Magic is evil: How can we know this?

[rayne100]

The novels including Lord of the Rings were written by J.R.R. Tolkien, not C.S. Lewis. Tolkien was definitely Catholic.

I don’t know that you can say the novels are “Catholic” or not. Interesting question.

My mistake, sorry, it has been a very hectic day, I seem to have confused the authors…sorry

I don’t necessarily agree that they can be "catholic or not either, but they certainly reflect some Catholic morals and mirror some teachings.

 

[rayne100]

Thanks for the replies much appreciated , Lord of the rings is by Tolkein yes by the way ( a personal favourite ) , I was particularly wondering about the gaming side of it as it’s still something I get the odd invite to do . Thanks again for the help

Gaming in and of itself is not evil. I don’t believe that Dungeons and Dragons is evil either. The magic in that is not actual spells that are incanted or anything, you just say, I throw a lightning bolt at the troll and then you have to roll the dice to see if it takes affect.
I don’t see any harm in it.

 

[rpp]

WHAT!!! :bigyikes: Where did this come from??? You’re talking on and on about realms that don’t belong to us and demonic spirits who disguise themselves with Ba’al-like stuff and how we can’t trust it and all, and then… You say God granted mystics the power to communicate with spirits of the dead?

Well now, don’t nearly all true practitioners of magic claim to be mystics (the one or two who I’ve met at least)? Are they justified?

You better defend yourself here, cause I never heard *anyone *say that certain people have been allowed into the magical/spiritual domain as a GIFT from God! From what I’ve heard so far it’s a sin.

When he said “mystic”, I think he was referring to mystics in the Church. People like St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Therese of Avila, Blessed Anne Katherine Emmerich, even St. Francis of Assisi. These are people who, through the grace of God, had various visions or mystical experiences. Some had visions of Hell, others has the experience of mystical ecstasy. There are saints that had the gift of levitation

These people had no control of these, could not direct them. They did not invoke the power of God, they were just an instrument God used to convey a message to us. They had all reached a state of great personal hoiliness before the experiences started. Some only had one experience, others had many.

These modern witches, wizards, soothsayers and magicians have stolen and co-opted the word “mystic” to refer to their own profane practices.

 

[I_A]

WHAT!!! :bigyikes: Where did this come from??? You’re talking on and on about realms that don’t belong to us and demonic spirits who disguise themselves with Ba’al-like stuff and how we can’t trust it and all, and then… You say God granted mystics the power to communicate with spirits of the dead?

Well now, don’t nearly all true practitioners of magic claim to be mystics (the one or two who I’ve met at least)? Are they justified?

You better defend yourself here, cause I never heard *anyone *say that certain people have been allowed into the magical/spiritual domain as a GIFT from God! From what I’ve heard so far it’s a sin.

Saint Padre Pio regularly conversed with the souls in purgatory. More souls in purgatory came to visit him than church militant.

St. John Bosco among other things was taken to the extremities of hell.

Mysticism is much much different than magic. Just because both deal with the spiritual doesn’t mean they are the same. Its like saying oranges and rocks are the same because you can swallow both. You can take both of them into your body but they are of different natures are from different things and have different results.

Edit: Not all mystics encounter the divine in the same way. Mysticism is much much more than a one time experience of God. Mysticism is a foretaste of heaven a special union with God. Sometimes God gives those people special duties.

About mysticism I suggest that same link as before:
podcast.catholictelevision.org/totf.php
except a different episode, season 2 episode 2, Mysticism

 

[Kitty_Chan]

Couple of thoughts

It was a while back and I can find the official time but “modern” magicians distanced themselves from the black arts and only speak of themselves as entertainers.

Psychics can be duplicated by magicians with skill and practice.

Alot of magic can duplicate what we think is a supernatural event. Look at ole David Blaine for example, hes talented but not possesed in the traditional sense of the word.

so what would be the difference? perhaps its the ***intent ***of magic? to fool? for what purpose? to think? to entertain?

to deceive?

 

[Church_Militant]

Shidoshi Stephen K. Hayes of the Togakure Ryu Ninjas says many times in his books that the Ninja used (and use) science to create the impression of magic to induce fear and a sense of the supernatural in their enemies. It made perfect sense. “Ninja Magic”

 

[Gamera]

All magic and occult practice is evil, yes.

Fantasy is make-believe. It isn’t a sin to read or watch or play fantasy entertainment in which magic can be good, because hello, it’s fantasy. You don’t have to watch “Harry Potter” and boo the protagonists for using magic because in their fantasy universe it isn’t wrong to do so. The fact that their universe isn’t ours is what makes it fantasy. When people start trying to use magic here in the real world, that’s when they are sinning.