Despite the recent exposé of children suffering in Africa due to witchcraft accusations and the subsequent outrage, there are still some true believers. One has just left a comment, suggesting that even I might be a witch. Over to Idongesit Elijah Okpombor (links added):
Yes Richard. I have read your reply to my mail some time ago. Well richard, some adults do prompt children to confess witchcraft, but not the child I told you about. She was not prompted to do so. The mother was tested and confirmed to be HIV positive alongside other ailments. When she was not responding to treatment, they decided to yield to the conditions the little girl gave and the woman came up alive. Now, Richard, I’m not writing this to convince you that children can be witches. I do not need to convince you for it to be true. Your not believing it does not change anything.
Something else you should know is that, children do not learn witchcraft. it is a possession in the spirit that a child contracts in many different ways, the most rampant being from edible products. You may not agree with any of these. At least, I know that the environment you find yourself has made you extremely ignorant of this.
Well, you say there are no child witches in the UK, Japan, etc. Richard, there are. That you’ve not heard of any yet, as rampant as it is in Africa, does not deny their existence. And You know something, witches always try to get people to believe that they do not exist, so they can perpetuate their secret wicked acts. And the way you sound, are you sure you aren’t one?
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Barth,
I hope you’ll allow me to communicate with your interlocutor through the comments section of your blog.
If the possession comes from edible products, I’d like to ask whether it’s specific edible products, or can any foodstuff become tainted? Do you have any evidence for this – perhaps a chemical that is found in the foodstuffs? Peer-review literature?
Indeed; the fact that we don’t have witches in the UK doesn’t mean there aren’t witches elsewhere. Can you provide a falsifiable test that we could to make sure that we don’t have witches in the UK?
xD/
This would be funny if children weren’t being hurt.
Maybe we’re all witches and the people we think are witches are actually the non-witches…
The ignorance and/or opportunistic evil being shown by “witch-hunters” in Africa is frustrating and heartbreaking – but I see only a small degree of difference in the teachings about “angels” and “demons” by American evangelical Christians.
Child abuse. What a better country we would have if children were spared religious teaching before they reached 18.
Dave, the questions you put across at least express your own level of ignorance too. You see Dave, it’s simple! Come to Nigeria and hear from those who have experienced it. That food can be contaminated with witchcraft isn’t anything new HERE! May be, you should find out and taste one. It ‘ll help you know wether it’s a chemical or not. At least, thousands of testimonies abound to that effect.
You say, “Indeed; the fact that we don’t have witches in the UK doesn’t mean there aren’t witches elsewhere.” Well, I think you’re just waking up from sleep, to think there are no witches in the UK. In any case, wether there are child or adult witches in the UK or not isn’t my business. My business with Richard was that He was talking too much about what he knows nothing about, especially in my own environment. I only wanted to let him know that what I stumbled on, on his site was shear ignorance and studded insult on a chosed vessel of God – Helen Ukpabio.
Now, get this: I am not supporting Helen Ukpabio in evil. I am letting you know that you are misrepresenting her. She is not evil in any way. She doesn’t do what you’ve Iabelled her. SHE DOES NOT! She is not the one you should be talking to, PERIOD!
I do not support children being maltreated in the name of being witches, and I know Helen Ukpabio doesn’t too. I keep seeing a display of one of her films, END OF THE WICKED, but I thought I should be seeing clips of Helen torturing or abusing children! This is foolish blackmail! Helen produced END OF THE WICKED many years back. Why have parents and communities suddenly woken up this year to maltreat children because Helen did a film?
As much as I know, Helen does not even lay hands on witches to cast them out, she merely speaks a Word. Journalists in Nigeria who have attended her ERADICATION OF WITCHCRAFT crusades in Nigeria can attest to this. I have attended one before our Publishing House could write on her. Helen does not say to anyone, YOU ARE A WITCH. She stands on her pulpit and says, IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE A WITCH, COME OUT HERE FOR DELIVERANCE…and the witches move out…IN NUMBERS! At least I have seen them go out in such great numbers before! They did it out of their own will. Nobody forced them out. And when they went out? Were they abused or tortured? Not in the least. They were not tortured or tormented. The deliverance was simple…so simple you would hardly believe they’ve been delivered.
I am however aware that some so-called Men of God torture children, who they claim to be possessed with witchcraft. That is utter foolishness, because witchcraft, even if the children had it, is a spirit and cannot be removed by physical torture. One of such fake prophets was gotten red handed yesterday and arrested in Akwa Ibom state, and I was happy about it, I mean really happy, because the nonsense of abusing these innocent children must stop.
I challenge Mc Veigh, Kelli Stowe, Richard Batholomew and the world, to produce any evidence of Helen torturing or supporting the torture of children, in the name of being witches. I challenge you to produce a write up or testimony from one person anywhere in the world, who says Helen labelled his/her child, witch and went ahead to abuse or torture the child in the name of deliverance. I can give you up to the end of this month to do that. If you can’t, I don’t think I’ll be willing to spend my time talking with jobless cowards on this anymore.
Helen has produced 29 Christian films with just three on witchcraft. She has even produced a film called KIDS ARE ANGRY which stands against the victimization of children, so why not talk about that? Though I haven’t watched it, I learnt she has produced a film on CHILD RESCUE, why not talk about that? Helen’s films on witchcraft, in my opinion, is basically to portray the fact that witchcraft exists, show how one can contract it, the wicked things witches do, and then show us that deliverance is in Jesus alone. I do not think that film had anything to do with maltreating children in the name of being witches.
However, what I sense is that, the world wants Helen to deny the existence of witchcraft. Why would she do that, when she knows the truth? SHE’S NOT A COWARD TO DO THAT! She knows there are witches; I know there are; thousands of people know! And if anyone wants to compare Violent Britain or Japan to Africa in terms of witchcraft, such a one has failed even before beginning. It’s very simple to prove if witches exist or not: come to my village and taste it!
I will conclude by letting you know that, Helen has never abused a child, will never abuse a child and does not have any avenue of encouraging child abuse – not even her END OF THE WICKED movie. She has passed her message across in that film and thousands have benefitted, including me.
I think UK has enough problems for you guys to talk about, or, DON’T YOU THINK SO?
witches always try to get people to believe that they do not exist,
That’s funny, I know quite a few Witches, hundreds in fact and most of them are quite open and honest about who they are.
It’s the word many people in my religious community have adopted to describe themselves. I can personally attest that the nonsense this person is writing about has nothing to do with actual witches and everything to do with empty superstitions, hate-mongering and clergymen preying on the fears of those in their care.
Hear, hear Thomas. I am a Witch – have been since I was a child.
What gets my goat is the fact that many people who profess to have great knowledge of the subject of Witchcraft actually don’t know anything at all.
Maintaining and reinforcing a discriminatory and prejudicial definition of Witchcraft that is by its very nature, predisposed to eliciting violence against alleged Witches, constitutes a violation of the right of self-defined Witches to freedom of belief and religion.
Historically the words ‘Witch’ and ‘Witchcraft’ have been used in South Africa to incorrectly describe evil or criminal practices associated with ritual killings, human mutilations and misfortune in general. The promotion of the terms ‘Witch’ and ‘Witchcraft’ to describe such criminal practices by religious leaders, politicians, academics, traditional leaders and traditional healers only serves to incite further malice and violence against innocent South Africans suspected or accused of either being Witches or of using Witchcraft.
The Witch hunters among us who seek to propagate a false stereotypical ideology about Witchcraft will bear the burden of their hate-mongering and lies in the end.
Damon Leff (Witch)
http://damonleff.livejournal.com/
http://www.paganrightsalliance.org
Richard, you see, the subject is extending to people arguing on wether witchcraft exists or not, wether they are wicked and violent or not. Well that wasn’t my case. All I told you is that, when I stumbled on your site and read the rubbish and misrepresentations about Helen, I had to comment because it was just terrible, seeing you sit in your country to draw conclusions about a true woman of God I have personally encountered.
Helen was my case. SIMPLE!
Okpombor,
Elenchos, actually.
I’d rather not try food that might be in some way contaminated. Would you answer my original questions:
I’d like to ask whether it’s specific edible products, or can any foodstuff become tainted? Do you have any evidence for this – perhaps a chemical that is found in the foodstuffs? Peer-review literature?
That’s selective quoting. If you’d quoted me properly, you’d have seen I asked for a test and, to make it fair, for it to be falsifiable.
I assume that you assert that you do know what you’re talking about. Could you provide me with the evidence you used to reach your conclusions?
I’m not going to go through the rest of your diatribe because it comes down to one thing: you assert the existence of witches. I disagree; it falls to you to provide the evidence or I will say that Ukpabio is a fraud, a criminal or a fool.
xD.
Well, Dave, isn’t it surprising to know you disagree with me on the existence of witches even when lots of them have written to Barth that they are witches? What more evidence do you need?
Well, if you want more, it’s simple. Come to Nigeria and see or hear for yourself, at least from those who have obtained deliverance from witchcraft.
On wether witchcraft can be given through specific edible products, I’ll say, I don’t think so. However, that’s not my ministry but Helen’s. She has even written a book on that. You may ask her more questions on that: helen-ukpai@yahoo.com
Nevertheless, I have to let you know that these are things beyond ordinary human comprehension. They are things of the spirit. And the things of the spirit are foolishness to the ordinary man, JUST AS THIS ONE APPEARS TO YOU NOW.
Okpombor,
See? Doesn’t make it true.
You keep asserting things without evidence; you haven’t defined what a witch is. I’m going to have to keep saying you’re a fool or a charlatan until you start doing that.
xD.
Sorry, unoriginalname38 is me, Dave Cole.
xD.
Okpombor – Helen Ukpabio has called repeatedly for the eradication of Witchcraft.
I fail to see how inciting Witch-hunts makes her a “Woman of God”.
What it makes her is guilty of inciting genocide against anyone she identifies as ‘Witch’.
AND WHAT WILL I SAY YOU ARE, FOR YOUR PRIDE IN SUCH DARING IGNORANCE?
YOU SPEAK WELL DAMON. BUT YOU SEE, LIKE I SAID, HELEN DOESN’T SAY TO SOMEONE, “YOU ARE A WITCH.” HELEN DOESN’T SAY TO SOMEONE, “THAT MAN OR WOMAN, BOY OR GIRL, IS A WITCH.”
IN NIGERIA, MOST WITCHES GO IN SEARCH OF DELIVERANCE AFTER THEIR WICKED INVOLVEMENTS. I QUITE REMEMBER THE CASE OF A WOMAN, WHO CAME TO SURRENDER TO JESUS AND ASK FOR DELIVERANCE. SHE CONFESSED SHE HAD KILLED HER OWN CHILDREN BY GIING THEM AS SACRIFICE IN THE WITCHCRAFT COVEN. SHE SAID SHE NEEDED HELP AND DELIVERANCE BECAUSE THEY WERE DEMANDING HER LAST CHILD. YES, THESE THINGS SEEM UNBELIEVABLE BECAUSE, MAYBE, THEY AREN’T RAMPANT IN THE UK!
WHAT HELEN DOES, IS TO STAGE A PROGRAMME WHERE PEOPLE LIKE THAT WOMAN COME FOR HELP. WHAT HELP? HELP TO BE DELIVERED FROM THAT WICKED DEMON SPIRIT. ANOTHER GROUP SHE STAGES THE PROGRAMME FOR, ARE THOSE WHO ARE VICTIMS OF WITCHCRAFT ATTACKS.
SHE HAS NEVER, I CAN SAY THAT AGAIN AND AGAIN, GONE TO PEOPLE TO LABEL THEM WITCHES, OR TOLD OTHER PEOPLE, THAT OR THOSE, ARE WITCHES! I HAVE EVEN BEEN PRESENT DURING ONE OF HER COUNSELLING SESSIONS, WHERE SOMEONE WAS BROUGHT TO HER, WHOM THEY SAID WAS A WITCH, BUT SHE REPRIMANDED THEM SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE SHE SAID THEY WERE FALSELY ACCUSING THE ONE INVOLVED. YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT HELEN HAS THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS.
IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COLLEGE, IKOM, A CITY IN NIGERIA, A GIRL WAS ALMOST BEATEN TO DEATH, BECAUSE THEY SUSPECTED HER TO BE A WITCH. WHEN THEY BROUGHT HER TO SEE HELEN, SHE SAID, THAT GIRL WASN’T A WITCH, AND IN HER OWN HANDWRITING, WROTE A LETTER TO THE PRINCIPAL OF THE SCHOOL, THAT THE GIRL HAD BEEN WRONGLY ACCUSED, AND THAT SUCH VICTIMIZATION WASN’T NECESSARY. BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO HER, IF THE GIRL WAS A WITCH AT ALL, WHAT SHE NEEDED WAS DELIVERANCE FROM IT, NOT TO BE VICTIMIZED, AS THAT WOULD DO NO GOOD. SHE EVEN TALKED SERIOUSLY TO THEM TO DESIST FROM SUCH AWEFUL PRACTICE OF LABELLING SOMEONE A WITCH, BECAUSE IT TAKES ONLY THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO DO THAT THROUGH HIS CHOOSEN VESSEL.
LET ME QUICKILY ADD THIS, DAMON: LABELLING PEOPLE WITCHES IS VERY RAMPANT IN AFRICA. SOMETIMES, THE PEOPLE LABELLED WITCHES TRULY ARE; SOMETIMES THEY ARE NOT. SUCH PRACTICE HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE HELEN WAS BORN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE THERE EVEN AFTER HER EXIT FROM THE EARTH.
THE GOSPEL HELEN PREACHES IS SIMPLE. SHE DOES NOT SUPPORT YOU LABELLING SOMEONE ELSE A WITCH. SHE DOES NOT SUPPORT SO CALLED WITCHES BEING TORMENTED OR VICTIMIZED. HELEN’S THREE FILMS ON WITCHCRAFT ONLY AUTHENTICATES ITS EXISTENCE AND SHOWS THE WAY OUT.
NOW, EVEN WHEN HELEN DISCERNS A PERSON IS A WITCH, SHE DOES NOT MAKE ANY DISCLOSURE. SHE TALKS WITH THE PERSON INVOLVED ON HOW HE/SHE CAN OBTAIN DELIVERANCE.
IF SUCH A ONE IS AN ADULT, SHE REFERS SUCH A ONE TO A CLASS, WHERE SHE TEACHES THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE FOR ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS, BEFORE TAKING THEM THROUGH THE DELIVERANCE SESSION. THAT CLASS IS CALLED THE LIBERATED PEOPLE’S CLASS. IF A CHILD IS INVOLVED, SHE ADVICES THE PARENTS TO GO THROUGH THE CLASS WITH THE CHILD. THE SOLE PURPOSE OF THE CLASS IS TO HELP PEOPLE HAVE A FULL KNOWLEDGE OF HOW GOD WORKS TO DELIVER.
IN AFRICA, MANY HAVE BEEN WRONGLY TAUGHT THAT DELIVERANCE INVOLVES BEING TORTURED AND TORMENTED AND ALL THAT. BUT HELEN SAYS, ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT GOD IS THE ONE THAT DELIVERS. AND SHE OFTEN GOES AHEAD TO TELL YOU WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP YOUR DELIVERANCE: LET GO SIN; DON’T TRIFFLE WITH OCCULTIC BOOKS OR MATERIALS, ETC.
DURING HER DELIVERANCE, SHE STANDS OUT THERE TO COMMAND THE DEMONS TO GET OUT OF THEIR VICTIMS IN JESUS’ NAME AND THEY DO. SHE DOESN’T VICTIMIZE OR TORTURE ANYONE. HER DELIVERANCE CLASS IS COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. IT HOLDS EVERY MONDAY BY 6PM. NO OFFERINGS ARE TAKEN. THE DELIVERANCE SESSION THEY GO THROUGH IS FREE OF CHARGE.
THE UNIQUE THING IS THAT THIS CLASS IS NOT ONLY FOR WITCHES, BUT FOR PEOPLE WITH ALL SORT OF OUTSTANDING AILMENTS AND DEMON POSSESSION OR AFFLICTION.
NOW, ASK ME, WHAT IF SHE DISCERNS THAT YOU ARE A WITCH AND ASKS YOU TO GO THROUGH THE CLASS AND YOU REFUSE? HELEN DOESN’T CONCERN HERSELF WITH THAT. SHE GOES AHEAD WITH THOSE WHO ARE READY, BECAUSE SHE SITS OUT THERE TO COUNSEL THOUSANDS EVERY MONDAY FROM 6AM.
I GUESS SOME PEOPLE COMPLETELY MISUNDERSTAND THE THEME OF HER PROGRAMMES. BY ERADICATION OF WITCHCRAFT, HELEN MEANS, T0 BRING THE ACTIVITIES OF WITCHCRAFT TO NOTHING: THAT IS, BRINGING DELIVERANCE TO THE WITCHES AS WELL AS THEIR VICTIMS.
ALWAYS REMEMBER, SHE DOES NOT HUNT WITCHES, OR MAKE PEOPLE HUNT THEM. IN A VILLAGE IN NIGERIA, WHERE THEY BROUGHT A JUJU PRIEST (NATIVE DOCTOR) TO NOTE WITCHES, FOR THE VILLAGE TO KILL THEM, ONE MAN WAS NOTED ON ONE OF SUCH OCCASSIONS. THE MAN RAN FROM THAT SMALL VILLAGE TO CALABAR AND MET HELEN AND TOLD HER EVERYTHING. HELEN WROTE A LETTER TO THE PARAMOUNT RULER OF THAT COMMUNITY ASKING THAT SUCH BRUTALISM SHOULD STOP AND THE JUJU PRIEST SHOULD BE SENT AWAY, ADDING THAT IF THESE PEOPLE WERE WITCHES, ONLY JESUS CAN DELIVER THEM. BUT, ACCORDING TO HER, IT WAS WRONG TO CALL A NATIVE DOCTOR TO LABEL THEM WITCHES. THE PARAMOUNT RULER READ THE LETTER AND CALLED HIS COUNCIL MEMBERS TO INFORM THEM ABOUT WHAT HELEN HAD WRITTEN. THAT BROUGHT AN END TO THAT EVIL
I AM TAKING THE PAINS TO EXPLAIN THESE, BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN THE HAND OF THE WICKED ONE IN MISREPRESENTING HER. HELEN DOES NOT SUPPORT THE KILLING OF WITCHES; I CAN SAY THIS ANYWHERE. SHE DOES NOT INCITE WITCH-HUNT, DAMON. ENJOY!
YOU’VE GOT CAPS LOCK STUCK ON YOUR WITCH KEYBOARD.
THANKS, DAMON!
Okpombor,
Evidence for the existence of witches? Their nature?
xD.
Characterising Witchcraft as automatically evil, and characterising Witches as needing salvation, constitutes discrimination and discriminatory stereotyping – the kind of prejudice that incites Witch-hunts and violence against the innocent.
Those who promote this stereotype are guilty of inciting violence against suspected Witches.
We Witches don’t need your salvation, neither in this world nor in the next!
We South African Witches define our beliefs and ritual practices (Witchcraft) as:
a) a craft (magical occupation) that employs the use of sympathetic magic, ritual, herbalism and divination, and
b) a religion.
The English word ‘Witch’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon words ‘wicca’ (meaning a male Witch) and ‘wicce’ (meaning a female Witch), and that these originated from an Old High German word ‘witega’, which means ‘seer’ (diviner, prophet). The word ‘sorcerer’ (male) and ‘sorceress’ (female) are derived from French words for ‘Witch’. Sorcery and Witchcraft are the same thing.
South African Witches regard harmful stereotypical definitions of Witchcraft as injurious to their dignity and the use of the terms Witch and Witchcraft to describe criminal activities as discrimination on the basis of belief.
The use of the English term Witchcraft with which to describe harmful magical practices brings into disrepute anyone who may self-identify as a Witch, irrespective of whether or not said self-defined Witch is a European Pagan or a practitioner of Traditional African magic.
There are stark and horrifying comparisons here – prior to and during the second world war, German Nazis characterized Jews as evil / dangerous / inferior etc etc. These beliefs about the Jews (based solely on prejudice) led to their persecution.
In Africa prejudice against Witchcraft results in the death of thousands of innocent men, women and children falsely accused of either being Witches or of practicing Witchcraft.
I see no difference between the Nazis who persecuted Jews and the Africans who persecute alleged Witches.
Helen Ukpabio, through her ministry and her films, promotes the idea that Witchcraft is harmful and dangerous, and that Witches are in need of salvation.
I think the time has come to tell Ukpabio in no uncertain terms to take her ministry of prejudice and … [censored].
See below link:
http://barthsnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ukpabio.jpg?w=468&h=326
“eradication of witchcraft” – no good or bad about it – she takes it upon herself to defame and destroy Witchcraft in it’s entirety. I can only fathom what the response would be if it were a campaign for the “eradication of Christianity”.
If evil comes encompassed in any “package”, it isn’t Witchcraft, Satanism, Judaism or any religion whatsoever – it comes neatly packed in the simplest form humanity so readily accepts: Ignorance.
P.S. Ignorance is what leads to Discrimination, not the other way around. Thus, it is not Discrimination which is Evil, but Ignorance, which leads to Discrimination.
Dave Cole, talk to Damon.
Okpombor,
You haven’t answered my questions; how do I know that Damon is not a sockpuppet of yours?
So, any links to research into witchcraft?
xD.
of the trueth she has never leble anyone witchcraft before, if u may ask me now, i will tel u wht u need to kn about her.