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Alan Wheeler Inner circle Posting since 2002 with 2038 Posts |
Do you remember this account of Philip and the Simon the Sorcerer? It might provide important subtext to modern magic performances:
"But there was a certain man called Simon, who previuously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God." And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they had believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed seeing the miracles and signs which were done." The sorcery of Simon, on the one hand, was all about his own great power: even after believing in Christ, he later tried to purchase the power the apostle's displayed through the laying on of hands. He was still carnal, "poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity." The miracles of the apostles, on the other hand, were signs of God's love, God's truth, God's power, and God's glory. The least important thing about their miracles was the outward, physical manifestation. When I say this is a useful subtext, I do not mean that Christian performers want to depict either real magic or real miracles. I mean that the illusions or experience of the impossible that Christian performers give has a different purpose from that of many other performers. This is just a fun reminder for your personal enjoyment and mine!
The views and comments expressed on this post may be mere speculation and are not necessarily the opinions, values, or beliefs of Alan Wheeler.
A BLENDED PATH Christian Reflections on Tarot Word Crimes Technology and Faith........Bad Religion |
Wes Holly Special user Cincinnati, OH, USA 644 Posts |
Thank you for this food for thought.
We are all like Simon in one way or another. Some of us are easily tempted that our tricks and patter are enough to sway peoples minds to believing in Jesus. Some of us think that our performances are the reason people respond to altar calls. We all need reminded that when people make decisions for Christ, it is the culmination of many elements and a fruitful sign of the workings of the Holy Spirit. Wes Holly |
Hearttau Elite user New Jersey: Exit 15 E 423 Posts |
Amen Wes.
Lentidigitator: “A magic artist who performs slow motion magic”... Rene Lavand
"Peace and all good"... St. Francis "Hold on to your joy!"... Me http://mysite.verizon.net/hearttau/ |
mormonyoyoman Inner circle I dug 5,000 postholes, but I have only 2440 Posts |
Amen, folks. One of the first and most important things we teach our missionaries is "You won't convert anyone to Christ. Not one. Only the Holy Ghost will bear that witness of the truth and only the Lord can change a person's heart. All you'll provide is information and your own testimony."
As to magic vs miracles? We've all been imitators since Day One. And I'll always wonder how much envy of the Lord's priesthood & power "lurks in the hearts of men." A temptation to zealously avoid! *jeep! --Grandpa Chet
#ShareGoodness #ldsconf
--Grandpa Chet |
rickreation Veteran user 343 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-03-11 20:07, mormonyoyoman wrote: As a fellow mormon, I agree. Read Richard Osterlind's "Making Magic Real" (which if you haven't read, BUY NOW!) which has a cool metaphor for God's miracles, and how they are not "magic" |
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