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Non-Christian Magical Systems

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ruveyn
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05 Sep 2011, 11:59 am

Moog wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
One obvious example in modern society is that surviving form of magical divination: astrology.


Astrology has links to magic (Some use astrology to time certain rituals or to create certain magical objects etc.), but I don't think it is inherently 'magic'. No more than, say... mathematics is.


Astrology is not magic. It is nonsense.

ruveyn



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05 Sep 2011, 1:19 pm

Knifey wrote:
the word magic is not interchangeable with the word supernatural. are you intentionally being offensive or are you some kind of moron?


Magic and the supernatural are one and the same, two sides of the superstition coin. Your ignorance is not my problem


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Last edited by Vigilans on 05 Sep 2011, 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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05 Sep 2011, 1:23 pm

ruveyn wrote:
Moog wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
One obvious example in modern society is that surviving form of magical divination: astrology.


Astrology has links to magic (Some use astrology to time certain rituals or to create certain magical objects etc.), but I don't think it is inherently 'magic'. No more than, say... mathematics is.


Astrology is not magic. It is nonsense.

ruveyn


Absolutely


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05 Sep 2011, 2:15 pm

Asatru contains magical paths/aspects. Google galdr, seidh and runic magic.

Many different traditions do. They're just outside the mainstream version and not always well known.



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05 Sep 2011, 2:20 pm

There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.


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05 Sep 2011, 2:24 pm

Knifey wrote:
are you intentionally being offensive or are you some kind of moron?


If I see one more insult coming from your mouth you'll be suspended.



Henbane
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05 Sep 2011, 2:37 pm

Fnord wrote:
There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.


I don't think the OP was asking for evidence to support magic.



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05 Sep 2011, 2:38 pm

Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.


I don't think the OP was asking for evidence to support magic.


Yeah he's just investigating it for anthropological research


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Fnord
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05 Sep 2011, 2:39 pm

Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.
I don't think the OP was asking for evidence to support magic.

True, but I would be remiss if I failed to post that comment in a thread devoted to magic. Think of it as a disclaimer for the benefit of objective anthropological studies...


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Last edited by Fnord on 05 Sep 2011, 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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05 Sep 2011, 2:39 pm

Fnord wrote:
Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.
I don't think the OP was asking for evidence to support magic.

True, but I would be remiss if I failed to post that comment in a thread devoted to magic.


:lol: right on


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05 Sep 2011, 2:41 pm

Fnord wrote:
Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.
I don't think the OP was asking for evidence to support magic.

True, but I would be remiss if I failed to post that comment in a thread devoted to magic.


You can't let just one thread go without a comment?

Maybe if I post a thread about magic or religion on my birthday you could? As a present to me? To be lovely?



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05 Sep 2011, 2:44 pm

Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.
I don't think the OP was asking for evidence to support magic.
True, but I would be remiss if I failed to post that comment in a thread devoted to magic.

You can't let just one thread go without a comment?

No. :x
Henbane wrote:
Maybe if I post a thread about magic or religion on my birthday you could? As a present to me? To be lovely?

You have done nothing for me on any of my fifty-something birthdays... :cry:


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05 Sep 2011, 2:46 pm

Fnord wrote:
Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
Henbane wrote:
Fnord wrote:
There is no valid material evidence to support any claims of magical ability or phenomenon.
I don't think the OP was asking for evidence to support magic.
True, but I would be remiss if I failed to post that comment in a thread devoted to magic.

You can't let just one thread go without a comment?

No. :x
Henbane wrote:
Maybe if I post a thread about magic or religion on my birthday you could? As a present to me? To be lovely?

You have done nothing for me on any of my fifty-something birthdays... :cry:


When's your birthday Fnord? I'll be an atheist for the day for you then.



naturalplastic
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05 Sep 2011, 5:03 pm

Moog wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
One obvious example in modern society is that surviving form of magical divination: astrology.


Astrology has links to magic (Some use astrology to time certain rituals or to create certain magical objects etc.), but I don't think it is inherently 'magic'. No more than, say... mathematics is.


Well its not religion, and certainly isnt science, so it has to be classed as magic.



ruveyn
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05 Sep 2011, 5:05 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
Moog wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
One obvious example in modern society is that surviving form of magical divination: astrology.


Astrology has links to magic (Some use astrology to time certain rituals or to create certain magical objects etc.), but I don't think it is inherently 'magic'. No more than, say... mathematics is.


Well its not religion, and certainly isnt science, so it has to be classed as magic.


Why can't it be classified as ignorant superstition?

How can a star a million light years from earth affect our condition now?

How can a planet several hundred million miles from us determine our fate?

ruveyn



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05 Sep 2011, 10:59 pm

There is also alchemy, which, besides its presence in Christian and Islamic traditions, appears in Taoism as well. Some Khemetic stuff has survived, such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead. There's Tantra, which has some significant magical aspects to it. And of course shamanic traditions from pretty much anywhere you might look.

Moog: Really, you wouldn't group astrology with magic? Not a wholly contained subset, perhaps, but surely it has characteristics of divination and communion at least.

Of course, it took neither magic nor astrology to predict that certain atheists would not be able to pass up the chance to proselytize in this thread. :roll: