The Darker Side
Curses and 'negative' prayers have been a part of both ancient and modern paganism - although they have been often the topic of debate, they have always been at the margins of practice from Greco-Roman curse tablets to Celtic curse stones to modern curses. Curses and negative prayers (here defined as asking a deity to harm someone, enact justice on someone, or prevent them from doing something) have often been defended as tool of justice used by those who have been harmed and the oppressed. Thrèsé Taylor comes to this conclusion in her article Faith and Curses (found in Everything You Know About God Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Religion):
Curses, ultimately offer some hope of justice. ... When we purge all mention of curses, malediction, and harm from religion we are left with lofty ideals that don't quite correspond with life.
So in this week's Pagan Prompt I ask:
Are curses and/or negative prayers ever justified?
If you feel they are justified, under what conditions would you conduct a curse or negative prayer? Have you ever conducted a curse or negative prayer (and if you feel like it - what was the situation)?
If you feel curses or negative prayers are never justified what would you say to someone thinking of conducting a negative prayer or casting a curse on someone after being seriously harmed by someone?