The truth about "witches"

[Nick]

Halloween is coming up so I figured I'd set some things straight. There are of course all sorts of crazy urban legends out there about children being abducted and sacrificed by "Satanist witches". This is so totally blown out of proportion. For one thing there is no such thing as a "Satanist witch", Satanism and witchcraft are two completely different religions.
The reason witchcraft is confused with Satanism goes back to the Middle Ages when the Catholic Church decided to burn people at the stake who were still practicing their old pagan religions. In order to get the cooperation of the general public they told people that the pagans were worshipping Satan, when in reality the pagans (Celts, Picts, Gauls, etc.) didn't even believe in Satan. They were simply performing their traditional ceremonies.
Alas the majority of the public believed what the Church told them and they labeled the pagans Satanists simply because the Church felt threatened. After all they couldn't allow people to practice whatever religion they wanted because that would mean the Church would lose its iron grip on Europe.
The religion of "Satanism" wasn't even created until the 1960's and it was only created by people who basically were just being rebellious and thought they'd really stick it to the "institution" if they labeled themsleves "Satanists".
Witchcraft however is different, it is practiced by people who call themselves Wicca's. They simply just take beliefs from some of the ancient European tribes such as Celts, Gauls, and even Norse mythology and combine them together.
So just remember when you here people talking about "witches" taking children away there is really very little threat. I've met a couple of people who claim to be witches and as strange as they may be, they are really pretty much harmless. Of course I'm sure there are a select few who might be totally insane but you have zealots in every religion, even Christianity. Hence the reason religion is absurd.

I'm sure some of the conservative fundamentalists in here will label me a Satanist now but oh well. :icon_twis Happy Halloween!

[deviljet88]

Ooo I'm scared. The bucktoothed witch is gonna kill me!!! *screams* Happy Halloween to you Americans.

[PhoeniX]

I think one of my elder sisters is a witch, she goes to stonehenge and makes wands out of pieces of yew tree and cuts her wrist and burns it to make magic wands. But I think shes stopping that now

[Nick]

You poor Australians are so deprived. Halloween is the greatest holiday ever. You get to play practical jokes on people and scare the shit out of little kids and steal their candy. Not to mention there's lots of partying :icon_guin . How much more fun can a holiday be?

I think one of my elder sisters is a witch, she goes to stonehenge and makes wands out of pieces of yew tree and cuts her wrist and burns it to make magic wands. But I think shes stopping that now

I heard they'd blocked stonehenge off so you can only view it from a distance because people kept vandalizing it, but I could be wrong considering I live about 10,000 miles away.
As for your sister being a witch I'm sure it's just a phase. I've never really gone through that phase myself but I know a lot of teenagers and young adults do go through that whole "gothic" phase.

[Liam]

Deprived? I call it lucky.

[PhoeniX]

Originally Posted by Nick

As for your sister being a witch I'm sure it's just a phase. I've never really gone through that phase myself but I know a lot of teenagers and young adults do go through that whole "gothic" phase.

I hope so

[LoveKeria]

Ok, just for your information, not all witches are "goths". In fact, hardly any of them are. I know this from having many friends and family that are witches. Once apon a time I went to wiccan meetings, i still go occationally, anyway, the people there are so nice, and only one or two of them you would call "goth". [Usually about 10-12 people there] Also, my aunty on my mothers side is a witch, and she is one of the nicest, most beautiful people i know. My aunty is in NO sence of the word a "goth", she is so far from it. She works in an environmentalist place, i can't remember exaclty what but she is very environment focused and not at all "goth". So you saying that witches are goths is completely false as a generalisation. Also, being a witch is not a phase. It can be for some people, but it's not like a desease you get over. And Bellum, as for your sister who was cutting herself a stonehenge. Ask any real wiccan, or witch wether or not they endorse this practice, and i assure you they will not. Wiccan, and witches alike, so not endorse harm of anything or anyone, this is a myth, feed to you by the church. I have been around witches majority of my life, they are caring people who would not hurt you.

Get your facts strait people.

If your going to generalise do it this way, we know theyre are always bad seeds, but saying that everyone is that way is just rediculus.

As for what Nick was saying - hes right...Satanism and Witchcraft or Wiccancraft, are two COMPLETELY different things.

[hasselbrad]

Hmmm...hadn't really seen anything about witches and satanists abducting kids. Mostly it's scummy 50 year old men with stringy ponytails driving white, two door Cadillacs. (Actually taken from today's news on the radio)
Witches aren't scary. They're kind of funny.

[LoveKeria]

Originally Posted by hasselbrad

Hmmm...hadn't really seen anything about witches and satanists abducting kids. Mostly it's scummy 50 year old men with stringy ponytails driving white, two door Cadillacs. (Actually taken from today's news on the radio)
Witches aren't scary. They're kind of funny.

Scummy 50 year old men? I dont know any 50 year old men that are witches, you must be thinking of the mormans.

[hasselbrad]

Originally Posted by LoveKeria

Scummy 50 year old men? I dont know any 50 year old men that are witches, you must be thinking of the mormans.

Umm, yeah...my point was that witches aren't blamed for abductions...or at least that I haven't heard the urban legends of which Nick speaks.
Waking up in a tub of ice missing kidneys...yes.
Satanic witches abducting kids for sacrifice...not so much.

[Ardnax]

I'm a witch myself and there is nothing scary about me. I'm not a satanist and I don't sacrifise children. Basicly I'm a child myself.

[LoveKeria]

hasselbrad: Then i missunderstood you, sorry. But, Witches dont do the bath of ice wake up without your kindneys stunt ether. Sorry.

Ardnax: What kinda of witch are you? I mean like, Alexandrian, garenderian, eclectic, summeric, you all all of those...

[hasselbrad]

Originally Posted by LoveKeria

hasselbrad: Then i missunderstood you, sorry. But, Witches dont do the bath of ice wake up without your kindneys stunt ether. Sorry.

Ardnax: What kinda of witch are you? I mean like, Alexandrian, garenderian, eclectic, summeric, you all all of those...

Yeah...I can be rather unclear at times. I've been hit in the head. A lot.
I was just saying how I hadn't heard of the "witches nabbing kids" urban legend.
How dare you read what I write and not what I think.

[Bait]

2 years ago i went bag stealing before we left for a party, well...i got caught and they called the cops the cop picked me and my friend up and made us give his candy back and laughed...such bullshit :\

[frodo1511]

Well, I've read the Crucible/We Aren't Superstisious, does that count?

[Elijahfan]

yeah i hate the whole crap of how most of the population is not educated about halloween or any holiday for that matter. but halloween is the best, i try not to think about the whole christian & pagan element behind it, and more as a FREE CANDY day where every child can join in!

going as God this year, got me my name tag that says "hello my name is" fill in the blank! super excited.

[deviljet88]

Originally Posted by Ardnax

I'm a witch myself and there is nothing scary about me. I'm not a satanist and I don't sacrifise children. Basicly I'm a child myself.

Woah, 14 year old witches? *wonders if he's a warlock by any chance*

[Liam]

Looks like Jet has developed a crush.

[deviljet88]

Pfft. No. I just find it strange to find someone young to believe they're a witch at such an early stage. Seems like a childhood fantasy to me, but hey, might not be.

[Nick]

Ok, just for your information, not all witches are "goths". In fact, hardly any of them are. I know this from having many friends and family that are witches. Once apon a time I went to wiccan meetings, i still go occationally, anyway, the people there are so nice, and only one or two of them you would call "goth". [Usually about 10-12 people there] Also, my aunty on my mothers side is a witch, and she is one of the nicest, most beautiful people i know. My aunty is in NO sence of the word a "goth", she is so far from it. She works in an environmentalist place, i can't remember exaclty what but she is very environment focused and not at all "goth". So you saying that witches are goths is completely false as a generalisation. Also, being a witch is not a phase. It can be for some people, but it's not like a desease you get over. And Bellum, as for your sister who was cutting herself a stonehenge. Ask any real wiccan, or witch wether or not they endorse this practice, and i assure you they will not. Wiccan, and witches alike, so not endorse harm of anything or anyone, this is a myth, feed to you by the church. I have been around witches majority of my life, they are caring people who would not hurt you.

I was not saying that all witches are goths. All I was trying to say is that a lot of teenagers and young adults these days do go through the whole gothic phase and many of them dabble in witchcraft a little and for those people it is just a phase, but you're right not all witches are gothic. I've been to one wiccan meeting before and many of them were pretty much just ordinary people and they considered Wicca a way of life not just a phase. So I'm sorry, I didn't mean insult you or your family.