#sighs

hahn:


And I have corrected him.

Do you believe in witches? Do you believe it is possible that people can ruin one's destiny? Do you believe that witches use cats to operate on people? Do you believe that some children are witches? Do you believe that the devil is responsible for the evil in the world?

A big YES or NO please

As a christian my answer to your qustions is a big fat NO.

urahara:


I have never in my life seen a xtian dat doesnt bliv in witches neva

I am a christian who doesn't believe that there are witches and thefe are many more like me.

CoolUsername:
Fighting witchcraft is a dominant part of the Christian belief in this part of the world. Why do you think this is so? What is your take on this?

CC: opeaceo, Oxytocin

The reason is very simple, it is as a result of the syncretic fusion of our residual african paganism with christianity that gave rise to such beliefs.

dorox:

I am a christian who doesn't believe that there are witches and thefe are many more like me.

Yeap good one. . . why do you think is the reason why you don't agree with the superstitious beliefs that is prevalent in the Christian religion?

dorox:

The reason is very simple, it is as a result of the syncretic fusion of our residual african paganism with christianity that gave rise to such beliefs.

European Christians also believed in witches and even killed Witches. . .more than 600,000 alleged witches were burned at the stake by the Church in medieval Europe

johnydon22:
Fear: Is a very important aspect of our natural self, it is rooted in survival and is a fueling value for our Survival Instincts

But when this Factor is misplaced, misused, far stretched and imaginative, it becomes a dangerous value, it becomes detrimental to survival and a psychological prison that can mar our psychological well being.

I live in a society deep in the heart land of Enugu like all southern states is lit with magnanimous religious activities, a gripping clutch of outright superstitious fantasy, a pitiable belief and fear of witchcraft.


"Mrs Mmuo has been accused by her daughter
in-law of being a witch.
She lost two babies in miscarriages and the last was a still birth.
the only chant she knows right now is

"My mother in-law is a witch, she ate my babies, my pastor confirmed it"


Mr Obiajulu has been branded a wizard by his Children, he had laboured to see them through school now they are independent.
the first son had some troubles in his business and the man of god's never wrong pointing hands fell on his father.

Now the song is "My Father is a wizard working against my progress, man of God confirmed it"

Yes little children are not left out of the party,
any child with a slightly unique but different character is a witch, a reincarnation of an ancestral spirit .

The prayer house even used Cane on the little Ada to get her to confess.
Marks of darkened cane stripes adorn her flesh as a testimony.


"Holy Ghost fires" rents the air as the church beside attack spiritually the witches of the night while the rest of us need to twist and turn in bed unable to close our eyes from the shouts and bangs robbing us of sleep.

The average Nigerian society is riddled by the fear of Witches and Wizards, by the fear of such vague abstract notions that is no more than a psychological epilepsy conceived by a misplaced fearful mind.

it is a dangerous belief, a social menace and a stumbling block to our psychological growth.

-Every whiff of wind is a witch-craft manifestation.

-the rats and cockroaches in the house trying to find something to eat are in fact monitoring spirits sent from the village to monitor progresses.

-The cry of owls in the night is actually that of a witch in assignment..

-A child talking in the sleep is possessed.

- Every weird looking uncle or grand mother is actually one responsible for your problems.

-Every night mare is a revelation that an evil is attacking you.

It has gotten to the point that Husbands can accuse wives, mothers accuses children, wifes accuse mother in-laws, uncles, fathers, grand mothers, grand fathers.

everyone is caught in that web of fearful accusations and untold scare.

If you wear a red shade, you will see everything in a shade of red, the trees will beam down with red leaves, the sky will be smeared with red

It is time to take out that red shade, time to rid your mind of unhealthy baseless beliefs rooted in sheepish fear, ignorance and simplistic gullibility to what bible wielding, tongue firing, swag bearing men of God said.

The mind can be our greatest ally and our greatest foe, if you convince yourself that you are being chased surely you'll live the rest of your life running from nothing other than your own mind.

You'll spend your life battling imaginary enemies every night and day in an unending streak of illusionary wars.

You will be a prisoner of your own mind, a captive of your own fear and that can only diminish your ability to live freely.

It is time to take out the red shade and see clearer
time to shed these vague abstract fears and breathe freely

Nothing diminishes the human potential more than victimization of one's self.
Stop blaming every other thing for your misfortune and thereby making yourself the victim.

One problem with such fearful vague fantasies is that it keeps you busy fighting over enemies that are not there, compounding your problems with imaginary causes thereby invoking the need for imaginary solutions.

That is when our belief and fear becomes an enemy to self.

The rate of such demeaning belief etched in the minds of the average Nigerian makes this society an easy prey for selfish con men who would utilize this fear to extort the masses while dipping them deeper into this illusionary show down of fearful fantasy.

It is either you choose to be master of your own self by ridding your mind of any diminishing belief and fear or you subject yourself to the rule of your fears.

Removed the red shade and put on a clearer one
That a suit wearing man accused your mother to be the architects of your problem doesn't make it true, your illness are natural, your dreams are a projection of your mind, nobody is tying down your progress.

In a life and society ruled by random uncharted interactions there is bound to be an uncaring outcome from these events.
Good and bad can happen to anybody irrespective of their belief or character, what you make of such situations is all that matters.

Roping them around belief in witches rather compounds your problems and keeps you busy chasing and fighting nothing ..

We should all gun towards a healthy mind, unshackled by fear of vague concepts and unbound by imaginary battles.

Our youths should stop mobbing old men and women in the name of killing witches such practises are long gone in the global scale and are regarded as the dark ages in human history.

Children should stop being beaten, maimed and even burnt because of flimsy baseless accusations emanating from a con mind swallowed by a fearful and gullible mind.

With the sad eventuality of this demeaning beliefs in such a vague notion as Witches, with it's effects found in almost every nook and cranny of our society.

One can rightly assert that belief in witchcraft is a social menace, one we must evolve and leave behind for our own good.

Cc. ValentineMary (Who suggested this topic) Hahn, opeyemiolu, Shollyps, plaetton.

This is arguably one of your best write up, it should be on the front page indefinitely to help educate people about harm of labelling someone as a witch.

johnydon22:


European Christians also believed in witches and even killed Witches. . .more than 600,000 alleged witches were burned at the stake by the Church in medieval Europe

Christianity did not originate from Europe they also had elements of their indigenous paganic religion that was fused with christianity when it was adopted as their new religion.

dorox:

Christianity did not originate from Europe they also had elements of their indigenous paganic religion that was fused with christianity when it was adopted as their new religion.

So such beliefs are fully incorporated in the Christian belief only being dispelled now by the wind of Secularism, information, education and scientific illumination..

All religious moderation were tampered by these values if not they would still be same till today!

johnydon22:


[b]So such beliefs are fully incorporated in the Christian belief [/b]only being dispelled now by the wind of Secularism, information, education and scientific illumination..

All religious moderation were tampered by these values if not they would still be same till today!

Is the bold an assertion of yours or a suggestion that my previous statement implies it?

dorox:

Is the bold an assertion of yours or a suggestion that my previous statement implies it?

Nope it's an affirmation of reality. . . Lets face it most Christian practises and beliefs were directly hewn from older pegan practises and beliefs.

Just like Islam also borrows concept and influence from the Judeo/Christian concepts and Arabic paganism.

that's how these things develop.

johnydon22:


Nope it's an affirmation of reality. . . Lets face it most Christian practises and beliefs were directly hewn from older pegan practises and beliefs.

I can agree with you on this, but then again not all who identifies as christians believe the same thing.

dorox:

I can agree with you on this, but then again not all who identifies as christians believe the same thing.

Doesn't that make it 'Subjective' and therefore unreliable in a collective term.

Would anyone care to share their witches and wizards stories?

Some yeras ago while on my way to Benin from Lagos, a few of us on the bus got into a nice friendly discussion about this very topic of witches and wizards. They were all in agreement concerning the existence of these wicked humans that operates on a different plane of existence to cause untold harm to their families and neighbours. I was alone in opposing their view and I maged to put up a good fight.

After a few back and forth, I was able to make a positive impact on everyone except for the young lady that sat behind me. So I asked her if she has seen a witch before? She said yes.....and went on to narrate a very heart wrenching story that is gauranteed to draw a little sympathy from a psycopath.
The summary of her story was that a woman from her community had seven children but lost them one after the other through freak accidents and illness as a result of her a decision to kill them in the witch world. So, when news of the death of her last remaining child reaheched her, she went raving mad not out of grief but of a dawning sense of reality that there will be no more child for her to feast on in their coven.
I told her that the death of one child is enough to make a woman go mental not to talk of seven, but that her inability to see the woman as a human has prevented her from seeing it that way. That a christian who loves their neighbour as themselves will not allow the woman to carry the weight of such tragedy alone, they will do everything in their power to help her feel a sense of belonging.

johnydon22:


Doesn't that make it 'Subjective' and therefore unreliable in a collective term.

Jesus did imply a number of times that only a tiny fraction of those who claim to follow him are actually his. He made it clear that christianity is not a popularity contest, the weeds will overshadow the wheats.
Don't let the fact that the weeds and ghe wheats look alike fool you.

dorox:

Jesus did imply a number of times that only a tiny fraction of those who claim to follow him are actually his. He made it clear that christianity is not a popularity contest, the weeds will overshadow the wheats.
Don't let the fact that the weeds and ghe wheats look alike fool you.

Actually still is the point, the subjectivity of different ideas of people regarding the fellowship of Jesus as regard the Christian religion.

Since this idea remains Subjective doesn't it still show unreliability of the said idea and reveals in essence the vital role of man in determining these ideas.

dorox:
Would anyone care to share their witches and wizards stories?

Some yeras ago while on my way to Benin from Lagos, a few of us on the bus got into a nice friendly discussion about this very topic of witches and wizards. They were all in agreement concerning the existence of these wicked humans that operates on a different plane of existence to cause untold harm to their families and neighbours. I was alone in opposing their view and I maged to put up a good fight.

After a few back and forth, I was able to make a positive impact on everyone except for the young lady that sat behind me. So I asked her if she has seen a witch before? She said yes.....and went on to narrate a very heart wrenching story that is gauranteed to draw a little sympathy from a psycopath.
The summary of her story was that a woman from her community had seven children but lost them one after the other through freak accidents and illness as a result of her a decision to kill them in the witch world. So, when news of the death of her last remaining child reaheched her, she went raving mad not out of grief but of a dawning sense of reality that there will be no more child for her to feast on in their coven.

I told her that the death of one child is enough to make a woman go mental not to talk of seven, but that her inability to see the woman as a human has prevented her from seeing it that way. That a christian who loves their neighbour as themselves will not allow the woman to carry the weight of such tragedy alone, they will do everything in their power to help her feel a sense of belonging.

Her inability to tap into the Plight of the woman loosing her kids and show basic human sympathy to the sufferings of others is the basis of her misconception, illogical conclusions and stark plain cognitive simplicity caused by the bonds of her blind belief in nonsensical superstitions.

Affirming superstitions mar our psychological growth and ability to see clearly ..

I rather call most of these Case "Cognitive Laziness"

mtcheeew....

Kai!

The first commentor,u dare mention Oyedepo n mention guts,somtin must be wrong with u.be careful!witches deserve setting ablaze.dey r a menace to dis generation.pray not to fall a victim of dere witchcraft.u go pray tire.only d likes of Oyedepo ll set u free from dere clutches

This is my first post on this lovely, mind-awakening thread. Fear is the basis for religious superstition. Labeling people as witches is rampant in my state of origin, Akwa Ibom. When a child has a compulsive sleeping habit, he or she is considered as one versed in witchcraft, sorcery and clairvoyance. It pains me to see children with sleeping disorders labeled as so-called nocturnal beings with powers to harm people who fall into their snare. Cultures which believe in such are to be considered as still in the Dark age if not the Stone age. Such beliefs are still common in local churches which we term "Fire-fire churches". Such errant, superstitious beliefs are intrinsic to the belief in vampires, werewolves and leprechauns which originated with Slavic and Celtic cultures. Cc johnydon22 hahn Seun

lordnicklaus:
This is my first post on this lovely, mind-awakening thread. Fear is the basis for religious superstition. Labeling people as witches is rampant in my state of origin, Akwa Ibom. When a child has a compulsive sleeping habit, he or she is considered as one versed in witchcraft, sorcery and clairvoyance. It pains me to see children with sleeping disorders labeled as so-called nocturnal beings with powers to harm people who fall into their snare. Cultures which believe in such are to be considered as still in the Dark age if not the Stone age. Such beliefs are still common in local churches which we term "Fire-fire churches". Such errant, superstitious beliefs are intrinsic to the belief in vampires, werewolves and leprechauns which originated with Slavic and Celtic cultures. Cc johnydon22 hahn Seun

Superstition is cowardice in the face of the divine - and the divine is no more than the ignorance of man when faced with the mysteries of the web of causalities for the effects he witnesses.

Superstition is a product of ignorance.

Majority of these cases are rubbish. Indeed it is a mix of pagan beliefs with Christianity. Europe used to have pagan practices too.

I used to fall prey to that, having nightmares and interpreting it as always demonic. One day was sharing with this Caucasian christian friend of mine who is sound in faith and he said something. He asked me if it wasn't what I was thinking of or my emotions that was affecting it. I don't know what happened but a light bulb went off. I started thinking about my thoughts and if they were healthy during the times I had the dreams. I also started thinking about my body. As in was I in pain, uncomfortable etc. Then I saw a connection.

From that moment the dreams stopped as I gave them no place in my life. One thing I can say for us Africans, these pagan fears have made us so unproductive. The human psyche can not be fighting and fighting and spending energy doing that and still have reservoirs to be productive. I truly believe that.

Everyone has a capacity of energy for each day, if you spend it fasting, over praying, worrying, chasing the devil, etc, which calm and peace will you have left to invent things, process viable information, improve your life? This is the problem with Africans and I've seen the same problem with Congolese, Tanzanians etc.

Finally Christians at some point after you have bound and casted and pulled down strongholds, move on. Either God is stronger than the devil or He isn't. No one in the bible spent soooo much time talking about Satan and demons like we do. Either Christ had answered your prayers or He hasn't. You can not be going for deliverance for the same problem forever. Many are walking in fear, not faith.

We live in the world. Bad things happen to everyone. This is not heaven.

Honestly, 70% of people that believe in witches and wizard are ardent nollywood customers, the remaining 30 are thier friends or misled by thier pastors

@Johnydon22 you really put to words what has been in my mind for a long time. Thanks. Pls can i share this on my timeline?

I smile whenever I read WRITE UPs like this Experience remains the ultimate teacher, if you have never encounter a ONE on ONE situation you will basked in " non-existent" mentality.
While growing up, we(FAMILY) and our tenants witnessed WITCHCRAFT at the hands of a relative we sheltered thinking we were doing good to a soul.
I personally was the main centre of ATTACK and 2 others( Amos n Ify).
WITCHCRAFT EXIST in AFRICA EUROPE and ASIA and the AMERICAS what they feed on is your FEAR but your BELIEF is key

I will soon write on my PERSONAL encounter here on NAIRALAND however the TRUTH remains that your DESTINY is in your HAND

Op!, if i should tell you what happened 20yrs ago, you will believe that witches exist, after weeping.

And another that happened just within the wk, that made a British man admit that witches exist.

mildflame:
I smile whenever I read WRITE UPs like this Experience remains the ultimate teacher, if you have never encounter a ONE on ONE situation you will basked in " non-existent" mentality.
While growing up, we(FAMILY) and our tenants witnessed WITCHCRAFT at the hands of a relative we sheltered thinking we were doing good to a soul.
I personally was the main centre of ATTACK and 2 others( Amos n Ify).
WITCHCRAFT EXIST in AFRICA EUROPE and ASIA and the AMERICAS what they feed on is your FEAR but your BELIEF is key

I will soon write on my PERSONAL encounter here on NAIRALAND however the TRUTH remains that your DESTINY is in your HAND

LOl!, that op's mentality needs to change, until he has a personal encounter he won't believe they exist.

Maybe some day, i will write on what happened to my family, my late brother who just graduated frm Uniport wks after was the target, my LGA buried him cos he was an outstanding brain.

People need to have personal encounter, to admit witches exist.

johnydon22:
Fear: Is a very important aspect of our natural self, it is rooted in survival and is a fueling value for our Survival Instincts

But when this Factor is misplaced, misused, far stretched and imaginative, it becomes a dangerous value, it becomes detrimental to survival and a psychological prison that can mar our psychological well being.

I live in a society deep in the heart land of Enugu like all southern states is lit with magnanimous religious activities, a gripping clutch of outright superstitious fantasy, a pitiable belief and fear of witchcraft.


"Mrs Mmuo has been accused by her daughter
in-law of being a witch.
She lost two babies in miscarriages and the last was a still birth.
the only chant she knows right now is

"My mother in-law is a witch, she ate my babies, my pastor confirmed it"


Mr Obiajulu has been branded a wizard by his Children, he had laboured to see them through school now they are independent.
the first son had some troubles in his business and the man of god's never wrong pointing hands fell on his father.

Now the song is "My Father is a wizard working against my progress, man of God confirmed it"

Yes little children are not left out of the party,
any child with a slightly unique but different character is a witch, a reincarnation of an ancestral spirit .

The prayer house even used Cane on the little Ada to get her to confess.
Marks of darkened cane stripes adorn her flesh as a testimony.


"Holy Ghost fires" rents the air as the church beside attack spiritually the witches of the night while the rest of us need to twist and turn in bed unable to close our eyes from the shouts and bangs robbing us of sleep.

The average Nigerian society is riddled by the fear of Witches and Wizards, by the fear of such vague abstract notions that is no more than a psychological epilepsy conceived by a misplaced fearful mind.

it is a dangerous belief, a social menace and a stumbling block to our psychological growth.

-Every whiff of wind is a witch-craft manifestation.

-the rats and cockroaches in the house trying to find something to eat are in fact monitoring spirits sent from the village to monitor progresses.

-The cry of owls in the night is actually that of a witch in assignment..

-A child talking in the sleep is possessed.

- Every weird looking uncle or grand mother is actually one responsible for your problems.

-Every night mare is a revelation that an evil is attacking you.

It has gotten to the point that Husbands can accuse wives, mothers accuses children, wifes accuse mother in-laws, uncles, fathers, grand mothers, grand fathers.

everyone is caught in that web of fearful accusations and untold scare.

If you wear a red shade, you will see everything in a shade of red, the trees will beam down with red leaves, the sky will be smeared with red

It is time to take out that red shade, time to rid your mind of unhealthy baseless beliefs rooted in sheepish fear, ignorance and simplistic gullibility to what bible wielding, tongue firing, swag bearing men of God said.

The mind can be our greatest ally and our greatest foe, if you convince yourself that you are being chased surely you'll live the rest of your life running from nothing other than your own mind.

You'll spend your life battling imaginary enemies every night and day in an unending streak of illusionary wars.

You will be a prisoner of your own mind, a captive of your own fear and that can only diminish your ability to live freely.

It is time to take out the red shade and see clearer
time to shed these vague abstract fears and breathe freely

Nothing diminishes the human potential more than victimization of one's self.
Stop blaming every other thing for your misfortune and thereby making yourself the victim.

One problem with such fearful vague fantasies is that it keeps you busy fighting over enemies that are not there, compounding your problems with imaginary causes thereby invoking the need for imaginary solutions.

That is when our belief and fear becomes an enemy to self.

The rate of such demeaning belief etched in the minds of the average Nigerian makes this society an easy prey for selfish con men who would utilize this fear to extort the masses while dipping them deeper into this illusionary show down of fearful fantasy.

It is either you choose to be master of your own self by ridding your mind of any diminishing belief and fear or you subject yourself to the rule of your fears.

Removed the red shade and put on a clearer one
That a suit wearing man accused your mother to be the architects of your problem doesn't make it true, your illness are natural, your dreams are a projection of your mind, nobody is tying down your progress.

In a life and society ruled by random uncharted interactions there is bound to be an uncaring outcome from these events.
Good and bad can happen to anybody irrespective of their belief or character, what you make of such situations is all that matters.

Roping them around belief in witches rather compounds your problems and keeps you busy chasing and fighting nothing ..

We should all gun towards a healthy mind, unshackled by fear of vague concepts and unbound by imaginary battles.

Our youths should stop mobbing old men and women in the name of killing witches such practises are long gone in the global scale and are regarded as the dark ages in human history.

Children should stop being beaten, maimed and even burnt because of flimsy baseless accusations emanating from a con mind swallowed by a fearful and gullible mind.

With the sad eventuality of this demeaning beliefs in such a vague notion as Witches, with it's effects found in almost every nook and cranny of our society.

One can rightly assert that belief in witchcraft is a social menace, one we must evolve and leave behind for our own good.

ACADEMIC/ THEORETICAL write up, you know ABSOLUTE NOTHING

ishilove,
any contributions on the topic?
it's your opinion I Really want to read.