Witchcraft Confessions and Accusations - Literature review Example

Witchcraft No: Witchcraft Witchcraft is generally thought to be something evil practiced by individuals interested in harming people or making them do what they themselves like for their own interests. However, witchcraft cannot be defined in a so easy manner as it is a rich term and has a considerable history. Witchcraft as is evident from its name is related to witches who are interested in making use of supernatural powers for their purposes. Witches gain knowledge of witchcraft in order to practice it. People relate witchcraft with devil forces while different religions have contrasting views about witchcraft and witches. This paper analyzes witchcraft, its different forms, its practice, people involved and the similarities and differences present between different forms of witchcraft. Witchcraft as seen historically was not always devilish or evil as many people benefited by this craft. Witches were also famous for restoring people back to health, which can be regarded as an advantageous feature associated with witches (Moore and Sanders, 2001). Witches also facilitated people with their wisdom and knowledge by giving them solutions for their problems. Although the image of witches as evil and demonic is much more reputed as compared to their good image. Witches exist in different forms due to which, their delivered witchcraft is also different. Pocs categorizes witches into three categories which are magical witches, social witches and supernatural witches (1999). The witches who helped people through different ways were termed as magical witches or sorcerers as they healed people from their physical problems, worked as midwives and fortune-tellers (Pocs, 1999). Social witches were those witches who used to curse people and cause troubles for them for their disapproving actions and supernatural witches were those who made use of supernatural powers for disturbing people and worked as demons. Supernatural witches also connected the natural world with the supernatural world. (Pocs, 1999) In different religions, witchcraft is regarded differently. Islam categorizes witchcraft as devilish and mischievous and all the practices associated to witchcraft or any such category, are regarded as anti-Islamic. Similarly, Christianity also regards witchcraft as an anti-religious activity and condemns it profoundly. In both the religions, witchcraft is looked upon as heretic by its scholars. The people following the mentioned religions get frightened by knowing about witchcraft and associated people and try to annihilate it. It is believed that witches get united with malevolent forces and work against the religious people and the religion as a whole to injure it due to which, witches and witchcraft are completed rebuffed in both the religions (Thomas, 1997). After knowing about witches or accused people practicing witchcraft, a major number of killings have come on the forefront historically describing the unapproved status of witchcraft in Islam and Christianity. In Christianity, witches are regarded as supporters of satanic deeds. Any work that is performed under the title of witchcraft is regarded as an anti-Christian work. Satan is thought to be working against Jesus due to which, any involvement in satanic works is again regarded as anti-Jesus (Thomas, 1997). Christians because of their faith in Jesus and God pay attention to witchcraft as an activity that is against their religion. Like the followers of Christian religion, Jews, the followers of the religion of Jewish faith also regard witchcraft as an anti-religious activity. Such practices are linked with worshipping of gods and deities, which is a transgression from Jewish religion. To practice magic in Jewish religion is a crime as it relates to the rejection of the religion as a whole. According to the Judaism religion, witches should be punished and brought to death for their practicing the magic (Thomas, 1997). To learn about witchcraft and to practice it is a prohibition in Judaism. In Islam too, witchcraft is strictly prohibited. Islam has prohibition of all different kinds of magic such as black magic, casting of spells, summoning the dead and so on. For all practices associated with magic or witchcraft are regarded as evil. Surah Al Falaq given in the religious book of Muslims, “The Quran” gives the full definition of magic and witchcraft in Islam, "I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of the daybreak, From the evil of what He has created; And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away). And from the evil of the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots, And from the evil of the envier when he envies." (Quran, 113 1-5) The verse informs that witchcraft is considered as evil and damaging for the followers of the religion due to which, people are forbidden to practice it and to get away from its dangers by seeking refuge of Almighty God. Supernatural doings or performances were linked to prophets and the people who were religiously lifted only and no other person was believed to show anything beyond the natural happenings. Islam has the mentioning of the word Jinn who keeps the capacity of helping human beings with his supernatural powers, however, this support is again regarded as evil and devilish. For people involved in witchcraft or magic are subject to a death punishment fort their evil doing in Islam (Thomas, 1997). In Christianity, Islam and Judaism, witchcraft is prohibited and forbidden, which shows that all the mentioned three religions have strict guidelines and principles for the practice of witchcraft and witchery. Witchcraft is not only considered evil but is regarded as an assemblage with the devilish and satanic powers, which are against the religions. Witches are regarded as mostly women as the word witch is linked with women. Therefore, there is a stereotype that witches are mostly women. Witchcraft can be traced back to paganism as witches relate their actions and practices with pagan beliefs (Moore and Sanders, 2001). It is commonly thought that witches exercise magic with evil considerations. The origin of witchcraft can be traced back to goddess Diana, a goddess known in European paganism eras (Pocs, 1999). The practices associated with witchcraft are many in number and are really different as compared to any other professional related to any other field. Witchcraft is linked with worshipping deities and goddesses for asking them to help the witches in attaining what they require. A witch makes employment of many naturally existent elements such as stones, herbs, fire, air, water, light and much more for their magic. According to Moore and Sanders (2001), witches strongly trust the elements of nature and try to employ these elements to find out the solutions for problems and for casting spells on people. It is said that while casting a spell or doing any magical activity, the witches are able to leave their physical being and become a part of air (Pocs, 1999). Witches also make use of different kinds of scents and smells for their incantations and invocations. Candles are excessively used by witches along with other elements. Whatever witches do in terms of witchcraft is thought to affect people’s mind and body as witches make people do what they like without people’s intent. People work against their own inclination. This concept of a person working against his or her own will and according to the needs and inclination of any other person can be observed in many cultures and civilizations. It was usually believed that magical incantations keep the power of manipulating mind, body and belongings of a person to work against him. These practices by witches kept the power of causing troubles to people such as sudden weakness or bad health, unexpected death, horrific fortune, physical deprivation and so on. Because of all the adversely reputed features of witchcraft, it was regarded as evil and devilish for people and people involved in practicing it were considered to be punished essentially. Malicious magic practiced by witches was condemned by people while the magic resulted in bringing comforts for people was highly appreciated but the witchcraft was always regarded as fearsome and formidable (Moore and Sanders, 2001). The most known practice of witches is spell casting. Witches keep the capability of casting spells on people due to which, they can take legal or illegal works from people under the control of their casted spell. Casting a spell can be defined as an action that involves invocation or incantation with the help of which, some magic takes place under which, a person can perform acts against his will or wish and according to the wish of the witch who has control over him (Douglas, 2004). Spells can be casted with some specific words that are known to witches or they have learned those words from books and old witches. Spells can also be casted by means of worshipping sacraments done by witches, puppets or dummies of people can be created for casting spells on them for distressing them negatively and herbs can also be used for magical spell casting purposes (Pocs, 1999). Therefore, the spell casting procedure is multifaceted and keeps the capacity of affecting people. Witches are also famous for conjuring the dead for the purposes of gaining knowledge about the issues that are unknown to the living (Moore and Sanders, 2001). Witches stay alone for practicing magic and for doing all the actions that are objectionable by people around them. Conjuring the dead is a horrible practice famous to be practiced by witches. There were certain identifiable features of witches that separate them from other people such as their lonely living, presence of certain crops for witchcraft purposes, their appearance and their attitudes with people around them (Douglas, 2004). Many parts of the world have evidences of presence of witchcraft such as Africa, South America, Egypt, India, Japan, Philippines and so on. Different regions have defined punishments for the practitioners of the witchcraft or magic. India is widely reputed for the presence of witchcraft. Killings of a large number of people are reported in the lieu of witchcraft in India. In different religions of the world, witches are considered having different forms such as the followers of Islamic religion consider witches as evil persons involved in practicing black magic or making use of Jinn and dead people, similarly Christianity defines witches as people involved in taking refuge of magic to conduct evil deeds in the company of Satan, the witches are termed as sorcerers. Judaism also has the same belief regarding witches. People belonging to religions having belief in deities, gods and goddesses also acknowledge the presence of witches and according to their knowledge, witches exist in human forms but are united with devilish forces for evil doings (Thomas, 1997). Witches are mostly considered evil and devilish giving harm to people and their property. However, there are also some witches, which are good to people and heal them from their diseases and also provide them solutions for their problems. Mostly religions regard witches as evil and practitioners of magic due to which, they are shunned from society. People try to stay away from them considering them as evil. Any person involved in doing such activities that are doubtful and evil is regarded as witch and there are strict punishments for those people. The features defined by religions regarding witches and their condemning practices are somewhat similar to one another but the names given to witches differ in different religions. Most of the witches take support of magic for doing evil works while some witches make use of magic to saving people from coming harms or those that have already arrived. Therefore, the general image of witchcraft as an evil activity is considered true under the title of religion and religious teachings of different religions inform that witchcraft is wholly devilish and involves activities that are against God and His prophets. References Douglas, Mary. (2004). Witchcraft Confessions and Accusations: Volume 91 of Routledge Library Editions: Anthropology and Ethnography. London: Routledge. Moore, Henrietta L. and Sanders, Todd. (2001). Magical Interpretations, Material Realities: Modernity, Witchcraft and the Occult in Postcolonial Africa. London: Routledge. Pocs, Eva. (1999). Between the Living and the Dead: A perspective on Witches and Seers in the Early Modern Age. Budapest: Central European University Press. Thomas, Keith. (1997). Religion and the Decline of Magic. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Quran 113: Surah Al-Falaq (The Daybreak). Retrieved on June 18, 2011 from http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/surah113.html Read More