God, false gods, Idols, Witchcraft, Sorcery,. and Legion demon?

Question

Christian God - first commandment states -" Have no other gods Before me."

Does this mean you can worship a pantheon of gods, as long as the Christian god is placed first, and in highest regards?

How do you interpret this commandment in any other way?

The bible, does not as far as I can find Condem Witchcraft or sorcery. It does tell the faithful to avoid those who use it, and to be wary of it. But as far as I am able to find does not specifically declare it a sin.

Could the case then be made that Saints, / holy people in the bible used "witchcraft" and sorcery to do the "miracles" they have atributed to them?

What is the back story on the demon known as Legion? I know that the demon possesed someone and was drivien out, but where did it come from. Where did Demons come from, as the bible is rather specific that Fallen Angels are not Demons, other than Lucifer somewhat becoming satan.

any chance you could site bible verse for that matt a?

Answer 1

A fascinating question. Christian God as primus inter pares? first among equals - or top of the pile. Not really - He is regarded as the one and only true God - meaning that all others are false Gods - that is demons.
Where did demons come from? Bible is not specific about this. Unclear exactly where they came from - assumed to be fallen angels.
Bible does condemn sorcery and witchcraft - but then I assume you have read 2 Chronicles 33:6 (He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger).
And have you read Galatians 5:20 and Revelation18:23?

Answer 2

Here are the Biblical verses that condemn witchcraft and other occult practices, as well as the worship of other gods/idols, and verses that affirm followers of YHVH must worship Him alone. Before you think you can worship any old deity that floats your boat, maybe you better read these:

Genesis 35:2-4, Exodus. 20:3-5&23, 22:20, 32:8-29 (golden calf, Egyptian idol Aipis, god of nature) 34:13-14 Lev. 18:21, 19:4, 20:27, 26:1 Numbers 25:2-5 Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 4:23-29&35 4:7-9, 6:4-5, 6:14-15, 7:4-5&25-26, 8:18-20, 9:12&16, 9:20-21, 12:2-5&12, 13:30-31, 16:22, 13:6-9, 13:12-15, 17:3-5, 18:9-10 & 14(observers of times, astrologers), 27:15, 29:16-18, 26-27, 30:17-18, 31:16-17, 31:20-21, 32:12, Joshua 23:7-8 & 11 24:14-17 24:20-24, Judges 2:2-3, 2:10-15 & 19-20 3:7-8, 5:7-8 6:25-28, 8:33-34, 10:6-16, 1 Samuel 5:2-12 (Dagon) 7:3-4, 12:24, 15:23, 2Samuel 7:23-24 (Israel serves YHWH and not the gods of Egypt) 1 Kings 9:6-7(Israel punished for worshiping other gods) 11:1-10&33, 14:9&15, 14:23-24 (Pagan groves condemned), 15:12-13, 16:25-26 (vanities [KJV] = idols in Heb.) 16:31-34, 18:15-40 (Elijah defeats Pagan priests), 19:18 (Ba’al worshipers undesirable) 22:52-53 2 Kings 1:3 (consulting Pagan gods condemned) 5:13 (only YHWH is God), 10:18-28, (Ba’al worshipers condemned), 11:18 15:4 (offering incense in Pagan sacred sites condemned), 16:2-4 (Pagan practices & child sacrifice condemned), 17:7-23 (Israel punished for worshiping Pagan gods), 17:29-41 (serving both YHWH and Pagan gods condemned). 18:3-5 (turning away from Pagan gods), 19:33-35 (Pagan gods did not help Israel), 21:1-16 (Ba’al & idol worship) 21:19-22, 22:15, 23:4-20, 1 Chronicles 5:24-26, 14:12, 16:25-26, 17:20, 2Chronicles 7:19-20 13:7-10, 14:2-3, 15:16, 20:33, 21:13, 23:16-17, 24:7& 18-20, 25:14-15&20, 28:1-5, 28:22-25, 31:1, 32:13-22, 33:3-9&15, 34:3-7 & 25, Nehemiah 9:17-18, 13:1-2, Job 31:26-28 (worship of sun, moon, and stars condemned), Psalms 24:4 (vanity = idols), 31:6, 40:4 (lies =idols or false gods in Hebrew), 96:4 (YHWH comes before idols), 106:28-29 & 35-40 (their own inventions = idols), 115: 2-9, Isaiah 1:29-30, (oaks, Heb. = terebinth, places of Pagan worship), 2:18 & 20, 10:10-11, 19:3-4, 26:13-14 (idols are dead), 31:7, 36:19 (YHWH more powerful than Pagan gods) 37:19, 41:21-24 (cause = idols in Hebrew), idols are nothing, 41:29 idols are nothing, 42:8 & 17, 43:11, 44:5-6 & 9-10 & 17-22 & 24-25 (YHWH thwarts occult practices), 46:1 & 6-7 & 9, 47:9, 48:5, Jeremiah 1:16, 2:5 (vanity = idols), 2:11 (nothing gained by worshiping idols), 2:23 (Baalim pollutes)2:27-28 (idols cannot save), 4:1 (abominations = in Heb., idols) 5:7 (Pagan gods aren’t gods), 5:19, 7:6 & 9, 7:18, 7:30-32 (Tophet = a place of Pagan child sacrifice), 8:1 (worship of stars forbidden), 9:19 (vanities = idols) 10:3-5 & 8-11, 11:12-13 & 17, 13:10, 16:11 & 18-20, 18:15, 19:4-6, 19:13-15 (Tophet = place of Pagan child sacrifice)22:8-9, 25:6-7, 27:9-10 (sorcerers Heb = kashawf,people who practice magic,diviners Heb = kawsam, tells fortunes by lots or a scroll, enchanters Heb. = hawnan, a practitioner of magic), 27:18-20 (queen of heaven = Semiramis, goddess worship forbidden) 29:8, 32:28-30 & 34-35, 43:12-13, 44:3-8, &15-27 (goddess worship condemned!!) 48:6-8 & 35 (HIGH PLACES = Pagan places of worship), 50:2, 51:17-18, Lamentations 1:10 (Pagans cannot worship with followers of YHWH! ), Ezekiel 5:11, 6:3-6 & 9 & 13-14, 7:20 & 24, 8:3 & 5 8:13-17 (Tammuz worship an abomination), 11:18 & 21, 14:3-8, 16:-20 & 36, 18:12 & 15, 20:7-9, 20:16 & 18, 20:23-26 & 31-32 & 39 21:29 22:3-4 & 9(eat upon mountains = Pagan festivals), 30:13, 33:25, 37:23, 44:12-13, Daniel 3:17-18 & 28 (Daniel and his companions did not have to worship Pagan gods), Hosea 2:13, 3:1-4 (Israel’s worship of false gods likened to an unfaithful spouse) 4:12-18, 8:4-5, 10:5-8 (calves of Beth-aven = idols), 11:1-2, 13:1-4, 14:3 & 8 Amos 5:26-27, 8:14, Jonah 2:8 Micah 1:7 Nahum 1:14, Habakkuk 1:11 (Chaldean’s god is Marduk) 2:18-19, Zephaniah 1:3-5(stumbling blocks=idols), 2:11, Malachi 2:11 (Israel not to intermarry with idolaters), Matthew 4:10, Acts 15:19-20, 17:16-25, 19:24-40 (worship of Diana condemned), 17:16 & 29-30, 21:25 (Christians not to worship idols), Galatians 1:8-10 (no other path), 5:20, Colossians 3:5, Romans 11:4 1Corinthians 10 14 & 19-22 (Christians cannot worship Pagan gods and YHWH!) 10:6-7, 12:2 2Corinthians 6:14-18, (Christians not to worship with Pagans), Galatians 4:8, 1Thessalonians 1:9 2Timothy 2:20-21(idols), 1Peter 4:3 1 John 5:21, Revelations 2 14 & 20 & 24 (again, you cannot combine Paganism and worship YHVH!!!) 9:20-21 (idols & sorcery wrong)

And also these verses from the Duterocannon:

1 Maccabees 2:15-25( High Priest Matthias kills Pagan priest and "universalist" Jew rather than worship a Zeus idol!)

Verses that condemn occult practices

Exod.. 22:18 (witch = kawshawf Heb. Lierally, he who whispers a spell, a sorcerer, witchcraft condemned ) Num 23:23 Duet. 4:19 (astrology) 13:1-3 (psychics) 18:10-13 & 20-22 (psychics) Joshua 13:22, 1 Samuel 15:23 (witchcraft and idolatry compared to other sins) 1 Samuel 28:3-14 1 Kings 13:33 (first ordination mill, not unlike the Universal Life Church) 2 Kings 9:22 (witchcraft wrong) 4:24 (wizards, idols, familiar spirits) 1 Chronicles 10:13 Isaiah 2:6-8 (fortune tellers, idol worship condemned), 8:19-22, 29:14, 47:11-15 (astrology), Jeremiah 10:9 (work of "cunning men" condemned) Jeremiah 14:14, 23:13, 29:26-27 (people like Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard would have been put in prison) , Ezekiel 12:24, 13:7 & 9, 13:18-24 (condemns talismans; pillows and kerchiefs = amulets), 21:21-23 (false divination) 22:28, 23:7, Micah 5:12-14 (witchcraft and soothsayers) Daniel 2:7-12 (astrologers, psychics failed) Nahum 3:3-4 (witchcraft = sorcery), Zechariah 10:2 13:2 Malachi 3:5 (sorcerers) Acts 16:16-18, 19:11-19 (not everyone who calls on Jesus’ name has authority) 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (Christians not to eat things offered to idols), 10:28, Galatians 5:20 Ephesians 5:5, James 2:19 (simply claiming to believe in a god is not enough) Rev. 21:8 (sorcerers) 22:15 Verses that condemn Demons and evil spirits

Wiccans and pantheists don’t believe Satan and the devils even exist. The Bible says otherwise. Gen.3:1, 14:15 (devil as a serpent,) 4:7 (sin as a personification) 6:1-2&4 (Watchers = fallen agels, demons, the "gods of Modern Wicca") 10:8-9 (Nimrod before [Heb = against] the Lord. Babylonians thought Nimrod was a god) Lev. 17:7 (devils, satyrs Heb.="hairy demons") Deuteronomy 32:17 (devil Heb. shade, evil spirit) Judges 19:22 (wicked men compared to as sons of Belial), 2:12, 1 Samuel 10:26, 12:10, 2Chronicles 11:15 (devils = Heb saweer, literally hairy demons) Psalms Psalm 91 names several demons by name. 91:3 (terror by night = Dever), 91:5 (Hez = arrow head), v. 6 (Reshepth = pestilence, Kitev = noonday devil), 106:37 (devils= Heb. shade, evil spirit) Isaiah 13:21, 14:12-15 (Lucifer, however you chose to interpret it, is clearly against God, and an evil thing) 28:15 & 18 (death=Movet, Canaanite god of the underworld) 34:14 (screech owl=Lilith satyr, Heb. = literally hairy demon), Habakkuk 3:4-5 (pestilence = Dever, name of a demon burning coals Resheb = name of a demon) Matthew 8:16 (demons powerless against Jesus), 6:28-34 , 9;32-33, 12:24-29 (black magic cannot work against devils) 17:17-21, 25:41 (devils condemned to Hell), Mark 1:13, 1:21-34, 3:11 (even the devils fear Christ), 315 (Christians empowered to cast out devils) 3:22-27, 5:2-20 (exorcism) 7:26-30(even Pagans sought Jesus for exorcism),9:14-29, Mark 16:9 (casts 7 devils out of Mary Magdelene), Luke 4:2-13 (Satan fails to tempt Christ), 4:33-36 & 41, 7:21, 8:2, 8:27-40, 9:38-42, 10:17-20 (demons are powerless against Christians), Luke 10:18 (Satan did eventually fall. He too is a demon now) 11:14-28, 13:32 (Jesus gives authority), 22:3 (Judas demonically possessed), 22:31-32 (Satan wants to destroy humankind), John 8:44 (devil is the father of lies), John 10:20, 12:31, 13:27 (Judas demonically possessed), 16:11 (Devil will be judged), Acts 5:3-11 (Satan causes people to sin), 7:40-43, 8:7 (devils cause sickness), 8:9-24 (power of Christ cannot be bought. Simon Magus condemned). 10:38 (devil represses people), 13:6-12 (Paul more powerful than sorcerers). Romans 16:20 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (Christians cannot keep company with idolaters) 6:9, 2Corinthians 2:11, 4:4, 11:14 (Satan can deceive), Ephesians 2:2, 4:27, 6:11-12, 2Thessalonians 2:8-9 1Timothy 4:1, 5:15 (carnal life is evil), 2Timothy 2:26, Hebrews 2:14 (devils are destroyers) James 3:15 (sins are "devilish" Gr. =daimonodes , "demon like") 1Peter 5:8 2Peter 2:4 1 John 2:13 (devil must be overcome) 2:18 & 22 (Antichrists are evil. Wicca based on Crowley’s writings) 3:8-10, 4:3-4 (Antichrists), 2John v.7, Jude v.6 & 9, Revelations 9:11, 12:3-4 & 7-17 (accuser=Satan) Chapter 13 (final Antichrist, whom AMORC Co-founder Crowley was obsessed with, even claiming he was "The Beast 666"!) 14:9-11 (Beast’s followers condemned!) 18:2, 19:2 (Beast’s followers condemned) 20:1-3, (demons condemned) 20:7-10 (deceiver)

If you do not have a Bible, you can read it all here:

http://www.online-literature.com/bible/bible.php

Answer 3

Witchcraft was punishable with death for the Jews, they burned them. that is why Catholics and others burned people at the stake. It was carried from an instruction from God to burn anyone found practicing witchcraft.

Demons are unclean spirits. I'm not sure where they come from. They arent fallen angels because they are locked away awaiting sentencing for their judgment.

I'll try, Im pretty sure its in Leviticus

I might of got confused with something else I read. The Bible does command that you should be cut off. As for the punishment, Im not sure if I cant find it, or it was something else. Leviticus 20:6 says you will be cut off from Jewish law, so it definately isnt condoned by the bible

Answer 4

The Biblical narrative of Jesus' casting out of the demon that calls itself/themselves "Legion" is in Mark 5:1-20, or Matthew 8:28-9:1, or Luke 8:26-39. For the Mediterranean world at the time of the first century CE, demonic possession was the dominant understanding of what we would today call both epilepsy and psychotic disorders in the DSM-IV Axis I spectrum, such as schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder with psychotic features. The casting out of the demons is properly understood as part of Jesus' healing ministry.

Answer 5

Exodus 22:18 "“You must not preserve a sorceress alive." I believe the KJV says "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
And as the others have mentioned, the ancient nation of Israel was punished time and time again for turning to false worship (Hosea 6:10). And false religion is to be destroyed, in part, because she is a "harlot" and fornicates with the nations of the world (Revelation 17:2-)
And 1 Corinthians 10:21 says: "YOU cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons; YOU cannot be partaking of “the table of Jehovah” and the table of demons."

As for Leigon... I cannot seem to find the account right now, but it wasn't the name of a single demon but many that came to possess a man. When Jesus cast the demons out, they went into a herd of near-by swine and drove them off a cliff and to their death.

As for the origin of the demons, that one is easy... they were perfect angels who decided to follow after Satan.
Genesis 6:2 says: "then the sons of the [true] God began to notice the daughters of men, that they were good-looking; and they went taking wives for themselves, namely, all whom they chose."

And Jude 6 says: "And the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place he has reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgment of the great day."

Hope this helps...

Answer 6

By that token, then churches shouldn't have an idol of Jesus in the front of them for people to pray to since they are suppose to be praying to God and not the son of God. But hey, I am just a Pagan, what would I know. p.s. my alter doesn't have any idols on it. Blessed Be )O(

Answer 7

God has created, is running, and will destroy the Universe. God is the Origin and Destination of the Universe. God was, is, will be everywhere, God was never Created and will never die / be destroyed. God is beyond Life and Death. All religions of world teach human way to get close to God. You give your Best, God will give thy Best. Ask God for help and forgive, God will help and forgive you. Pray; Worship and Thank God for everything. Remember wherever there is Happiness in Life, there will be Sorrow. To get Happiness, you must master Sorrow. For Success in Life; Believe in Self and God, Learn from Past, Concentrate in Present, Plan for Future. Have control on, be the master of, not the slave of your body, senses, and mind. Purpose of this Life is to Gain and Share utmost Knowledge and Experience to differentiate and choose Right, Good, God against Wrong, Bad, Devil. Set your Desire level perfect or OK to be brave, no low to be coward, no high to be cruel. You have rights of Survival, Self Defence, and Freedom.

Answer 8

You might want to recheck your Bible. I Samuel 15:24 states, "For rebellion is as the SIN of witchcraft, and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry...."