Witchcraft. Does it exist?

[Heathen Hammer]

I remember I was very sick when I was about 6 years old. I had fever, terrible cough and my parents were really scared, because doctors prescription didn't work, and I didn't feel any better. So one of my mom's friends adviced her to invite a which to help me. In Russia it was pretty common in 90s to believe in supernatural stuff, so many "magicians" and witches emerged, offering people to help them for money.
My dad, as a hardcore atheist, was against the whole thing, but since my mom insisted my parents decided to give it a try. I don't really know what the witch did, she was just standing over my bed and whispering stuff. Nevertheless, in a few days I actually got better. What is most weird, she didn't take money from my parents or anything like that.
So do you think, this stuff really works, or it was just a coincidence?

[Markas]

I remember I was very sick when I was about 6 years old. I had fever, terrible cough and my parents were really scared, because doctors prescription didn't work, and I didn't feel any better. So one of my mom's friends adviced her to invite a which to help me. In Russia it was pretty common in 90s to believe in supernatural stuff, so many "magicians" and witches emerged, offering people to help them for money.
My dad, as a hardcore atheist, was against the whole thing, but since my mom insisted my parents decided to give it a try. I don't really know what the witch did, she was just standing over my bed and whispering stuff. Nevertheless, in a few days I actually got better. What is most weird, she didn't take money from my parents or anything like that.
So do you think, this stuff really works, or it was just a coincidence?

So it could have been the Doctor's pescription finally kicking in? No disrespect to your Mum but I think it's a wee bit irresponsible to call upon 'Witches' and their ilk although I appreciate she was desperate and worried for you. You have to ask yourself though- Why didn't the Witches' magic work immediately as (presumably) the 'spell' was cast? Why a few days? Is it not more likely the prescribed medicine kicked it?

[Medicus]

So it could have been the Doctor's pescription finally kicking in?

Alternately, the "magic" could have had some kind of placebo effect on you. In my view, magic and witchcraft don't exist.

[Alkarin]

Alternately, the "magic" could have had some kind of placebo effect on you. In my view, magic and witchcraft don't exist.

Out of an extremely neutral state, even in Atheism magic can be real science COULD prove magic exists the thing is im quite confident it doesn't but then again who am i to say i know everything? and even if magic does exist i doubt anyone on earth knows how it works

[KaerMorhen]

People love to believe in things like magic, ghosts and witchcraft it is part of our nature. A huge part of my friends are little bit weird about gnosis, alchemy, witches and folklore. I'm skeptical in such matters.
Antiquity and Medieval eras are my favs so I've read a lot of all these things cause they were core part of life in that times.

Does it exist?, doubt anyone could give us 100% accurate answer

[MaximiIian]

First off: In that situation, it was probably more of a placebo effect. At least in my view, magic is subtle; most of the time. Not always, of course.

Secondly: Since witchcraft is a core part of my religion, of course I think witchcraft exists and is usable by anyone willing to use it responsibly and practically. I define witchcraft as the art and science of folk magic. Folkloric and naturalistic practices often aimed at eliciting a kind of change in conventional reality in an unconventional manner.
However, in modern day, much of the things that would be defined as witchcraft in the previous century can now be explained scientifically. Herbalism, for example, can be explained mostly through modern chemistry. Other things, like the farming cycle and season cycle, are explained by climatology and astronomy.

At the same time, I do not think this detracts from the magical quality of such practices when done in a religious context. Just because we understand the mechanics of it, doesn't make it any less miraculous, so to speak.

EDIT: I understand and accept that this viewpoint is my own, and that others may and will disagree with it. Please, try to be respectful if and when you do reply to it, and don't just pointlessly attack me or my beliefs. I'm respecting your right to freedom of conscience; respect mine as well.

[Chaigidel]

there is no science to folk magic; its all intuition

and no things that science has uncovered would never have been regarded as witch craft, those things you mentioned have nothing to do with witchcraft or its associations.

we would need to more properly define "witchcraft" --- but as it stands , No.

[Amorphos]

a lot of stuff is controlled by chemicals in our brain even ageing [to some degree], i would think that belief and our emotional state/thoughts etc all play a part in the balancing of those chemicals. so certainly psychologal things can be affected by witchcraft and religion, anything other than that would be the doctors art taking effect ~ so they say.

i do however think there is far more to witchcraft than that, things can be made to come about just by thinking about it and directing those thoughts outwards. it is and always has been very secretive for a reason, if you say what you are doing to any but other initiates, then their thoughts can/will negate what you wish to come about.

it is all about how you use the infinite genie, you can shape it as gods, god or spirits [or indeed as the infinite genie] and use that or you can just work directly mind to mind and mind to entity. just as laws and principles shape existence, thoughts can also, however all minds are equal and all things are shared which is why one thought train may negate another, so it is very difficult to do something which is known to others unless they are sympathetic to it, for those reasons.

so carry on believing in what you believe, the mind is a very powerful thing. science isn’t everything and cannot explain how it all works on the most subtle levels.

[Ciabhán]

there is no science to folk magic; its all intuition

and no things that science has uncovered would never have been regarded as witch craft, those things you mentioned have nothing to do with witchcraft or its associations.

we would need to more properly define "witchcraft" --- but as it stands , No.

The word witch comes from old Anglo-Saxon as far as I remember. It just meant wiseman. Therefore anything that fell into the realm of higher thinking was the witch's that means science, medicine, herbalism, alchemy, "magic", etc. Does magic in the fantasy worlds, D&D type exist? Probably not. Does "magic" in the tradition of shamans, wisemen, etc exist? Yes.

@MARAUD: I would agree assuming you mean fireballs from the fingertips magic. I would extend this statement to all supernatural occurances as well......including god/s.

[Bernem]

Do you remember if you believed into the healing power of the witch back then when you were six? Believing into the efficiency of a therapy can actually make up more than 50% of the effect of e.g. a drug. Believing into the power of your therapist releases a whole lot of endorphins in your brain and strenghtens your immune system.

[Jams79]

Having a fever and then feeling better a few days later strikes me as nothing more than healing over time. If it was minutes or hours then I may start believing.

[MaximiIian]

Having a fever and then feeling better a few days later strikes me as nothing more than healing over time. If it was minutes or hours then I may start believing.

Quite.

The situation in the OP doesn't really illustrate the concept of witchcraft very well, nor does it really present a good focus for any discussion on the subject of religious magic and witchcraft.

[Bovril]

Its not witchcraft, its Traditional Russian Medicine. And its just as good as all that actually proven in controlled experiments stuff.

[Bernem]

I don't really know what the witch did, she was just standing over my bed and whispering stuff.

Well that's not traditional russian medicine! It didn't even include borsht

[Jams79]

@ Bovril

I can believe that of almost all herbalist based medicines (my girlfriend's a herbalist so I have to) but I don't see the OP mention medicine (apart from the failed doctors).

[Bovril]

@ Bovril

I can believe that of almost all herbalist based medicines (my girlfriend's a herbalist so I have to) but I don't see the OP mention medicine (apart from the failed doctors).

I was making fun of TCM, by comparing it to witchcraft. There's some sort of profundity (beyond this) in my satire, if you look hard, but not enough to be worth the effort.

[Vladimir Lenin]

I remember I was very sick when I was about 6 years old. I had fever, terrible cough and my parents were really scared, because doctors prescription didn't work, and I didn't feel any better. So one of my mom's friends adviced her to invite a which to help me. In Russia it was pretty common in 90s to believe in supernatural stuff, so many "magicians" and witches emerged, offering people to help them for money.
My dad, as a hardcore atheist, was against the whole thing, but since my mom insisted my parents decided to give it a try. I don't really know what the witch did, she was just standing over my bed and whispering stuff. Nevertheless, in a few days I actually got better. What is most weird, she didn't take money from my parents or anything like that.
So do you think, this stuff really works, or it was just a coincidence?

Glad that you got healed, but it was most likely a mix of placebo, the prescription kicking in, and luck.

[Playfishpaste]

Glad that you got healed, but it was most likely a mix of placebo, the prescription kicking in, and luck.

It's kind of funny when religious healing occurs less people say this.

[Markas]

It's kind of funny when religious healing occurs less people say this.

like when?

[Playfishpaste]

Like whenever prayer happens to miraculously recede a cancer or heal someone's paralysis. People go "omg it's jesus". But with witches they'll say "ah well it was a coincidence, or the pills kicked in, or it was the placebo effect".