Jules (fun, this- discussions by messageboard rather than face to face)
'Then surely the only genuinely ethical response is to not practise magic? If I have a tool and I can't guarantee it's in perfect working order and won't backfire and harm someone, then it shouldn't be used.'
Well perhaps we'd better turn our PC's off. After all, we cannot guarantee that using electricity won't backfire on us.
'I've seen too many people use magic as a form of revenge because they are in thrall to their emotional responses.'
Yep, and those people could also have bought a gun, or even rigged up the electrical supply to inflict horrors because they are in thrall to their emotional responses. I'm not suggesting magic should not be used responsibly, and you'll know that it is something I don't often resort to.
' the Christian response of prayer and entrusting a situation to our Father will not run the risk of backfiring. '
I can see how absolving yourself of responsibility and how handing that responsibility to God would be reassuring. Of course that might not be how it works. But we could probably bounce around examples of where it has and has not seemed to work that way, getting us nowhere.
'I think it boils down to intimacy - Christians know they can trust God to do things according to His perfect will.'
You know, I have plenty of experiences where Pagans would say that when they bring their Goddess into the working of magic they know that the goddess will veto anything that doesn't go as it should. I wonder if this is a case of pagan spirituality drawing on Christian beliefs. It is possible.
'Satanism is a mixed bag; most of the ones I've encountered online will have a rebellion against the Christian God at the core of what they do, whether consciously or unconsciously. And you and I both know how much of modern Paganism is a rebellion against Christianity (what they perceive 'Christianity' to be in terms of its influence on society); it seems to have a negative response at the core of its meaning for many'
Yep. It is probably fair to say that quite often someone will choose to follow a pagan path because they see something wrong in what they believe Christianity is about. It isn't always the case, of course.
BB (and for my lovely wife XX)
Mike