Abrahamics: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

[Orbit]

Well, then perhaps one could infer that it is developed society which keeps Abrahamics at bay. If they were to have no legal repercussions for killing "witches", then I wonder how many would delight to follow their Almighty God's command? Humans are depraved, ya know?

If the Bible isn't literally from God, and people are being killed for being "witches" because of it... Well it's just telling that's all

You might find this interesting: Witch hunts: A global problem in the 21st century – DW – 08/10/2020

 

[Brickjectivity]

So, Abrahamics, why don't you carry out this command? It seems unambiguous...

Seems ambiguous to me. What exactly was it that a witch did way back then? Its unclear why there was a death sentence, and if we don't know why there was a death sentence then we don't know what a witch was. Its no different from the words 'Worship', 'Prayer' and 'Holy' in this respect. We use meanings based upon context, and this can be entirely misleading. Why kill someone over it?

 

[Soandso]

"You're a wizard, harry" seems a little more menacing, now

 

[Viker]

I'm glad most don't follow that part of Leviticus these days. I'd be in a lot of trouble.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

It's a totally fair question.

Answering strictly for myself. Virtually any law that is punishable by death, I would not be able to carry out. It's an internal limitation. Maybe it's considered a flaw by the All-mighty. But, this is how I was made, and if it means I will be punished for permitting a witch or wizard to live, then I accept whatever penalty that incurs on myself.

Zooming out past that, I think that these laws cannot be implemented without a religious court.

Are you saying that you would follow this command if it weren't illegal?

 

[dybmh]

Are you saying that you would follow this command if it weren't illegal?

No. Definitely not.

I am not able to carry out any law which is punishable by death. It's an internal limitation. It's how I was made. I'm not a killer. God made me this way; God understands that I have this limitation. And even if not, I'll take God's wrath on myself for not following those commands.

I can't kill people based on the Mosaic law. I would never be able to do it. I would never be able to pull the trigger, or swing the sword, or throw the stones. I've never even been in a fist fight. I'm not a violent person.

If you ever read the story of Joshua and Judges, you'll see that the Jewish people didn't carry out the conquest that God ordered. I would probably be one of those people who didn't follow those commands.

 

[Valjean]

Seems ambiguous to me. What exactly was it that a witch did way back then? Its unclear why there was a death sentence, and if we don't know why there was a death sentence then we don't know what a witch was. Its no different from the words 'Worship', 'Prayer' and 'Holy' in this respect. We use meanings based upon context, and this can be entirely misleading. Why kill someone over it?

The goal of the rich and powerful Is to preserve their positions, and the social milieu that made and maintain them. They write laws to that effect; laws to maintain the social hierarchy and suppress dissent and deviancy.
Religion provides a convenient justification for these laws, since passages can always be found or interpreted to support whatever position is needed.

Laws are written by men to support their own interests, not justice, fairness, or the welfare of the masses, except inasmuch as social stability benefits the upper class lawgivers.

 

[Valjean]

So why all of the hub bub from fundamentalists about LGBT people?

Some people are more acutely attuned to danger than other. They see threat everywhere. This translates to a fear of, and desire to suppress the unfamiliar or unpredictable.
A close knit, authoritarian, religious community provides a bulwark against uncertainty and a fear-filled world.

Children crave a strong-father to protect them.

 

[Sedim Haba]

Well shoot, I'm a diviner I'm not even a witch! ;-;

Well, so is a weather forecaster in a way...

Not sure, but I think the problem is not using your own abilities to predict but calling on spirits/ghosts.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I'm not a fundamentalist, so why don't you ask one? I think society is way too obsessed with sex and who's doing what in general. Making identities out of it was a mistake. Now it's political. I'm tired of it all.

I wasn't sure if you knew. I was one but I didn't really care if people were gay or not. It was novel, but not evil. I am tired of it as well.

 

[syo]

Leviticus 20:27
A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

A witch is made for a wizard, and a wizard is made for a witch. Other people should mind their own business and leave witches and wizards alone.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Exodus 22:18
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live

Leviticus 20:27
A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

So, Abrahamics, why don't you carry out this command? It seems unambiguous...

In Christian churches, I was taught that Jesus Christ "fulfilled the law" so we didn't have to follow the old laws of Moses anymore. Is that what Christians here say? If that's your only reason for not stoning witches, idk what to tell you.

Jews still follow the law, right? Why don't you guys stone witches nowadays?

I have two points to make.

The first is that these laws are only enforceable when one is living in a Jewish theocracy. Nothing of that sort exists today. Jews in diaspora live under the legal systems of whatever country they are in. The State of Israel is a secular state, not religious. So there is basically no Jewish court system that has jurisdiction over such cases.

The second thing is that there is no written Torah without oral Torah, and capital punishment has been tempered by oral Torah. Let's assume that we are in the year 1000 and there is a Jewish community living which is living under Jewish law. While there are certain offenses that are capital, this is the maximum sentence, not the normative sentence. The reality is that the rabbis almost never meted out an execution. Indeed there is a saying that any Jewish court that has even one execution in 70 years is a bloody court.

 

[exchemist]

Exodus 22:18
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live

Leviticus 20:27
A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

So, Abrahamics, why don't you carry out this command? It seems unambiguous...

In Christian churches, I was taught that Jesus Christ "fulfilled the law" so we didn't have to follow the old laws of Moses anymore. Is that what Christians here say? If that's your only reason for not stoning witches, idk what to tell you.

Jews still follow the law, right? Why don't you guys stone witches nowadays?

Surely one obvious answer is there is no such thing as a witch?

And the the next thing, for Christians at least, is they do not have to follow all the instructions to be found in the OT.

This is pretty basic, surely?

 

[Soandso]

Surely one obvious answer is there is no such thing as a witch?

And the the next thing, for Christians at least, is they do not have to follow all the instructions to be found in the OT.

This is pretty basic, surely?

Well... but then there was the whole salem thing

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Surely one obvious answer is there is no such thing as a witch?

And the the next thing, for Christians at least, is they do not have to follow all the instructions to be found in the OT.

This is pretty basic, surely?

Witches certainly exist, meaning people who do magic spells and stuff. Are their spells effective? No. But that doesn't stop them from engaging in witchcraft. THEY believe their spells work.

One of the most basic problems of Christianity is that generally speaking they believe that SOME of the laws are still in effect (like don't murder) and others are not. HOW exactly do they determine which is which? It is a topic that comes up again and again.

 

[exchemist]

Well... but then there was the whole salem thing

The OP question was "Why don't you guys stone witches nowadays?"

 

[exchemist]

Witches certainly exist, meaning people who do magic spells and stuff. Are their spells effective? No. But that doesn't stop them from engaging in witchcraft. THEY believe their spells work.

One of the most basic problems of Christianity is that generally speaking they believe that SOME of the laws are still in effect (like don't murder) and others are not. HOW exactly do they determine which is which? It is a topic that comes up again and again.

Conjurors and charlatans exist, and possibly people who fancy themselves to be witches. But as we all know, nowadays, that it's bogus, that obviously isn't a problem for anybody else.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Conjurors and charlatans exist, and possibly people who fancy themselves to be witches. But as we all know, nowadays, that it's bogus, that obviously isn't a problem for anybody else.

Many witches are not charlatans at all. They are simply people who have mistakenly concluded that they can change reality with magic spells -- they are 100% sincere. They are simply sincerely wrong.

 

[Hold]

I don't know much about these things...

But I'm curious. If I recall correctly, the 10 commandments also say not to kill.

Which came first? The statement that a witch shouldn't be allowed to live, or do not kill?

I've also heard that the verse was closer to "poisoner" than "witch", and its a flaw of translation.

It is said," Jesus taught the most important commandments are: (paraphrase) 1.Love thy God 2. Love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

[Soandso]

The OP question was "Why don't you guys stone witches nowadays?"

Hey, as long as witches are being killed, history shows that the methods used are negotiable. The important part is that they are removed from society, as per the bible