Atheism and the Paranormal

[KichigaiNeko]

I think that witches thru the centuries were your first atheists.

@Sleeping Demon

Witches are an interesting subject. Practictioners of several of the world's longest lasting religions, and held to blame for every foul deed and misfortune in simpler, more superstitious times, they have appeared in every civilization in one form or another. Are there witches, yes, are there covens, yes, are there ancient rituals and rites with deep ties to older covens and systems of worship since the beginning of time, yes, are they actually magicians, no. I think the historical witch is a lot like the historical ninja, except not as badass. Witches were practicing medicine long before anyone believed that anything other than prayer could fix anything. The problem with witches however is that most of the time, it was really hit or miss, as coven A in Ireland and coven B in South America never spoke or traded recipes/spells so a cure for hiccups in one place could be pine root, while the cure in another place could be crows foot. Again, superstition and horror stories turned them into Hansel and Gretel level powerful sorceresses who could turn men to toads and fly on sticks. A lot of innocent men and women died because of the fearmongering done by ignorant and superstitious people.

Agree whole heartedly. ^^^

The collective 'wisdom' of witch craft can be found in the foundations of medical science today. It is certainly still practised but today we call them GPs