Northern Territory government to repeal centuries-old witchcraft, tarot card law

The Northern Territory Government is repealing old legislation which makes tarot card reading and witchcraft illegal.

A recent review of the Territory's Summary Offences Act found a centuries-old law citing anyone caught conjuring spells or predicting the future could face one year in prison.

The Witchcraft Act of 1735 has been inherited from Britain and has since been repealed in most other parts of the Western world.

But Northern Territory Attorney-General John Elferink says a legal quirk meant it stayed on the Territory's statute books.

He says a year in prison is a pretty stiff punishment for a tarot card reader and has promised to finally repeal the legislation.

"This legislation was enacted because it was there essentially as a form of consumer protection," he said.

"A person who purported through sorcery or the occult who offered to find lost property or to tell a fortune was considered a person who was essentially a charlatan and a conman.

"If you were convicted of this offence, you were given a mandatory one-year imprisonment and every quarter, you were brought to the market and pilloried for the purpose of people throwing vegetables and such things at you...

...Those in witchcraft and pagan circles say they are glad the law is being thrown out.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-17/northern-territory-to-ditch-their-witchcraft-law/4894086

Quote:


Pity they didn't apply it to those people who write horoscopes. I guess they could always charge them with fraud or something.

Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Aug 17^th, 2013 at 3:46pm:


Harmless?

Rape accused into witchcraft, court told

‘Witch doctor’ guilty of rape

Sex abuse witches Jack Kemp and Peter Petrauske jailed for 32 years


Alleged rape victim told sex would lift curse

Pedophile witch Robin Fletcher battles extended supervision order

http://usminc.org/crime.html

True Colours wrote on Aug 17^th, 2013 at 4:27pm:

Does that make Mohammed a witch?
What's the difference?

True Colours wrote on Aug 17^th, 2013 at 4:27pm:


They are talking about tarot cards and divination however i was talking about horoscopes in that comment. All 3 of those are harmless though.

SOB

Baronvonrort wrote on Aug 21^st, 2013 at 4:14pm:


I would have thought that you would thank Muslims for ridding the world of superstition.

The only country that executes people for witchcraft is Saudi Arabia, and that rarely happens even there. People convicted of witchcraft are usually caught because they were involved in other crimes like rape.