Why is Latin used in black magic?

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bassmansteiny

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Ok so one thing that has always bothered me is movies that show witches, satanist or etc performing spells or seance in Latin. Is this a deliberate anti-Catholic thing by Hollywood? Do these groups actually perform these things in Latin and why? I’ve read on a thread on here that a Catholic Exorcist stated that the devil hates prayer in Latin.

I think Latin is a beautiful language and hate seeing it used on tv and movies in this fashion. I also noticed they sometimes put the people performing these things in robes similar to what a monk or religious order priest would wear, also disturbing.

This leads me to think it is actually an anti-Catholic agenda rather they realize it or not. Just feeds into other Christian faith communities that think the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon or the Pope is the anti-Christ. Just looking for answers, because this is something that has always bothered me.
 
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I don’t know the real reason. I imagine it’s the Satanist’s way of mocking the Church and I imagine, given the USA’s origins being predominantly 17th and 18th century protestant immigrants, Latin has an exotic, mystical, “anti-Christy” (given how many perceived Catholics at the time) feel that’s persisted that makes it sound like hocus pocus. Plus even in fantasy books (a bit of a tangent, I know) there’s that trope of an old ancient language which has mystical power, and I imagine Latin and itd role throughout Europe serves as the inspiration for that motif.
 
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Wesrock said:
I imagine it’s the Satanist’s way of mocking the Church and I imagine, given the USA’s origins being predominantly 17th and 18th century protestant immigrants, Latin has an exotic, mystical, “anti-Christy” (given how many perceived Catholics at the time and just) feel that’s persisted that makes it sound like hocus pocus.
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An apt simile, since the most commonly speculated etymology I hear for “hocus pocus” is that it derives from the eucharistic words of institution, Hoc est enim corpus meum.
 
Titivillus said:
An apt simile, since the most commonly speculated etymology I hear for “hocus pocus” is that it derives from the eucharistic words of institution, Hoc est enim corpus meum .
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Speculation?

It comes from John Calvin, who was using it to mock Catholic doctrine.
 
The Catholic Church doesn’t have a monopoly on the Latin language. Roman magicians were using Latin before the Catholic Church even existed. Oxford University, which is Anglican, still conducts church services (including sermons) and university ceremonies in Latin. Some examples here:

https://gazette.web.ox.ac.uk/files/encaenia2017-1tono5174pdf

Arguably the use of Latin in magic spells today has more to do with the idea that it is the language of learning than with any religious associations.
 
Because the devil knows that Latin is a sanctified language and he tries to pervert anything sanctified or holy. It’s in his evil nature. He can’t help it.

Like how he perverts the womb and turns it into a graveyard, perverts marriage and turns it into just a legal thing, or how he perverts morality and makes it relativistic.
 
I didn’t mean to infer the Catholic Church had an exclusive right to Latin or anything like that. I know it existed before Christ established the Church. It was a common language of the Roman empire at that time. I know all that.

It’s just that really, other than a few others -Anglican- the Catholic Church is still the one that uses it the most these days - as far as I know, and most people I believe associated with the Church. That is why I was wondering why Hollywood uses the Latin language in spells and etc in the movies and tv. Is it meant to be disparaging? Or am I’m just overthinking it? That was the basis of my question, not to insult anyone. Just something I’ve been wondering about for a long time and finally decided to ask others that may be able to give some insight 😉
 
Certainly there are things in literature and popular culture that were intended to be anti-Catholic. For example, in vampire literature there are things like vampires being repelled by the consecrated host or a crucifix. But in the case of magic I think a large part of it is also the idea that magicians were supposed to be wise or learned men. If you take the Harry Potter books, for example, J.K. Rowling used Latin for her spells, and that wasn’t because she was anti-Catholic, or even very interested in Catholicism, but because she had studied for a degree in classics.
 
Interesting, thank you. It gives me something to think about.
 
Londoner said:
But in the case of magic I think a large part of it is also the idea that magicians were supposed to be wise or learned men
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Learned enough for Latin, but too plebeian to use Greek . . .

🤣:crazy_face:😱
 
dochawk said:
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Titivillus:
An apt simile, since the most commonly speculated etymology I hear for “hocus pocus” is that it derives from the eucharistic words of institution, Hoc est enim corpus meum .
Click to expand...
Speculation?
Click to expand...

🤷‍♂️
 
My Protestant theology professors were quite insistent, and actually graphed the shifts . . . (the next semester, I ended up at breakfast with a gal from the class, and she asked how it had affected my faith . . . I mentioned that the course strengthen it, but hers was shaken . . . but then, she was Protestant 😱🤔
 
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