Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

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SpiritTalker
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Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by SpiritTalker »

:shock: Throughput history the social mind set has been that witchcraft is evil. Why is it still viewed so today?
NeverMoonAWerewolf
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by NeverMoonAWerewolf »

I don't think it is, as such. Only in certain circles. There is more ridicule than fear nowadays.
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Coven
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by Coven »

propaganda and also maybe a few bad apples have contributed to the belief that it is bad

I think christianity is evil because of the other christians ~ but i was a christian and I wasn't bad

probably just propaganda and ignorance mostly

I'm watching Charmed ~ the tv series right now ~ I really like it ~ it doesn't make witches look bad ~ but there are bad witches


I've always entertained the idea of good witch ~ bad witch ~ I probably picked that up from the wizard of oz to start with
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by earth_love »

I don't know why....but I think its crap that I'm judged/shunned for practicing whatever "religion" I choose to. I don't judge other people's religious beliefs.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by Firebird »

I think in countries other than some of Europe and the US it is often used in an evil way. Even the native peoples here considered witches evil, it was the shaman that preformed benevolent magic.
Not to mention many forms of media that perpetuate the stereotypes by calling someone who is considered despicable a witch instead of a bitch
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by NeverMoonAWerewolf »

It is a semantic problem mostly, I believe. "Witch" "Hexe" etc meant different things to different people. In my granny's tradition we'd never use the term because it always meant the evil magic users. There was just no term for good magic users everyone understood,they were called different things in different parts of the country - sometimes even the next village used a different word. But a witch was always bad.

W(h)i(t)ch is why I am not too happy with the whole reclaim thing - it is not really that someone gave witches a bad name - a witch was always bad - but non-negative magic users were thrown in with the witches and everything remotely magic was labelled witch with the arrival of Christianity. It makes things difficult, especially for non-Europeans/non-whites, who did not have their cultures totally obliterated. all their supposed evil magic people were also labeled witch in English,even when their own language has different words for different types of magic users including those who harm others. To someone from Africa with English as a second or third language and no experience with the witch movement in the western world, telling them you are w witch will potentially cause misunderstandings and even trouble.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by SpiritTalker »

IMO in this modern culture of misinfo and us-bs-them, i recall the former fringe of society’s witching community of the ‘60’s was once avoided for its outspoken free-thinkers. The inter-Craft hissy fits of the ‘70’s-‘90’s prompted stronger herd identity within the Craft. Yet as pop-Craft-practice became more prevalent in the 2000’s it seemed to lose its freedom & become go-along-charlies. And the mundane community still pegs all-Craft as evil with no difference between the dark, underground and the surface dwellers. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Go figure.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by SapphireRoad »

Lazy to study and experiment... it is like any other art
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by Seraphin »

Because some institutions say so... namely Religion and Mainstream Science.

Admit or not, there is still an anti-magic current in both religious and scientific thought continued in this millennia, and is expressed most strongly by the authorities (priests, scientists, etc). Though most people accept that magic and witchcraft can influence human conditions and situations. These two institutions still insist that magic is an out-of-bounds and dangerous superstition, explicitly forbidden in both laws of God and sometimes even man (there are places and even e-commerce platforms that prohibit the sale, supply, or importation of any items that are esoteric and related to occult and even medicinal herbs).

Ignorance and lack of proper education about witchcraft and religious bias are the main reasons why society thinks it is evil.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by SapphireRoad »

I think atheist scientists are rather sincere and were brainwashed by school education created by elite which wants people in numb obedience instead of mirthful grow.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by Anubisa »

I think it's partly because of people not wanting to understand the history of Witchcraft. They're also not educated to what Witchcraft really is. We're not in communion with the devil, though there is Satanism, but that is not what Witchcraft is. I went to Catholic school from Kindergarten to 4th grade and it was hard understanding why the hell they shunned certain people. I think they are worse. I really was upset with my grandmother a lot because she would say and do what the hell she wanted and then think she could go to church on Sunday and it would go away with communion. But like I said, people need to be educated more.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by korbin »

evil and good is a point of view. I can name many evil people out there who are considered normal by society.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by NeverMoonAWerewolf »

Yes, and the more powerful they are and the more evil they are the more normal they are made out to be.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by SapphireRoad »

Anubisa wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 10:07 pm I think it's partly because of people not wanting to understand the history of Witchcraft. They're also not educated to what Witchcraft really is.
In a nutshell. That is the cause.
Witchcraft is divided in itself and that weakens it. Ceremonial magic often wants to stay in closed inner circle, while pagan magic wants to be rather open to all.
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Re: Why Do You Think Society Says Witchcraft is Bad?

Post by The Scarf Witch »

Like NeverMoonaWerewolf said, I think it's more ridicule than fear these days. Many people don't understand it, and unfortunately, people don't like what they don't understand.
I always try to be kind to people I don't know, and it's happened a lot of times that people I DO know who know the strangers I'm kind to - and don't like those strangers - are confused, often disgusted, or ridicule my want to be kind to someone I know nothing about. They can't grasp the idea that I don't know what someone else is going through and that I can't judge strangers and be harsh towards them. I feel the approach is a little similar with witchcraft these days.
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