A Pagan For Life! QUESTION from Katheryn July 8, 1999 Dear sir,
I have been of the pagan religion for 6 years now and have had no problem with any such evil as Satan himself. I believe there are 2 main gods that rule over the others. A god is something that is in a higher power than the human race.
Take Jesus Christ for example, he was a warlock(witch). For him to preform such feats it would require witchcraft. So how could anyone condem a person for having a power. God gave these people the power to heal the sick, feed the hunger, and so forth. So in all actuality the pagans,witches,warlocks, and other people of power are helping the human race. So how could witchcraftbe so bad.
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius on July 13, 1999 Dear Miss Katheryn:
Thank you for writing. I am glad to see that you have not had any overt evilness in your life. But the lack of overt evil does not mean that none is there. Please forgive me for my bluntness here, but the mere fact that a person worships a false god is evil in and of itself. The worship of any god other than the true God that we know as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who came to us in the form of Jesus Christ, the God we know as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to worship any other god is a highest form of evil. This is why idolatry is mentioned in the First of the Mosaic Commandments and why love of the true God is the first of the Two Great Commandments of Jesus.
God is a higher power over humans, but God is much more. He is the Creator, the Sustainer, and Alpha and the Omega. Without Him we have no existence, no substance, and no reason.
You mention that you believe in 2 main gods. What might they be? A god of good and a god of evil perhaps? Well actually there is ONE God, and that God is good. But there is an evil entity and his name is Lucifer or Satan. He is not a god, he is a creature, but he rules over this world in many ways.
But Satan has been defeated by GOD, by the Cross, by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross who by that action paid the penalty of our sins, and by His resurrection effected by his own power as God, defeated death and thus allows us to partake of eternal life.
As for Jesus Christ being a witch, this is nonsense. The Bible is VERY clear that witchcraft is condemned, it is an abomination to God, it is evil. (see Deut. 18)
As a result of St. Paul's preaching the Gospel about the True God we see people bringing all their occult books and buring them in repentence (Act 19:19)
God is not a hypocrite. He condemns witchcraft (Deut 18:9-12a) thus his Son, Jesus, could not be a witch:
When you enter the land the Lord you God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or cast spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord... Jesus was able to do the things he did because he was God, not because he was a witch. The Disciples were able to do the things they did through the power of God, not through witchcraft. Witches seeks assert themselves and their own opinions, wisdom, and worldview through the use of magic. Magic is a device to manipulate nature, the world, and perhaps people according to the intent of the particular witch or coven.
Jesus, the disciples, and Christians today do NOT seek to manipulate anything or anyone, do not use any device to effect such manipulation, and do not seek their own will. We seek God’s will, not our own. Sometimes God grants us the ability to do marvelous things in accord with His will and purpose, but the power comes from God Himself, not a magic formula or any device.
The wondrous gifts God may give us are for one purpose – to fulfill His will to build-up His Church. It is never about our own opinion, desires, and needs.
And, I might add, that we are not to use this power-on-loan from God in a way to manipulate anything. God will chastise us for that. In fact there is a story in the Bible about a person who tried this. He tried to use the power of exorcism. The demons laughed at him since he was trying to use this power on their own authority and asked him, before they pounced on him, Who are you? Paul we know, but we do not know you!
The difference between magic and God’s power is that magic is a creature device to manipulate the world as the magician sees fit. The power utilized in magic is the power common to nature and/or the proxy power given to it by the devil (who has many powers, but nevertheless is limited in his power. The power he has is not his own, but rather is the power of the Spiritual realm created by God and which he abuses).
God’s power, however, is the source of all power. He is the power. When God’s people have been granted the gift to use His power, it is solely for His glory, His purpose, and His will. It is not a power from within us, it is not a power with hidden agendas (as is the devil’s pseudo-power). It is the power of the living God who loves us and who sustains us in existence and who uses His power for our good and His pleasure. It is the power that He alone has and He alone directs.
In a one liner: God’s power is not magic. Magic tries to manipulate power. God IS power.
Finally, how can witchcraft be so bad? Well, because God says so is the short answer. The longer answer is because it tries to do what it does on its own pseudo-power and not in obedience to God.
Whenever we attempt to do anything without God, whenever we do anything on our own devices, we are doing bad. If I am able to tie my shoe-laces, it is because of God’s grace. Every breath I take is because of the grace of God.
If I were to arrogantly claim that I breath on my own power, I will find myself in deep trouble if God would take me up on that and withdraw his powerful grace of breath from me. I will stop breathing.
Witchcraft tries to manipulate the world around it without deference to God’s will, without even acknowledgment of the True God, and thus seeks a self-godship that does not exist, and/or seeks a devilish power to effect its goals (whether or not the individual witch realizes that the power they use is devilish, is besides the point).
We will pray for you Katheryn that any powers that you experience within witchcraft will become hollow and ineffectual in order that you might come to know the True God and the power of His love.
Back to Index Page