Cedriann Martin, Regional Communications Officer, UNAIDS
This Thursday (17 May, 2012) is the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. This year’s commemoration comes at exciting time for the world and our region in terms of advocacy and political leadership to address the human rights of sexual minorities.
We hope that on Thursday you will share with your audiences the attached message from UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support Team Director, Dr. Ernest Massiah. It speaks directly to Caribbean people about our context and strides on this issue. Also attached is a message from UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé which may be used to enhance your IDAHO coverage.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Barbados Underground 
@CH
Quote : is this such a time?
Answer: the time has past and those who you were trying to aggravate did the right thing in esssence took silence and turned it into gold , the other side of the coin is that you could have met a george zimmerman. next time you take out your camera you might come face to face with george zimmerman and that would not be a pretti picture
@ac
The opposite of natural hair is mock hair.
@islandgal246: “It is easy for a white person to say…
I don’t necessarily disagree.
@islandgal246: “This is very damaging to the black psyche it is telling them that they are not good enough.
There is an old saying: “Sticks and stones may break my bones; but words will never hurt me.
Why do words appear to hurt you?
@ac: “Answer: the time has past…
Just wondering… Did Jesus ever choose the silent path?
Black people are their own enemies, especially in this part of the world. Black african woman are proud of their skin and are some of the most beatiful women I’ve seen, they don’t consider themselves inferior to whites. Now I see black woman bleeching their skin to look white or as near as possible, white white are darkening their skin to look black or as close as possible. Check the white tourists who stay on the beach all day to get a tan, some even go to Harris Smith beach and strip to get a complete tan while blacks go to saloons to bleech
@ david.
Quote” the opposite of natural hair is mock hair
can you substantiate the comment and the writer and its author. i mean the word natural when combine with mock =mockstick then in essence are you calling the female a mockstick. David words can heal the soul and with a female pleas don’t try to further degrade us by calloing us mock sticks because we choose to adore our heads with expensive hair some of which are synthetic and also natural.
I remember an English woman telling me on her first visit to Barbados with her parents. The ship docked in Carlisle bay (this was before the deep water harbour was built) and she was on deck watching the men in small boats rowing towards the ship to collect the passengers. She was watching intently and excitedly pointed them out to her mother. She was told sternly not to look at them nor talk to them. She married a white bajan and still lives on the island.
A friend told me that his English grandmother came to Barbados to marry a black bajan she had met in England. Before she got married she was told by an Anglican priest that he can’t marry her in that church if she wanted to marry this black man. The priest even wrote to her parents asking them to stop the marriage. The woman got married in the Methodist church.
Check the white tourists who stay on the beach all day to get a tan, some even go to Harris Smith beach and strip to get a complete tan while blacks go to saloons to bleech
Peeping Tom Peeping Tom Peeping Scout
@islandgal246: “Before she got married she was told by an Anglican priest that he can’t marry her in that church if she wanted to marry this black man. The priest even wrote to her parents asking them to stop the marriage. The woman got married in the Methodist church.
Ah… So finally we get down to the nut of it…
Religion.
there seems to be a phobia in Barbados for just about everything under the sun . now hair! woman wearing hair is a big problem for men. We woman don’t complain when we see the men all blown up like bull frogs and having over sized biceps and triceps posing on the cover of magazines even though it does not look at all natural we support them and think that if it makes them happy that is a good thing. so you men get real and let the woman do their thing and enjoy the ride.
@ac
It is not a problem for the BU household because our women all believe in natural.
We are however discussing why Black women seem to love mock hair, mock nails, mock botsy mock every thing.
Where is there pride in their identity?
I’ve dealt with and given much info on Ancient African religions/belief systems before on BU, which like all other ancient civilizations, have a DIRECT bearing, effect on their prosperity, stability, and a host of other social, economic, and other factors, I.e., development and so on, which CANNOT be seperated from Almighty God’s either blessing, or cursing, regardless of ‘Colour’ ethnicity, which IS* a confirmed fact of historic veracity, over the course of human history; not a popular subject, but of necessity, it simply cannot be ignored.
RELIGION IN AFRICA AND THE DIASPORA
AFRICAN BELIEF SYSTEMS
Kofi Asare Opoku + Tasha Davis 2005-2011
“Religion is a bottle with a label on it, sprituality is the thing inside. Religion is simply the culture of spiritual belief”
Alik Shahadah
“See also Traditional Healing | Islam and Africa | Vodon | African Christian.”
” Most spirtual practised by Africans whether native or mainstream are organized into religions. The rituals of Voodoo, Orisha, Serer, etc are all highly organized and without exception function in communal setting. The key difference is most native or traditional faiths are ethno-specific and generally lack a written tradition. Beyond this even Indigenous beliefs systems share elements in common with each other, as well as with the Abrahamic faiths.”
Odinani
Vodon
Candomble
Santeria
Serer
Syncretism
Spirtiuality
Syncretism
War & Religion (E)
[comments]
” While generalizations are difficult due to the diversity of African based religions they do share some common features: a belief in a supreme deity above a host of lesser gods or semi-divine figures; a belief in the power and intercession of ancestral spirits; the idea of sacrifice or libation, to ensure divine protection and generosity; the need to undergo rites of passage to move from the different stages of life (childhood to adulthood, from life to death). Many African religions have a creation stories which speak of the framework for the self-identity of these communities in a universal context. The role of humanity is generally seen as a harmonizing relationship between nature and the super-natural forces.”
“In parts of Africa harsh distinctions are blurred as aspects of Islam and Christianity coexist and syncretize with elements of indigenous spirituality. Some of these elements are cultural traditions misidentified as religion. There has also been an over emphasis on syncretizing which seems to paint Africa’s own orthodoxies as not pure; discounting that Africa can produce them. But when it comes to Europe syncretizing is just called Catholic Church. Indigenous African faiths (ATR) also are the core ideology behind the Abrahamic faiths. I.e. Abrahamic faiths are the product of mixing with local “Middle Eastern” traditions with African traditions. (Black God, 1994) After the Jews left Egypt (according to the Bible) they took with them the African systems to the Levant. Even in Islam the African “saint” Bilal referred to Islam as the “old religion” he knew in Africa.”
“Africans are a deeply spiritual people, that is perhaps the most unifying trait, so even when we have an academic debate we factor-in, and do not alienate the spiritual component. There is therefore no dichotomy in how the two worlds coexist: There is no natural competing objectives between science and spirituality. Beyond the titles people put on their faiths we must first understand religions are always a set of traditions (like wisdom) from old used as templates to instruct humanities moral direction. Its ultimate purpose is to keep people on track by preserving culture, ethos and ethics.”
“Islam is also a traditional African religion, while not indigenous, because of its long coexistence with the last 1400 years of African history. And so would Christianity and Judaism in Ethiopia. Islam in Africa is diverse and made up of two processes; the Islamization of African people, and African people’s Africanization of Islam. Both forces create a diverse reading of Islam with its own plethora of “orthodoxies.” (Alik Shahadah)
” The Africans who were forcefully uprooted from their homes in Africa and transplanted in the Americas came from well-established societies with vital cultures,”
“And wherever they settled their cultures grew roots and blossomed luxuriantly to the extent of profoundly influencing the formation of new cultures in the Americas.”
“As bearers of culture, the Africans brought with them a distinctly African world-view, that enabled them to endure the indescribable hardships of the transatlantic journey and the unspeakably brutal and unimaginably painful life as slaves on plantations and homes. Their physical condition, as people who were essentially the property of others, people in chains, whose very fate depended on the arbitrary whim and fickle fancy of others, was the very opposite of their spiritual condition, which was strong, resolute and robust. The strength of their spirit, in the end, did not only enable them to survive, but also, on the basis of what they brought with them, contributed, singularly and permanently, to the new cultures that were to emerge in the Americas”.(Kofi Asare Opoku)
“Today, native faiths are in direct competition with both Islam and Christianity for adherence. It is a tug of war which is seeing a decline in native beliefs. But elements do survive in pockets in Africa; as the popular saying goes “Jesus in the morning, Vodon in the night.” Like Christianity, one problem compounding many native faiths is corruption, exploitation and commercialization. In Cuba Santeria, and so-called Muti in South Africa, have become a quick way to earn a buck. Tourism has further trivialized many aspects of these rituals.”
htpp://africabelief.com
@Zoe: “I’ve dealt with and given much info on Ancient African religions/belief systems before on BU…
But as a teacher you must understand that you might sometimes have to repeat yourself.
Or, perhaps even better, answer direct questions.
islandgal246 had a very pertinent question earlier in this thread: “Would Christianity have been so popular if Jesus was a Negro?
What says you to that?
Halsall asked, “Just wondering…Did Jesus ever choose the silent path?”
“Pilate saith to him, ‘What is truth?’ and this having said, again he went forth unto the Jews, and saith to them, ‘I do find no fault in him;” (John 18:38)
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
“What is truth? – This question was probably asked in CONTEMPT, and hence Jesus DID NOT ANSWER IT. Had the question been sincere, and had Pilate really sought it as Nicodemus had done John 3, Jesus would not have hesitated to explain to him the nature of his kingdom.”
In another situation, “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how we can KNOW* the way. Jesus said to him. “I AM THE WAY, (not one of many ways) the TRUTH (not one of many truths) and the LIFE* (The only way to eternal Life, not one of many) NO one comes to the Father, EXCEPT through ME.” (John 14: 5,6) Emphasis added.
So, contemptuous, insidious questions, will be met with by silence!
@Zoe: “So, contemptuous, insidious questions, will be met with by silence!
You don’t claim to be Jesus. Do you?
To the best of my knowledge, those who were disciples were more than happy to speak.
You clearly are very happy to speak.
You just don’t like answering honest questions….
@ David !
Why do black woman prefer artificial to natural! firstly it rans it in all races no one race is exempt the black race is more highlighted because of our ethnicity and also we are defined by certain traits our characteristic which we cannot hide so we seem to stand out more in a crowd don;t be fooled all these artificial trinkets were made popular by the whites who have worn them like a badge of honour the black only join of recent because of the image they were sold and also to compete on the white stage for a little acceptance by the white establishment who have always defined what is beautiful .
@David
As we used to say back in the day, “you is a boy I like but yuh doing shite”. Don’t you know it is hazardous to your health if you comment negatively on Black women’s hair? Take it from someone who has been around a little longer than you, this is very dangerous territory and you are getting AC riled up and if you continue the sisterhood will hunt you down and well this is a family forum so I wont describe what they will do to you.
In the meanwhile watch a short trailer from Chris Rock’s documentary “Good Hair”.
Layaway Plan 🙂
“Would Christianity have been so popular if Jesus had been a negro?”
To a Christian Jesus’ skin colour would not have mattered.
Nor for one in love – HER skin colour, the colour or texture of her hair, her nails, the shape of her ass –
It might irritate if, in answer to her name being called, she said “Yes, please”. (see CH above).
One thing: I first met the use of Venus de Milo cream in Africa.
Oh..on “Yes please” – I first met that in Africa too – and stupsing. And on the business (see CH again) of not giving names – again it’s an inherited thing – if you give someone your name you give them power over you which can be used to exact retribution.
@robert ross: “…if you give someone your name you give them power over you which can be used to exact retribution.
On the other hand…
If you give someone your name, and they don’t reciprocate, then the situation can be reversed when things get serious.
@ CH
Though Zoe in the earlier part of his contributions here has, I think, been maligned on the subject of race, please do not describe him as a “teacher”. Nor should he be regarded as any kind of authority on religion. He is a self-confessed quoter of other people’s words – often at excessive length – and I do not think for a moment that he would claim any more elevated status. To each their own.
@robert ross: “Though Zoe in the earlier part of his contributions here has, I think, been maligned on the subject of race, please do not describe him as a “teacher”.
My humour is sometimes misunderstood.
Zoe talks a lot…
I would really like it if he said something serious and meaningful, rather than simply talking a lot….
@ CH
I suspect – no, I know – that if someone asked me my name in the situation you outlined, I would either give it or, if you’d irritated me enough, say “What’s that got to do with you? F**k O**”. BUT I do accept there’s magic in a name. I suppose the bottom line is that I reckon (perversely) my magic is stronger than yours.
@ CH
Actually, when Zoe is NOT talking religion I think he sometimes writes perceptively and persuasively. But on religion the wisest course, as I’ve learned (tutored by Miller), is simply to pass by on the other side.
@robert ross: “I suppose the bottom line is that I reckon (perversely) my magic is stronger than yours.
Shall we test this?
Met me at the Garrison at Noon.
(Sorry. Inside joke. If you’re available I’ll buy you a coffee, give you a book, and engage you with interesting conversation.)
“Would Christianity have been so popular if Jesus had been a negro?”
Robert Ross said that ……”To a Christian Jesus’ skin colour would not have mattered.”
Robert that answer is from someone who is afraid to think outside the circle. Why do I say that? Had Jesus been a black man this religion called Christianity would never have been the white man’s religion and therefore it would never have been forced onto the slaves.
To the Jews the Massiah has never been seen and they are still awaiting his arrival. The Christians have chosen a Jew and made him into their God.
@islandgal246… Robert’s answer was exactly correct.
Your response simply points the complexities which have been introduced….
who is to say that the injuries were not inflicted after the fact? Did the police report recognize any injuires?
@Onions
how do u classied a man or woman who have sex with the same and opposite sex, and what r ur views on it.
@ sarge
like Solomon your are a man of wisdom and thou does know how to entertain and be gracious to the female. Thou does get my repesct.
@Sarge
Keeping it real.
No mock hair, no mock finger and toenails, no mock botsy, no mock hair 🙂
Like it natural.
Yeah david imitation maybe the finest form of flattery because the caucasian race over the years have also imitated the features of black how can one forget the generation of silicone breast implants some of them having sizes like breadfruits and having their arsses jack up with injections and their lips overblown to where they can’t close them to look like blacks and which is highly accepatablein the caucasian race .we are johnny come lately aiming to please , Just leave us Black woman alone with our fancy trinkets imitation hair and fake nails maybe it is because some of the men too cheap to want to bother/talk about fake how about men who wear toupee to cover their bald spot not a whisper about that coming from men but we woman laugh at them.
To Ac:
What do you say to a vegetarian who spends all day preparing a meal covered with mock meat.
David most men appreciate when a woman spends time making herself looking beautiful ony mockmen doesn.t i hope you have not put yourself in that catergory although it is getting very hard for me to believe not
@ac
Men like different things in their women this David likes natural ok?
@BU.David: “Men like different things in their women this David likes natural ok?
Seconded.
Much easier. Much cheaper. Much faster…
I personally can’t stand it when a woman has to spend more than ten minutes in front of a mirror before she considers herself to be “presentable”….
@ Islandgal
Actually, I was saying in a veiled way that there have been very few authentic followers of Jesus then and now. But it’s nice to be called Robert!
@ CH
LOL…..but I’d meet with you…don’t tell anyone.
@ david /
Right! Rolling my eyes !See ! Look closer ! i hope your significant other is beautiful but again beauty is in the eyes of the beholder as with :Beauty and the Beast!
http://www.realzionistnews.com/?p=721
Obama’s“coming out” in support of gay marriage just in time for George Clooney’s Hollywood fundraiser.
No sooner did he make his announcement favoring same-sex marriage on May 9, 2012, than Obama found himself handed $15 million in campaign contributions at Clooney’s Jew-filled extravaganza held at his Laurel Canyon mansion the very next day.
Before an ecstatic group of homosexuals and lesbians, Obama proclaimed: “Yesterday we made some news. We’re not going to turn back the clock. You will no longer be discriminated against based on who you love. [Screams & Howls!] We are moving forward!”
Jewish notables in attendance united in their agenda to destroy America’s Christian consciousness included Newsweek’s Barry Diller (now “officially” bi-sexual after marrying Dianna Von Furstenberg); Jeffrey Katzenberg of Dream Works, who organized the fund raiser; singer Barbara Streisand; and “gay” sitcom actor, Billy Crystal.
Here is a challenging and responsible excerpt from kairocfocusblogspot.com re Ms.g irresponsible, and ignorant post May 16, 2012 at 2;02am.
Friday, May 25, 2012Rom 1 reply, 7: “A revealing comment at a popular bajan blog, that ties hostility to the Scriptures to the idea that “people do not have any right to tell others who they can marry or be in a relationship with . . . ”
“A few days ago, at the popular Barbadian blog, Barbados Underground, a Ms G posted the following remarks; which reveal an increasingly common attitude that we now need to address, whether on the streets, on verandahs, on campus, by the workplace water cooler, or on the Internet:. . .
“…the bottom line is people do not have any right to tell others who they can marry or be in a relationship with and then to back up their bigotry and hatred use the Bible as a way to enforce their feelings.”
“The Bible was written by man how many dongs ago. I have never in all my life heard that God himself wrote the Bible therefore we are controlled by whomever wrote the Bible. It is funny how the Bible states that you should not take counsel from mediums etc however the Bible is full of prophets…..I personally feel many parts of the Bible are misconstrued”
“The first, most tellingly revealing problem, here, is that biblical morality is casually equated with bigotry, hatred and busybody-ness.”
“Evidently, Mrs G does not understand just how serious it is to so casually accuse a great many people of bigotry and hate. And, it should be plain to a more fair minded onlooker, that there is a lot of turn-about projection at work here, that serves to justify the hostility to the Christian faith and its adherents that is here revealed.”
“In short, we can see the polarising civilisational divide at work, just as was intended by those who have been promoting the homosexualisation of marriage.”
“This sort of toxic talking point usually points to an underlying contempt for the Christian faith — typically, with roots in scientism: roughly, the notion that “science” delimits “real” knowledge so that which cuts across evolutionary materialist beliefs or agendas connected to such is necessarily irrational. Such closed-minded contempt as a rule does not trouble to seriously inquire whether there may be warrant for the moral views in question, or regarding how rights may be grounded, or for the Gospel and the Christian faith. To such minds, it is enough that the views are “religion,” and on this they can be dismissed without further consideration.”
“We will turn to the issues on the Christian faith later, but first let us focus on the homosexualised marriage talking point.”
“Alan Keyes, in responding to former US First Lady Barbara Bush, remarks:”
“. . . isn’t love the foundation of marriage? Why should some loving couples enjoy legal recognition and privileges that are denied to others?”
“But the plausible conviction that loving homosexual couples “ought to have…the same sort of rights that everyone has” immediately runs afoul of the simple fact that homosexuals are not the only loving couples without the legal right to marry. Parents and their children don’t have it. Siblings don’t have it. Children not yet of legal age don’t have it; and so on. In principle, all such people are capable of forming loving, committed relationships. By the logic Mrs. Bush relies on, “they ought to have… the same sort of rights that everyone has.”
“In short, once we see obvious exceptions to a suggested “rule” like that, something is fundamentally wrong with the rule. What is it? Keyes continues:”
“Why are parents and their children forbidden to marry one another? Cut to the chase and the answer is simple. The right to marry includes legal recognition (legitimization) of the married couple’s right to have sexual relations with one another. But it is wrong for parents to have sexual relations with their children. It’s wrong for siblings to have sexual relations with each other. It’s wrong for adults to have sexual relations with underage children. Obviously, unless Mrs. Bush means to argue that these restrictions are unjustified, a committed loving relationship is not enough to establish that people “ought to have” the right to marry.”
“He then digs in further, addressing the pivotal term, “ought”:
Mrs. Bush’s use of the word “ought” deserves further attention. The difference between what people do and what people ought to do is a matter of moral judgment. The word “ought” implies the application of a moral standard, a rule or principle that distinguishes right from wrong. People ought to do what is right. They ought not to do what is wrong. When people do what is right, they have the right to act (i.e., have right on their side as they act.) But can the same be said of those who do what is wrong?”
“He then points to a key breakdown triggered by the modern confusion of liberty and license — the abuse of freedom:”
“In everyday parlance these days, we use the term “right” as though it is synonymous with the freedom to act as we choose. But if the choice is wrong, it makes no sense to assert that the chooser has the right to act on it (i.e., has right on his side as he does so.) What someone can do (has the physical capacity or opportunity to do) differs from what they ought to do. This is in fact the rationale for all criminal laws. It’s what allows us to recognize that simply having the opportunity and power to take someone’s life or goods does not grant the right to do so, does not make it right.”
“In short, until the moral legitimacy of homosexual conduct is solidly grounded (and until the harmlessness of such a legislative — or, these days, often, a judicial — act is sufficiently shown), we have a perfect right to question the notion that our civilisation’s states should take the step of legitimising homosexual relationships as marriages under the law. Which of course is a very big question indeed, and one on which all serious voices have a right to be heard. Including, those who look to the truly great religious teachers of mankind, as proved moral instructors.”
“So, why is it that Mrs G and others of like ilk are so busily and broadly imputing that those who, on moral grounds, object to homosexual behaviour and legitimisation of such relationships, are bigoted and hateful?”
“Precisely, because, they cannot ground the legitimacy of such behaviour — much of which is warning label dangerous, and all of which is objectively disordered and counter to the naturally evident creation-order complementarity of man and woman, and the requisites of sound child bearing and nurture (as well as being notoriously counter to the teachings of ALL major religions) — on sound reasoning. So, we are seeing a cheap tactic of appealing to the all too common prejudice against Bible-believing Christians, to promote an agenda that is itself questionable. That is irresponsible and itself a manifestation of a further immoral act: spite.”
“Perhaps, with faint hints of what the Russians call: nekulturny. (Please, please, please, think again before deriding and branding those who are following the principles and concerns raised by some of the greatest teachers of our race, ever.)”
“Now, why do I point out that these cannot ground the legitimacy of such behaviour?”
“Because of the problem of grounding OUGHT in IS.”
http://kairosfocusblogspot.com
Ms G, Says, “…I am a SPIRITUALIST so what I DEAL WITH is a deeper level that just reading a man written book although I love my Psalms and the Lords Prayer.” Emphasis added
Ms G, You are terribly deceived, and are DEALING with the Devil, the father of ALL LIES and deception. BTW, occultist like yourself, love to use and claim a love for God’s Word, in the Psalms and the Lords Prayer, so typical.
The following is a brief compilation of Almighty God’s rejection and condemnation of such Occultic practices, you have been DUPED into just one variation of Satan’s LIES!
Bible Teaching about These Supernatural Powers
Witchcraft, sorcery, etc., are condemned without qualification in both the Old and New Testaments.
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 — Every aspect of the occult is here itemized and forbidden as an “abomination.” Specifically forbidden are: one who practices “witchcraft” (NKJV; “divination” — ASV; KJV) or a “sorcerer” (NKJV and ASV; “witch” — KJV), or a “spiritist” “SPIRITUALIST”(NKJV; “wizard” — ASV, KJV).
Leviticus 19:31 — Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits (“wizards” — ASV, KJV); do not seek after them, to be defiled by them (NKJV).
Leviticus 20:6 — And the person who turns after mediums and familiar spirits (“wizards” — ASV, KJV), to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. (NKJV)
Leviticus 20:27 — A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has a familiar spirit (“wizard” — ASV, KJV), shall surely be put to death (NKJV).
Revelation 21:8 — But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Revelation 22:15 — But outside [heaven] are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Acts 13:8-10 — Elymas the sorcerer tried to keep Sergius Paulus from accepting the gospel. Paul rebuked him saying: “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
Note that the Bible does not distinguish whether the witchcraft is intended to achieve a beneficial goal or a harmful one. It is all inherently wrong because it is an appeal to a forbidden source of power.
[2 Chron. 33:6; 2 Kings 9:22; Ex. 22:18; 1 Sam. 15:23; Mic. 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Jer. 27:9; Mal. 3:5; Isa. 2:6; 2 Kings. 21:6; 23:24; Isa. 19:3]
Specific powers of witchcraft and sorcery are named and condemned.
Exodus 7:11,22; 8:7 — Using their “enchantments,” Pharaoh’s magicians tried to duplicate the miracles done by Moses and Aaron. “Enchantments” refer to the ceremonies or rituals sorcerers and magicians use to accomplish their ends: incantations, spells, magic words (“hocus-pocus”), wearing of charms (amulets), etc.
As the witchcraft website says: “Spells are used by Wiccans, and are a series of rituals and prayers that are conducted in witchcraft to ask for divine help in a certain aspect of life.” But God forbids them all.
Deuteronomy 18:10 also mentions these “enchantments” as part of that which is forbidden (“enchanters” — ASV, KJV).
Isaiah 8:19,20 – When they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? … To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
“Whisper and mutter” refers to the incantations and spells of magicians. These words are supposed to give the user power to induce the spirit beings to accomplish the desired result. If you know the words, you can lead the spirit to do your bidding.
Note that God’s objection is that such practices are a failure to seek after the true God.
Galatians 5:20,21 — Those who will not inherit the kingdom of God include those who practice “sorcery” (“witchcraft” — KJV). This includes the occult in general, but refers especially to the use of drugs and potions brewed by witches in their cauldrons, etc. (Movies and books often refer to the witches’ books of spells and recipes for potions, etc. “Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble…”)
God condemns, not only the whole practice of the occult, but also the specific methods, rituals, and mumbo-jumbo words used.
[Lev. 19:26; 2 Kings 17:17; Isa. 47:9,12; Jer. 27:9; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chron. 33:6; Isa. 3:20; Rev. 9:21]
Witches and sorcerers cannot duplicate the powers and miracles God did through inspired men.
The Bible often warns us to avoid being deceived by lying wonders [2 Thess. 2:9; Matt. 24:24; Deut. 13:1-5]. Many Bible events involved confrontations between those who did true miracles from God and those who practiced forms of sorcery or magic.