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[nib95]

You are correct, a belief in witchcraft is not bad, in and of itself. When that belief is used to punish people without evidence of wrongdoing and harm, then it becomes a second rate belief, at best.

I agree and disagree. I agree that when such a belief is used to enact such extreme punishments of reprehensible nature, the law itself needs to be debated and hopefully amended. I do not believe however that it makes the original belief itself second rate. Just because some Right Wing crazy judge abused the system to get at the belief, doesn't mean those in Saudi who hate witchcraft are suddenly all cruel.

I'd imagine the judge did this to send a wider message anyway. As in, haven't done one of these in a while, let's send out another message that witchcraft will not be tolerated. Doesn't make it any less reprehensible but I'm assuming that was the thinking behind it.

 

[Machine]

Clearly, most of the posters in this thread are incredulous that anyone would still believe in something as ridiculous as witchcraft in this day and age. I wonder how many of these same posters believe in equally ridiculous concepts like ghosts and UFOs

Spoiler

(and 9/11 conspiracies)

.

 

[Dead Man]

Clearly, most of the posters in this thread are incredulous that anyone would still believe in something as ridiculous as witchcraft in this day and age. I wonder how many of these same posters believe in equally ridiculous concepts like ghosts and UFOs

Spoiler

(and 9/11 conspiracies)

.

I'll take a punt, and say not many.

 

[Des0lar]

I'm pretty sure most people think I'm crazy etc but that because this shit doesn't really happen that much in the USA. Go to Africa and everyone will tell you stories about this. You may call them all crazy but I personally think theres something there, another force that people know how to tap into.

This may sound ignorant, but isn't common knowledge that the less education you recieve, the more you believe in supernatural stuff? So Afrika as an example for the existance of such things is pretty ... weak?

Clearly, most of the posters in this thread are incredulous that anyone would still believe in something as ridiculous as witchcraft in this day and age. I wonder how many of these same posters believe in equally ridiculous concepts like ghosts and UFOs

Spoiler

(and 9/11 conspiracies)

.

you'll probably find only a few people that believe in Ghosts on GAF. And believing in extraterrestial life forms and believing they have visited earth are two completly different things.

 

[Machine]

you'll probably find only a few people that believe in Ghosts on GAF. And believing in extraterrestial life forms and believing they have visited earth are two completly different things.

That's why I specifically said UFOs. I won't discount the possibility of evolution happening on more than one planet considering the enormity of the universe but any alien intelligence that developed faster-than-light travel would have better things to do than have secret meetings with governments, kill cows, and conduct anal probes (unless they were some kind of super-evolved practical jokers).

 

[nib95]

Clearly, most of the posters in this thread are incredulous that anyone would still believe in something as ridiculous as witchcraft in this day and age. I wonder how many of these same posters believe in equally ridiculous concepts like ghosts and UFOs

Spoiler

(and 9/11 conspiracies)

.

Or the big one...you know...religion? Lol. I'm sure there are countless religious folk on GAF. Myself included.

 

[Yagharek]

I'm tired of living in the 6th century. Oh wait.....

To be honest, I think Saudi Arabia is travelling backwards in time so far as their laws go. I figure theyre at about 1000BCE by now.

 

[Plywood]

I'm muslim myself, and I'm pretty damn sure there are things such as black magic and "jinns" (what westerners call ghots/spirits and where the word genie comes from). There's even a story in the Qur'an about how someone was trying to put black magic on the prophet (pbuh). I've even seen black magic first hand. And no its not like frickin oblivion where they shoot spells etc, its more to do with sending curses upon other people, getting control of jinns and sending them to people to cause harm in their life.
Here's a Vice documntary on black magic in South Africa:
http://www.vice.com/vbs-special/tokoloshe
They call this creature the tokoloshe (whereas muslims would call it a jinn). Whats surpising is the description people give of this creature is really similiar to what many people from around the world say they've seen.
I'm pretty sure most people think I'm crazy etc but that because this shit doesn't really happen that much in the USA. Go to Africa and everyone will tell you stories about this. You may call them all crazy but I personally think theres something there, another force that people know how to tap into.

Right in your video:
"A Tokoloshe is very ugly"
"It's hard to look at because it's cross between an animal and a human being."
"It's impossible to see it, and if you do, you might go blind"

So much knowledge and insight on this!!!

 

[Raist]

This may sound ignorant, but isn't common knowledge that the less education you recieve, the more you believe in supernatural stuff? So Afrika as an example for the existance of such things is pretty ... weak?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rveyNyborg-CountryBelieveGod-Intelligence.svg

 

[Orayn]

Am I too late to join the dogpile on OG Kush's posts for believing in jinns/genies/black magic?

 

[Plywood]

Am I too late to join the dogpile on OG Kush's posts for believing in jinns/genies/black magic?

The video he posted gets worse, their widest distributed newspaper publishes stories on the tokoloshe twice a week. The stories can range from grocery stealing to sex craving tokoloshe that give the feeling of being impregnated to men.

 

[Aristion]

I sometimes wish Nietzsche could be resurrected and be proclaimed as ruler of the world. We'd get so far (and for no reason whatsoever).

Did you read what Nietszche said about morality?

 

[Salazar]

If we get to resurrect philosophers, Nietzsche is down the list a little.

 

[SmokyDave]

If we get to resurrect philosophers, Nietzsche is down the list a little.

Unless it is I that holds the key to resurrection. He'll be number 2 then, after I bring Schopenhauer back to play Saints Row 3 co-op with me first.

 

[Neuromancer]

But she'd use her sorcery to escape since that's legal here.

Haha

 

[aronnov reborn]

Fuck yeah religion.

like Scientology? is this one religion or just any religion?

 

[ProfessorMoran]

Clearly, most of the posters in this thread are incredulous that anyone would still believe in something as ridiculous as witchcraft in this day and age. I wonder how many of these same posters believe in equally ridiculous concepts like ghosts and UFOs

Spoiler

(and 9/11 conspiracies)

.

People don't get BEHEADED in america for believing in UFOs or 911 conspiracies, however ridiculous.

 

[sagi446]

I can't believe none of the muslims here even tried explaining what "Magic" means in Islam.

A Wizard/Witch is a person who deals with demons/jinn. Now jinn can't act like fireballs or ice or w/e. It's more of a manipulative role on the human psychology, as the admin shown, Quran says that Magic is not strong at all. However, the problem is that Islam forbids inter-dealings. Neither the Jinn should approach the humans and vice versa. Personally I've never seen or dealt anyone who has dealt with magic.

 

[AgentP]

"God is dead."

Crucible quote, but still this is really stupid. I think people should have evolved past the point where witchcraft/superstition/religion is considered a real thing.

Fixed.

 

[jaxword]

Personally I've never seen or dealt anyone who has dealt with magic.

Let's just think about what conclusions can be drawn from that.

 

[zoukka]

What does this particular case have to do with 'people wanting to remain in power'?

Amnesty says that Saudi Arabia does not actually define sorcery as a capital offence. However, some of its conservative clerics have urged the strongest possible punishments against fortune-tellers and faith healers as a threat to Islam.

.

 

[xbhaskarx]

.

^ It says that clerics see it as a threat to Islam, not that the Saud family sees it as a threat to their despotic rule.
Edit: but I guess those clerics have power through religion so never mind...

 

[speculawyer]

Amnesty says that Saudi Arabia does not actually define sorcery as a capital offence. However, some of its conservative clerics have urged the strongest possible punishments against fortune-tellers and faith healers as a threat to Islam.

Yep . . . they don't want any poachers getting in on their action. They want a monopoly on the racket.

^ It says that clerics see it as a threat to Islam, not that the Saud family sees it as a threat to their despotic rule.
Edit: but I guess those clerics have power through religion so never mind...

The Saud family fears religious groups organizing against them so they are very reluctant to offend the hardcore religious. If it weren't for the religiosity of the Saudi people, I'd think the Saudi rulers would (slowly) push for more progressive policies. It is a weird dynamic, but it is common in the Muslim world. Look at Egypt . . . the sum of the Muslim Brotherhood votes and the Salafi (very very religious) votes got a large majority in the recent election.

It is also crazy. Theocracies become dictatorships or religious juntas.

 

[bangai-o]

Dude a guy can't be a witch. Wizard.

wizards are upper level witches.

 

[Orayn]

wizards are upper level witches.

You got it all wrong, man. They're both just magic users, but wizard and witch are two different kits for the class. My AD&D books say so.

 

[Uncle]

Dude a guy can't be a witch. Wizard.

Equal rites!

 

[SmokyDave]

Equal rites!

Phwoar, that one's a corker. Well played.

 

[Salazar]

Aren't unregistered magic-users aspersed as "warlocks" ?

 

[Chuckie]

Aren't unregistered magic-users aspersed as "warlocks" ?

Yeah warlock as male version of witch is better.

Appearantly it used to mean Oathbreaker. I did not know that.

 

[sagi446]

Let's just think about what conclusions can be drawn from that.

Oh, tell me.

 

[jaxword]

Oh, tell me.

No, you tell us. You say you've never seen magic. What does that mean to you?

 

[sagi446]

No, you tell us. You say you've never seen magic. What does that mean to you?

Dodgy.

 

[jaxword]

Dodgy.

You made the claim, don't dodge when called out.

 

[Amakusa]

Dude a guy can't be a witch. Warlock.

fix'd

 

[sagi446]

You made the claim, don't dodge when called out.

It means I have faith.

 

[jaxword]

It means I have faith.

Faith in what?