talking about fudging the results. We are affected by perceptions more than one would like to think. Change is magic, pure and simple: that is the secret of the alchemists, and that is the intent of a witch's prayers (called spells or incantations by the judeo/christian influences to distinguish them from the acceptable, and thefore, "right," minded...

http://www.discussanything.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68139&page=3

 

[loseyourname]

So a psychologist inadvertently giving signals to his subjects is witchcraft, or is she talking about something deeper than that?

 

[Alkatran]

Let me tell you something about the world being affected by the thoughts of others: For those who are empirically minded, Quantum Physics--and I believe that most people would not disagree that such a subject is not to be dismissed lightly--has actually quantified exactly the absolute certainty that the watcher changes the watched. No student of psychology could refute this same certainty...it has been proven (by quantum physics calculation) that a doctor who expects a certain outcome in an experiment will most absolutely affect that outcome--and I'm not talking about fudging the results. We are affected by perceptions more than one would like to think. Change is magic, pure and simple: that is the secret of the alchemists, and that is the intent of a witch's prayers (called spells or incantations by the judeo/christian influences to distinguish them from the acceptable, and thefore, "right," minded...

Wow, experimenter bias and the fact that you need to bounce photons (or electrons, or other things) off things to measure them is witchcraft?