Witchcraft, wizardry, sorcery and augury

Religion Zone
People through whom these evil spirits or supernatural evil beings manifest themselves are labelled as witches, wizards or sorcerers.

In almost all human societies on planet earth, there are practices among mankind that are both feared and loathed. There are always bad apples in any natural setting, hence among humans there are people who do weird things out of the ordinary. These people exhibit some supernatural powers associated with devilish origins. The source is normally considered to emanate from some personified spirit of evil or from some perceived superhuman evil being.

PROSPER TINGINI

witch budiriro

People through whom these evil spirits or supernatural evil beings manifest themselves are labelled as witches, wizards or sorcerers.

In African tradition and elsewhere, witches are said to operate under the cover of darkness. They look ordinary during the day and can mingle undetected with other people. Come night time, they transform into beings with supernatural abilities. Unconfirmed stories claim they can use the hyena to travel at night. Some are said to possess snakes for evil use. Other stories claim they can fly using baskets as objects to ride in as a mode of transport. They are said to be able to enter people’s dwellings with ease, even at times without opening any doors as if they are like spirits of the dead. Their aim is to cast spells on people, to kill, to bring bad luck, to inflict sickness or many other bad omens.

However, there is a class of people who operate during the daytime whom some societies inaccurately classify as witches. These people operate during daytime by socialising and mixing at will with other people. They strike mostly by putting poisons in other people’s food or drinks with the intended purpose of ending the life of their victims. They use either toxic herbs or can purchase toxic material from other sources. Such people cannot be classified as witches since most don’t possess supernatural powers but simply use toxic material to kill. This group of people should just be classified as murderers as their powers to kill are acquired.

Wizards have the same characteristics like the witches. However, these people mostly concentrate on use of black magic. They are similar in nature to magicians as their intended function is to exhibit supernatural powers to the public. In addition, they just don’t confine their activities to night time, but also operate during daytime. Their movements are very restricted as they normally shy away from the public. They belong to a cult associated with the evil. This group of people is mostly found in the western world or European cultures, whereas witchcraft is concentrated in the less developed world, as per modern definition. However, both witches and wizards can be classified under one group.

Sorcery is a term that can describe both the witches and wizards. However, a sorcerer tends to want to display the superhuman powers in public. Their aim is to hoodwink or fool other people into believing that their powers are divine, depending on the situation. They can mislead people into thinking that their powers also come from God. As such, these people tend to attract an audience, some of whom can even consult them to seek solutions to some of their problems. This group of people freely interacts with other people both during the daytime and during night time. They operate like leopards in sheep’s skin.

Augury is the practice of prophecy, prediction and forewarning. In the African tradition, people who practise augury are known as oracles. In religious circles they can be known as prophets, should they claim that their powers are divine. This group of people refrains from practising any witchcraft or wizardry since they want to portray themselves as good people who can foretell the future through either ancestral or divine powers. They sometimes transform their powers into a trade and can make a living out of it, as they can charge for their services. In most instances, they are held in high esteem in society because of their ability to foretell things. Whether their predictions are true or false is another matter.

It is a fact that all these groups of people are said to exist in most societies. There have been debates on the authenticity of these people and that matter is still a subject of debate. Witches and wizards are hated in most societies such that in some societies, there is a death sentence on their heads should proof be brought against such people. There are several recorded cases of people who have been killed because they were somehow proved to be witches or wizards. Even innocent people are known to have been killed based on suspicion only, in the absence of valid proof. For these reasons some countries, like Zimbabwe, put in place laws that forbid the practice of labelling other people as witches, the Witchcraft Suppression Act. It was a means to protect innocent people’s lives.

If we consult the scriptures, it is evident that the Lord our God acknowledges the existence of these cults. He detests them to the extreme such that He even initiated their killing. In the second book of Moses, Exodus, in verse 18 of chapter 22 He orders; “You shall not permit a sorceress to live”. In Leviticus, the third book of Moses chapter 19 verse 26, God proceeds to command; “You shall not practise augury or witchcraft”. He goes on to say in Leviticus 19 verse 31; “Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God”. By saying, ‘I am the Lord your god’, He is putting a signature to His words, as the author.

Therefore, some of the traditional attitudes towards these cults are derived from the commandments of the Lord our God. Since black magic is associated with evil, then such powers are derived from the devil. Devils work against God and their purpose is to fool people by misleading them. They exhibit powers which appear to match those of the Almighty God. They compete for followers with God, hence they represent Satan. Some scriptures describe Satan as the angel who rebelled against God and then sought to create his own kingdom which operates against that of the good Lord our God. Devils work for Satan. Satan’s angels are the devil’s and he uses them to trick mankind into believing that they have powers that can compete or even exceed that of the Almighty god. God hates these people so much that He wants them dead.

l Prosper Tingini is a religious author. He wrote a book titled God’s commandments for mankind. He can be contacted on phone number: 0771 260 195 or email: [email protected]