A Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

 

Tomorrow is my least favourite “holiday” of the year – Halloween. Kids of all ages will be sporting the latest costumes,  including witches and wizards.

One of my favourite childhood movies is The Wizard of Oz. After Dorothy lands in the fantastical Land of Oz, Glinda the Good Witch of the North appears in a shimmering bubble and asks Dorothy, “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”  Dorothy quickly answers that she is not a witch at all!

Many children’s books and movies are filled with stories about witches, especially bad witches. In popular media, good witches seem to be a rare character. The only other “good witch” that I have ever heard of was the character of Samantha Stevens in the TV series Bewitched which, believe it or not,  ran from 1964-1972.

As a kid, I always wished that I could wiggle my nose like Samantha and make bad things go away.

As a child, I semi-believed in witches. As an adult, I know that the world is filled with those who would call themselves witches, warlocks, wizards, sorcerers etc. I know that there are people who practice the “art” of witchcraft and that some of them do define themselves as practicing black (bad) or white (good) witchcraft.

But as a Christian, I ask the following questions: is there such a thing as a “good” witch or “good” witchcraft?

As always, I go to the Word of God to find what He has said about the subject.

In the Old Testament, the word “witch” is translated from the Hebrew word “kashaph”:  to whisper a spell, that is, to inchant or practise magic: – sorcerer, (use) witch (-craft).

Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or a fortune-teller, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or one who calls to the dead.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination to Jehovah.

God regards those who practice and/or promote any of the above activities as abominations – disgusting, abhorrent, abominable.

God says that practicing witchcrat is a sin.

1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship.

Gal 5:19,20 Now the works of the flesh [sin] are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,

God hates the practice of witchcraft because it is based on lies and false spirits and it leads people away from The Truth of God and His son Jesus Christ.

Because God knows that those who practice such arts can have such a profound negative impact upon the spiritual, eternal life of  mankind, He has set a serious punishment for those who practice witchcraft.

Lev 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death:

Exo 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer [permit] a witch to live.

God has made His views on witchcraft abundantly clear. And I couldn’t find any where in His Word where He differentiated between a “good witch” and a “bad witch”. Witches and withcraft are an abomination to God – period!

King of the Jungle

When I was a child, and before I really knew much about God, my mother taught me to appreciate and care for the natural world. We were never allowed to throw garbage such as candy wrappers, gum, popsicle or lollipop sticks, Kleenex etc. on to the ground.

My love and care for the natural world came from my Mom. It is a lesson that I tried to pass on to my sons and one which I hope they are passing on to their daughters.

It was in the wonder, beauty and majesty of creation that first really spoke me about a glorious Creator. I think that when we are outside enjoying the beauty of creation, my Mom, my husband and myself feel closest to God. Nature is our cathedral.

My husband taught his children to appreciate nature too. His daughter went on to take Environmental studies in college. The three of us love to watch nature programs, go for nature hikes, take nature photos, and talk about nature. These conversations can get quite interesting as my step-daughter is not a Christian and ardently believes in the theory of evolution. My husband is a Christian but he also believes that some aspects of evolution, such as the earth being millions or billions of years old, may be true. I believe what God tells us about creation in His Word.

Another point, about which the three of us have different ideas, is the role of mankind in creation/nature. My step-daughter believes that we are just another species of animal – no better than any other creature. In fact, she often professes to like animals more than people. She gets very upset and angry when she sees the damage that mankind has done to the environment. My husband believes that humans are supposed to be caretakers of nature, not really “users” of nature. (This is ironic as he is a self-proclaimed carnivore! LOL)

The three of us all agree that creation/nature has suffered, and continues to suffer, at the hands of humankind. Where we disagree is what the role of mankind was/is meant to be in regards to nature and the environment. My husband often says that we were made to take care of nature, not to be lord over it. He hates it when someone mentions the term “dominion”; he doesn’t believe that we were created to be “Kings of the Jungle”.

So I decided to look into God’s Word to find out what He has to say about the relationship between two aspects of His Creation – Man and the earth.

The first 25 verses of the Book of Genesis tell the story of God creating the heavens and the earth and all the living things on the earth – and then He created Man.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them [man] have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.

Gen 1:27 And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens, and all animals that move upon the earth. 

It is very clear to see that God created Man to have “dominion” over the earth and all living things.

The term “dominion” used in these verses comes from the Hebrew word “râdâh” and it means to: subjugate;  (come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule, (-r, over), take.

At the time of creation, God gave Man the right to reign and rule over nature. We were indeed made to be “Kings of the Jungle”.

Heb 2:6 But a certain writer has given his witness, saying, What is man, that you keep him in mind? what is the son of man, that you take him into account?
Heb 2:7 You made him a little lower than the angels; you gave him a crown of glory and honour, and made him ruler over all the works of your hands:
Heb 2:8 You put all things under his feet. 

God created the earth to be inhabited by humans.

Isa 45:18 For so says Jehovah the Creator of the heavens, He is God, forming the earth and making it; He makes it stand, not creating it empty, but forming it to be inhabited. (the context here is human habitation)

God created the earth for the purposes of mankind –  to live, work, and play. Man was created to be at the top of the creation pyramid – to rule over the rest of creation on earth.

Now I firmly believe that with the right to rule comes great responsibility. Mankind was meant to rule over the earth with Godly wisdom, counsel discernment and love. God expected Man to cherish and look after the wonderland that had been given to him.

Unfortunately, when Adam and Eve sinned, not only Man became cursed, but the curse was spread to creation as well. Instead of being able to easily enjoy the abundance of creation, Many had to struggle to provide food, clothing and shelter for themselves.

Gen 3:17,18 And to Adam He [God] said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it! The ground is cursed for your sake. In pain shall you eat of it all the days of your life. It shall also bring forth thorns and thistles to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.

Man is still trying to live as though he has “dominion over all the earth”, but he is no longer ruling with Godly wisdom, knowledge, counsel or love. Man uses and abuses creation for his own selfish purposes, with little to no thought to the care needed to sustain creation.

As Christians, I believe that we are responsible for looking after the blessings that God has given us in creation.

Luk 12:48  For to whomever much is given, of him much shall be required.

We are supposed to be “faithful and wise servants” of all that God has blessed us with, and that includes nature.

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads” Henry David Thoreau Walden

Queen of Denial

Cleopatra has often been called the “Queen of the Nile”. While I have never met her (I’m not that old – yet) I have certainly met a number of Queens of “Denial”.

I have worked in fashion retail for several years and have gotten pretty good at estimating a person’s clothing size so I am often surprised and bemused when a customer states that she is a smaller size.

We live in an insane age of “size 0 (zero)”. I don’t know about modern math but I was always taught that “zero” equals nothing, zip, zilch, nada – a big, fat nothingness. So it stands to reason that it should be impossible to be a size 0. But somehow, the fashion industry has managed to defeat the laws of math and come up with the impossible – a size 0.

No healthy woman is a size zero, but if clothing sizes start at such a minimalist number, who wants to buy clothes that say size 12, 14, 16 or more? It’s as if women think that the size number on the clothing is somehow mysteriously visible to all and sundry.

It is well known in the fashion retail industry that there is no standardized sizing for women’s clothing. That is why you have to try on 15 different pairs of jeans before you can find just one that fits! There’s just no such animal as an intercontinental size 12.

Most women know this lamentable fact about clothing, yet for some reason, some women get “stuck” on (and in) a certain size number. They insist that they are a certain size and will not entertain the idea that they may have to try on a larger size.

Personally, while I am not best pleased with my current size and shape, I am very much aware of the reality of it. Yes, I could still fit into my wedding dress – if I only wanted it to cover one leg! No amount of wishful thinking accompanied by generous amounts of squeezing, smushing, pushing, cramming, jamming, sucking in, grunting and groaning is ever going to make me fit into the clothes I wore in my slimmer and trimmer days.

Yet, I get customers who will try to do just that, even though fleshy parts are spilling, oozing, flowing, and popping out, over and through the clothing, they will continue to insist that they are a particular size and will refuse to try on a larger size.

When it comes to clothing sizes, we women can certainly be “Queens of Denial”.

Denial is not limited to just women and their clothes size. To be in denial basically means to deny the truth. Denial has been around for a long time, every since that old troublemaker, the devil, chose to deny the truth of his inequality with God. He chose to deny God’s supremecy over him.

Isa 14:12 How you are fallen from the heavens, O shining star, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!
Isa 14:13 For you have said in your heart, I will go up to the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
Isa 14:14 I will go up above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.

God is truth.

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.
Joh 14:7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him.

Heb 6:18 so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie,

Tit 1:2 on hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the eternal times,

To deny God is to deny truth, and to deny truth is to deny God. Denying truth is an act of rebellion against truth.

Tit 1:15 To the pure all things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God, but in their works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient and reprobate to every good work.

Denying God, and His son Jesus, has earthly and eternal consequences.

Mat 10:33 But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven.

Mat 10:34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword.

2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

Being a King or Queen of Denial of the truth of God and Jesus only hurts oneself and is an exercise in futility since in the end, all people will acknowledge God.

Isa 45:21 Declare and bring near; yea, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this of old? Who has told it from then? Is it not I, Jehovah? And there is no other God besides Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me.
Isa 45:22 Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
Isa 45:23 I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Unfortunately, waiting until the end will be too late.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, the small and the great, stand before God. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,