Religion
Related: About this forumI just noticed that this forum keeps on ignoring a vital topic: magic!
Why is it that we always discuss "religion vs science"?
Why don't we discuss "religion vs magic"?
Oh, now you might say that they are identical, but they are not:
* In religion, the god has the power to influence the world and the believer does not. It always comes back to convincing the god (e.g. via prayers and sacrifices) to help you.
* Whereas in magic, the believer himself is a wielder of the powers who influence the world. He does not depend on the goodwill of a god: The believer himself can do what a god can do, and whenever he decides to do so.
Magic is right there between religion and science! So how come nobody is arguing about whether religion or magic are correct?
Cartoonist
(7,309 posts)Turn Trump into a toad if it does.
atreides1
(16,064 posts)Bretton Garcia
(970 posts)Response to Bretton Garcia (Reply #4)
marylandblue This message was self-deleted by its author.
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)and stick pins in him until he resigns.
Bretton Garcia
(970 posts)They've thought for a long time that the original or Ur religion, was animism; the belief that what makes nature work,.move, were invisible spirits,.pushing, animating things.
So we got the idea of praying to, saying incantations to,. an invisible spirit, to heal our sick grandmother. Or asking the holy spirit it to do this or that. To give us the power to walk on water.
Or to exorcise evil spirits.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)They're so afraid of it, they won't let their kids read Harry Potter.
Major Nikon
(36,818 posts)Otherwise young minds can start conflating the delusions.
Unauthorized magic has always been a competing interest with organized religion. Thats why witches and mages were BBQed in the town square.
NeoGreen
(4,031 posts)...
NeoGreen
(4,031 posts)...
(with Muppets)
Original:
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)...had to share/spread the earworm...my bad.
Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)Your pun was not unnoticed...
Pope George Ringo II
(1,896 posts)How did the universe happen? Magic.
Who did it? A wizard of some sort.
What do we do when we want something? Perform a ritual asking an (usually) evil spirit for supernatural intercession.
Besides prayer, another type of magic where the caster doesn't actually power the results would be any kind of summoning where the creature does the summoner's bidding, perhaps in exchange for something.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)However the church did not like such talk as magic was seen as something dangerous and corruptible by the devil.
In hindsight it's kinda funny to read how fervently and passionate the scholars back then argued back and forth about magic and prayers and astrology and the human mind and soul. How fervently and passionate they made arguments without any evidence to back them up.
Pope George Ringo II
(1,896 posts)Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)Religion taps mountain. Casts Lightning Bolt.
Bretton Garcia
(970 posts)Giving their gifts to Jesus. Their name, root of our "magician," was Persian, Farsi, for all kinds of wise men. In the days of Jesus, they were often somewhere between magicians, witches, and scientists; playing around with chemicals and medical " potions."
Eventually these early, half-scientific, magical investigations, split apart; into real science. And bullshit. Or. .. religion.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Or philosophy vs. science.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)...I've rarely seen philosophy and science opposed.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)Science is based on certain philosophical teachings, such as there existing laws of nature and there existing a truth that can discerned via experiments and the human being able to conduct such experiments...