Witchcraft – which craft?
You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. (2 Sam 22,29)
Some years ago my daughter who then was just 19 travelled to the middle of Africa to stay there for a year and experience a new culture and meeting new people. But she had an internet connection and could communicate with her parents in Norway by e-mail.
Some days after she had arrived at her town, we got a message telling: Oh, this is an exciting place, they believe in witchcraft!
Yes, they believe in witchcraft. Even in 2013 old women and children are imprisoned some places in the world suspected of bringing about diseases, accidents, disasters and death. What cannot be explained in other ways will find its deeper reason in the witchcraft of evil people.
It happened also in Europe during the 17th and 16th century. Even in Norway many women died at the stake accused for witchcraft. The reality of witchcraft was a part of our culture. Today we recognize that idea as a dark spot of our history, and I hope this idea will not return dressed in other costumes.
Many traditional Norwegian fairytales tell about the trolls, the evil giants, living in the darkness inside the mountains. By night they might come out making life dangerous for people, especially young Norwegian blondes with long hair. But the trolls have to return to the inside of the mountains again before sunrise. If a troll is hit by a sunbeam, it will explode and disappear. The fairytales in this way tell a deep truth. Some ideas cannot exist anymore when our mind is enlightened, and ideas about trolls and witchcraft will melt and evaporate.
According to the text of the Old Testament in the Bible already king David experienced that his fear disappeared in the light coming from his Lord, and he could sing out: You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
The confession of King David is related to the experience of the Norwegian fairy tales, but his words have a wider scope. He is not talking about the sun of our solar system, but about the lamp of the Universe. It has the craft to enlighten every soul and to make all ideas about witchcraft fade away.
He commanded the light into existence in the very first day and gave every man the ability to receive it.
You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. Ancient words for modern man.
No comments:
Post a Comment