I buy and sell 100s of books, and sometimes 1000s. Most of them are of no real interest and those that I haven't seen before blend into the stack with the rest. I did today happen upon a book that I had never seen before, "A Witches Bible." Now,I may get some slack for this but I did read a bit of it. It is over 600 pages long so I mostly just skimmed the chapter titles. The one chapter that I did read was called "Many Mansions." This chapter was about Paganism's relation to Christianity. This is the part that caught my eye.
"In trying to reach understanding with Christians who criticize the kind of work we set out to do, it is worth pointing out that Jesus told his followers to go forth and do just that: 'Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils' (Matthew x:8). Raising the dead may be beyond the capacity of most of us, but at least witches work hard at the other three, while with a few honorable exceptions Christians seem to have abandoned psychic healing altogether and have confined 'casting out devils' to a handful of licensed exorcists."
Although I think they are a bit off kilter in their statement, what they say does have an element of truth to it. "At least witches work hard at the other three." That's a statement worth considering. Why is that? If that is a true statement, why do witches pursue, although though false means, what all Christians should be seeking? Even though they are serving a false god (goddess), why are witches more motivated to desire the power to heal heal the sick, cleanse the lepers and cast out devils? If Christ said that those are the works that will follow his believers than shouldn't we desire to do them? If not than doesn't that mean that something is wrong? What's wrong?
Your post took me back a bit. My ex husband had that book, and read it secretly...I had no idea. When he acquired it, and started reading it, our relationship did not just go down the tubes, but he started doing some very cruel things.
ReplyDeleteAs God would have it, when I had my son, HE broke up with me, or I would have never left him. I was too attached. I thank God, even today, that I was being protected. I'm fairly certain he would have severely hurt myself or my baby son if he would have stayed.
That book sucks you in by stating real Truths before damaging the soul. I often wonder what would have happened to myself and my exhusband if he would have been more influenced by God than by that book.
It's scary how much damage that kind of book can do if one is not protected.
Just to be clear, I have no intent on reading the book. It currently resides in my recycling bin where, hopefully, it will someday become something useful like toilet paper. I was only interested in seeing what their view of Christianity was. All religions do have an element of truth to them which, as you stated, is the bait.
ReplyDeleteI think what's wrong is that most churches do not teach the full gospel. Churches don't teach that signs, wonders, and miracles are suppose to be the normal Christian life. I never heard that in the church I grew up in, that's for sure. I think many churches embrace a powerless gospel because it requires no faith. They can do what they do without ever needing God's help with anything because they aren't really do anything that requires any faith. It takes a lot of faith to believe that God would use us -- you, me -- to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils. Many churches are comfortable with servant evangelism, and servant evangelism is great, but it is only one part of the gospel. Power evangelism is what Jesus did and he commissioned us to do the same and even greater works than what he did.
ReplyDelete"If you take a bible an put it out in the wind an the rain, soon the paper on which the words are printed will disintegrate an the words will be gone.
ReplyDeleteOur Bible IS the Wind and the Rain" (unknown)
Posted by a proud wiccan/pagan
WITCH!!!!!!!! I follow the wiccan law, not a bible!!