I. Introduction
II. Personal Beliefs
III. Thread Subject Disclaimer
IV. Personal History w. Performing & Religion.
V. Multi Angle Review of Magic and Religion.
VI. Closing Thoughts.
I. Introduction
There was another thread (still open I believe) that was questioning the proper effects to use during a production of a magic show for a Christian church audience. In this thread I had given some loose ideas with my usual darker shade of comical cynicism when I drew the attention and fire from another of our forum members whom I can only assume to be highly offended by my jokes with regards to religion.
This actually got me thinking about the subject and I figured since Gospel Magic (although niche) is a very real aspect of our industry, and since this forum is all about growing in magic, I figured there will be people who would want to seriously persue this venue for what ever reason. So, I did some research online, drafted a quick six point outline, and typed up this short essay. I hope you will find it informative, impartial, and educational.
II. Personal Beliefs
I must point out that I, myself, am at current an atheist, swear to god! I do not agree with the churches current agenda, their outdated viewpoints on women, homosexuality, and respect to other religions, or the wide spread bigotry and hypocracy found in the common church scene. I believe that religion is a personal choice, and one each person must make for themselves from much review of all, if not as much of the current information that they can learn from as possible. Jaded, and cynical as my personal views are I do not however begrudge anyone for their beliefs (when it is time to be serious) so long as they can be respectful to others as well. (including mine.) For the most part I try to avoid this subject in mixed company at all cost due to the level of unpleasant conversation that it inevitably brings.
III. Thread Subject Disclaimer
This thread, having originated out of the desire to discuss a subject of magic within a venue that I don’t normally associate with is for mature debate only. My personal opinions, view points, and theological beliefs are not open for discussion or debate. Please direct all hate mail, concern, jabs, retorts, and replies to the aformentioned matter to my personal message box. From there I will be more than glad to discuss what ever with who ever that I wish. I don’t want to sound like a Diva here, but I certainly don’t want this to degrade into a religion bashing thread. That isn’t what this thread is about.
IV, Personal History with Religion and Gospel Magic
Performing for a church audience and the subject mater that will be important to those in these congregations is something I know quite a lot about. I grew up in a non denominational church with obvious catholic heritage. I stayed a member of this church through my teen years, attended confirmation class, and was confirmed shortly before leaving the congregation. I was highly active in the non denominational Christian youth group “Young Life” through my high school years and converted of my own choice to a charismatic Christian fundamentalism cult when I was sixteen. I stayed active in that church involving myself with ministry through dramatic, song, dance, and of course gospel magic performances until I left for college at the age of eighteen. At the age of fourteen I was placed in the adult bible study class because my questions and understanding of the theological beliefs that was the foundation behind our churches faith surpassed the ability of my young Sunday school teacher. I share this not to toot my own horn, or boast about my experiences, but as a way of reassuring you the reader that I know a little bit about the subject I’m going to write about.
IV. A Multi Angle Review of Magic and Religion
Traditional Christian groups have looked down upon the use of magic for ages. Most faiths consider the use of magic to go against God’s first commandment. Naturally the art of illusion is not the same as the act of spell weaving, charms, hexes, and curses (although I’ll put as much faith in those as I do in organized religion). Most main stream religious groups will understand this difference and accept it. However there are some groups out there, usually fundamentalist in nature, that will hotly protest of using even illusions to teach Gods word. They’ll cite Second Timothy and say that deceit is lying, and lying is a sin unto God. There is no winning with some people.
Before I go to much into more detail about Gospel Magic, I want to focus more on the roots of where this rift with magic and the church came from. If for nothing else than the sake of understanding and enlightenment. Magic was viewed with suspicion by Christianity from the time of the Church fathers. It was, however, never completely settled whether there may be permissible practicies, e.g. involving relics or holy water as opposed to blasphemous necromancy (nigromantia) involving the invocation of demons (goetia). The distinction became particularly pointed and controversial during the Early Modern witch-hunts, with some learned authors such as Johannes Hartlieb denouncing all magical practice as blasphemous, while others portrayed natural magic as not sinful.
The position taken by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, one of the foremost Renaissance magicians, is notoriously ambiguous. The character of Faustus, likely based on a historical 16th century magician or charlatan, became the prototypical popular tale of a learned magician who succumbs to blasphemy (pact with the devil).
The current Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses divination and magic under the heading of the First Commandment
It is careful to allow for the possibility of divinely inspired prophecy, but rejects "all forms of divination":
(2116) All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
The section on "practices of magic or sorcery" is less absolute, specifying "attempts to tame occult powers" in order to "have supernatural power over others". Such are denounced as "gravely contrary to the virtue of religion", notably avoiding a statement on whether such attempts can have any actual effect (that is, attempts to employ occult practices are identified as violating the First Commandment because they in themselves betray a lack of faith, and not because they may or may not result in the desired effect).
The Catechism expresses skepticism towards widespread practices of folk Catholicism without outlawing them explicitly:
(2117) [...] Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulit
(To Be Continued)
II. Personal Beliefs
III. Thread Subject Disclaimer
IV. Personal History w. Performing & Religion.
V. Multi Angle Review of Magic and Religion.
VI. Closing Thoughts.
I. Introduction
There was another thread (still open I believe) that was questioning the proper effects to use during a production of a magic show for a Christian church audience. In this thread I had given some loose ideas with my usual darker shade of comical cynicism when I drew the attention and fire from another of our forum members whom I can only assume to be highly offended by my jokes with regards to religion.
This actually got me thinking about the subject and I figured since Gospel Magic (although niche) is a very real aspect of our industry, and since this forum is all about growing in magic, I figured there will be people who would want to seriously persue this venue for what ever reason. So, I did some research online, drafted a quick six point outline, and typed up this short essay. I hope you will find it informative, impartial, and educational.
II. Personal Beliefs
I must point out that I, myself, am at current an atheist, swear to god! I do not agree with the churches current agenda, their outdated viewpoints on women, homosexuality, and respect to other religions, or the wide spread bigotry and hypocracy found in the common church scene. I believe that religion is a personal choice, and one each person must make for themselves from much review of all, if not as much of the current information that they can learn from as possible. Jaded, and cynical as my personal views are I do not however begrudge anyone for their beliefs (when it is time to be serious) so long as they can be respectful to others as well. (including mine.) For the most part I try to avoid this subject in mixed company at all cost due to the level of unpleasant conversation that it inevitably brings.
III. Thread Subject Disclaimer
This thread, having originated out of the desire to discuss a subject of magic within a venue that I don’t normally associate with is for mature debate only. My personal opinions, view points, and theological beliefs are not open for discussion or debate. Please direct all hate mail, concern, jabs, retorts, and replies to the aformentioned matter to my personal message box. From there I will be more than glad to discuss what ever with who ever that I wish. I don’t want to sound like a Diva here, but I certainly don’t want this to degrade into a religion bashing thread. That isn’t what this thread is about.
IV, Personal History with Religion and Gospel Magic
Performing for a church audience and the subject mater that will be important to those in these congregations is something I know quite a lot about. I grew up in a non denominational church with obvious catholic heritage. I stayed a member of this church through my teen years, attended confirmation class, and was confirmed shortly before leaving the congregation. I was highly active in the non denominational Christian youth group “Young Life” through my high school years and converted of my own choice to a charismatic Christian fundamentalism cult when I was sixteen. I stayed active in that church involving myself with ministry through dramatic, song, dance, and of course gospel magic performances until I left for college at the age of eighteen. At the age of fourteen I was placed in the adult bible study class because my questions and understanding of the theological beliefs that was the foundation behind our churches faith surpassed the ability of my young Sunday school teacher. I share this not to toot my own horn, or boast about my experiences, but as a way of reassuring you the reader that I know a little bit about the subject I’m going to write about.
IV. A Multi Angle Review of Magic and Religion
Traditional Christian groups have looked down upon the use of magic for ages. Most faiths consider the use of magic to go against God’s first commandment. Naturally the art of illusion is not the same as the act of spell weaving, charms, hexes, and curses (although I’ll put as much faith in those as I do in organized religion). Most main stream religious groups will understand this difference and accept it. However there are some groups out there, usually fundamentalist in nature, that will hotly protest of using even illusions to teach Gods word. They’ll cite Second Timothy and say that deceit is lying, and lying is a sin unto God. There is no winning with some people.
Before I go to much into more detail about Gospel Magic, I want to focus more on the roots of where this rift with magic and the church came from. If for nothing else than the sake of understanding and enlightenment. Magic was viewed with suspicion by Christianity from the time of the Church fathers. It was, however, never completely settled whether there may be permissible practicies, e.g. involving relics or holy water as opposed to blasphemous necromancy (nigromantia) involving the invocation of demons (goetia). The distinction became particularly pointed and controversial during the Early Modern witch-hunts, with some learned authors such as Johannes Hartlieb denouncing all magical practice as blasphemous, while others portrayed natural magic as not sinful.
The position taken by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, one of the foremost Renaissance magicians, is notoriously ambiguous. The character of Faustus, likely based on a historical 16th century magician or charlatan, became the prototypical popular tale of a learned magician who succumbs to blasphemy (pact with the devil).
The current Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses divination and magic under the heading of the First Commandment
It is careful to allow for the possibility of divinely inspired prophecy, but rejects "all forms of divination":
(2116) All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
The section on "practices of magic or sorcery" is less absolute, specifying "attempts to tame occult powers" in order to "have supernatural power over others". Such are denounced as "gravely contrary to the virtue of religion", notably avoiding a statement on whether such attempts can have any actual effect (that is, attempts to employ occult practices are identified as violating the First Commandment because they in themselves betray a lack of faith, and not because they may or may not result in the desired effect).
The Catechism expresses skepticism towards widespread practices of folk Catholicism without outlawing them explicitly:
(2117) [...] Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulit
(To Be Continued)
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