bible-thumping witches?

I'm a Biblical Gnostic who believes the Bible was edited to suit the political agenda of the Council of Nicea and has been used improperly since. That being said, there's plenty of wisdom in the original texts in their original languages, this includes the books labelled non-canon by the church such as the Gospels of Thomas and Philip since it was the Council of Nicea's decision to remove them from the canon.

Sorry, I can't reconcile the two words "Christian Witches" It seems to be a contradiction of terms seeing that so many witches were burned and killed in the name of God.
It is hedgeing your bets. It's fluffy bunny! Let the howling begin....

Oro...a lot of the Witches 'killed in the name of God' were Christian/Protestant/Catholic.
Also they weren't really killed 'in the name of God' just people using their personal encounters with some Doctors, Cunning-Folk and their own Neighbour to fuel a fight to end some kind of petty dispute.

My studys are eclectic
The bible is just one of many
Books i have spent time reading
I never take any of them to literaly
Heaven or hell?
A state of mind you carry with you
As part of your energy

I take what i can to help me on my path
Its my path
No one can walk it for me

Witch in Hebrew more or less actually translated to "one who practices divination/necromancy". This was restricted specifically because the writers believed them to be committing fraud.

The bible itself is symbolic and literal, but also altered in many ways. Raised catholic but I dont identify with the religion itself but I do believe in God and the Bible.

There is no true religion. Each religion contains parts of a whole truth (including Wicca). Secondly, we all are made in his image. Meaning He (God) is a creator --- "He said let there be light". He is all knowing, all seeing, etc etc. If we are made in His image then we are able to do as he is. We can speak things into existence (i.e., spells/chants, etc), know things and see things (premonitions,etc). Third, it is not about WHO you praise or worship because all things are connected. Energy is connected and He has many names (i.e, Kali, Hera, etc).

The bible itself can be classified as a spell book. It contains prayers and chants for protection, strength, vengeance, and more. It contains the same stories that other religions' books have. Christianity is no different than any other religion. Its all connected.

People have misused the Bible and God for centuries for political and personal agendas which caused wars and deaths. Giving a wide belief that Christianity itself is wrong and full of BS.

In my experiences, magick and religion meld much more readily than one would expect. I'm a Roman Catholic, yet I study magick, other religions and philosophies, and all the like. It's very interesting work, in my opinion.

I appreciate the right of others to be skeptic about God and such, and frankly, I can understand why they might be too skeptic to really believe in him. It's just the nature of the modern world. It can be hard to see God through the fog, so to speak. Some people can't really see through the fog far enough to see him at all. Some see through the fog, but see a different part than others do. Thus, other religions exist. Though this is based on my hypothesis about how almost every religion may merge together in one way or another. A very work in progress hypothesis, mind you. Just figured I'd share the general sense of it.

Anyway, as for how I view God based within magick, it's fairly simple. God created us in his image, supposedly. Not in terms of our physical bodies, but rather in terms of who we are as beings. So it would make sense, then, that we have some degree of sway on the workings of the universe. In the modern day, this is a very tiny sway indeed. Yet if you take some passages of the Bible literally, it seems that our ancestors may have had more sway over the will of the universe than we do in the current day. Though considering the outlined circumstances of the passages where this can be seen, this may only be because these people were supposedly given the direct blessing of God, which in turn may have given them much greater power and knowledge in magick. But one part of the Bible I always like to use for this is the passage about the parting of the Red Sea, where Moses cries up to God for the power to part said sea. The interesting part is that God replies something along the lines of "Why do you cry out to me? I have already given you the power you need." And thus, he raised his staff, parting the sea. The phrase God says is what makes this one particularly interesting. Not the direct, situational meaning, but rather the potential implications of that statement. And of course, one could always reference the texts about the disciples healing those in need as additional examples, although I believe they are not detailed nearly as well.

Now perhaps our ancestors were more powerful than us in terms of magick, or perhaps it was simply the blessing of God amplifying the power of these certain individuals. Really, many may choose to not take these passages literally. And I can understand why, depending on their way of thinking. But, even if that is the case, the Bible can still be linked to magick quite readily by one particular passage. It reads as follows:

"Before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern," -Ecclesiastes 12:6

Note this particular phrase.

"Before the silver cord is snapped,"

This phrase denotes a very particular concept commonly regarded in magick as having to do with Astral Projection. From the experiences and such I've read, people tend to note a silver cord linking their metaphysical form to their physical body. And from what I've read, this cord only separates when one dies. I believe the silver cord is the attachment of one's spirit/soul to their body. So obviously when one dies, the cord severs. So applying this, the phrase is basically saying thus:

"Before you (they) die,"

I cannot discern whether it is you or they due to lacking the context of this verse, but nonetheless, this is a very good example of how the Bible can very well be linked to magick in a number of spots. It's interesting to say the least.

So to sum all of this up... My take on all of this is very open, and quite the interesting topic. I believe there is a God in some way, shape, or form, and that He created the universe as we know it, and all the realms of existence. I believe He is the first cause, the source of all effects either directly or indirectly. I don't believe in the actual text of the Creation in a literal sense (many Catholics don't from what I can tell; they tend to take it figuratively). As for the Bible in general, I believe in many of the texts in it, although I am careful to keep a bit of skepticism about me if the words in it are being spoken by a human, rather than God himself, or Jesus. I personally believe in Jesus Christ, and the works he performed, as the documentation seems quite cohesive and highly detailed (not to mention the fact that the Catholic Church was founded in the first place, if that makes sense). And so far as my research has gone (in both science and magick), this all seems to form one coherent hypothesis. Each bit of knowledge I learn seems to fit into this puzzle I've begun assembling perfectly, and it only seems to keep building and building. Thus, the resulting beliefs I hold, and why I am constantly adding ever more information to them.

I apologize for the extremely long post. I tend to be overly detailed, and have a bad habit of not summarizing efficiently. But hopefully the information I provided on my perspective was insightful, as well as helpful. If anyone wants to discuss this topic further via mail, I'd be more than happy to share more about my perspective, and listen to others. This is practically one of my favorite fields.

P.S. Sorry for any typos. I tend to type a bit too quickly, which can cause me to screw up occasionally.

It is hard to believe that a printed book (written centuries earlier) with pagan blood can accept practitioners of what they condemn. Some Christians seem to have evolved, to ignore the pathology that they are the center of the universe and accept diversity in belief, but they are not yet the rule. So by separating the Psalms from the biblical blood book, the more "focused" the biblical halter, the worse the believer's situation, especially when he or she thinks religious differences are a threat. It is the random law of action and reaction, in they response to what is written in the Bible in "Exodus 22:18," which some Christians just obey.

Tesla, you are referring to a very poorly translated verse. The original Hebrew does not mean a practitioner of witchcraft, but a poisoner; someone who uses 'potions' to kill.

You also only take the Bible at its current major interpretation, and not from the perspective of how much it has changed through the millennia along with the mindset of the people who followed its scriptures.

It is not a 'pagan blood book' any more than its words were taken far out of context in order to be used as an excuse to kill people.

I am going to be honest any chance of me being concerned with being "respectful" went out the window with the title of this post "bible-thumping witches?". Instead I am going to be very blunt. Just because someone adheres to the Ten Commandments does not make them a Bible thumper. Five of the Ten Commandments are can be applied to anyone regaurdless of his/her religion. Honour thy father and mother. Respect your parents Thou shall not kill Do not murder someone Thou Shall not commit adultery Do not cheat on your husband/wife. Thou Shall not steal Do not take things that are not yours. Thou shall not covet anything of thy neighbors Do not be jealous of someone because they have more than you. None of the Commandments above have anything to do with the Christian God, and can be adhered by someone from any path. Now I have one last thing I would like to adress before I move on to answer the origional posters questions. Before I say this I would like to say that the vast majority of the comments were possitive in nature. It infuriates me that a few on here would judge all Christians based upon the actions Christians who have been dead and gone for Centuries. Frankly it is no better than the Christian God punishing all of humanity because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowlede, which makes it irratating and hypocritical. Moving on. While I am not a Christian I do; I believe in heaven and hell, I do not worship any other Gods or Goddesses, and I adhere to the five aforementioned commandments as well as observe the other five. Now my opinion on the Christian God either a kind benovolent God or a five year old burning ants with a magnifying glass depending on one's perspective. Personally I do not know where I stand as I can not see myself on either side. That said I love the Bible as it is filled with many great morals. If I don't like what a passage says guess what? Flip the page and its gone amazing!!!