Alleged UKZN 'zombie' killer appears in court

Alleged UKZN 'zombie' killer appears in court:

Zondi, a BCom student was found burning in the bushes outside the campus after his girlfriend reported missing on October, 10.

Concerned students launched a search after Nzimande had allegedlyntimated killing him because he believed that Zondi had bewitched him.

In a video circulated on social media the accused friend is seen confessing to the murder, saying he had to burn him because he was a zombie

Six Tanzanian children killed 'for body parts' - BBC News

Six Tanzanian children killed 'for body parts' - BBC News:

Six children in south-western Tanzania have been killed and had their ears and teeth removed, the authorities say.

Some of the bodies of the children, aged between two and nine years old, were also missing limbs.

"This is all about superstitious beliefs and many believe they will get help from witchcraft," Njombe District Commissioner Ruth Msafiri said.

Police have detained one suspect, a close relative of three of the children who were from the same family.

Ten children in all have gone missing in Njombe since the beginning of December and four have been found alive.

India 'witch hunters' kill mother and four children - BBC News

India 'witch hunters' kill mother and four children - BBC News:

Police in India are searching for more suspects in connection with the murder of a woman and her four children who were accused of being "witches".

Six people in the eastern state of Orissa have already been arrested, but police believe more people were involved in the crime.

The bodies of Mangri Munda and her children were found in a well near their home on 26 January.

Two Jesuits on the religious history behind witches, magic and Halloween | America Magazine

Two Jesuits on the religious history behind witches, magic and Halloween | America Magazine:

The historical witch hunt that people usually have in mind is not medieval; it is a little more recent than that. When we think of the witches who were burned or prosecuted, we are talking about something that emerges in the 15th century and lasts until the end of the 18th century.

In this period, a witch was defined as a person who made a pact with the devil. The pact was usually sealed by sexual intercourse with the devil, and witches formed a community of evildoers, gathering regularly at so-called sabbats. The pacts are what made their evil so powerful.

Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah

Interview with Yuval Harari- Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah | The Book of Doctrines and Opinions::

The Talmud is chock-full of magic and ways to ward off demons. Rabbi Hai Gaon claimed that the belief in demons was widespread in the Babylonian academy of Sura as a continuity of the ancient magic of Babylonia court of Nebuchadnezzar, a world filled with spirits who inhabited the air, the trees, water, roofs of houses, and privies.

The Talmud taught that are invisible. “If the eye could see them no one could endure them. They surround one on all sides. They are more numerous than humans, each person has a thousand on his left and ten thousand on his right”. Yet, if you want to see them, “bring the tail of a first born black cat, that is the daughter of a first born black cat. Burn it in fire, grind it up, fill your eyes with the ashes and then you will see them.” (Ber. 6a). This topic has not been given the attention it deserves.

News - South Africa: Woman tells of trauma of muthi claims

News - South Africa: Woman tells of trauma of muthi claims: "Vusi Sixikixa 19 Monwabisi Jali 25 and Sonwabile 'Sbhamu' Qhosha 24 have appeared in court charged with the murders. The case was postponed to May 8. 'Of course the lies are spread by people who know what they are doing. But it doesn t stop ordinary people from believing them ' said Dlongolo. 'It is very sad. If human parts were found in my tavern freezer why was I not arrested and charged I asked people to produce the body parts and tell me what had been done with them. No one has come forward and yet the rumours keep getting worse. 'If I was really a mastermind why have those boys who confessed to the murders not implicated me The police are under pressure to arrest the killers and they would have jailed me and announced they had caught the big fish.' '"

Morehead's Musings

Morehead's Musings: "I recently became aware of a new scholarly translation of the infamous Malleus Maleficarum by Dr. Christopher Mackay of the University of Alberta."