Salem Witch Trials

Timothy,
Which religion would be next? Christianity? Baptist churches?
The Wiccan religion exists to-day and they have the same rights we all enjoy.

pastor, i guess i'm being theorectical, but if a brand new christian community was set up, would it be appropriate to take some laws out of the old testament? in such a community, would it be bad to condemn true witches to death?

We need to do a better job of presenting the truth as it is in God and in His word.

amen...

 

Timothy, Calvin tried to do similar in Switzerland many years ago. The result was a total fiasco. It is only by the change of the human heart by Christ that people will honestly want to be good. We all long for something better than what we have now; but if one goes by the Bible, we know we are going to have to wait a bit longer...

 

We've already been denied here. In the meantime, Wicca is alive and thriving and attracting more and more teenagers -- especially girls -- into the deception. As long as we are banned, I'd like to see them banned on school campuses as well.

 

I very much doubt that any of the people put to death by the Puritan authorities in Massachusetts in 1692 was a witch, and in any event the United States did not then exist, so technically speaking Dr. Kennedy is inarguably correct.

 

Welcome to BB, Haruo! What a way to come on! I enjoyed reading your profile and your webpage (as much as I could!) Feel free to go upstairs and introduce yourself -- you are a terrific addition to the Baptist Board (a denomination, not a religion... )

 

I really think that the theological error of the Puritans (and Calvin, for that matter) was theonomy--trying to adopt the Law of Old Covenant Israel when they were actually in the New Covenant. Now the Law of Christ is for His believing people-to be written on our hearts, not for the government to enforce on everybody.

So I'm not for burning witches (or Baptists),
but Presbyterians ????

By the way, I think Kennedy is a theonomist, maybe that's why he's in denial.

A believer in the better covenant,

Tim

 

oops

 

hi tim, this is timothy

tim so is the government prohibition of murder and use of the death penalty just misguided attempts to implement parts of the old covenant? and does not scripture say:

romans 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

is witchcraft evil?

 

Hi Timothy,

First of all, yes, witchcraft is evil--so is adultery. Under the Old Covenant, both called for the death penalty. But that was Israel's covenant, and God had laid claim to that nation. They were under His rules by Covenant.

Our nation is not in a covenant with God. That doesn't mean we don't adapt elements of O.T. Law to our civil government--there are eternal principles there which express the desires of God for His people--surely many may apply to us and are useful in government for the mutual protection of our citizens. But if we're going to try and apply them all, we're in essence making no distinction between Israel and the U.S.

Under the New Covenant, God's people are a "nation" within the nation. We're salt and light to unbelievers, but we should not try to force O.T. Law upon them--we're looking for heart change by the Spirit not by the Law.

Those "under the Law" tend to react either in rebellion or hypocrisy or despair (a la O.T. Israel, Pharisees, Paul in Rom. 7, or the Puritans). We've got to promote the "better covenant" instead.

In Christ,

Tim

P.S. I forgot, we're not supposed to debate in this forum!

 

Depends. Wicca (an old pagan druid type of religion) is protected by the freedom of religion clause of the 2st amentment. OTOH, much of what we attribute to witchcraft is fable and folklore (black cats, brooksticks, etc). Now whether or not the practice of things like casting spells (in old Samel, "witchery") could be outlawed, well, you'd have to prove that casting spells is real, or superstitious. I'd tend to side for superstitious.

As for the death penalty, that's a topic far removed from the topic of witchcraft.

 

According to John T. Christian's "History of the Baptists" the Baptists were instrumental in exposing the Puritan fanaticism that instigated the Salem witch trials and in bringing them to an end. Check it out here:

http://www.pbministries.org/History/John%20T.%20Christian/vol2/history2_part1_04.htm

Mark Osgatharp

[ March 17, 2003, 09:23 PM: Message edited by: Mark Osgatharp ]