Attitude in Salem of black magic

I know that when The Satanic Temple settled in Salem they didn’t appear to be welcomed very openly. I wonder if it stemmed from a PR standpoint of them being bad for the community’s image. Or was it more of a general distancing of black magic. Are most of the witches associated with Salem Wiccan or light workers?

The Satanic Temple is an advocacy organization. They are explicit that they don’t even believe in Satan. They just use the idea of Satan in public spaces to illustrate how religion is being allowed to creep into public spaces. Satan makes a lot of people uncomfortable and TST uses him to demonstrate how atheists are uncomfortable with the vanishing line between state and religion.

Whenever a religious group wins a case, TST will use that case to display Satan in a public space. A bible study group won the right to have bible study in the school, so now the TST has an after school program with Satan in the name.The school district must comply.

So, I don’t know why the witches of Salem have an issue with them?

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Just about no culture or civilization in history has liked black magick (as in, witches who curse others for malevolent reasons).

Any community who has the arrival of at least who they think are witches who cast curses freely will not welcome them openly.

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I went to Salem a few years ago and was surprised to find that none of the shops had anything with an inverted pentagram, let alone any sort of sigil. That’s what first gave me the impression that they weren’t welcoming of all witches. It surprised me, as I always thought it would be one of the few places where there would be no judgement of others in that sense. Then the reception given The Satanic Temple appeared to validate that.

Remember, Salem is known historically for murdering young women (and a few men) by burning them alive under false accusations of “trafficking with the Devil,” and proponents of Wicca have spent decades gaining their status as a recognized religion, and refuting the belief that their practices have any association with the Christian boogeyman, so of course they’re not going to want all that work to go to waste by embracing anything that has even the smell of condoning that history.

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I thought that was the various denominational Churches did that (and not just the Roman Catholic one. There was a scene in one of the Elizabeth movies where Protestants were burning ‘heretics’ and witches, and Salem back in the day was a Protestant community if I’m not mistaken which is why I said Churches).

Add: Salems notorious but wasn’t it at the religious big wigs behest that it was done?

Salem at the time was a Puritan town, so definitely Christian. It only later became a haven for witches due to it’s history.

The townsfolk also endorsed it, and anyone who objected were themselves then either accused or threatened with imprisonment. According to some records of the trials, several of those executed were young women who had done nothing but spurn the advances of the older men who ran the town, and a couple of older single women who had wealth and property the town wanted to seize, so it wasn’t just “the Church” but basically the entire town was caught up in it.

It was a similar situation to that which took place in West Germany during the Cold War, when everyone was informing on everyone else to settle personal grudges, or because they wanted the rewards that came from being a “good citizen.”

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The same thing that happened in Salem happened in many European countries. The deaths were all based on the Christian dogma and politics - more so, to keep people in line.

Satan comes from the mythology of man - to keep people in line in religious cults of nonsense. Humans made 666 the number Mark of the Beast and if one researches numerology - one learns the remarkable history of this number and the pull to energy.

This :100:

Most of the people who go to Salem are not witches, they are tourists. Salem in some regards is a tourist attraction.

The witches who died in Salem were hung. One was crushed by rock. I know the history of Salem well, I’m a direct decent of one who was accused and hung.

The witches who died by fire happened in Europe.

It’s not a safe haven for some.

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As I state in my opening post here.

Also, isn’t The Satanic Temple a branch of Modern Satanism? I would assume it’s not only for show.

@Anakin_Thorne There’s Satanism and there’s satanism.

One end of the spectrum is where Satanism is a rebellious title they claim often just to cause a sensation. On this end of the spectrum you have groups like the Church of Satan who rebel against the status quo, do not believe in a real devil/demon/deity called satan who endeavor to embrace hedonism and life to the fullest.

The other side of the spectrum is the opposite essentially while the Temple of Satan and Church of Satan are hedonists and atheistic, while the opposite end of the spectrum is where you get people who’s UPG is Satan is real and they worship and try to please him or in some cases that end of the spectrum takes a gnostic viewpoint believe the universe was created by a god (normally they say satan) but is under the control of a demiurge and they hope for and want the end of the world so that the demiurge is defeated and the universe can go back to primal chaos.

To simplify it one end is basically hedonistic and atheistic using the name satan to stir controversy and attention to themselves. The other end believe in an entity called satan (or various other names) and worship it and want to help it win against the forces they perceive as in opposition to Satan.

Add: If you doubt me read from their own websites what their views are. Then you’ll see they aren’t what some define as satanist (maybe not what you class as a satanist).

Maybe I should have said Atheistic Satanism, but that is what Modern Satanism is. I’m well aware of the two branches–Modern and Theistic.

What I was trying to clarify, as you did answer, was that The Satanic Temple was Atheistic, like the Church of Satan.

Although some Theistic Satanists may want the end of the world, I’ve never really encountered that idea in all my reading on Theistic Satanism. If anything, most of them are all about living life to the fullest and affirming life.

I’m with you there although I’ve heard about the ones that want an end of the world or a return to primordial chaos I can’t really wrap my head around that view. If I could keep improving in every way be better off every year then the year previous to it and not develop old age health issues then I’d want to live forever (not withstanding that I’d science class was right and matter is energy energy cannot be created or destroyed then some part of me will exist forever anyway)

Add: obviously I wouldn’t want forever if things kept getting worse or my health kept deteriorating or that sort of thing.

And…

Back to topic… I still don’t see much difference between black and white magick since both make the practitioner satisfied with the result (I’d say happy but happy depends on the magick. Being done).

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:100: This

Though we should not classify others as black or white witches. There are black witches who use sigils as well as harness the elements of earth.

I use to classify myself only as a white witch, until I pricked my own finger to symbolize the “death” of my old self to merge into my “new” self. Talk about an energy trip. But that’s a story for a different day.

@Anakin_Thorne

I’d implore you to read the history of Salem and what may have caused the hysteria of the witch trails. One word: Plants. Second word: Mental Health

Interesting history. :slightly_smiling_face:

As far as Satanic rituals - the Christian world deems anything outside of believing in the redemption as Christ as the anti-Christ. And evil.

As far as Satanists go, most are ordinary people who live ordinary lives. They are involved in community and such. If they are doing it for show, there is usually a logical reason behind it.

The ones who cause harm are deranged and often, mentally unstable.

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This :100:

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Cool. Would it be too much trouble to ask you for the cliff notes of the number’s history?

I think this might play a part in the non-condoning of black magic in Salem. It’s a quote I found by Scott Cunningham.

"These two examples sum up Witchcraft. It is a religion, known as Wicca. It is also the practice of folk magic.

The average person probably thinks that Witchcraft is “Satanism,” orgies and drug-ingesting. They falsely believe Witches to practice a mish-mash of “devil worship,” unsavory rituals, cruelty and human (sic)
sacrifice.

There certainly are people who do such things??“murderers, psychotics and those frustrated by the religion into which they were born. But these people aren’t Witches and they don’t practice Witchcraft.”

Apparently, some Wiccans seem to think they are the only legitimate witches.

@Anakin_Thorne

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These types have ego issues.

You do you, boo!

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Back to topic though.

Have you ever sought the ancestors during a ritual?.