what about witches?

Question

why are there so much stories about people in days kiling other people because they think that they are witches are there really witches or is it make believe and if they are real are there is still any alive

Answer 1

hey....how are ya'? I'm a witch....I cast therefore I am?



Ahh anywayt, witches are a living group of people, they exist. but the witches of Hollywood (green, riding brooms, melting in water, turning mean boys into toads, and eating a "gingerbread Hansel and Gretel") that doesn't exist. You might find people in this world who can do really odd things like start a fire, see the future, levitation and flight, but not all of these people are witches. Witches are merely people who believe in the religion or philosophy of a nontraditional religion. There has been a large surge in the number of witches recently, so to think they are non existant is to say a falsehood.



There are a lot of stories about witches because magic is feared and has been feared for thousands of years (and yes magic has been used for that long, believe it or not) People always fear what they do not understand. And when you fear it, you tend to "demonize" it, sometimes literally in an attempt to not be seduced by the thing in which you fear. All the scary witch stories are generally overstatedto discredit the person being labeled as a witch.



At one point in time in the "civilized" world's history it was illegal to be a witch and perfectly permissible to kill and murder these witches to protect the good nature of the innocents untouched by the "devil".



Today's world is a lot more tolerant to different religions and world thought. It is actual,ly protected by law to be any religion or practice any philosophy you wish.....as long as you follow the rules of the land in which you live.

Answer 2

Every time (well almost) that I answer a question about witches someone is calling us Wiccans! NOT ALL WITCHES ARE WICCANS!

I am quite alive and I am a witch and have been for over 40 years. In general the others wh ansered have it right about the history of witches but even today there are a lot of close-minded, ignorant people out there who would do such asinine things, but I see it happening in 3rd world countries, not so much in civilized societies, tho I am sure that there are some serious Fundies who would turn from their own commandment of Thou Shalt Not Kill and eliminate anyone who is not in agreement with them (witch or not)

BB

)O(

Answer 3

People with abilities over others like premonitions or anyone whom had a birthmark were burned as witches , believed that if they burned they were not a witch,same thing with they were thrown into a river if they swam to the other side and survived they were thought of as a witch if they drowned they weren't. Yes witches are real however many confuse witch with wicca not the same thing.

Answer 4

Yes, there is such thing as witches and yes there are thousands and thousands alive. The whole thing with the witch hunt started in 1486 by two german monks and just kept going. Some of the things these two german monks wrote were totally outrageous. The writtings of these two monks caused many deaths of innocent people. Even Witches, witches are wise women. Many witches were healers, herbalist and ect....



Take time to read up on this. I think you will find it quite intresting.

Blessings to you!

Answer 5

Um, I'm a Hedge Witch and I own a cat - Honestly!



Seriously, a witch is a person who practises some variant of pagan religion.



For my part, as a Hedge Witch, I tend to shy away from "organised" paganism, such a Wicca for instance, and seek my own road. There are rituals that are carried out on the great Festivals during the turning of the Wheel of the Year, but I think you'll find that most pagans don't tend to cast spells (unless they *really* know what they're doing or are incredibly stupid).



During the Dark Ages and the Early Medieval period many village wise women were accused of being witches as the Christian church was on the rise and were desperate to put an end to any free thinking by such women. The Church had to be the only recourse to the people in times of illness, despair, famine, etc. Most of the women who were driven out, or indeed, killed, during these purges were nothing more than midwives and herbalists but were seen by the Church as tempting people away from the power of God and therefore had to be exterminated.



Also remember that within the native pagan religions of the Celts and Saxons, women were accorded equal status with men and, in some cases, tribal heirarchy were matriarchal. Women's sexuality and power was celebrated in these religions. This was also against the teachings of the Church (see : Original Sin - women were to be put down and kept under control or their wanton sexual nature may pull godfearing men down into sin with them (duh!)).



Consequently, these women were branded as heretics and witches and persecuted. It is this persecution, and not so much the witch trials of the 15th/16th/17th Centuries, that has come down to us as the legends of witches and spellcraft.

Answer 6

During the time period that you are referring to there was a lot of pagan types of worship. Worship of the devil, false god and the like were considered heathenistic and therefor regarded as abhorrent.



Your question made me think about the Salem Witch Trials. It was actually the ignorance of those people that cost those young women, and a few men their lives. If at that time someone had an epileptic seizure they would have been considered possesed and done away with, and when you have tests such as the drowning test, (you were fine if you drown, but satanic if you lived, so you were damned either way) than no one was safe.



There is a lot to this, you should do some research. Wikipedia.com is a great place to start.



But to answer your question, mainly it was ignorance, prejudice and plain stupidity that ruled the day than, and the likelihood that any of those so called witches really were, doubtful. Either way that kind of power only comes from an occult source and the witch is merely a puppet of that power.



Take care

Guardianofthemoon

Answer 7

A witch is merely someone who *purports* to possess supernatural powers, provided by some source other than God. Whether they actually *possess* such powers is a matter of opinion. One example is found in the bible, the so-called "witch of Endor", who apparently "summons" or "channels" the dead prophet Samuel to provide a prophecy of King Saul's death. Whether this was an actual channeling or merely the work of a charlatan is a matter of conjecture. Likewise the woman who, during the Salem witch trials, admitted to being a witch and casting curses on people. She may well have *believed* that her curses were effective, but this does not mean that they were.



Thus, there *are* witches, but it is very doubtful that they possess any supernatural capabilities. Today, members of the religious sect of "Wicca" purport to be witches, but no scientific evidence, to my knowledge, supports the claims of effectual magic made by members of that sect.



Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 8

my idea of a witch is someone who may be a bit psychic and can see things we don't see you know so yes they still are around.the reason people killed others for being witches i think is because the "witches" were trying to help people by telling them things and were making new medications

Answer 9

It was mass hysteria in a more primitive time and any strange occurrence they could not find a reason for became suspect for "the craft" and witch's were hunted! And like the gossips of today many people trying to get attention lied and caused the death of innocent people, children often accused and pretended to pass out and have fits, they were bored and it seemed like fun. There are witch's today.

Answer 10

Because witches practiced wiccan and they are Pagans. meaning they do not believe in the same Christian tenants that ruled the government and laws during those times. Ignorance breeds contempt and time and again through history we have read that the dominant religion killed members of other religions simply because they go against the dominant belief of the day.



Of course practicing wiccans still exist, they do not boil frogs and ride broomsticks but they do practice their religion all over the world.

Answer 11

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Answer 12

yes but not as they were percieved..witches are i suppose you'd call em wicca or wiccan..but also are wise women...with special sight or ways of healing.. whether its some long passed down recipe or a funky brew 'they make up'...ive met a few wise women in my life with those sorts of talents ..but its a common notion for east coast canada really..different names for the same sort of person..but not in a buffy sorta sense of a witch if thats what ya mean...they dont do the flashy stuff too much

Answer 13

Matters what your definition of witch is. Witch that has powers with a wand blah blah no. It really matters what you think of when you say witch. People call gypsys witches or even people who claim to read your future. But no, a witch with a black hat and cat and wand, not real.

Answer 14

If she weighs the same as a duck and is made of wood then she is a witch.

Answer 15

Who says there is no such thing, tell them i said 2 go to Salem Ma. any day they want and make that comment there , I dare them. Halloween would b even better , they love people like that they'd eat them for SNACK!!!

Answer 16

I think there are, but most people wouldn't agree with that. As far as whitch burnings go, it usually had more to do with people who didn't fit in, disputes or wanting that persons property more than anything else.

Answer 17

I'm on a witch hunt....any here?