Witchcraft is not a beneficial religion

Since I didn't define them, now there can be no reason for someone not to understand. ” You’re welcome Second, I wanted to clarify what I meant by the term "Witchcraft. " I meant it as a broad overarching term--anyone who practices magic. Since that is the case, I will not divulge in the Red Herring that my opponent has given me--namely Wicca and Paganism. I am happy to debate what has been brought up in another debate. Well, the debate was about a “religion” of witchcraft. Wicca fit the question. Calling it a “red herring” seems unnecessarily argumentative. However, I have generally stuck to pros redefined debate of “anyone who practices magic” rather than a “religion”. “Fourthly, it was not my intention to show that witchcraft in any of its various forms to be beneficial. ” That was the debate question. It was my job to show benefit of witchcraft, which I have. Since that was what my opponent interpreted the evidence as me meaning that, let me further explain. Witchcraft (outside of being forbidden by God) is not profitable in any of its various forms. Well, that’s just silly. If I am to presume that witchcraft is possible, it would be folly for me to ignore the potential profitability. Paying for services of a witch are not hard to find (card reading for one), and surely a competent witch could conjure what he or she needed. Profitability seems a solid benefit of witchcraft. God even says in Ezekiel 33:11, "Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel? " If Saul at any point had decided to go back to God and ask for direction from Him, God would not have killed him, but let him live. Since it was God who killed Saul, blaming God’s hostility on witchcraft is a little blaming the victim. Saul choose to die when he knew beforehand that God despises those who practice witchcraft. When I say "despises," let me explain. All . .. [cut to save space] " Wouldn't it have been better if Saul had been left alive with a testimony about all God had done? To live is much better than to die. Nowhere does this say God informed anyone the punishment would be death. Again, God behaving jealously, or simply hostile is not a good case for witchcraft having no benefit. Another thing I want to point out is that God's "thoughts are not (our) thoughts, nor are (our) ways (His) ways. .. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are (His) ways higher than (our) ways, and (His) thoughts than (our) thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). We do not know what God plans to do in any given circumstance. When He acts in one way delivering us, He may not do the same thing in another circumstance. I say this because when you look throughout the Bible in how God acts, He never acts in the same way twice. The fickle God is… well… Just awful for this argument. So, we are to believe what God said and did regarding witchcraft before, or just assume that he will “never act the same way twice”? If you look at when the Israelites were in Egypt and they cried out to God for deliverance from the forced and hard labor of the Egyptians, God delivered them by sending plagues on Egypt that afflicted the lowest to the highest of them. During the beginning of the plagues, the Egyptians had magicians that imitated the same things (ie: turning a river to blood and bringing up frogs to cover the whole land). But when God sent lice, the magicians could not imitate it. It was then that the magicians said, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 7:19). Pharaoh of course didn't hear because God had hardened his heart that He might multiply his wonders in the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:1-5). When God sent flies, inflicted their livestock with diseases, and sent boils on man and beast, the magicians couldn't replicate them. It says in Exodus 7:11 that ". .. the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. " The Lord then sent thunder, hail, and fire from heaven; He sent locusts and thick darkness over the whole land. He also killed the firstborn of Egypt and finally Pharaoh let the Israelites go. If the Egyptians' magic was so powerful and beneficial, at any time it should have been able to keep any of these plagues from happening to Egypt. Rather it was the magicians that recognized that God was more powerful then their own magic. So God is more powerful, and it should be noted, more awful, then the other witches. What of it? Again, this does nothing to prove the resolution. Another testimony to the power of God is found in the story of Daniel 1. Fast forward several years into the future. Judah is given into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar and taken into captivity. Whilst in captivity, the king asks that some men of "the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles (be brought), young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans" (Daniel 1:3-4). The king gives them a daily portion of his delicacies, but Daniel and his friends purpose that they will not be defiled with the king's food. So they are tested 10 days with vegetables and in the end they are healthier than all the king's men. Because they decided to keep to God's laws concerning what foods they could or could not eat, God honored Daniel and his friends by giving them "knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams" (Daniel 1:17). Daniel 1:18-20 states "when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, (and his friends); therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. " Wisdom from God far surpasses anything we could gather from any other source. Notice that the king finds these men from the kingdom of Judah 10x better than anyone else who claims similar wisdom. That's saying something! This is a matter of relative powers again. It, well, it proves the debate question for con. Witchcraft has benefit, just not potentially as good as Gods. Back in the case of Saul, God was not responding, there are many that have angered God, and he will not respond. The best benefit they may receive might be from a witch, who pro again has proven have benefit. Therefore if God's wisdom and power are so much better than anything (or anyone else's), then why do we settle for the inferior that gives us so much disfavor from God? Does it make sense to you when I say, "God despises witchcraft" because it is so inferior to His own power and might? Wouldn't it be easier to just ask God for wisdom, the God of all living things? God is, by your account, hostile and fickle. If he chooses to not allow me access to his brand of magic, the best alternative may be witchcraft. Pro has not proven “Witchcraft is not a beneficial religion”. Pro has only shown that it is the opposite. Additionally. I have provided at least two benefits of witchcraft. The resolution is defeated. Witchcraft IS a beneficial religion.