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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Aramaic - Abba
  • Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 02:05:24 +0100

On 22/07/2005 19:05, Jim West wrote:

... That for some people prayer is "magical" is utterly indisputable. Utterly.


Agreed. But what is disputable is whether they are Christians. Well, if they are born in a Western country they might put that as their religion on a form, but if they are trusting in the magical efficacy of their own words rather than in the power of God to answer their prayers, then they are showing themselves to be not Christians but atheists - which is the general world view of practitioners of magic.

But then I suppose there are some syncretists who try to mix Christian prayer with magic. They end up with the worst of both worlds, in this life and for eternity.

Later, you wrote:

that Acts has to say that christians (!) took their magical books and burned them means at least two things- 1) there were christians who HAD magic books and used them, and 2) they were led to a better understanding of prayer then they previously held (which means that previously they held that prayer and magic were interrelated). Acts itself proves my contention.


On the contrary. It is very clear from Acts 19:17-20 that these people were unbelievers, or perhaps believers in Artemis which was a kind of magical cult, who came to Christian belief as a result of what they heard and saw, and at that point abandoned their magical and pagan practices, burned their magic books, and turned to proper Christian prayer.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/



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