Tingting Bilong Bible

Wanem Nao Bihaenem Witchcraft?

“OLKETA witch.” Wanem nao iumi tingim taem iumi herem datfala toktok? Waswe, iumi tingim olketa evil old woman wea talem curse or olketa barava krangge woman wea story witim Satan? Samting wea barava difren, planti tuday wea kolem olketa seleva witch olketa olsem normal pipol nomoa. Samfala garem bigfala waka, olsem olketa lawyer, teacher, man for raet, and olketa nurse. Raonem world, luk olsem planti niu church muvment kamap moa wea join lelebet witim occult, olsem nature religion and neopaganism.a “Iu savve go eniwea long Russia tuday and witchraft hem kamap part bilong evriday living,” wanfala policeman long datfala kantri hem talem. United States hem hom bilong maet 50,000 go kasem 300,000 witch, or “Wiccans,”b olsem samfala kolem olketa seleva.

Pipol tuday iusim disfala toktok “witch” olabaot nomoa and hem savve minim difren samting long difren pipol. Luk olsem grow bilong witchcraft tuday hem kamap from planti nature-kaen religion wea worshipim mere-god, witim strongfala biliv long enikaen paoa. Samfala witch olketa kontrak—olketa duim kastom samting seleva, lukluk long change bilong olketa season, taem bilong moon, and narakaen samting moa. Olketa narawan duim worship and magic insaed long grup, planti taem 13-fala witch nao insaed.

Hem tru hao long olketa Western kantri tuday, tingting bilong pablik abaotem olketa witch hem barava difren from wei for burnim olketa long Middle Ages. Nomata olsem, samtaem, samfala raf fasin still go ahed againstim olketa witch. Olsem example, long early October 1998 long Indonesia, olketa gang wea holem naef hangem winim 150 pipol wea olketa tingse olketa witch. Olketa reportim midolwan 1990 and 1998 long South Africa winim 2,000 case bilong raf fasin againstim olketa witch, insaed diswan hem 577 kill-kill. Long taem bilong enikaen samting olsem—start from interest long witchcraft go kasem bigfala heit for olketa witch—hao nao olketa Christian shud ting long diswan?

Nating Satisfae

Wanem nao pullim pipol for duim witchcraft tuday? Olketa sei wanfala reason hem wei for tinghae long nature and laef. Samfala willing tumas for minim hao olketa no sakrifaesim animal insaed long worship bilong olketa. Narawan sei olketa joinim witchcraft for trae faendem pipol wea olketa savve tok open witim, trustim, and wea garem olketa sem spiritual interest. “Evriwan wea mi savve long hem insaed disfala heathen muvment olketa kaen and isi for story witim . . . Olketa barava naesfala pipol,” wanfala man wea duim witchcraft tuday hem talem. And planti denyim wei wea maet Satan hem insaed long diswan, and talemse no eni full-evil samting insaed long religion bilong olketa.

For planti long olketa, main reason for kamap witch hem from wanfala emti feeling long spiritual saed and olketa no satisfae long olketa main religion. Taem hem story abaotem witch grup bilong hem, Phyllis Curott, wanfala Wiccan mere hae priest, hem sei: “Mifala evriwan nating satisfae witim olketa teaching and fasin bilong olketa religion wea mifala big kam insaed.” Curott minim hao olketa witch tuday trae for ansarem olketa kwestin olsem, ‘Hao nao iumi savve faendem samting wea moa holy?’ Bat waswe, witchcraft nao road for kasem trufala spiritual wei?

Trufala Spiritual Wei—From Wea?

Bible showimaot klia hao Jehovah nao hem only trufala God and hem nao holem full paoa bilong Universe. (Psalm 73:28; 1 Peter 1:15, 16; Revelation 4:11) Hem invaetem evri pipol for lukaotem hem “and really faendem hem.” (Acts 17:27) Dastawe, man savve faendem trufala spiritual wei nomoa sapos hem kasem stretfala savve abaotem datfala trufala God, Jehovah. Diswan savve kamap taem man studyim Word bilong hem, Holy Bible. “Kam klosap long God, and hem bae kam klosap long iufala.”—James 4:8.

Bat Word bilong God warnim iumi abaotem wanfala rabis ples wea evri evil spiritual wei hem kam from. (1 John 4:1) Hem showimaot Satan datfala Devil, main enemy bilong Jehovah, and olketa demon bilong hem olsem source bilong planti rongfala spiritual wei wea go ahed tuday.c Bible hem talem hao Satan “hem blindim mind” bilong staka. Hem go ahed for “giamanim full earth wea man stap long hem,” insaed diswan hem olketa wea duim witchcraft—nomata olketa sei olketa worshipim Devil or nomoa. Why nao olsem?—2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9.

Planti fasin and kastom wea join witim witchcraft tuday hem barava klosap semsem witim olketa krangge wei bilong Satan worship. Dastawe, nomata olketa wei for interest nomoa bat savve lead go long haed wei for worship. Tru nao, planti foldaon finis long disfala evil paoa bilong Satan.

No forgetim hao samtaem samfala wea duim witchcraft joinim from olketa hangre for paoa and for pei bak. “Samfala kolem seleva olketa witch and duim olsem for ova tumas long wei for spoelem man,” Jennifer, wanfala witch tuday hem talem. Nomata wanem kaen, olketa witch wea spoelem or no spoelem man savve end insaed full kontrol bilong Satan and olketa demon bilong hem. Samfala witch maet denyim wei wea olketa evil spirit stap, bat diswan nao bae just mekem isi for Satan attakim olketa.—Markem 1 Corinthians 10:20, 21.

Bible tok againstim divination, wei for iusim demon paoa, wei for iusim magic, and eni wei for story witim olketa wea dae. Hem talem klia: “Jehovah hem barava heitim evriwan wea duim olketa samting hia.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) Hem tru, olketa Christian trae hard for “duim gudfala waka long evriwan,” and insaed ministry bilong olketa olketa helpem finis planti for kamap free from enikaen wei bilong spiritism. (Galatians 6:10; Acts 16:14-18) Nomata olsem, olketa trufala Christian barava stap klia long giaman worship, insaed diswan hem enikaen wei bilong witchcraft.—2 Corinthians 6:15-17.

[Olketa footnote]

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Picture Book of Devils, Demons and Witchcraft/Ernst and Johanna Lehner/Dover