how come christianity is against magic & mysticism?

Question

& don't tell me it's because such things fall under "miracles", "blessings" &/or "gifts of god" because the way i interpret it is in these following examples
miracles - causing the blind to see
blessings - helping the blind, like seeing eye dogs
gifts of god - any form of talent.
thus leaving little room to explain clairvoyance, & such things of similar nature.
also, upon doing some research, i found that Judaism (the root religion where christianity comes from) has the kabbalah, which is a form of jewish mysticism.
there are other examples too, just look them up yourself, i just point out some of the things that fascinate me, & ask why.

magic does not draw away from god, it helps draw one closer to the creator

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism#Mysticism_and_Religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_mysticism

so if magic is evil because it is "man working on his own, thus working against god", what about so many other things used in the modern world. like say MONEY?

Answer 1

Magic and mysticism are two different things. Mysticism has it's place in spirituality, but "magic" is yet another concept. I believe the general idea is that it's manipulation of "natural order" and trying to circumvent that which is destined to come about from ones own karma. In the end, if you circumvent your karmic destiny in any given lifetime, it stays on the shelf, only to reappear in your next lifetime. Eventually, you have to deal with it before you "pass GO and collect one hundred dollars".

Answer 2

The church is NOT against magic and mysticism... that is, out side its own walls.. They believe the miracles of the bible are okay because they came from thier GOD.. anything out siderthe church that happens , is evil ... which, by the way there is no Hell in old testament, it was added many many years after christs death.... witches didnt exist either until the church made them up as ways to get people to come to them out of fear... You are a smart person I looked things up about religion all the time I also suggest doing western civilization history classes and really paying attention to the church and how it progessed though time. Made mne sick to my stomache and made me leave the christian faith... I can not believe in such a religion with a horrible Past and to have so many things change in the bible since it was first concieved and re written, mistranslated, Interesting how they say thier religion is the right one they all believe in the same thing but kill each other over a few minor changes or differences. I prefer to stay of it and shake my head and hope they will wake up some day .

Answer 3

Define 'magic'. If you mean spells that manipulate man, events, nature, etc. you will find that the Bible basically never claims they are real and to avoid it.

This leads to the question 'why'. I think the biggest reason is because it is a load of sheer hogwash. Magic simply does not work outside of the minds of people who believe it- and even then it is pretty limited. (And yes, I know this describes a big chunk of 'modern miracles' within the church.)

There are certainly Christians who seem to need a big dose of the miraculous in their faith, but miracles are not really a big part of the Bible- an occasional splash, but not the bulk of the faith.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, I think that most people who would chuck a bible at your head do not understand the terms 'magic' or 'mysticism'. For that matter, nor would most others. Both terms carry a large amount of inaccurate preconception.

Regardless, I do not think that the bible itself does prohibit magic or mysticism. I believe that the verse most frequently touted to that end is "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.." in Exodus 22:18. I have heard two satisfactory explanations for this. The first is that the term 'witch' was used to refer to those who practiced black magic, or specifically worked with dark forces. The term 'witch' has only been used in a positive light since the foundation of wicca, which is a life affirming religion. The other explanation I have heard was that they wished to maintain a level of spiritual purity, and not mingle with the spiritual practices of others.

Furthermore, I believe that modern christianity has strayed from its roots. According to the bible, Jesus said "These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:17-18). Sorry to say, but I don't see the modern church coming anywhere close to that.

True magic and mysticism are spiritual paths of personal evolution. They are not the lusting after abnormal 'powers', nor the result of demonic posession. If God is truly infinate, then truly seeking will lead you closer regardless of which religious tool you utilize. Should you choose to persue these paths, then good luck to you, as you will need it.

Answer 5

That is an excellent question. I wish I knew why, but I don't. I believe it is because in the early centuries of Christianity The head honchos of the movement, so to speak,...decided that if the people had their own power, then they couldn't be controlled, and the head honchos didn't like that, because they wanted all the power for themselves.

By the way, I just read what qc don 30 wrote, and I am more impressed than I can put into words. It is so rare yet so refreshing and encouraging to hear someone speak of their own awakening, and how they hope for the same for others.

Answer 6

Ah, but Christianity does have a form of mysticism and it is the stuff from which revivals come. Try reading the "Ascent of Mount Carmel" (St. John of the Cross) and tell me that's not mystic.

As for "magic," the only condemnations I can think of are unrelated to your question. A magician was condemned because he tried to buy a gift of the Holy Spirit (which, as a gift, can only come without price). Also, explicit prohibitions in the New Testament against "magic" probably referred to an unsafe, but common, medical procedure.

Answer 7

Simply because it takes away from the Church's authority and power. Realistically, if the Church were comfortable with their version of Divine Truth, the Church wouldn't need to be against any other religions or thelogies, because those things would not threaten the Divine Truth. The only reason to be against anything is fear that someone else will believe it.

Answer 8

Catholic Church teaches:

All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion.

These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons.

Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

Christianity is not against mysticism. Christianity is inherently mystical.

With love in Christ.

Answer 9

Christians also believe/half believe in demons. We're scared of the paranormal, since we grew up watching The Exorcist, etc. We also inherited a western enlightenment tradition which categorically denies the paranormal as the primitive fancies of overly imaginative peasants. Combining the thought streams, we conclude that anything paranormal that isn't obviously a miracle must have a scientific explanation, be a sham, or be the work of demons.
It's a lot more comfortable living in the world if you fool yourself you have it all figured out. Paranormal stories shake that comfort.

Answer 10

Because of ignorance and fear of the unknown. Most people by nature are superstitious, and yet they refuse to believe in miracles or magic. G-D gave us magic and miracles and that is a fact. There are many things in life mankind fears, telepaths, etc., and thank goodness for modern times or they would burn them at the stake? If they did not believe in miracles why do they believe in Jesus? That birth was a miracle to say the least.
Dont worry be happy, and dream and believe in what you wish to, and all good things will always be there for you.