Ontario man charged with practicing witchcraft... - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

FlamesAddiction · 09-15-2010, 02:40 PM

Or more accurately, he is charged with fraud for "pretending" to practice witchcraft.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...itchcraft.html

Now, I am not an atheist, although I don't subscribe to a template organized religion either, but why couldn't such charges also extend to other religions? I mean, none of them can prove that they are not selling snake oil? (Not that I think all of them are, but it is impossible to prove).

Boblobla · 09-15-2010, 02:43 PM

BUUUURN HIM

troutman · 09-15-2010, 02:45 PM

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNew.../15325476.html

Romania's Senate has rejected a proposed law that would have taxed witches and fortune tellers.

And the politician who pushed the plan said his colleagues caved because many of them feared being cursed.

nik- · 09-15-2010, 02:47 PM

Did you seriously miss the point of the charges that badly that you are posting this thread as a religious gripe?

edit: no you couldn't have since you mentioned it in your post. I don't know why the second part of your post is even included.

SeeBass · 09-15-2010, 02:47 PM

I would think it would be difficult to give an opinion on if this is a justified charge without knowing what he was charging people for and if there is any harm to others and that is something we dont know...yet.

As far as your question, that is a country I would not want to live in.

IliketoPuck · 09-15-2010, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutman

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNew.../15325476.html

Romania's Senate has rejected a proposed law that would have taxed witches and fortune tellers.

And the politician who pushed the plan said his colleagues caved because many of them feared being cursed.

Dealt with! ahaha...

To Be Quite Honest · 09-15-2010, 02:48 PM

Is this him?

Locke · 09-15-2010, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutman

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNew.../15325476.html

Romania's Senate has rejected a proposed law that would have taxed witches and fortune tellers.

And the politician who pushed the plan said his colleagues caved because many of them feared being cursed.

Oh Romania...what a country!

photon · 09-15-2010, 02:51 PM

I guess it's a fine line.. if you take people's money and do something in exchange that you honestly think might have some effect (but actually doesn't) then it's ok, but if you take people's money and don't actually do the thing you claimed you would do then it's illegal.

I.e. maybe the guy was charging for something but they found he was actually just taking the money and then turning on the TV and watching the game instead of reading tea leaves or brewing a potion or whatever he claimed he would do.

Or maybe he just forgot to put the "For Enterntainment Purposes" disclaimer that psychics use to get around false advertising claims?

photon · 09-15-2010, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nik-

Did you seriously miss the point of the charges that badly that you are posting this thread as a religious gripe?

edit: no you couldn't have since you mentioned it in your post. I don't know why the second part of your post is even included.

Did you miss the word "other"? Wicca is a religion, why is that religion being held to a standard that others are not was the question.

BurningYears · 09-15-2010, 02:57 PM

For some reason I thought this was about warcraft when I first saw the thread.
But back on topic a witch, I cant believe I actually thought Sarah Jessica Parker was hot in any form but alas

check out those brows

FlamesAddiction · 09-15-2010, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

I guess it's a fine line.. if you take people's money and do something in exchange that you honestly think might have some effect (but actually doesn't) then it's ok, but if you take people's money and don't actually do the thing you claimed you would do then it's illegal.

I.e. maybe the guy was charging for something but they found he was actually just taking the money and then turning on the TV and watching the game instead of reading tea leaves or brewing a potion or whatever he claimed he would do.

Or maybe he just forgot to put the "For Enterntainment Purposes" disclaimer that psychics use to get around false advertising claims?

That's true. There could have been something like that happening.

Although according to the law:

Quote:

The law against 'pretending to practise witchcraft'

Quote:

Everyone who fraudulently:

(a) pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration,

(b) undertakes, for a consideration, to tell fortunes, or

(c) pretends from his skill in or knowledge of an occult or crafty science to discover where or in what manner anything that is supposed to have been stolen or lost may be found,
is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
(Source: Section 365 of Canada's Criminal Code

Part A applies to just about any religion. Isn't transubstantiation like conjuring? Isn't blessing like "enchanting"? I am sure other mainstream religion have similar things.

Again, I am not saying that mainstream religions should be targeted.

troutman · 09-15-2010, 03:12 PM

How could any "telling of fortunes" not be fraudulent?

photon · 09-15-2010, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Part A applies to just about any religion. Isn't transubstantiation like conjuring? Isn't blessing like "enchanting"? I am sure other mainstream religion have similar things.

I guess pretends is the key word there.. if you honestly think what you are doing is effective, then isn't not pretending.

That's why I figured there was something to prove that he was pretending.. like he was supposed to do something but didn't even own the materials to do it, or was selling a potion and they have a video of him pouring Red Bull into a vial, etc..