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Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live.

Ellen Brown

Well-Known Member
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.
 

Jumi

Well-Known Member
It's more complex than that, but I'm sure that was a factor in some witch hunts ending with death. Blaming ones neighbor's evil sorcery for failed crops, disease, natural disasters, death while hunting is something many cultures have done and it's often lead to the death of the innocent.
 

Hockeycowboy

Witness for Jehovah
Premium Member
I was only writing about the fact that it is in the Bible. I wonder why it is there?
You might enjoy reading Exodus 7:8-12.

It reveals that there are powerful forces working directly against God!

Another interesting fact regarding this account: it shows these forces are among, not necessarily the common people, but those high up in rulership positions..... no doubt the best way to reach and influence the most people. What about today? It makes one wonder about what Revelation 12:9 says.
 

Ellen Brown

Well-Known Member


When I was in Kenya, near Nanuki and Nyeri, a woman cursed me in front of the congregation I was speaking before. When I got back to hedonistic America, my life blew up in my face within 3 years. Was it witchcraft, or just the way that life goes at times? Surely, I was not perfect and perhaps it was consequences of my own actions? I know that the 9/11 attack was terrible but the actions of our government afterward made me completely hysterical. AND, my cushy little government job in a local city went nutty also. One of our employees was arrested for illegally tapping City Employees phones. Another strongly advocated taking all guns from City Employees.

I like your explanation better than my fears.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
When I was in Kenya, near Nanuki and Nyeri, a woman cursed me in front of the congregation I was speaking before. When I got back to hedonistic America, my life blew up in my face within 3 years. Was it witchcraft, or just the way that life goes at times? Surely, I was not perfect and perhaps it was consequences of my own actions? I know that the 9/11 attack was terrible but the actions of our government afterward made me completely hysterical. AND, my cushy little government job in a local city went nutty also. One of our employees was arrested for illegally tapping City Employees phones. Another strongly advocated taking all guns from City Employees.

I like your explanation better than my fears.
If imprecation & curses actually worked, I wouldn't be leading such a charmed life.
 

Kangaroo Feathers

Yea, it is written in the Book of Cyril...
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.
The history of Christian persecution of "witches" is long and horrifying, but iirc, the tl:dr version is that the original Hebrew translates more correctly as "thou shalt not suffer a POISONER to live", and because some methods of poisoning were indistinguishable from magic to the ancients, the verse became more and more generally applied until it was used generally against any supposed magic worker. Superstition and magical thinking does the rest.

Oh, an example of "magical" poisoning; stabbing someone with an iron pin or needle. It causes a minor wound, with no apparent obvious effects, using a common, not obviously poisonous material, but the victim shortly thereafter dies in great agony. Today, we know this is tetanus. Before germ theory, witchcraft made as much sense as any other explanation.
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.

Interestingly, in the 16th century Europe public enemy number one were those who dared to translate the Bible into the language of the common people. The penalty was death burning at the stake drawing from the penalty given to witches from the laws of Moses. Hard hearted.

The church is not supposed to have the power of the sword, the church is only to discipline with a motive of love those who are members, for their good. The state has power to enforce laws. The family is charged with raising children primarily. Mix those up and often 'the wheels come off the bus"
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
I was only writing about the fact that it is in the Bible. I wonder why it is there?

It's a reminder not to seek spiritual power apart from God.

Note that King Saul went to a medium the night before he died (from Endor... like Endora the mom of Samantha from the old TV show Bewitched) It's a sign of spiritual darkness.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.

I lived in Papua New Guinea for a while.
It has an extremely high rate of Christianity (around 96%) and has a high rate of witch burnings and torture.

Sembu province alone had an estimated 150 incidents in 2012.

As you would expect, there are both 'legitimate' cases, where local beliefs are at the root of the problem, and other incidents related more to suppression or suspicion of minorities, people with disabilities, and (particularly) independent women.

Google Papua New Guinea witchcraft, and there'll (sadly) be a lot of material to read.
 

Holdasown

Active Member
Many killed as witches were targets of the climate by people who wanted them gone. They did not necessarily practice. But there are certainly Christians today who still loath the idea of anyone engaging in witchcraft though most have no idea what that even means.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.

strange but moses practiced wizardry. more mysogyny


Exod 7:10-Exod 7:12 NIV So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
I was only writing about the fact that it is in the Bible. I wonder why it is there?
I think sun rise link is pretty good, but I think also a witch could refer to someone attempting to gain influence by passing themselves off as a powerful person. Imagine for example that you could fool people in to believing you had powers or a connection to the gods. That could make you politically dangerous in those times. Nowadays that is less common but still happens in cults.

 
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.

I dont think it refers to using white magic.
 

icehorse

......unaffiliated...... anti-dogmatist
Premium Member
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.

IMO, most religions begin as a means to have power over other people. Witches and shamans and healers have always been threatening to those who seek power.
 

Jumi

Well-Known Member
IMO, most religions begin as a means to have power over other people. Witches and shamans and healers have always been threatening to those who seek power.
I'd say religion is a sidetrack. Religions started when people listened to mystics, but didn't have anything like that themselves. Symbolism became factual story and those stories grew. There are still pieces to pick up in most religions from that. Sometimes the effort is too much though.
 

GoodbyeDave

Well-Known Member
The article about it being a mistranslation is correct and it obviously would have played a part in the American witch scare. But the European witch burnings were mostly in the Rhineland and the Hugenot parts of France, whose inhabitants were hardly likely to be reading the King James Bible! Does anyone know what the French and German translations were?

The witch-hunting in ex-colonies is on a par with their persecution of homosexuals: they have adopted the worst aspects of the religion of their former colonial masters in a sort of Stockholm syndrome.
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
I did not know about this passage and plan to spend some time investigating it.

Exodus 22:18 Thou Shalt not suffer a Witch to live.

I wonder if this passage is responsible for the Salem Witch trials? The article said that in Ghana, it was used to kill those who were suspected of it.

When I was in Kenya as a Missionary, there were those around who were said to be witches.

Not planning to go on a Witch hunt.
Probably... but it would be a misappropriation of scripture in context of the Cross and NT understanding. That was specifically written for the Jews and people in the Jewish nation according to the Law of Moses.

I would also assume that the Jewish nation doesn't practice that anymore either.
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
When I was in Kenya, near Nanuki and Nyeri, a woman cursed me in front of the congregation I was speaking before. When I got back to hedonistic America, my life blew up in my face within 3 years. Was it witchcraft, or just the way that life goes at times? Surely, I was not perfect and perhaps it was consequences of my own actions? I know that the 9/11 attack was terrible but the actions of our government afterward made me completely hysterical. AND, my cushy little government job in a local city went nutty also. One of our employees was arrested for illegally tapping City Employees phones. Another strongly advocated taking all guns from City Employees.

I like your explanation better than my fears.
That's interesting and the reasons could be any that you mentioned.

However, as far as curses, when one understands their position in Christ and the authority and power that is at our disposal, curses have no effect.
 
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