Modern day witch hunt in Africa

In an exclusive report from the Niger Delta, in the deep south of west Africa, Tracy McVeigh hears the extraordinary stories of children who have been ostracised by their families and communities, and visits the parents who have abandoned and abused their own children because they believe they are witches.
See the Video: Child ‘witches’ in Africa

Evangelical pastors are helping to create a terrible new campaign of violence against young Nigerians. Children and babies branded as evil are being abused, abandoned and even murdered while the preachers make money out of the fear of their parents and their communities.
Read the Story: Children are targets of Nigerian witch hunt

Related Link: Ex-Christian.net

While most Western Christians would perceive this the same way atheists do – as a tragedy, there’s nothing un-Biblical about it. The Bible promotes belief in witches, demons, demon-possession, and magic. But since the Christian God doesn’t exist, He can’t warn Christians of when they’re picking innocent targets. A few Bible verses that promote primitive beliefs:

That magic is real:

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. (Exodus 7:10-12)

That demons are real:

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. (Matthew 12:22)

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. (Matthew 8:16)

(Interestingly, demons don’t really appear in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, they’re all over the place and have to constantly be “cast-out”.)

Other Biblical references to demons

How to deal with witches:

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. (Exodus 22:18)

When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in [a] the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. (Deuteronomy 18:9-11)

Further, there’s also an evangelical impetus to promote belief in witchcraft: nothing makes people cling to religion like fear of an imaginary threat. John Wesley (1703-1791), famous evangelist: “Giving up witchcraft is, in effect, giving up the Bible”