...The concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence has existed since the dawn of human history. It has been present or central at various times, and in many diverse forms, among cultures and religions worldwide, including both "primitive" and "highly advanced" cultures, and continues to have an important role in many cultures today. Historically, the predominant concept of witchcraft in the Western world derives from Old Testament laws against witchcraft, and entered the mainstream when belief in witchcraft gained Church approval in the Early Modern Period. It posits a theosophical conflict between good and evil, where witchcraft was generally evil and often associated with the Devil and Devil worship. This culminated in deaths, torture and scapegoating (casting blame for human misfortune),[ and many years of large scale witch-trials and witch hunts, especially in Protestant Europe, before largely ceasing during the European Age of Enlightenment. Many cultures worldwide continue to have widespread practices and cultural beliefs that are loosely translated into English as "witchcraft", although the English translation masks a very great diversity in their forms, magical beliefs, practices, and place in their societies. Characteristics Historically the witchcraft label has been applied to practices people believe influence the mind, body, or property of others against their will—or practices that the person doing the labeling believes undermine social or religious...
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...witness against this threat. Wiccans claim that Satan is a myth (and a Christian one at that) and that they believe in no such being. The Holy Bible, the inerrant word of God, says otherwise. There are only two sides in the eternal conflict that humankind is involved in and either we serve God or Satan. This paper will prove this fact and outline the stark differences between Wiccan and a Christian Theistic worldview. Jesus Christ is the key to salvation and without acceptance for His sacrifice; eternal damnation is the ultimate destination. The Bible denounces any and all occult practices. “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 casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12. Discussion Modern day practitioners of Wicca tend to alter historical...
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...Pan and Satan: Two Faces of Similarities When I heard the name of the great god Pan and the falling angel Satan, I always thought that they are the same sinful deity with different name. Seeing their illustration and images, it made me confused and I wondered, are they really the same deity? or Is one just the representation of the other? That is the question that always pops up in my head. Pan and Satan are not the same. In fact, their stories are very different from one another, but they are always being mistakenly recognized as the same deity who rules the underworld. Such a mention of the ancient Greek god, does not suggest that Pan is evil incarnated of Satan. However, there are many similarities between Pan and Satan, starting with the question of their divinity. Both have similarity in their characteristic as the deity, association with wild places and sexual desire, and horn-like appearance. There’s always a question in my head. Why people today mistakenly recognized Pan as Satan? Perhaps, the answer to this question is the similarity of their characteristics. Pan is a harmonic deity, and he doesn’t harm others, but Pan is amused seeing those fearful herds of goat and sheep into a sudden burst fear because of his unseen presence in the wild. Pan is most likely: ......well known: dark, terror-awakening, phallic, but not always malignant. He could, of course, sometimes be malignant, especially at noon, if he were awakened from his sleep. At night he led the...
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...Religion and Violence When most people think of religion they only think of the good aspects that go along with it, and never the violence that goes along with it. All religions have some form of violence in one form or another. There are three basic varieties of religious violence: acts of violence, which are inherently religious; those intended as punishment for people believed to be evil; and violent clashes between religious communities. Christians killed a large quantity of witches during the sixteenth century throughout North America and Europe, this continues in some parts of the world to this day. In some cultures killing a person was one of the most important religious ritual acts. “Religion is capable of bringing out the noblest trait of our shared humanity. It can also, unfortunately, motivate or justify the most depraved.” (Lewis M. Hopfe, Mark R. Woodward, 2009, p.10). Sacrifice, which is one of the most common practices in all of the religions of the world, is another form of religious violence. All throughout history sacrifices have been made to the gods and the spirit world, usually the sacrifices was food, drinks, or animals, but occasionally there would be a human sacrifice. Human sacrifices rarely occurred in Native American religions in the United States and Canada, but they were a very important part of religion to the Aztec and other native people of South and Central America. Native Americans living in the Great Plains have a “Sun Dance” which involves...
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...Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, conquer the wizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter. A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age (with elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references. According to Rowling, the main theme is death. There are also many other themes in the series, such as prejudice and corruption. Who is Harry Potter? Harry James Potter was a half-blood wizard, the only child and song of James and Lily Potter. He was one of the most famous wizards of modern times. Voldemort attempted to murder him when he was a year and three months old, shortly after murdering Harry’s parents as they tried to protect him. This early, unsuccessful attempt to vanquish harry led to Voldemort’s first defeat and the end of the First Wizarding War. One consequence of Lily’s protection is that her orphaned son had to be raised by her only remaining blood relative, Petunia Dursley, where he was neither welcomed nor nurtured, but would stay alive, at least until he was seventeen years old. As the only known survivor of the Killing Curse up to that point, Harry was already famous before he arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Early on his eleventh birthday, Harry...
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...believe they had a huge red cross on their chest when in fact it was covering their heart. The cross was not added to the knights until Pope Eugenius III allowed them to wear them in 1147ad. The Knights Templars were accused of One-hundred twenty seven faults against christianity including; homosexuality, and devil worship. How can you call your self a Christian and preform such evil things. In Tafi Olsen’s article The Templars; Before Christianity was legalized in Rome Arians were already trying to give Christianity a fault, by saying that Christ himself is greater than God the father. Christians believe in the trinity God the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. With there being a claim against Christianity before it has even been legalized, makes it easier for people to find fault or disprove Christianity (Olsen). The Travis 2 devil is always going to be trying to put Christianity down and work his way to the top faster and better then any evil thing on earth or in a realm we don't understand....
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...Is the horrifying myth about witches really true? If they actually roam the earth, when exactly did they first exist and where do they live? In the 17th century, Abigail Williams insisted there were witches living in Salem, Massachusetts. Williams evoked the Salem Witch Trials after numerous suspects were convicted for Satanism; however, many were faulty accused and Abigail was blamed. Is there a catastrophe worse than the Devil’s spawn? McCarthyism was established after Senator Joseph McCarthy convinced the colonists of communism in the United States; as a result, innocent people were imprisoned and McCarthy was appointed to the court for witch trials. Although the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism occurred at different centuries in time,...
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...I. In my reflection paper I chose to write about Angels and Demons. According to the scriptures that angels were created instead of eternally exiting. Colossians 1:16-17 explains: “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. The time in which they were created is not clearly specified but most likely they were created during the time when God was creating the heaven as stated in Gen 1:1. Angels where created to provide, protect, and deliver what so ever God would have them to do. Demons known as the fallen angels are the enemies of God. They are under the authority of Satan and the main goal is to disrupt God’s kingdom and creation. In this paper I will provide a Theological definition, Biblical foundation and practical application on Angels and Demons. II. Angel is derived from the Greek word angelos, which means 'messenger'. In the Hebrew language angel is originated from the word Malak which translates to messenger. According to the Old Testament the prophet Malachi took his name from the word Malak. Malachi was a messenger that prophesied about the coming messenger of the new covenant. Even though angels are usually referred to as heavenly messenger, God also used humans to deliver His messages such as the prophet Malachi. “Behold, I send my messenger before...
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...Catholicism Uncovering a religious understanding requires a universal acceptance of a higher being, and the willingness to accept the teachings of that particular faith. There are questions that many want answered in regards to what is religion, why so many different kinds of faiths, and what urges a person to practice certain religious traditions. What is known today is that religious traditions make who a person has become. Religion being a very complex issue throughout the world is a simple belonging, an attachment to the ultimate being. Some may look at having a religion as not being alone, or having a sense of direction in this confused world. Some find peace and answers sitting in from of a statues praying and some hold a cross. Others aim their prayers to the sky while some to the walls. Whatever the symbol God is present, through religious rituals people find division in yet all say basically the same. Assessing a religion to figure out why is this religion considered a true religion, and what drives these followers lives to be shaped in circumstance that hinder ones belief system. One of the most common religions today is Christianity, which carries the belief system that Jesus Christ was our savior, entailing the acceptance that Jesus is the son of God. At one point in history Christianity was divided in sects of the same belief system but including a newer understanding and tolerance of the faith. A faith of peace and clarity was established out of Christianity...
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...Bloodlines of Illuminati by: Fritz Springmeier, 1995 Introduction: I am pleased & honored to present this book to those in the world who love the truth. This is a book for lovers of the Truth. This is a book for those who are already familiar with my past writings. An Illuminati Grand Master once said that the world is a stage and we are all actors. Of course this was not an original thought, but it certainly is a way of describing the Illuminati view of how the world works. The people of the world are an audience to which the Illuminati entertain with propaganda. Just one of the thousands of recent examples of this type of acting done for the public was President Bill Clinton’s 1995 State of the Union address. The speech was designed to push all of the warm fuzzy buttons of his listening audience that he could. All the green lights for acceptance were systematically pushed by the President’s speech with the help of a controlled congressional audience. The truth on the other hand doesn’t always tickle the ear and warm the ego of its listeners. The light of truth in this book will be too bright for some people who will want to return to the safe comfort of their darkness. I am not a conspiracy theorist. I deal with real facts, not theory. Some of the people I write about, I have met. Some of the people I expose are alive and very dangerous. The darkness has never liked the light. Yet, many of the secrets of the Illuminati are locked up tightly simply because secrecy is a way...
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...fulfill their requests.” Burroughs listens to the so-called expert. “In present-day Satanism, this is the day Satan comes to fellowship in the house of his followers. Pope Gregory IV officially authorized the day in 835 AD after they moved it to November 1 to coincide with Sambaing. It began on the evening of October 31, All Hallows Eve. So without imposing the pagans to drop their practices and receive Christianity, the Roman Church simply arranged the room to accommodate them.” Burroughs probes searching for specific information, “You mean to say that the church authorized the night of the devil.” Matt nods the affirmative and informs the detective. “Precisely, the broomstick is unspoken to be the masculine organ; the witch mounted the broom flying high around the fields instructing the crops to grow. Witchcraft is demonic worship; black cats are the chief idol of the divinity of Wicca. But now, Wicca has become a religion deep-seated in pagan traditions, just as in any religion, people practice it according to their own beliefs and lifestyles. Legend has the goddess Diana, would turn into a black cat to commit incest with Lucifer, her brother.” “Are we talking the fallen angel Lucifer?” “Well, let’s put it this way, Orange, red, and black, are the Devil's colors, and those colors are connected with Halloween. We all know that under the cover of darkness black magic and demonic influence do their evil works… so you do the math?” “So Lucifer and Diana were angels?” “You’re missing...
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...A moral panic is a feeling of fear spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society.[1][2] A Dictionary of Sociology defines a moral panic as "the process of arousing social concern over an issue – usually the work of moral entrepreneurs and the mass media."[3] The media are key players in the dissemination of moral indignation, even when they do not appear to be consciously engaged in crusading or muckraking. Simply reporting the facts can be enough to generate concern, anxiety, or panic.[4]:16 Examples include the belief in widespread abduction of children by predatory pedophiles,[5] belief in ritual abuse by satanic cults of women and children,[6] scaremongering of the spread of AIDS,[7] and the War on Drugs.[8] Contents [hide] 1 Use as a social science term 1.1 British vs American 2 Characteristics 3 Examples 3.1 2000s: Human trafficking 3.2 1990s–present: Sex offenders 3.3 1980s–1990s: Satanic ritual abuse 3.4 1980s–1990s: Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 1980s–present: AIDS 3.6 1970s–present: Video games and violence 3.7 1970s–present: Crime increase 3.8 1970s–present: War on drugs 4 Criticism 5 Other 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Use as a social science term[edit] Marshall McLuhan gave the term academic treatment in his book Understanding Media, written in 1964.[9] According to Stanley Cohen, author of a sociological study about youth culture and media called Folk Devils and Moral Panics...
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...991175009 English 102-040 Spring 2013 The Misinterpreted Conspiracy A conspiracy theory explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators. Many people believe in conspiracies because it sets the fundamentals to grasping if the world is controlled by an invisible intentional agent or the seeking and finding of confirmatory evidence for what we already believe. There are numerous conspiracies in America today, and many scholars have tried to prove or portray such conspiracies. However, a conspiracy that has been misinterpreted by the public eye is that of the Illuminati. The word Illuminati derives from the Latin word Illumine, which means, "To be enlightened”. According to dictionary.com, the illuminati is an organization of persons possessing, or claiming to possess, superior enlightenment (Dictionary). The organizations ultimate goal is to create a one-world government, known as the "New World Order", to control the word and the minds of people (Adam Weishaupt). The word “Illuminati” means “the brethren of the free spirit” or “the enlightened ones,” meaning these humans can do anything as long as their souls are above sin (Browne 133). In order words, through this secret organization, humans can do anything through sin and Satan. The Illuminati was founded in 1776 in Bavaria by a scholar named, Adam Weishaupt, who was a professor at Ingolstadt (“Illuminati,” Columbia). One of their means by achieving this goal...
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...Copyright Salman Rushdie, 1988 All rights reserved VIKING Published by the Penguin Group Viking Penguin Inc., 40 West 23rd Street, New York, New York 10010, U.S.A. Penguin Books Ltd, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5TZ, England Penguin Books Australia Ltd. Ringwood, Victoria, Australia Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 2801 John Street, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 1B4 Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, 182-190, Wairau Road, Auckland ro, New Zealand Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England Published in 1989 by Viking Penguin Inc. For Marianne Contents I The Angel Gibreel II Mahound III Ellowen Deeowen IV Ayesha V A City Visible but Unseen VI Return to Jahilia VII The Angel Azraeel VIII The Parting of the Arabian Seas IX A Wonderful Lamp Satan, being thus confined to a vagabond, wandering, unsettled condition, is without any certain abode; for though he has, in consequence of his angelic nature, a kind of empire in the liquid waste or air, yet this is certainly part of his punishment, that he is . . . without any fixed place, or space, allowed him to rest the sole of his foot upon. Daniel Defoe, _The History of the Devil_ I The Angel Gibreel "To be born again," sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, "first you have to die. Hoji! Hoji! To land upon the bosomy earth, first one needs to fly. Tat-taa! Taka-thun! How to ever smile again, if first you won't cry? How to win the darling's love, mister, without a sigh? Baba, if you want to get born again...
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...62118 0/nm 1/n1 2/nm 3/nm 4/nm 5/nm 6/nm 7/nm 8/nm 9/nm 1990s 0th/pt 1st/p 1th/tc 2nd/p 2th/tc 3rd/p 3th/tc 4th/pt 5th/pt 6th/pt 7th/pt 8th/pt 9th/pt 0s/pt a A AA AAA Aachen/M aardvark/SM Aaren/M Aarhus/M Aarika/M Aaron/M AB aback abacus/SM abaft Abagael/M Abagail/M abalone/SM abandoner/M abandon/LGDRS abandonment/SM abase/LGDSR abasement/S abaser/M abashed/UY abashment/MS abash/SDLG abate/DSRLG abated/U abatement/MS abater/M abattoir/SM Abba/M Abbe/M abbé/S abbess/SM Abbey/M abbey/MS Abbie/M Abbi/M Abbot/M abbot/MS Abbott/M abbr abbrev abbreviated/UA abbreviates/A abbreviate/XDSNG abbreviating/A abbreviation/M Abbye/M Abby/M ABC/M Abdel/M abdicate/NGDSX abdication/M abdomen/SM abdominal/YS abduct/DGS abduction/SM abductor/SM Abdul/M ab/DY abeam Abelard/M Abel/M Abelson/M Abe/M Aberdeen/M Abernathy/M aberrant/YS aberrational aberration/SM abet/S abetted abetting abettor/SM Abeu/M abeyance/MS abeyant Abey/M abhorred abhorrence/MS abhorrent/Y abhorrer/M abhorring abhor/S abidance/MS abide/JGSR abider/M abiding/Y Abidjan/M Abie/M Abigael/M Abigail/M Abigale/M Abilene/M ability/IMES abjection/MS abjectness/SM abject/SGPDY abjuration/SM abjuratory abjurer/M abjure/ZGSRD ablate/VGNSDX ablation/M ablative/SY ablaze abler/E ables/E ablest able/U abloom ablution/MS Ab/M ABM/S abnegate/NGSDX abnegation/M Abner/M abnormality/SM abnormal/SY aboard ...
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