Does religion makes good people do evil things:Christians are commanded to kill witches aren't they?

Question

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Whoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. He that sacrificeth unto any god, save to the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed." (Exodus 22:18-20)

These verses and the power of religious belief led to the slaughter of thousands of innocent people throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

these verses not only authorize the executions but they explicitly command them.

Verse 18 justified burning women in Europe judged as witches. In America, the Salem witch trials brought the deaths of both women and men.

verse 20 has been used to justify religious wars, Crusades and the slaughter of unbelievers throughout Europe, the condemnation of heretics continues.

Answer 1

The Christian concept of good and evil is totally bound by their Bible. Once you embrace the principle that "God said it, I believe it, that settles it", total obedience becomes easy. It can't be evil or wrong because God said it, and you need feel no guilt because you were just following His orders. Many people will point out that the verses you cite are from the Old Testament, but the New Testament specifically endorses Slavery, which strikes me as no better.

Answer 2

Scary isn't it. I think religion has been used to cover over and justify a lot of bad things in the past, present, and most likely the future too. I also wonder though when some of the things that are considered part of a religion ar added to the belief system. When you track some beliefs back they go to people who put them into the writing to justify their own beliefs. Thankfully the New Testament is a little less "fire and brimstone" ish. I don't know if religion makes good people do evil things or if evil people hide behind religion and make it do bad things....see what I am getting at?

Answer 3

The Old Testament is more of a warning of how NOT to live -- it depicts the horrible tragic history of corruption by living by the letter of the law, whereby condemnation, wars, and genocide took place between tribes and nations.

The New Testament speaks of rebirth by the spirit of the laws -- unconditional love and truth, and charity for all. Jesus incarnated this spirit into the human realm, so that upon his sacrifice, he served to merge the level of humanity to reconcile with the spirit level of God. In the process, all past corruptions of the law are forgiven so the vicious cycle of karmic sin and suffering can be broken. In that rebirth and salvation, the true spirit of the laws are fulfilled and there is no more enslavement by the letter of the law. Thus the truth in the New Testament sets us free from mass corruption, as recorded in the Old Testament to teach by so that we do not repeat the painful mistakes of the past.

Answer 4

Religion as it has been observed in the last 2000 years or so was more of a way of controlling people than an actual spiritual path. That is why the Bible and other religious books say thou shalt not kill, yet also say thet anyone who opposes said religion should be killed.
As a witch and writing here under my hunnys id, i sincerely hope that no one feels the need to kill me based upon my spiritual path.

Answer 5

No. No, Christians are not. Your scripture ref is from Exodus. This was when God was bringing the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. During this 40 year period they received the Jewish law. It was for Jews only and was meant to purify the entire nation. It was very strict.
Witches are evil people. They know they are evil. How people interpret scripture is up to them. If they interpret wrong then they will do wrong.
Look at Islam. It is truly a wicked religion. Christianity is not.
You are on a "witch hunt".

Answer 6

Christians today are not to do all that God commanded the Israelites to do then. The Lord made that plain when he brought the completed program. You will be hated as I am hated and turn the other cheek. Just because some idiot zealots in the name of Christ did those things to those people does not mean the saints of God are to act the way they did. Power corrupts!

Answer 7

By definition an omniscient entity such as "God" was and is aware of the nature and consequences of everything that occurs, so the only question one can logically pose is "why"? Since, as you have indirectly pointed out, there can be no reasonable answer, theists are left to throw up their arms and declare their deity's means and motivations are simply beyond human comprehension, and hence, incontrovertible. It's the same pathetic paradoxical (and indefensible) argument which has nonetheless served their purposes so well in all the centuries since its inception precisely because it appeals directly to ignorance and superstition. See "Russell's Teapot."

Answer 8

I think you may be on to something. Let's get away from witches for a minute and talk about the Middle east. Almost everything they do is based solely on their religious beliefs. Didn't they declare a Jihad ( Holy War) on America. I agree ,to an extent, with you on this.But back in biblical times, people were truly afraid of what they didn't know.

Answer 9

Well religion does sometimes make good people do evil things, but by the same token it sometimes makes evil people do good things. The Bible is full of passages that when taken literally have been and can be construed to justify insanely murderous and evil deeds. That makes a good point that religious writings should not be taken literally, and religion like everything should be taken in moderation.

Answer 10

The killing of witches, who were always opposed to God, was the judgement for all who opposed God among the people of Isreal. This judgement was even applied even to religious leaders and people who followed other gods.


Where do you read in the Bible that Christians were to kill witches. That act was done by people who pretended to be and called themselves Christians but didn't know or understand the word of God.

This is true of the Crusades too. Jesus told Peter to put up his sword when he tried to defend Jesus with it. The "sword" (including capital punishment) belongs to the state and not the church according to the New Testament. Jesus even saved thieving tax collectors and adulterous women from the punishment of others.