Why are these individuals seen in a bad light from the scriptures?
Acts 13:6-11, Acts 19:19
Well, what do they practice?
Deception by illusion.
They set out to manipulate, make gain from or deceive humans to their own benefit or that of others.
Who does that remind one of?
Gen 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
Rev 12:9 The huge dragon was hurled down. That ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was hurled down to the earth, along with its angels.
To deceive or beguile or delude or misreckon
Many Bibles also incorrectly attribute the word ‘deceive’ such as these verses, indicating that God is a deceiver:
Ezek 14:9 And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
The actual Hebrew words used here are:
enticed - iphthe – יְפֻתֶּה
Or
I enticed – phthithi – פִּתֵּיתִי
Jer 4:10 Then I said, Ah, Lord GOD, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ whereas the sword has reached their very life.
The actual Hebrew words used here are:
you lured – eshath –הִשֵּׁאתָ
Or
to lure - esha – הַשֵּׁא
If one does ones homework in various Bibles one finds the Hebrew word: deceive is represented as rather the below texts and not the above
Gen 29:25 παρελογίσω- רִמִּיתָנִי – you deceived me
Jos 9:22 παρελογίσασθέ - רִמִּיתֶם - us you deceive
1 Sam 19:17 παρελογίσω- רִמִּיתָנִי – you deceived me
1 Sam 28:12 παρελογίσω- רִמִּיתָנִי – you deceived me
2Sam 19:26 παρελογίσατό - רִמָּנִי – he deceived me
Lam 1:19 παρελογίσαντό - רִמּוּנִי – they deceived me