Witches

Since I seem to get more attention with witches as my topic than my usual stuff, let me talk about them and see what reactions it brings.

The idea that there are people with special "magical" powers or that such a thing can be learned, is not demonstrable and I think almost certainly fantasy.  That said, what are we to think about people who think they are witches or who fear them or whatever?

The Bible says one must kill any witch.  So I guess the Bible disagrees with me on this.  I think though that the Bible is not just in error here, but, even if witches were real, they should not be killed.  The Bible here is morally wrong.

More than likely someone who thinks they are a witch is just mixed up some way, and killing such people is wrong.  So, also, of course, is killing people thought to be witches, no matter how eccentric they may be.  This sort of thing is as morally corrupt as it gets.  No matter how sure one may be that someone is a witch, the burden of proof for such an idea exceeds anything that might be produced.  Some things are just like that.

This doesn't of course mean that the state shouldn't execute murderers, and shouldn't jail people committing other crimes, including I would think saying one is a witch to extort or commit fraud.  It is, though, the murder or extortion or fraud that is prosecuted, not the witchcraft.

Besides, it seems likely, if there are witches, they could be doing good rather than evil.