(urth) Wolfe as Heretic

[António Pedro Marques]

James Wynn wrote:

> The Fathers and the Biblical Prophets seem to have all agreed that
> sacrifices to these powers is without practical value. This is
> different from Latro's world.
>
> Is it heretical to believe that that magic (defined as prayers and
> sacrifices powers who are not God) *works" even if you believe it is
> something that is wrong or hurtful to do? .I met a Christian erstwhile
> fortune-teller who said it definitely did work for him. But he wasn't
> a theologian and his opinions on the source of its efficacy were more
> like Paul's than Wolfe's; so, I guess that doesn't really prove
> anything.

Again generally speaking, most pre-modern christians believed in the 
existence of supernatural powers. There wasn't nor isn't anything heretical 
about that. The thing is that christians believe such powers are as nothing 
in comparison to God, or can't even be compared. Certainly 'sorcery' can 
work if the being it is addressed to has the will and power to answer - in 
an extreme example, if Satan can operate in the World, why not also through 
answering such calls for assistance as are made to him?

The reason magic arts are condemned is certainly not because of their 
inneffectiveness, but their tainted nature of commerce with demons.

But there is also something in Christianity about demons being essentially 
powerless against wary and confident christians. Going all the way up to 
considering demons extinct at this time and age. For the modern common 
christian, it's as if God had willed all such beings out of existence, and 
to hint otherwise sounds like questioning God or God's powers - which may be 
why at first sight people may think that admitting the existence of such 
beings is heretical.