I don't even have words to express how I feel about this poll.
I mean, come on. Thirty-seven percent of evangelicals believe in witches?? As opposed to a mere 32 percent of mainline Protestants and Catholics?
Religion encourages irrational thinking. Period.
UPDATE: David brings up an excellent point: Wiccans do exist. So depending on what the poll means by "witches," maybe that number should rightfully be 100%. Either way, we're talking about crackpots. That is all.
21 comments:
Sorry, Mom, but I'm not backing down on this one. People who believe in witches are crackpots.
The last sentence of your mothers comment is very telling of the whole issue of the question of religion (any religion). She was raised (as was I) in an environment of some degree of indoctrination, which is true of most people that identify themselves Christian or whatever. There are exceptions but it's hard to break the spell once it's cast. You have had the advantage of being able to decide for yourself but I can tell you from my own experience that a strong faith doesn't require much if any logic or evidence to sustain itself.
I would like to point out that this posting wasn't really about religion or religious people, but about people who believe in WITCHES. You know, green skinned people with pointy hats who ride brooms and hex you, and who have a tendency to have houses fall on them. People who believe in witches are crazy and tend to set a lot of innocent people on fire (unless they believe in Wiccans, who do exist and are also crazy.)
Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?
I am Arthur, King of the Britons.
Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.
Help, Help I'm being repressed!
That's where I think you're over-simplifying the issue, Kelly.
There's a lot of evidence to show that the Salem Witch trials were brought about, at least in part, by ergot poisoning. These people were tripping out on their own bread, and there was no Timothy Leary around to tell them how mind expanding it was.
Read some Tony Hillerman novels, and you'll get another insight into people who believe in magic.
As far as Wicca goes, in my opinion it's baseless, but I don't assume because someone beleives in it that he or she is stupid. Misguided maybe, but not stupid.
The crackpots are the ones to take advantages of these vulnerable people. (Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Fallwell, Benni Hinn . . .)
Maybe I missing something here, but it sure seems like Mom is defending people who believe in witches. And I'm not talking about the Salem witch trials or Native American traditions -- I'm talking about here-and-now, living-among-us, hexing-our-children witches. Seriously, Mom? You think people RIGHT NOW who aren't poisoned by their moldy bread and aren't taking LSD but who still think witches walk among us are not delusional?
Also, I think we're not working with the same definition of "crackpot." Crackpot doesn't mean stupid -- it means dangerously eccentric and lunatic. I wouldn't call Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell crackpots so much as diabolical.
The poll you're siting doesn't really give a good definition of "witch." The green skinned, child hexing version is your definition.
Always question these things Kelly.
I believe in UFOs. I don't belive we're being visited by Aliens, and I don't think the unidentified objects in the sky are created by anything extra-terrestrial. They could be rare but perfectly natural phenomena, they could be military experements, who knows.
Like I said, always question, something too many people in that poll aren't doing enough of.
I have to say that I believe that some people THINK they are witches, but I do not believe in spellcasting. This poll does not account for that either. Technically I believe in witches, then.
Well I think religion was necessary for the development of intelligence, language, art, music, and laws. What it is is a way to beat the odds on the survival game. I do not think any religion is worst than another, but people make it bad as way to hold power over other people. And atheists are just as bad.
When I die I hope there is a life after. I want to see my parents again and I want a lot of questions answered. i.e. how was there universe started, why this planet has life on it, is there other planets that have life on them what is it like?......aunt bobby
When I was little I believed in Santa , the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy. Why? Because people that I trusted led me to believe in that way. Religion should provide a moral compass and in that way I think it can be a helpful influence. But, because religion was created by man, it has been corrupted so thoroughly that the result is great harm and not much good. Too many people are/have deferred the pursuit of happiness in this life thinking that their rewards are awaiting at Valhalla. That, to me, is the saddest part of it all.
I do believe in the Wicked Witch of Silt, and sometimes I think she must have magical powers when I see all the crap she gets away with.
Yeah, I believe in evil, but it's not super-natural.
When I watch Evie and Sophie jamming about their favorite things, I believe in miracles. That helps wash out the taste of evil.
Unfortunately, the report on the poll itself (here) doesn't tell us what question was asked regarding witches. That said, I'm guessing that most people who answered, "Yes, I believe in witches" weren't talking about Wiccans. Would any of you have said "yes" to that question?
Likewise, I think it's safe to assume that a question about UFOs was intended to ask whether respondents believe we're being visited by extraterrestrials, not whether there are sometimes unidentified objects in the sky. If you were confronted with the poll question, "Do you believe in UFOs? Yes or No" with no option to clarify what exactly you mean by UFOs, which option best represents your actual opinion? I'm guessing that for the sane among us, the ones who DON'T think we're being visited by aliens, the answer is "no."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I'm jumping to any unwarranted conclusions here.
And thus I stand by my original statement: Way too many religious people say they believe in witches, which even further reduces their credibility. Not that they had a ton to begin with.
And I think that poll questions are often loaded and biased, and you have to be suspicious every one you see. People often design polls that they know will give them a particular outcome.
I'd love to see how the questions were worded.
I personally know several crackpot religious people who believe in spell-casting, Satan-serving WITCHES. I think they must have answered to that poll.
I agree with you, Kelly.
For the record, I would never be rude to someone who believed in witches. I would never be rude to someone who believed in the tooth fairy either, but that's because I would figure them as either very stupid or very loony.
I am not smarter, nor am I in any way better than the average person who has a good reason to be classify themselves as religious. However, I reserve the right to think I'm smarter than certain people. And I'm smarter than people who checked yes to "I believe in witches."
MY mom would have said the same thing as YOUR mom, though. :)
And I like the comment about believing in miracles -- even though the atheist in me sneers at calling anything as natural as two little girls being awesome "miraculous", it's hard NOT to classify the brilliant perfection of children miraculous and wonderful. I suppose you could say it's one of my irrational needs. ;)
Wow. I would love to sit down to dinner with your family! Nice discussion.
I won't get into the whole religion aspect of this debate....I will just say that my friend Jennifer is a Wiccan, and it's terribly upsetting to her when people assume that she's an animal-sacrificing devil worshiper. My limited understanding of Wicca is that it's a peaceful, nature-based "religion." There are some who might focus on using the "power of nature" in a spell-like way, but I think most Wiccans consider themselves different from "witches." I would guess that the vast majority of Christians who say they believe in witches are talking about devil-worshipers or what they see as some kind of human personification of "evil."
Thank you for posting this information. When I first read about this I knew that I needed to do something about this, so I created three petitions to help these children.
Could you please consider signing them for the
children?
Children are targets of Nigerian witch hunt
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/children-are-ta
rgets-of-nigerian-witch-hunt
Stop Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries of
Nigeria from hurting anymore precious children
for money.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-liberty-fou
ndation-gospel-ministries-from-hurting-anymore
-precious-children-for-money
Stop the churches in Nigeria from endangering
children's lives to extort money from there
parents.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-church
es-in-nigeria-from-endangeringchildrens-lives-to-
extort-money-from-there-parents
If you have already signed Thank you. Please
pass this on to your friends.
Thank you for all you do.
Hugs,
Kelli
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