satanism, witchcraft and devil worship. . . . . .

by DCs Ghost 51 Replies latest jw friends

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  Silverleaf

  Hi Bridgette,

  I'm relatively new to my path as well. I've spent many years avoiding religion all together, and a lot of it had to do with fear of being controlled - about 12 years ago I was involved with a JW and at that time considered joining the [b]org. He and I used to have long discussions that usually turned into arguments about God and religion and my beliefs were always Pagan in nature which upset him very much, but I realized there was no way I could change what I believed. I was so devastated by that relationship that I used to shake every time I saw JWs in the neighborhood. I was actually afraid of them and it turned me off of religion all together for many years.

  I started reading about Wicca specifically and Paganism in general when my husband [a former Catholic] got some books from a friend of his. Nothing ever connected with me so deeply and for about a year I've been studying everything I can get my hands on. I guess I'd call myself a Pagan Universalist at this point but my beliefs are still evolving. I found it's such a better way to look at life, as something to be celebrated and a never-ending cycle. I could never imagine living life as though the world were going to end any minute and believing that some people will be destroyed forever and never have a second chance.

  Best wishes on your journey - I hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

  Silverleaf
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  AngelofMuZiC

  DC's Ghost:

  Thank you for posting this subject. I have always found the subject of the 'occult' interesting, even as a JW. But for some reason, whenever I heard something about Satan being evil incarnate from the platform at the KH, I always got a chill down my spine. I wonder why? I really would hope that you could expand more on this subject because I am interested in learning more.

  Thanx and Regards,
  Joanne
• 

  DCs Ghost

  Silverleaf
  thanks for the support,
  i had been wantng to put this up for a while, for numerous reasons, but mainly to clear the misconception for those who may be biased or scared to read about such things,

  this past weekend suzi and i were watching tv, i believe it was the learning channel -- or one of those educational ones -- and the subject dealt with the salem witch trials, and the commentator kept on saying that the witches were worshipping the devil and every time he made a reference to them he would make the association to satan or the devil, at one point he even called them satanists,
  at that point we just looked at each other and were shaking our heads, mostly for the promotion of ignorance that was being spread on a so called educational channel, and were wondering where the clown had gotten his facts,
  it is such a common assumption to believe that they are all the same and that is so far from the truth, i thought it would be a good idea to put it out here, especially for those who are curious but unsure as to if they should or not follow their urges to read on the subject. . . .
  besides i wanted to find fellow pagans on the board,
  i knew you were among us Silver, because of a few of your posts that i have read before. . .

  Bridgette,
  Scott Cunningham is a good start, i read most of his stuff early on, when i began "exploring" he is a good start for basics, one of my favorite books to day is:
  the 21 lessons of merlin by douglas monroe,

  the reason i liked it so much was because it challenged my beliefs and scared me at the same time, not because of the contents themselves but because of the questions that would come up in my mind as i read,
  it tells the tale of arthur being trained by merlin by method of story-lesson, if celtic lore and myth is your thing this is a great book,
  2 other books i recommend highly are:
  the witches' god
  and
  the witches' goddess
  both written by janet and stewart farrar

  these last 2 books are excellent, as a historic compilation for it gives a breakdown of the gods and goddesses throughout history and different civilizations, even if magick isn't your bag. . .

  Angel,
  like you i was always drawn to the occult ever since i can remember, and at the time i wasn't sure if it was so much because i was taught that it was wrong and evil, or if it was because i had a natural affinity for it,
  feel free to ask any question on the subject, i'll answer as best as i can

  peace and thanks for the comments
  dc
• 

  Tatiana

  I am also interested in the occult.
  I have started reading books on the Goddess aspect of the universe. As to the sacrificing of goats, lambs, etc., wasn't that what God's followers were told to do in the OT? If we got caught today out in a field slitting a goat from ear to ear and praising God (a God or Goddess), which is exactly what Abel, Noah, Abraham (who came close to human sacrifice)did, we'd be arrested and watched veeeerrryy carefully!

  Ballistic, I'll worship you!

  April
• 

  Silverleaf

  Hey DC, et al,

  you wrote:

  >>thanks for the support,
  i had been wantng to put this up for a while, for numerous reasons, but mainly to clear the misconception for those who may be biased or scared to read about such things,<<

  What say we move this discussion to another thread? The subject line may still be scaring some people away.

  Silverleaf
• 

  Bridgette

  Thank you so much for the tip on the books, DC. I can't get enough of this stuff! I, like so many others have always been drawn to the occult. I was a closet reader of Stephen King as a teenager, and wanted to kill myself (really) at 8 because I'd broken a vow to Jehovah not to watch Bewitched (I loved that show). I remember being utterly fascinated with the images of "idols" in the literature. These gods and goddesses seemed so real compared to the god of the bible. I remember the pic of Solomon paying homage to a goddess and just wondering, "he was the wisest man who EVER lived hmmmmmm.....what attracted him to Her?" When I was 2 1/2 my parents took me to a bible study and according to my father, I ran up to a statue of the Buddha they had and exclaimed "Look, it's Buddha!". They, of course were shocked and dismayed. My visions and dreams as a child were attributed to the demons, and would often be followed by a purging of recently bought garage sale items. I finally learned to fear and suppress my intuition, and have had a hard time honing it again.
  I am learning Magick, and recognize that it is EVERYWHERE and that I have practiced it in certain form for a LONG time before I knew what it was. I believe the line between science (i.e., quantum physics/mechanics) and Magick is thinning exponentially, and that the ancients really knew SOOO much.
  Silver Leaf--thank the Goddess you were not raised in the Borg! I'm sorry you had a traumatic brush with it, but it brought you here, so I rejoice. Is there anyone else like me? Raised in the strict confines of the ORG but being a true child of Nature?
  Blessings...
  B. :)
  p.s. I always LOVED Catholics--still do. All their images, their beautiful churches. I loved going into homes of Catholics. I know now that it was Goddess (albeit dressed down as Blessed Mother, Mary) who I was drawn to.
• 

  DCs Ghost

  hey silver
  good idea i will post a link on a new thread that will bring it back to this one, that way those who come to this will respond here, and anyone who reads the other one will get the same info without being "scared" by the subject matter. . . .

  peace
  dc
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  Bridgette

  I second the motion to change the name of the thread to attract those like us. When I saw it, I thought it might be a warning from fundamentalists about the "dangers" thereof...
  B. :)
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  Amazing

  It ALL depends. I am somewhat familiar with wiccan materials, and I have no particular 'fear' or 'ignorance.' Much of it is based upon, as you noted in your earlier post, nature and tribal ritual. Some is well motivated and some is not. For me, I have no interest in wiccan religions any more than I have sitting in front of a grass hut in my Fruit-of-the-loom with a dog-bone in my nose banging a bongo drum to chase away evil spirits to cure the common cold.

  Some Statnism is absolutely evil, whether Satan is real or a dark age fiction. The Church of Satan based in San Francisco is one example of an unhealthy group, in my opinion. In one place I lived in Oregon, a Statnic group about a mile or so from my home did sacrifice animals. I lived in the country and could hear the damn cats screaming as they were thrown into the fire. Eventually the Sheriff caught them and made arrests.

  I have personally known some who claim they are witches. They are nice folks who live by good values as far as I can tell, and none seem to place a 'Hex' on me. Again, I consider all of it to be something that we need to finish evolving away from and into the 21st Century. - Amazing
• 

  QCA1

  Hi DC

  I found your post very interesting,I have studied Spiritualism for many years and i have been labeled as a devil worshiper at times,which i found very funny because not once have i ever thought or experienced that the devil is involved with this Religion.
  The devil has been used for thousands of years to keep people in fear and control them,i do not believe there is a devil,never have never will.