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Is prayer a form of magic?

budha3

budha3

Member
Prayer to me is a form of meditation; or expectant listening. it more of a communications tool than it is majic
 
nameless

nameless

The Creator
when lacks knowledge about mechanism of prayer, it would seem like magic.
more success when not considered it as magic.
 
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Green Kepi

Green Kepi

Active Member
Prayer to the God of the Bible/Scriptures is not...God states not to practice it in His commandments to the Children of Israel. Magic is the art that purports to control or forecast natural events, effects, or forces by invoking the supernatural. God says He does that...not some pretending man or woman....
 
SageTree

SageTree

Spiritual Friend
Premium Member
I think magic is a for prayer :D

Meditation is a way of praying for me too, since it was mentioned. However I feel that it's listening but not expecting, and that is all I'd like to add.
 
Twig pentagram

Twig pentagram

High Priest
Green Kepi said:
Prayer to the God of the Bible/Scriptures is not...God states not to practice it in His commandments to the Children of Israel. Magic is the art that purports to control or forecast natural events, effects, or forces by invoking the supernatural. God says He does that...not some pretending man or woman....
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"Magic is the art that purports to control or forecast natural events, effects, or forces by invoking the supernatural" That sounds like prayer.
 
Dunemeister

Dunemeister

Well-Known Member
Twig pentagram said:
In some forms of magic people invoke nature and/or the supernatural, and in some forms of prayer people invoke the god/s of nature and/or the supernatural. It sounds like the same thing to me.
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Perhaps on this extremely vague level of description they are the same. It's sort of how someone could say that young-earth creationism is the same as science because, at a certain (very long) distance, they are operating on the same principles. Any scientist will tell you that when you get into the details, the differences between science and young earth creationism make it readily apparent that one group is doing science and the other is doing theology/apologetics. And that's true despite the surface similarities (white lab coats, scientific jargon, etc.)

Christians and other pray-ers would probably say something similar, that when you get into the details, the differences between magic and traditional (that is, performed in accordance with tradition) prayer become readily apparent.
 
Dunemeister

Dunemeister

Well-Known Member
Twig pentagram said:
Oh so basically he was saying don't do black magic?
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If I could step in a bit. The prohibition against magic is part of a general prohibition to appeal to any forces other than God for provision, salvation, knowledge, or whathaveyou. Magic is the attempt to manipulate forces to obtain your ends, whether those ends are good or evil. There's a technique to it. If you don't obtain your end, it's because you didn't cast the spell right or whatever.

Now at times, Israel and Christians pray to God, asking him for particular outcomes. That looks quite similar to what the magician is doing. However, God makes it clear that he is not manipulable. That's the whole point of his covenant name YHWH. Thus when we pray, there is no successful technique or formula. Our primary aim is to find strength to bear up under our own suffering or to offer aid and comfort to those who suffer. As we pour out our complaints and worries to God, we find that God does indeed move mountains from time to time, but most of the time the mountains are within us.
 
Twig pentagram

Twig pentagram

High Priest
Dunemeister said:
If I could step in a bit. The prohibition against magic is part of a general prohibition to appeal to any forces other than God for provision, salvation, knowledge, or whathaveyou. Magic is the attempt to manipulate forces to obtain your ends, whether those ends are good or evil. There's a technique to it. If you don't obtain your end, it's because you didn't cast the spell right or whatever.

Now at times, Israel and Christians pray to God, asking him for particular outcomes. That looks quite similar to what the magician is doing. However, God makes it clear that he is not manipulable. That's the whole point of his covenant name YHWH. Thus when we pray, there is no successful technique or formula. Our primary aim is to find strength to bear up under our own suffering or to offer aid and comfort to those who suffer. As we pour out our complaints and worries to God, we find that God does indeed move mountains from time to time, but most of the time the mountains are within us.
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There's many different types of magic. All magic is'nt performed in ritual or with certain techniques, and a wiccan will tell you that even if you cast the spell right it dose'nt guarantee results. Prayer is just like certain forms of magic. In prayer your invoking the god/s you believe in. The same exact thing is done in certain forms of magic.
 
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