Article April 5, 2010 Issue

WITCHCRAFT AND THE PRAYER THAT DESTROYS IT

BY MAKENGO MA PULULU

The concept of good and evil has been discussed for centuries in the churches and traditions of the peoples of the world. It is discussed throughout the Bible, too, which makes clear that God is the source of good, not evil. As it says in the book of Jeremiah, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (29:11).

Witchcraft in Africa is considered today as the abuse of trained thought in a wrong direction. It is believed that children as well as adults can be trained in witchcraft to harm others. They even work against the welfare of an entire community. A person can willingly acquire such knowledge, but someone also might be unaware of being trained in that direction.

One may ask what influences are at work in witchcraft and how to handle them through prayer in Christian Science. Can prayer help solve the problem of witchcraft? There is a great need for practical prayer nowadays. Christian Science gives a fair answer to that question because its teachings show that Christianity as Jesus Christ taught it—when clearly understood and consistently practiced—destroys evil influences.