Let's talk about.......fear.
I recently read once again a blog post put out by a Baptist Church. This one was not written by Pastor Sam Jones, but rather, by Patrick "No Compromise With Evil" Wyett. Yes, I roll my eyes every time I type that. I've also had recent conversations regarding these blog posts (since the good pastor decided to post them again) and whether or not Harry Potter contains "REAL" spells (insert another eye roll) with a very nice member of this congregation. This particular member feels it was "no accident" that we began a dialogue about the real spells or lack thereof in the Harry Potter series. I believe he feels that he is now meant to save my soul, so to speak, or at least "bring me back into the fold" of Christianity. Honestly, I just wanted to make sure they all knew that banning the Harry Potter series because they contain "real" spells is a bunch of poppycock. J.K. Rowling may have done her homework and based some of the spells in her book on things she found in real grimoires, but they are hardly real spells at all. If you don't believe me, go ahead and try one. "Wingardium Leviosa".....did you fly? Did you make something levitate? No? Maybe you didn't put the accent in the right place.
When I read the thread about this topic and about witchcraft, these people get so far into superstition, hearsay and dread, that I sometimes feel I must set them straight. So, I try. Usually in vain. These people are full of fear. Fear of that which they do not understand. Fear of the unknown. Fear of those who believe differently than they do. Fear of learning more than their pastor teaches them. Fear of people who are different than they are. So, let's talk about it. Let's talk about fear.
Fear is not always a bad thing. It's good to have a healthy fear of some things. Sometimes that fear can save your life. However, there are things we sometimes fear just because we don't understand it and fear can be our downfall. I was taught to be afraid of bees by my mother. She had an irrational fear of bumblebees, bees, and wasps. Eventually I learned that bees really were not to be feared. They were good for the environment and had a job to do and really didn't want to sting me as that would insure their death as well. Wasps, on the other hand, are to be feared. Maybe they serve some purpose, but I have yet to know what it is. But, that's another topic. My fear of bees was a learned fear. My mother was afraid, so I was afraid. But I managed to unlearn that fear. I have learned that if a bumblebee is on a flower, sometimes you can actually pet that bumblebee very gently. What fears do you have that are learned?
One of my first houses as an adult had a slight bat problem. At first I was absolutely terrified of them. I'd never really been around bats before. As time went on, I read about bats and learned more about them, eventually turning my fear into fascination. I learned how to catch them with a plastic bag and then release them outside so they can continue doing all the good that they do. This fear was a fear of the unknown. I didn't know much about bats so I didn't understand them. The more I learned about them, the less I feared them. Is there something you are afraid of simply because you don't understand it?
These real world examples show one main way that fear can be conquered. The main strategy for conquering fear is EDUCATION. Learn about that which you fear. If you refuse to learn about it then your fear becomes irrational. The members of this particular Baptist congregation are fearing that which they don't understand. They gossip about the "spells" in Harry Potter. It's truly gossip. One of them heard the spells are real, then they go and tell someone else, and so on and son on and the next thing you know the entire congregation is banning the books. Talking about it gives them a thrill of some sort, just like the local gossip loves talking about all the scandalous things his neighbors have been up to.
Look, I pretty much know when a spell is a spell. I pretty much know what goes into making a particular spell a spell. And I can guarantee that just saying any of the spells in Harry Potter isn't going to do anything. Words alone are not a spell. The main ingredient in a good spell is intention. A spell without intention isn't going to do anything. So, even though I might be the expert on spells in this particular case, one of the responses I got was to read a book about "Harry Potter and the Bible, the Menace Behind the Magic". So, I looked into the book and read the reviews. Nope. This particular book is not going to convince me that the spells in the series are real. It's still not true. I am 100% sure.
So, the next topic is why do these people fear pagans? Why do they fear those who practice magick? Why do they fear occultists? Because they don't understand them. Patrick Wyett's blog post makes that clear. He seems to think all occultists are participating in human sacrifices. He thinks all occult practice is going to lead to this. This is NOT TRUE. He is lying to people in order to instill fear. Why does the church want to instill fear? Why has the church instilled fear throughout the centuries? Control. That's what it all comes down to. Let's make everyone afraid of anyone who isn't like us, then we will have more control. There are Christians who do horrible things in the name of Christianity. This doesn't mean they all do it.
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