But then, you are only rebelling yourself against the social factors that determine the meaning of words. Magick is not synonymous with sinful/rebellious behavior. We define it the latter. Period. Come back when society has turned around to changing the dictionary to your liking, then you’ve got a case.
Right now, it doesn’t sound like you fully grasp what me and Iron Donkey are saying. Thoughts do not cause ‘magic’ any more than they give us mutant powers.
P.S.
May I also add that rebellion itself is a semantically loose word. It’s not sinful, especially when Christians were rebels in their own right.
What, because I haven’t said that I agree with you, you think I don’t grasp what you are saying? lol
There are different schools of thought on magick. Just like there are different opinions on the effects of prayer.
Pagans and Occultists have their own individual views. Similar perhaps to how different Christians view prayer. What happens when we pray? Does God move Heaven and Earth to accommodate our needs? I’d like to think so, if the situation calls for such drastic measures.
Some Christians have a different view. They think that prayer simply changes US. Those who pray are given the Grace of God to face their problems. Or perhaps God’s power is limited to guiding us in wisdom to know how to face the situation. Miracles only come in the form of wisdom and guidance.
Other Christians are more like atheists when it comes to believing in prayer. They think that the only benefit of prayer is psychological. Those who pray (and meditate), gain self confidence to face their problems.
I have encountered people who practice magick that fall into each of these three categories. There are some who think the benefits of casting spells is purely psychological, and they do it to simply fool themselves into believing they can take care of the problem on their own.
I think both prayer and magick contain elements of all three possibilities. Which is why I say that the evil of magick has to be what the scriptures say; that it is evil when done in a manner that is in rebellion against God. (Not to be confused with other forms of rebellion, like against unjust authorities…) The covenant that the Jews had with God in the OT forbid them to practice any of the rituals from the religions of the nations in Canaan. So to break these laws was rebellion against God.
I just find it easier to identify rebellion against God as evil, (which includes many practices of witchcraft), instead of considering magick as evil, then trying to determine what it is (and worrying if you accidentally practiced magick without knowing it!)