Modern Day Witch Hunting

It's hard to believe in the age that we're in today, things such as this happen in the world. I would have thought the age of rationality would would subsided superstition. It's sad to think about what else occurs in poverish countries.
story.news.yahoo.com.../chitribts/childreninangolatorturedaswitches

This article makes me so mad I don't know where to begin. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

I'll bet money that most of the children being singled out as "witches" are ones who are gifted in some aspect--unusually intelligent, inquisitive, creative, etc. What a horror that this child abuse is going on.

We talk about destroying the Taliban & going into Iraq because we want to protect the human rights of the People and stop abuse. But that's crap. Why aren't we going in and saving these kids? Why doesn't those Christian organizations that always go on about the rights of fetuses and the mercy of Christ go into this country and save those kids and make it a priority?

And as comfortable as we feel in our own country about free speech and freedom of religion, you realize that there are religious fundie nutcases out there that if it wasn't for laws against things like torture and murder would go out & do some "witch-hunting" of their own, don't you?

that's just plain f'ed up. don't know what else to say...but that is just so wrong...i feel immense sorrow for the girl and her messed up family.

Thats awful! In this day and age and this kind of thing still happenes.

But im glad it is being brought out so hopefully people will address this issue and possible help end this kind of torture..

I hope this girl can get over what happened and go live a normal life... thats the least she deserves..

Anyone here ever read the book "In Search of Enemies" by the former CIA Station Chief for Angola named John Stockwell? Angola once had potential because of its oil wealth. The big oil companies rule the country.

It just proves that we, as a humanity, will never fully lose our barbaric ways. :shk:

Last month Helena was accused by her parents of sickening two of her nieces with evil spells. In retaliation, the bewildered girl says, one of her small hands was burned on a red-hot stove. Her meager possessions, including her clothes, were torched. She was choked. And finally, to destroy her reputation in the community, she was beaten in front of a large crowd. Her mother and elder sisters administered these punishments.


Evil fecking bastards !!! - creatures like that shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets !!!! Lock them away in some foetid dungeon with fifty or sixty rats and that will teach them not to torture a kid !

Originally posted by worldwatcher
that's just plain f'ed up. don't know what else to say...but that is just so wrong...i feel immense sorrow for the girl and her messed up family.

You can say that again. Its incredibly f**ked up!

Originally posted by Cassie Clay


We talk about destroying the Taliban & going into Iraq because we want to protect the human rights of the People and stop abuse. But that's crap. Why aren't we going in and saving these kids? Why doesn't those Christian organizations that always go on about the rights of fetuses and the mercy of Christ go into this country and save those kids and make it a priority?

And as comfortable as we feel in our own country about free speech and freedom of religion, you realize that there are religious fundie nutcases out there that if it wasn't for laws against things like torture and murder would go out & do some "witch-hunting" of their own, don't you?

The reason the US doesnt intervene is because Angola has no resources it wants, and also doesnt pose a threat, also the ruler didnt threaten to kill G W's dad (as Saddam did)... the US doesnt give a # about human right otherwise they would stop things like this happening all over the world...

but thats neither here nor there...

Sadly there are people out there who are superstitious and their countries aent as advanced or priviledge as ours are... I dont blame the parents for this, they are doing ehat they deem as 'appropriate'. Angola isnt a 'modern' country and many of their beliefs and practices would likely imitate ours of centuries ago (i.e witch-hunting) i do blame however the modern, 'rich, western countries that have the power and resources to help to ensure countried like Angola are 'modernised' and that they are given full access to the luxuries we have... unfortunately many o the people 'up top' dont really liek the idea of giving up one of their many porches, or knocking $1million off their $50million incomes... but i guess thats just fair right?

The thing about this topic is that people refuse to take notice. It seems to me, that people in the world push to the side negative topics that not only affect society as we see it today, but humanity in general. It's sad to see how self abosrbed we really are in the western world. It's even sadder to know, that it's not going to change. I'm just really surprised this was brought to attention in some form, if it weren't for this article, I would have gone on suspecting that witch hunts had died out hundreds of years ago. It's the events of one little girl that hopefully changed the minds of one person. As bad as the world is today, that's all that could really be said.

Why doesn't those Christian organizations that always go on about the rights of fetuses and the mercy of Christ go into this country and save those kids and make it a priority?

And as comfortable as we feel in our own country about free speech and freedom of religion, you realize that there are religious fundie nutcases out there that if it wasn't for laws against things like torture and murder would go out & do some "witch-hunting" of their own, don't you?

Funny, I read the article and noticed the little girl was recanting her story from the shelter of a local church.

No, I do not think that "religious fundi nutcases" would do that. Would it be possible that disturbed people might do that? Sure. Disturbed people do disturbing things. Remember a couple of kids killing other kids in their school? Remember them asking kids if they believed in God, and blowing them away when they said yes? I guess you find that to be nothing more than purging the world of those you find undesirable.
I hear you crying about this one case, getting so mad, but I have difficulty recalling such anger from you about the thousands of Christians in Sudan who have been raped, murdered and terrorized because of the fact that they are Christian. I see you are selective about who you'd like to save, too. By the way, what are you? What is your belief? Why don't you and yours swoop in and save the children? What, do you think you're going to invade another country and steal the children? You haven't thought anything through, have you, just had one of those knee-jerk feeling reactions against Christians, right?

Whatever happened to shoving down the Bible down witches/wizards throats?

Never heard of it. Must have been replaced with slaughtering the families of Muslim-converted-to-Christians in front of them so that they will want to revert back to Islam.

Those people are morons.

The whole idea of witchcraft is ludicrous.

I have to disagree with that. Witchcraft is very real.

Its just so sickening to think that someone would do that to a child. Theres really nothing else i can add to this, im just so darned pissed off that people can do that and not think there is anything wrong with it. How the hell can people act like that?!?!? Its bad enough that this is happening to children, but for Gods sake, your OWN children!?!?!? How do these people sleep at night?!?! God this world is screwed up....just think of what those poor children have got to live through, id be surprised if they ever have any faith in this world whatsoever....

I hope the people that did this to them get everything they deserve....i hope they suffer in the way these children have had to suffer, to feel pain and rejection like these children, they arent fit to call themselves human beings. stupid retards!!!!!



[Edited on 29-3-2004 by Thomas Crowne]

Originally posted by specialasianX


Sadly there are people out there who are superstitious and their countries aent as advanced or priviledge as ours are... I dont blame the parents for this, they are doing ehat they deem as 'appropriate'. Angola isnt a 'modern' country and many of their beliefs and practices would likely imitate ours of centuries ago (i.e witch-hunting) i do blame however the modern, 'rich, western countries that have the power and resources to help to ensure countried like Angola are 'modernised' and that they are given full access to the luxuries we have... unfortunately many o the people 'up top' dont really liek the idea of giving up one of their many porches, or knocking $1million off their $50million incomes... but i guess thats just fair right?

Yes, let's blame the west, again, for other countries woes.

I mean, how darned ignorant and stupid does a person have to be to realize that hurting your own children is wrong?!?

How flecking stupid does a person have to be to realize, no, a suitcase can't talk?!?

Why do have have to help them too?? If they could stop killing and raping each other for 5 minutes, maybe their heads would clear a bit.

But, oh no, the evil West, after they pulled out of their colonies, left these poor little countries in such a distraught state, that the people turned to genocide and mass rape as a protest against the evils of European Imperialism.


Stupidity has nothing to do with wealth. If it did, then I would be A #1 King of the Dummies!


[Edited on 29-3-2004 by Thomas Crowne]

Originally posted by moonfairysoul
How do these people sleep at night?!?!

Maybe they can sleep because their Religion tells them it's ok to maim, torture, and kill others in God's name.

I guess cruelty isn't cruelty if God told you to do it...

That's sickenning. Poor childrens...

Science = 1 , Religion = 0

I don't think there's any question as to why this is happening:

Other kimbanderos demand a goat or an aluminum pot from parents in order to identify which son or daughter is a witch. Thus the supply-demand circle is completed.

The Roman Catholic Church did the same thing, generally, in the middle and dark ages. If you have greedy fiends as your religious teachers, you're going to have a huge problem. And these sick-os have targeted children -- an already large expense in a land ravaged by civil war for as long as it was -- and offer a cheaper solution to them: Give me some money, and your kid, and you'll never have to feed them again.

EDIT:
Kind of amusing that it's the Catholic church which is harboring these children today.

[Edited on 3-29-2004 by junglejake]