Are candle spells/magic anti-catholic?

Question

Alot of you are saying its anti-catholic.. but catholics believe in saints, and I know that my grandmother lights alot of candles for different saints for different reasons. Also, the catholic church lights candles as well, for their own reason.

I'm not talking about witchcraft here. I'm just thinking if lighting a candle for a specific purpose and praying (spell/magic) or whatever you want to call it is considered anti-catholic.

I believe myself to be catholic because I was brought up that way and went to church for many years.. but for personal reasons, have stopped going to church and I want to become more religious again. And that is why I am asking so many different questions..

Just to clarify some things... :)

Answer 1

Catholic Church teaches:

All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion.

These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons.

Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 2117: http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt1.htm#2117

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The Catholic Church uses candle magic all the time. Whenever you enter one of their churches, you will find at least one candle burning, and it sure ain't for the light. Someone has lit that candle with a little magical ritual they call "prayer". It goes on all the time.

So candle magic in itself isn't anti-Catholic, it's just that the Church doesn't like anyone else doing it - it takes away some of their power over the people.

Answer 3

The act of lighting a candle, in and of itself, is objectively neutral.

It's the specific purpose that determines whether or not a given candle-lighting is Catholic or non-Catholic.

For example, lighting a candle in honor of a saint is not wrong. However, anything having to do with divination, such as magic spells and such. . . the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2138 Superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic.

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

Answer 4

Here are the Biblical verses that condemn magic, along with other similar occult practices...

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 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) 22:15Verses that condemn Demons and evil spirits

Wiccans don’t believe Satan and the devils even exist. The Bible says otherwise. Gen.3:1, 14:15 (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 Crowley was obsessed with, even claiming he was!) 14:9-11 (Beast’s followers condemned!) 18:2, 19:2 (Beast’s followers condemned) 20:1-3, (demons condemned) 20:7-10 (deceiver)

Answer 5

DEPENDS ON WHO YOU TALK TO. YOU COULD SAY THAT LIGHTING A CANDLE DEDICATED TO A SAINT AND THEN PRAYING TO THAT SAINT IS A FORM OF MAGIC. MAGIC IS SIMPLY THE WILL APPLIED TO THOUGHT TO BRING ABOUT AN EXPECTED RESULT. KIND OF LIKE PRAYING.I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT ANY FORM OF PRAYER, NO MATTER WHO YOU PRAY TO IS A FORM OF MAGIC.

Answer 6

I can't see why they would be, due to the fact they light candles "for" people or ideas in order to being hope and safety amongst other things. They have very "magical or mystical ideas and rituals, they just don't recognize it as magic.

Answer 7

Caths buy the bulk of candles made, they light for everything.
When my dad was a cath he burned the 'virgin' candle all the time.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

Magic is anti Catholic so yeah

Answer 10

I think you got it backwards.

Catholics are anti candle spells/magic. :)