Use of supernatural powers to alter natural laws or the course of events. In ethnological studies it is almost equivalent to ® FETISHISM. Its relationship with certain forms of ® OCCULTISM, ® SATANISM and the movements of ® ESOTERISM is clearly established. They are also given the names of ® SORCERY and ® MAGIA.
Witches and wizards have been around from the earliest times. Information about them is available from classical times and there are references to it in the Hebrew Scriptures. Contemporary historians have, however, rejected the theory that they were vestiges of ancient fertility cults and the religion of the Druids. Ever since the Roman Empire adopted Christianity, witchcraft has been relentlessly persecuted, especially in Europe.
The belief in witches declined for a time among the more educated, but their influence persists to this day. An opinion that not everyone accepts is the one that affirms that witchcraft is a continuation of classic ® PAGANISM. Others insist on the long confrontation of witchcraft with Christian beliefs that totally reject this type of practice.
® VODÚ is a combination of African witchcraft and elements taken from Christian rites. Conservative churches reject any point of contact with witchcraft pointing out its evil aspects, but some traditional religious sectors have tried to establish communication or academic dialogue with syncretic sectors in which witchcraft exerts some influence. (® SHAMANISM.)
Source: Dictionary of Religions Denominations and Sects
Nature and history (See also: Divination | Sorcery | Magic | Satanism | wicca).
It is difficult to distinguish clearly between witchcraft, sorcery and magic… These practices use occult means that are not of God, to produce effects beyond the natural powers of man. Witchcraft is adapted to modern times and is proliferating even in popular children’s books. See: Harry Potter.
Witchcraft is evil because it uses evil spirits. It implies a pact or at least a search for the intervention of those spirits. Being a sorcerer or witch is obtained through satanic ties that are entered through a “dedication,” many times within the family.
Witchcraft implies the belief in an invisible reality to which the practitioner is tied. The Holy Scriptures and the Fathers teach that it is a diabolical entity (Dt 18:12).
Why is witchcraft used?
The supernatural help offered by witchcraft is sought for different reasons. The main ones are: To harm those who are hated; to attract the loving passion of someone; to summon the dead; to arouse calamity or helplessness against real or imagined enemies, rivals, or oppressors; to solve a problem which has become an obsession and it no longer matters by what means it is solved.
Witch Practices
Witchcraft dates from the times of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. This is demonstrated by the Bible as well as other ancient writings such as the Code of Hammurabi (2000 BC).
Not all witches follow the same practices, but the following are very common among them in the Christian era. The sorcerer makes a pact with the devil, abjures Christ and the Sacraments, they have diabolical rites in which they make a parody of the Holy Mass or the offices of the Church and worship the Prince of Darkness and participate in covens (meetings of sorcerers where they make their curses). Witchcraft is related to Satanism.
Both in witchcraft and magic are these elements:
1. The performance of rituals or symbolic gestures.
2. The use of substances and material objects that have symbolic meaning.
3. Pronouncement of a spell.
4. A prescribed condition of the one performing the rite.
Witchcraft consists of rituals to cast spells (put a curse or binding on someone), some of which require particular herbs. There are also incantation or spell words that can be written to gain greater power. The one who performs the rite must wish the purpose of it with all his might to obtain greater effects and sometimes must fast for 24 hours before performing the rite to purify the body.
Is the power of witchcraft real?
It can be real, but in many cases it can also be a suggestion of the mind, that is, a lie. In both cases, the devil is acting, the prince of lies.
The Bible, the teaching of the Fathers of the Church and tradition leave no doubt about the fact that human beings have the freedom to make a pact with the devil who has influence on earth and in human activities. On the other hand Fathers like Saint Jerome, thought that in many cases witchcraft is suggestion of the mind.
The Bible condemns witchcraft and sorcery, not as false or fraudulent, but as an abomination: “You shall not let a sorceress live” (Ex 22:18; See also Deuteronomy 18:11-12). The narrative of King Saul’s visit to the sorceress of Endor (I Kings 28) shows that his evocation of Samuel was real and had an effect. Leviticus 20:27 reads: “The man or woman in whom there is the spirit of a necromancer or a fortune teller will surely die: they will be stoned. He will drop his blood on them † It is clear that there is a diviner spirit and it is not an imposture.
The People of Israel, on many occasions, turned to the practice of divination and consultation with witches, thus going against God’s mandates. (Ez 13:18-19; 2 Chron 33:6; Jer 27:9…).
The Old Testament clearly shows how the Israelites and their pagan neighbors were aware of witchcraft and magic. In the book of Ex. 7:11 we read that Pharaoh: †œcalled all the wise men and diviners. And they too, the magicians of Egypt, did the same things (as Moses) by means of their secret arts.†
The First Commandment condemns witchcraft, magic and all kinds of divination: “I am the Lord your God…you shall have no strange gods before me” (Ex 20:2-3).
The New Testament likewise condemns witchcraft as an evil reality: (Galatians 5:20; 13:6; Revelation 21:8; 22:15). Simon the magician was a practitioner of magic but he was envious of the Apostles when he saw people receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. He offered money to the Apostles to teach him how to do this and Peter replied: † œ… your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours…† (Acts 8:9-22).
Witchcraft operates with satanic power (given by Satan). It is about the powers that oppress men and that Jesus Christ confronted until he died and rose again to free us from them. His victory does not prevent us from fighting against the evil one but rather gives us the strength to defeat him if we have faith. “For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the Principalities, against the Powers, against the Dominators of this dark world, against the Spirits of Evil that are on high” (Ephesians 6:12).
We must avoid both exaggerating and minimizing the power of Satan. In a war it is essential to know the opposing forces and know how to defeat them. Satan has power to tempt and harass the faithful, but his power is not comparable to that of Almighty God. Satan can cause persecution and even the martyrdom of the faithful. The victory of the saints is not in living without trials but in overcoming them by remaining faithful to God.
The devil exists and comes into contact with those who seek him. As a reward to those who offer worship, the devil grants preternatural powers to obtain power, fame, money, influence, that is, the things that he desires in the flesh. Through witchcraft you can achieve success in the professional world either as an artist, professional, military, politician, etc. These people can seem very attractive and have a great gift for winning over people to the point of attracting large crowds and becoming gods to their admirers who are capable of doing even the unreasonable for them. The powers of evil can blind minds and fanaticize them marvelously. Witchcraft is not mere superstition. The devil certainly draws into his kingdom of evil those who engage in her and those who flatter her. If there is no repentance and conversion, the end will be hell.
What to do against witchcraft
Learning that someone is doing witchcraft “work” on them, many people are afraid. This is what he wants since through fear he can dominate us. We must remember that the devil can do nothing against those who are faithful to God. Our Heavenly Father is Almighty and he loves us. The devil can only with those who do not trust God and due to lack of faith are spiritually weak or dead. They are like chicks that have strayed from the protection of the hen and are exposed to the sparrowhawk. That is why Jesus tells us:
How many times have I wanted to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you have not wanted! (Matthew 23:37).
Who is threatened by witchcraft should turn to the Lord for protection and not be afraid. He must put all his trust in God and practice his faith, not out of fear of witchcraft but out of conviction: approach the sacraments, personal prayer and ask his brothers to pray for him. The grace of the Lord will never fail those who seek it.
We must never go to another sorcerer to “defend ourselves.” That would be to fall into the trap of the devil doing what he wants: that we distrust God so that we resort to him.
Many times people turn to witchcraft in moments of desperation, when they believe it to be their last resort. In that vulnerable moment someone offers them witchcraft as an easy solution. As Christians we never resort to any spiritual means other than God. When we ask for the intercession of the saints, for example, we are not looking for an alternate path but rather we seek their help only and precisely to remain faithful to the Lord as they did. There are two families: that of God and that of the devil. Each resorts to the members of his own. Let us ask God that we prefer to die before looking for something from the devil.
Fantasies around witchcraft.
Although it is true that there is diabolical action in witchcraft, ignorant and superstitious people have created many fables and superstitions: Witches that fly on a broomstick, incantations that transform the victim into a toad… These fantasies are not caused by religion, but on the contrary, they occur due to a lack of authentic faith.
In the work “De ecclesiasticis disciplinis” attributed to Reginus of Prum (AD 906), in section 364, he criticizes “certain women” who “seduced by illusions and ghosts of demons, believe and openly profess that in the middle of the night they travel on certain beasts along with the pagan goddess Diana and a…