Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Miracles vs. Magic
There is no such thing as magic. I have always believed this to be true. But what about miracles you ask? But miracles are not magic. Although at first sight this may not seem to be the case, a closer look shows that they are in fact two very different, in fact opposing, phenomena. Miracles are an outward show of God’s Grace. Nobody in this world can do miracles apart from God’s Will. No saint manipulated God to perform miracles but God gave the saints miraculous powers because of their great love and devotion to the Creator. Magic, on the other hand, is quite different. Magic is a selfish and manipulative act. Magicians attempt to control the forces of the world and make it submit to him/her. Magic delves with the unknown and sometimes with forces in the world we do not, or do not want to, understand. These are my reflections on the stark differences between magic and miracles. Certainly, white magic is innocent, but I wouldn’t recommend playing with tarot cards or ouija boards.
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Magic does not always have to be a selfish act. It can also be a form of entertainment. In the past I am sure magic was used to further ones agenda but in the modern age I look at magic as a combination of science, acting, athletic ability in some cases and an ability to focus your audiences opinion away from where the action is. It is a skill to be appreciated because it can only be achieved through hours of planning and practise.
ReplyDeleteI agree that miracles are always God working through saints and ordinary people in some cases to forward his hope for our world.
A thought to ponder is when is something just an occurance and when is it a miracle??
Very interesting. I suppose I'm thinking of the occult. I don't see anything wrong with magic as a sport. About the question of whether something is just an occurance or a miracle, I think I would say that it is often in the eye of the beholder. For instance, in the Middle Ages, where Christianity was dominant, miracles could be found everywhere. Whether that was really the case or not is irrelevant. They believed this to be so. On the contrary, in this day and age, we struggle to find miracles. Of course, maybe what used to be considered miracles can now be answered by science. However, miracles (what cannot be readily explained), I feel, can only be really seen with eyes of faith. For those who don't see a hand guiding the world, chance is usually the response given for unexplainable circumstances. Often it seems that those with great faith see as miracles what others may see as mere occurances. The small things are seen as big gifts. Miracles don't have to be huge you know. In the end, miracles can't really be proven nor can chance so the way someone looks at a phenomenon depends on his/her world view.
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