Is Folk Magic bad in itself or not?

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Is it considered evil?

I wanted to ask because from what I’ve heard ‘folk magic’ (or whatever actual name is used for that) is in the sense of solely aiming to achieve practical results using ‘unseen laws of reality’ rather than worship other deities/things necessarily?

The one as defined which used to be practiced by English Cunningmen and other people in history apparently. Nothing related to the ‘new age’ stuff and anything to do with ‘other deities’ necessarily as mentioned, just practical results?

If so is it venial or mortal? Apparently it was a trend in Christian societies ranging from Spain to the U.K.
 
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Of course it is bad. Do you have access to the catechism?
 
MonasticKnight said:
Is it considered evil?

I wanted to ask because from what I’ve heard ‘folk magic’ (or whatever actual name is used for that) is in the sense of solely aiming to achieve practical results using ‘unseen laws of reality’ rather than worship other deities/things necessarily?

The one as defined which used to be practiced by English Cunningmen and other people in history apparently. Nothing related to the ‘new age’ stuff and anything to do with ‘other deities’ necessarily as mentioned, just practical results?

If so is it venial or mortal? Apparently it was a trend in Christian societies ranging from Spain to the U.K.
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Yes, all ‘magic’ is against the Law of God. And therefore, His Church
 
Folk magic is part of the occult. By definition, it is a supernatural thing that does not come from God. Therefore, it is to be rejected.
 
For any pre-Christian pagan the culpability of dabbling in magical arts would be greatly reduced. The reason magic is bad is because it is searching for some form of supernatural or mysterious aid apart from God, and God is the source of everything good. God isn’t a genie or a font to tap into for favors. He’s our Father.

Also, demons love to take advantage of the human curiosity for hidden powers because this can distract us from searching for God.
 
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magic
noun
  1. the power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.
miracle
noun
  1. an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency.
 
Are you trying to equate magic and miracles from God together?
 
Magic does exist in many forms. But all magic is against the Lords teachings. Stay away from it please.

As our local priest would say.

You all signed up to be a Catholic so stick to the rules. It’s that simple really.
 
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MonasticKnight said:
Is it considered evil?

I wanted to ask because from what I’ve heard ‘folk magic’ (or whatever actual name is used for that) is in the sense of solely aiming to achieve practical results using ‘unseen laws of reality’ rather than worship other deities/things necessarily?

The one as defined which used to be practiced by English Cunningmen and other people in history apparently. Nothing related to the ‘new age’ stuff and anything to do with ‘other deities’ necessarily as mentioned, just practical results?

If so is it venial or mortal? Apparently it was a trend in Christian societies ranging from Spain to the U.K.
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Magic
Catholic theology defines magic as the art of performing actions beyond the power of man with the aid of powers other than the Divine, and condemns it and any attempt at it as a grievous sin against the virtue of religion, because all magical performances, if undertaken seriously, are based on the expectation of interference by demons or lost souls. Even if undertaken out of curiosity the performance of a magical ceremony is sinful as it either proves a lack of faith or is a vain superstition. The Catholic Church admits in principle the possibility of interference in the course of nature by spirits other than God, whether good or evil, but never without God’s permission. As to the frequency of such interference especially by malignant agencies at the request of man, she observes the utmost reserve.
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Arendzen, J. (1911). Occult Art, Occultism. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11197b.htm
 
MonasticKnight said:
I wanted to ask because from what I’ve heard ‘folk magic’ (or whatever actual name is used for that) is in the sense of solely aiming to achieve practical results using ‘unseen laws of reality’ rather than worship other deities/things necessarily?
Click to expand...
If they are not worshiping or invoking other beings but just trying to exploit what they think is natural law then it is not magic. Really badly informed science, perhaps, but not magic. They are doing things they think are within the power of man.

This is actually the situation people in Isaac Newton’s time were in. A lot of the studies they pursued then seem mystical to us now, but seemed reasonable paths of inquiry then. It was widely believed, for instance, that a drum made of lamb skin would not make a sound in the presence of a drum made of wolf skin. This was not magic, it was falsely believed to be a natural property of objects known as Sympathies and Antipathies.
 
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Magic is evil. Any attempt to do magic is sinful. However:
Inquiry said:
If they are not worshiping or invoking other beings but just trying to exploit what they think is natural law then it is not magic. Really badly informed science, perhaps, but not magic. They are doing things they think are within the power of man.
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This.

Also: ignorance can reduce culpability. People who don’t understand what they’re trying to do may not be guilty of sin, or may have reduced guilt.
 
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