I’ve been accused of using witchcraft
Question:
I have been with my boyfriend for five years. Last Sunday he went to church and the pastor told him that I used witchcraft to bind him to me. He also said that I never loved nor respected my boyfriend. He said that I was using our daughter as a link to bond us even more and that I am a Jezebel who would cause him his death. The pastor told him that I bound him to never leave me, no matter how much he wants to do so. They anointed him with olive oil and he came home acting strange and distant. I did not attend church services that day. I am contemplating leaving him. I backslid years ago because the church put me through emotional turmoil after my dad raped me. I was just getting happy coming back. Now they have caused my partner to doubt his love for me. I really do love him. From high school, he has been there for me. He helped me stop cutting myself. He helped me through my depression when I was going against my father in court and my mom put me out of the house. He gave me a home. The pastor told him he only did these things because of the witchcraft I used on him. I don't know what to do.
Answer:
In regards to your church and its leadership, it sounds like you are attending a charismatic group. These sorts of churches put heavy emphasis on emotions and often ignore the truth. I have noticed over the years that many charismatic leaders are more interested in money and control than truly serving God. They seem to thrive on creating controversy.
- "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep" (II Peter 2:1-3).
- "If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain" (I Timothy 6:3-5).
- "These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage" (Jude 16).
As happened in eras past, such as the Salem Witch Trials, charges of witchcraft are easy to make and they create strong emotional reactions in people -- strong enough that some people never stop to consider the evidence. This church leader is using fear to manipulate your boyfriend. No man knows the future, so his claims that you will cause your boyfriend's death are solely of his own imagination. "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the LORD'" (Jeremiah 23:16).
I'm sorry to hear that you were raped. Such things ought not to happen to anyone. I understand your mother's behavior. She believes she is defending her husband against a false accusation. It is difficult to imagine your own spouse would be involved in such despicable behavior.
But I must mention that you haven't been living a righteous life either. You have been having sex with a man without being married to him. You even brought a child into this world who must face the turmoil of being raised without a father since there is no covenant of marriage binding her mother and father. Your own sins need to be addressed. "Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4).
My recommendation is to leave this false church that you have been a part of and find a church that actually teaches the gospel in purity. To do that, you need to learn your Bible better so that you can distinguish between a true church and a false one. You need to change and stop living with men you are not married to and stop having sex with them. Find a man who loves you and your child and insists on getting married before going to bed with you. Such men are difficult to find, but they are worth the effort.
In regards to the accusations, they are best ignored. They are the empty words of evil men. Live a righteous life that proves the words wrong. "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).
