When you hear the word "Witchcraft", what comes to mind? Is it of Halloween and Witches on broomsticks flying in the night sky looking for someone to place a curse on? Or is it of an old ugly hag with warts on her nose stirring a cauldron?  The picture at the left shows that a witch is not old and ugly. In fact, many of these so-called witches are very beautiful and some are as young as 10 years old, or so they have told me. I have had mail from young ladies who say they have been practicing "the craft", since the age of 10. What happened to Barbie dolls and playing house?  To those of us who know about it, it is no laughing matter. Investigators say the more then half of the world's population believes that witches are real and can influence the lives of others with spells and curses. 

Witchcraft has donned a new mask of respect in many places. Books, Movies and Television have played a tremendous role in the acceptance and the reduction of fear. Hollywood is making the witches more appealing to a very large and easily influenced audience. Witchcraft is one of the fastest growing spiritual movements in the country.  Many are the young girls and teens described above. It is inspired by the feminist movement, which is part of the New age Movement.  Many seek fulfillment in the various forms of the Craft.  There are so many forms of Witchcraft that the practitioners disagree on what a witch is. Most do agree with the dictionary's definition.  A religion influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices of western Europe that affirms the existence of supernatural power (as magic) and of both male and female deities who inhere in nature, and that emphasizes ritual observance of seasonal and life cycles.  (Webster's)  Many simply refer to themselves as Pagans or Neo-Pagans

throughout history; witches have been hated, persecuted, tortured and even killed as many willingly point out. It is no wonder they want to change and improve the image.  I must say here that it is not the person that comes under persecution, but the belief that is contrary to what the Bible teaches. Anyone who hates a person is wrong, period. It is the practice's that are in question. Witchcraft is becoming more widely accepted, even by those in the church. Many do not know what the bible says about it and don't care. This should be an alarm sounding loudly to and from the pulpit's across the country. But it isn't.  See this article by a former witch..  Witchcraft in Church

Modern day Witchcraft is hard to describe in general. There are many forms to suite ones needs or what one wants to believe. There is no central authority or doctrine. No holy book to refer to.  There are many different traditions and rituals.  Which god dictates ones opinion and style or gods are worshiped. One common belief is that nature is to be worshiped and is sacred.  Many look to the whole earth in general as god. Others look outward to the stars and planets. Others incorporate everything into their worship. Witchcraft gives one the freedom to pick and choose who is divine and worthy of worship.  There are many deities (gods or goddesses) to choose from. So for simplicity, Witchcraft is the worship of mother earth, awareness of the cycles of the universe and becoming in tune with nature around them.  Many look for inspiration and guidance in myth, ancient religion, and even science fiction. Many are upset that Witchcraft and Paganism are listed with and considered the same as Satanism. They will tell you it is not at all Satanism. They are both completely different. Witchcraft and Paganism are earth religions, and they don't worship any 'evil' deities. Their law 'and ye harm none, do what thou wilt,' (the same as the satanists), Which means they can do whatever we like as long as it does not harm anyone including themselves.  Their spells are not little conjurations cooked up in a cauldron with toads and the like. The whole spell ceremony is supposedly to open up the unconscious to realize ones hopes and dreams.... what you want to achieve. They worship a goddess and a god, the Greek and Roman gods of ancient times. Many people adopt mythological deities from other cultures to represent a certain emotional or human trait. For instance, love Goddesses are adopted to symbolize love, Goddesses of protection are called to protect. As long as the emotions exist, or the power, the deities can exist. They are all forms of the goddess and god. The Bible says" Exodus 20:1-5 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

What about Spell casting and Magic?

Spells and Magic have and will always be associated with Witchcraft and the Occult in general. Many believe that Magic is practiced to bring harm to others. While there are many rouge Witches and some forms of Island Witchcraft do put hexes and spells on people to bring about sickness and even death, the majority of those practicing Witchcraft do not do such spells and curses. They try to live by the above law, "harm no one" Most will tell you that the spells are done to bring benefits and well being. Witches will tell you the reason harmful spells are not done because what ever is sent out comes back seven fold. That is true from what the Bible says you reap what you sow! Galatians 6:7 be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. You sow Witchcraft; you reap the lake of fire! Spells put you in contact with the spirit world and that is what is in question. God says not to use divination, magic, sorcery or any other means of spell casting or fortune telling. There are many scriptures in the Bible that confirm this.  God says this not to deny us of things, he put these laws and warnings there for us so that we are not enslaved by fear, superstition, and are not deceived by Satan and his demons. 

Many Witches do agree that evil spirits exist. But what they do not acknowledge is that Satan is alive and well. They believe that he is just a creation of the church and has no bearing or influence on their lives. Therefore, if you don't believe in something it does not exist. Some Witches do believe in the God of the bible and Jesus. But they believe that Jesus was just a good teacher and use parts of the bible to justify what they believe.  They call themselves Christian witches or born again Pagans! Like many so-called Christian denominations, they twist and distort the word to fit what they want to believe.  However, Gods word says that Satan does in fact exist and that he is the deceiver of the world. Yes there is a spirit world but it is not to be contacted. Calling on the spirit world will only bring up demons. There are no good spirits and they do not inhabit the elements.  There are no gods or goddesses. There is a horned god and his name is not Pan. It is Lucifer. Aka Satan!

Lets look at the most common practice.......   WICCA

Wicca was the first (or at least one of the first) of the neo pagan religions.  As a result, it is the best known, and tends to overshadow its younger, smaller siblings. Wicca, however, is only one of the sects called Witchcraft (or sometimes, the Craft, a term also applied to Masonry). There are a whole range of styles of folk-magic around the world which are called Witchcraft in English. If the word Witch is capitalized, it indicates that it is being used to refer to a member of a pagan religion, not just to a practitioner of folk-magic. There are also Witches who practice religions called Witchcraft that are not Wicca. These religions tend to be more folk-pagan than Wicca, drawing on the heritage of a specific culture or region. Wicca itself is a new religion, drawing strongly on the practices of Ceremonial Magic.  While there are claims that Wicca goes back into the mists of pre-history, honest examination of the practices and history of the Wicca will make it clear that Wicca is new. (Actually, the word "Wicca" itself is recently coined, at least in its present usage. The OE "Wicca" was pronounced "witch-ah" and meant male magician. The new word "Wicca" is pronounced "wick-uh", capitalized as a religion, and means a religion, not a person.) However, Wicca has developed in many directions and should not be seen as a unified whole, even though it is fairly new. Rituals and beliefs vary widely among Witches. Unlike most of the  neopagan religions, Wicca is an initiatory religion, that is, people who choose to practice Wicca believe that the commitment to this path set changes in motion in their lives. Many Traditions (sects) of Wicca formalize this with a ritual (or series of rituals) of initiation. Others, especially Solitary Witches, trust that the gods will do the initiating of the Witch. Different traditions in the Craft include Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, Dianic Wicca, the Faery tradition, many branches of Celtic-based Wicca, and many other forms of Wicca often called eclectic, since they draw their practices and liturgy from many different sources. There is no way to include all traditions because the practitioners themselves are creating new ones every day. If you don't like some aspect of what you are doing, just go and start something new.

Witchcraft  (definition according to encyclopedia)
Exercise of supernatural powers through occult arts such as magic, sorcery, and Satanism. Its origins lie in the belief in separate powers of good and evil in ancient pagan cults and in religions including GNOSTICISM.

Gnosticism
Dualistic religious and philosophical movement of the late Hellenistic and early Christian eras. The term designates a variety of sects, all promising salvation through an occult knowledge that they claimed was revealed to them alone. Christian ideas were quickly incorporated into these syncretistic systems.

Shaman
Among tribal peoples, a magician, medium, or healer who owes his powers to mystical communion with the spirit world. Shamanism is based on ANIMISM; the shaman shields humans from destructive spirits by rendering the spirits harmless. He receives his power from a spirit who selects him and whom he cannot refuse. Characteristically, he goes into auto-hypnotic trances, during which he is said to be in contact with spirits. He occupies a position of great power and prestige in his tribe. Noted especially among Siberians, shamans are also found among the Eskimos, some Native American tribes, in SE Asia, and in Oceania.

Most Pagan's say all the above is older the Christianity and that Christianity adopted certain parts of paganism. While I will say their is truth that Witchcraft and these gods have been around before Jesus walked the earth, was crucified, and rose from the dead, It is not the oldest belief. There is nothing older or anything that can prove the Bible to be false. It is said that some women did not like what was being preached to them so they went out and started worshiping nature. I do not know if this is true, however that statement came from several practicing witches. Also in dealing with witches, I have had them tell me that their "Spirit Guide" was instructing them to "bow to Satan".

The bible teaches us that rebellion is as the sin of Witchcraft. The serpent suggested to Eve that she ignore what God said, and to eat of the tree anyway. She did so in direct rebellion against God (Witchcraft) and the serpent who told her to do so had a part in that beginning of rebellion (Witchcraft), therefore Witchcraft did start in the garden of Eden at the behest of Satan. Secondly, the bible says if you fashion an idol for yourself to worship, and therefore worship any other gods but God, you are in Witchcraft. It goes on to say that if you think you are God, or place yourself equal with Him while saying in your heart there is no God, you are a fool, and in the sin of Witchcraft. The serpent told Eve to eat of the fruit because it would make her like God, she would know the same things as He does and would therefore be as good as He is. She rebelled against God, she tried to become equal with God, and she did so as instructed by Lucifer and in so doing was committing the sin of Witchcraft. Any person reading the bible who has Jesus in their heart will tell you this. If they didn't I would question their faith.

Witchcraft and Paganism have been defined and you who are practicing it know what you are doing. You know that what you call on have powers to deliver what you ask for as long as you bow to that god, spirit or what ever you want to call it. However what you are blinded to is that these so-called gods or spirits are demons and Satan is there master. Let's see what God's word has to say about some one who is practicing any form of Witchcraft.

Deuteronomy 18:10 -11-12     There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Galatians 5:19 -21  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

I get people involved in the above tell me it is ok with God if they are doing these things. NO IT IS NOT!!!!! READ THE BIBLE.

1st.Corinthians 6:9-10   Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (gays), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

For more info from X-Pagans, visit  X-Witch.org