How should Christians punish witchcraft?

[Tropical Wilds]

Deliverance ministers and a lot of pastors would say the same as me, i don't say this alone, half the ministry of Jesus was dealing with spiritual problems.

Spiritual problems are usually self-created, not sent via witches.

 

[Hazelelponi]

...

Burning witches was an OT commandment from God.
Old Testament commands have been done away with in the NT.
God metes out the judgments now.

Yes, anyone can turn from sin and follow Jesus.

Actually, the Old Testament moral law still applies, and we look for the timeless principles in the various civil laws and such that Israel had, and see if there's a timeless principle to follow.

We get a lot of our laws from the Bible actually, and lots of them you probably wouldn't have realized.

Personal injury liability and all kinds of stuff are all Biblical concepts.

 

[RDKirk]

...


Actually, the Old Testament moral law still applies, and we look for the timeless principles in the various civil laws and such that Israel had, and see if there's a timeless principle to follow.

All of it, then. Two eye witnesses for every crime (non of that DNA or fingerprint stuff, or surveillance cameras or wiretaps). And if the eyewitnesses are wrong, they suffer the same punishment.

 

[Jipsah]

Actually, the Old Testament moral law still applies, and we look for the timeless principles in the various civil laws and such that Israel had, and see if there's a timeless principle to follow.

OK, so how'd they identify a witch, or determine that something a crime had been committed via witchcraft? "She turned me into a newt"?

 

[Hazelelponi]

OK, so how'd they identify a witch, or determine that something a crime had been committed via witchcraft? "She turned me into a newt"?

No. Real witchcraft isn't like Barnes and Noble witches for goodness sakes.

Look at the Haitians with the voodoo witchcraft - that's witchcraft of a type the Bible would have been against.

I'm not sure how much actual witchcraft stuff still exists anywhere, but it's going to be more prevalent in pagan countries these days, and even then probably not as open or at least obvious to a casual observer.

What is the timeless principles we can learn from the Scriptures about the punishment for witchcraft?

I would think today it's just don't live with them. Literally.

We are to keep separate from the world, and God teaches us that witchcraft is something specific we can't allow into our communities.

It's not something that will simply pop up in a community organically though without specifically inviting it in, in Bible times they were surrounded by pagans that practiced all kinds of craziness and so there was actual exposure.

And yes, I do know the God hating we have already invited it in for funsies...so we make the best of it in Christ.

 

[RDKirk]

No. Real witchcraft isn't like Barnes and Noble witches for goodness sakes.

Look at the Haitians with the voodoo witchcraft - that's witchcraft of a type the Bible would have been against.

I'm not sure how much actual witchcraft stuff still exists anywhere, but it's going to be more prevalent in pagan countries these days, and even then probably not as open or at least obvious to a casual observer.

What is the timeless principles we can learn from the Scriptures about the punishment for witchcraft?

I would think today it's just don't live with them. Literally.

We are to keep separate from the world, and God teaches us that witchcraft is something specific we can't allow into our communities.

It's not something that will simply pop up in a community organically though without specifically inviting it in, in Bible times they were surrounded by pagans that practiced all kinds of craziness and so there was actual exposure.

"Our" community is our local Body of Christ congregation.

 

[Hazelelponi]

"Our" community is our local Body of Christ congregation.

Our fellow Christians are our local community...

Today we care for our neighbors as well, whether they are in our local church body or not as Christians.

My husband believes his watch is only this mountain.

But I do go farther afield, I kinda feel like it's the country as whole that's our watch... We should care for the physical needs of those close in if there's need and that's a specific, but I think when all is done we should care just as much farther afield of home.

The founders did. And we are a nation.

 

[RDKirk]

Our fellow Christians are our local community...

Today we care for our neighbors as well, whether they are in our local church body or not as Christians.

My husband believes his watch is only this mountain, and he's quite adamant about that.. that's the boundaries drawn between him and God and he's said nothing outside of "it's this" lol .

But I do go farther afield, I kinda feel like it's the country as whole that's our watch... We should care for the physical needs of those close in if there's need and that's a specific, but I think when all is done we should care just as much farther afield of home.

Caring for their physical needs does not include becoming law enforcement, not even of the Mosaic Law.

 

[johansen]

these matters are a case by case basis.

You can't punish a person physically for a spiritual crime, because for them to be able to commit that crime means both God allowed it (not that i believe that's how it works) and the person affected by the witchcraft was NOT protected from it by God. Which means there is sin opening a door.

In addition to that.. its not clear (and we have strong opinions on this forum) how involved the human was anyways, in "committing" the action.

The person affected must first repent, close the door, then pray for the evil person.

At some point the gloves come off and God will kill them.

but God waited for Jezebel to kill how many hundreds of prophets before she fell out of a window and was eaten by dogs?

yet Elijah curses his servant with leprosy for disobeying him... so.. my opinion is God is not in the business of punishing people in this generation. all you can do is stay away from someone.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Caring for their physical needs does not include becoming law enforcement, not even of the Mosaic Law.

No one is "law enforcement" but the cops.

What on earth are you talking about?

Do you all impose religious laws on each other at your church?

We are nosey and occasionally judgemental out here... That's it. Law (pretty much of any kind) is self imposed. But it's only enforced by the actual cops.

The church goers of all these churches out here (as opposed to the people who don't go) generally try to be the best version of Christian they can, everyone helps each other. We know who is having problems in the community and everyone chips in and does their part for each other. That's just the way life is.

I just don't think it stops locally.

I didn't know any Christians enforced laws on each other.

 

[David Lamb]

Caring for their physical needs does not include becoming law enforcement, not even of the Mosaic Law.

I agree. I can't think of anywhere in the New Testament where Christians are told to inflict punishment on anybody, except in the matter of church discipline, but that can only be used against people who are members of that particular local church. The idea that Christians should punish witches (or adulterers, or liars, or anybody else) is just not biblical.

 

[RDKirk]

No one is "law enforcement" but the cops.

What on earth are you talking about?

Do you all impose religious laws on each other at your church?

We are nosey and occasionally judgemental out here... That's it. Law (pretty much of any kind) is self imposed. But it's only enforced by the actual cops.

The church goers of all these churches out here (as opposed to the people who don't go) generally try to be the best version of Christian they can, everyone helps each other. We know who is having problems in the community and everyone chips in and does their part for each other. That's just the way life is.

I just don't think it stops locally.

I didn't know any Christians enforced laws on each other.

So, what is this thread about?

 

[Hazelelponi]

So, what is this thread about?

Religion.

Don't you think one can self impose not living in communities involved in witchcraft?

Everything about our faith (mine at least if you all are doing weird stuff in your church) is about us followng Christ to the best of our ability.

We do so in a very self imposed manner. This isn't Islam.

 

[RDKirk]

Religion.

Don't you think one can self impose not living in communities involved in witchcraft?

Everything about our faith (mine at least if you all are doing weird stuff in your church) is about us followng Christ to the best of our ability.

We do so in a very self imposed manner. This isn't Islam.

How should Christians punish witchcraft?​

I guess we have a totally different interpretation of what this thread is about. "Self-imposition" as you're talking about it would, IMO, be "punishing" oneself for someone else's actions.

 

[Hazelelponi]

How should Christians punish witchcraft?​

I guess we have a totally different interpretation of what this thread is about. "Self-imposition" as you're talking about it would, IMO, be "punishing" oneself for someone else's actions.

Well, I was probably a bit tired and was going for the more general. The OP IS Christian, we know what the faith entails in the main for goodness sakes.

I speak to Christians as if they are actually Christian which does have most of the basics in common across the board.

It just never dawned on me that someone would take not living with someone as some kind of weird punishment. Because I never once said anything anywhere in this thread about punishment, I only said "not live with them".

That's not punishment, and nothing in the Christian faith says it could even be perceived that way.

But I give you I was tired and was missing something you were doing, I was just replying to the words that were written. But again, I don't know what kind of stuff you all have going on. I thought we were all fairly similar, just Christians trying to follow Christ.

And again, it's not Islam, you can believe me when I say that. The Christian faith is something beautiful.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Right now in the United States unless someone practicing witchcraft is breaking laws, they will remain unpunished.

Long ago back in western society they were given the death penalty or tortured, in eastern society they were given fines.

And before they were given the death penalty the Church taught against killing witches, condemning witch hunts as pagan superstition, and the Christian governments enacted laws that forbade killing witches.

Could a witch repent and become a Christian is my other question.

The answer on how to deal with witches is the same answer on how to deal with non-witches.

-CryptoLutherah

 

[ViaCrucis]

Deliverance ministers and a lot of pastors would say the same as me, i don't say this alone, half the ministry of Jesus was dealing with spiritual problems.

Maybe don't believe in "ministries" and "pastors" who dabble in occult and pagan superstition, and instead rely on biblically faithful and ardently Christian ministries that are dedicated to the word of truth.

The various "deliverance" stuff I have tended to see is basically just occultism and paganism doing Christian cosplay.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[NBB]

Maybe don't believe in "ministries" and "pastors" who dabble in occult and pagan superstition, and instead rely on biblically faithful and ardently Christian ministries that are dedicated to the word of truth.

The various "deliverance" stuff I have tended to see is basically just occultism and paganism doing Christian cosplay.

-CryptoLutheran

Jesus commanded believers to deal with spiritual issues, i'm out of here, deliverance is more needed today than in the day of Jesus, because wickedness would increase and that makes thing worse.

Thats a bad attitude, that things people don't know, accuse christians of dabbling in the occult.

 

[ViaCrucis]

So you would say Jesus and the disciples dabbled in occult, Jesus commanded believers to deal with spiritual issues, i'm out of here, deliverance is more needed today than in the day of Jesus, because wickedness would increase and that makes thing worse.

Jesus and the apostles did not dabble in the occult. They did real work, even as the Church has continued to do, in the work of fighting against the spiritual powers and principalities of this fallen age.

But they knew that demons were defeated enemies, subject to Jesus Christ who is Lord and Victor over all powers and principalities. And they refused to entertain pagan superstitions.

"The devil appeared to a very humble monk as an angel of light and told him, in order to pull him down into arrogance: 'I am Gabriel and I came to salute you, for you have many virtues and are worthy.'

'Look, you must have made a mistake," the humble monk answered, without losing his composure. "I am still living in sin, and for this reason I am not worthy to see angels.'" - The Ancient Fathers of the Desert, translated by the V. Rev. Chrysostomos

"'Why does the devil battle monks so passionately?' the brothers asked a spiritual elder. 'How does he have such effrontery?'

'If the monks knew immediately how to raise defensive weapons - humility, poverty, and patience - the devil would never dare to approach them,' the elder replied." - ibid.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[NBB]

Jesus and the apostles did not dabble in the occult. They did real work, even as the Church has continued to do, in the work of fighting against the spiritual powers and principalities of this fallen age.

But they knew that demons were defeated enemies, subject to Jesus Christ who is Lord and Victor over all powers and principalities. And they refused to entertain pagan superstitions.

"The devil appeared to a very humble monk as an angel of light and told him, in order to pull him down into arrogance: 'I am Gabriel and I came to salute you, for you have many virtues and are worthy.'

'Look, you must have made a mistake," the humble monk answered, without losing his composure. "I am still living in sin, and for this reason I am not worthy to see angels.'" - The Ancient Fathers of the Desert, translated by the V. Rev. Chrysostomos

"'Why does the devil battle monks so passionately?' the brothers asked a spiritual elder. 'How does he have such effrontery?'

'If the monks knew immediately how to raise defensive weapons - humility, poverty, and patience - the devil would never dare to approach them,' the elder replied." - ibid.

-CryptoLutheran

I thought witches were deluded too, that they didn't have any real 'power' until i was heavily attacked spiritually, later the Holy spirit taught me that it was witchcraft, and if a person can't defend themselves because they are not firm, or they just don't know, it could do a lot of harm those attacks.