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If the bible opposes the practice of magic does this mean its claims of "magic" are literally real (as opposed to metaphorically)?

If so, is there scientific proof of the existence of "magic"? Is there an explanation of what "magic" is in the first place?

rpeg
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  • Removing side discussion, which can be summarised as "in Christianity, magic and miracles are very different things", vs "they are not demonstrably different from a scientific perspective" – Marc Gravell Mar 28 '12 at 06:34

4 Answers4

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The Bible also opposes idolatry, even though the prophets say that an idol is nothing but a thing made out of wood and precious metal.

as Psalm 135 says:

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. 16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; 17 they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Or as Jeremiah says,

People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!

Any quick concordance search will show that "worthless" and "idols" show up a lot! So, if there is no power in an idol, why does God make such a big deal over it? Because of it's effect on the idol worshiper!

The problem with magic isn't so much the "magic," but rather the senseless chasing after another power. When, in Acts 8, Simon the magician wanted to purchase this power, Peters reaction was that he didn't understand what God was.

As Luke writes it in Acts,

 9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw ...

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin

To this same end, magic is not an opposing force to God, but is rather a red herring that keeps them from Him.

Community
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Affable Geek
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  • Help me understand, from your interpretation, "magic" is just the pursuit of power and nothing more? – rpeg Mar 26 '12 at 22:10
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    At least in Acts 8, yes. – Affable Geek Mar 26 '12 at 22:11
  • So are you saying that the Bible does not imply that magic is real? That was the actual question... it seems that's what you're saying, but I wonder if it could be stated a bit more explicitly. – Flimzy Sep 05 '13 at 07:13
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The basic idea behind the practice of magic is to use supernatural means to acquire power or knowledge not normally available. While opinions definitely differ from one branch of Christianity to another with regard to whether magic is literally real, the basic principle that makes it offensive is the idea that a person is trying to subvert the natural order that God has established.

This goes back to the transgression of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: God gave them a commandment about the way they should behave, and then Satan tempted them with an alternative plan, telling them that it would produce better results for them.

The other thing about it is that the practice of magic frequently seeks to duplicate the effects of miracles brought about by God's power. For example, Isaiah spoke against going to diviners for revelations, as the proper source of such knowledge is the Lord. And in the New Testament, we have the account of Jewish exorcists seeking to duplicate the miracles of Paul, and the time when a sorcerer saw the power that the Lord had given to Peter, and asked to buy this power from him.

In all these cases, the common thread is seeking the effects of the power of God without actually going through the Lord and complying with his commandments. It's no surprise that God looks unfavorably on such practices; no one likes a counterfeiter!

Mason Wheeler
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    As my kids would say, Jinx! You owe me a soda! Same exact tack to both our answers! – Affable Geek Mar 26 '12 at 22:26
  • "to use supernatural means to acquire power". If that's how it's defined, is there any proof for the existence of magic according to your definition? – rpeg Mar 26 '12 at 22:30
  • @rpeg: There have always been people with knowledge that other people don't have. Some have tried to exploit that knowledge as mysticism. For example, according to the website link in your bio, you're from Los Angeles. I'm thousands of miles away in Washington State, but here we are having a conversation! Heck, if you had Skype and a webcam, we could even talk face-to-face in real time across all this distance. Doesn't that sound magical to you? As for whether actual sorcerous power exists, I really don't know. I've never had any personal experience with that sort of thing. – Mason Wheeler Mar 26 '12 at 22:35
  • @MasonWheeler I work in the technology field so no, it doesn't sound magical...

    However, thanks for being honest and saying you don't know if such "power" actually exists. Does this mean you doubt the claim of existence as according to the bible?

     – rpeg Mar 26 '12 at 22:50
  • @rpeg: You haven't actually shown where the Bible makes that claim. Probably the best example I can think of, the account of Saul and the Witch of Endor, gives a detailed description of what we would call a seance today, right down to the point of no one but the witch herself actually seeing the supposed spirit that was called forth. The prediction turned out to be right, but she could have done that just by knowing which way the wind was blowing. So as far as I know, there's no claim in the Bible of anyone actually doing anything more real than simple "magic tricks." – Mason Wheeler Mar 26 '12 at 22:57
  • And WRT technology, that was the point I was trying to make. It's not magic to you because you know how it works. But 2000 years ago, it would have been magic to everyone. – Mason Wheeler Mar 26 '12 at 22:58
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    As Arthur C. Clarke famously said, "Any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic." – Affable Geek Mar 27 '12 at 00:44
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    @MasonWheeler As much as I hate to give a point to rpeg, Jannes and Jambres were able to match Aaron's magic trick of turning the rod into a snake. Unlike their tricks, however, Aaron's was able to swallow up their snakes, so we may be able to discount that. – Affable Geek Mar 27 '12 at 00:46
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    @MasonWheeler "It's not magic to you because you know how it works. But 2000 years ago, it would have been magic to everyone." Couldn't the same be said about the origin of the species? – rpeg Mar 27 '12 at 03:27
  • This answer does a good job of explaining why the Bible forbids magic, but doesn't really address the actual question: Does the forbidding of magic imply that magic is real? – Flimzy Sep 05 '13 at 07:12
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If you ever get a chance, I recommend An Exorcist Tells His Story. It spends a good deal of time going into now not only is magic real, but it is always made the power of some demon. Miracles, he testifies, have tangible and direct counterparts (though miracles will win in the end).

As to proofs, well, there is as much proof for magic as there is for miracles. It does not meet scientific rigor, but that does not mean that they do not exist or that they have not happened.

cwallenpoole
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    Not sure what the down vote was for. This is the only answer which actually has anything even remotely close to actual, tangible, reference to events. – cwallenpoole Mar 27 '12 at 17:56
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Not necessarily. Magic can also mean magical thinking, which is even a real danger / temptation for a Christian. If someone prays, or lights a candle, or donates to charity, or asks a saint to intervene, or more drastically, kisses a relic only in order to have a "sure way" to grant his/her own wishes, that can be regarded as magical thinking. Especially if you think/believe that with your prayer/ritual/whatever you can actually force or trick God to grant you something.

Magic is when you perform some ritual for a supernatural outcome which you believe should be under your control. It doesn't matter if that supernatural outcome is really possible, it's enough if you believe it to be possible by the means you are trying. This is drastically against Christian teaching, where everything God gives you, He gives you out of grace, and not because you forced Him to do so.

vsz
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