Magic, Fantasy, And A Christian Worldview
Is magic “real”? I mean, can people really perform magical acts?
If a person believes the Bible (and that is the defining point in discussing a Christian Worldview from my perspective), then the answer has to be, Yes.
Let me name three examples. First, in Egypt when Moses confronted Pharaoh with the first miraculous acts God empowered him with, “Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts.” (Exodus 7:11 NASB)
In the next example, King Saul went to a woman who was a medium: “Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.” He named Samuel and she brought him up: “Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?'” (I Samuel 28:8, 15 NASB)
A third example is in the New Testament. “Now there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city, and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, ‘This man is what is called the Great Power of God.’ And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts.” (Acts 8:9-11 NASB).
These examples seem to identify actual power, not fraud or deception. And there are others—powers demon-possessed people had—the man who was so strong chains couldn’t hold him, the girl who foretold the future.
Magic, therefore, is real, but what, exactly is it?
Are we talking about sorcery and witchcraft? Demon possession? Astrology (such as that which the Magi—the magicians from the East—used to find the baby Jesus)? How about all the divination the people of Israel did, using the Urim and the Thummim or casting lots to figure out what God wanted them to do?
I have to tell you honestly, the subject confounds me, but here’s what I believe. Supernatural beings have supernatural power. That’s it.
Not profound, is it. Oh, one more important point. No supernatural power is greater than God or His Sovereignty.
But that is only part of the picture. The Supreme Supernatural Being also has “natural” power.
Think about it. Who hung the stars in space? Who sees that it all continues to work? It’s not as if God established a set of natural laws that has gotten away from Him, that He no longer can control. Gravity exists because God created it and maintains it. As He did and does, photosynthesis. And the Pythagorean theorem, or the second law of thermodynamics. Or the law of sin and death.
OK, that last one is a spiritual law, but the point is, God rules it all, and in the ruling can suspend or countermand the rules. He can stop the sun for a day or even make it—or the earth—go backwards. He can raise the dead or come to earth as Incarnate God. He can walk on water. Change water to wine. Predict the presence of a coin in a fish’s mouth. Multiply chunks of bread. And forgive sinners. Nothing, nothing is beyond His power.
So how does this fit with magic? Part of the inexplicable is that God has allowed His enemies some measure of power (magic), and He chooses to let evil ripen before He puts an eternal end to it.
Meanwhile, Mankind—he of such little power—longs for the day of triumph, or dreads the day of disaster, even as a war rages in his soul.
Fantasy shows the longing, the dreading, the raging, with the admission that the enemy does have power, just not omnipotence.
Originally posted at A Christian Worldview of Fiction, May, 2006, in a series on fantasy.
Great post, Rebecca! Thanks for giving great insight on an otherwise confusing topic.
Thanks, Matt. I know a lot of Christians get hung up about magic in fantasy. I think it’s important to discuss it from time to time to clarify the issue.
Becky
This topic seems very timely after I’ve just returned from the ACFW conference, where during one session, someone asked a question about “magic” and Biblical parameters:
Someone then remarked that Pharaoh’s magicians successfully imitated (at first) the miracles Moses had performed.
“But magic was always bad,” the questioner responded. “The miracles were good. The magic was always bad in Scripture.”
Jill Williamson answered that she does have a sort of “magic” in By Darkness Hid and To Darkness Fled, and her pending third novel. However, it’s very clear that the telepathy-like “bloodvoicing” is a gift from God, and it along with other natural laws in the world of Er’Rets — such as evil knights who can project false imagery of more enemy soldiers — can be corrupted by people.
Great answer. And to the questioner, I really wanted both to quote Arthur C. Clarke (but everyone does, even Lex Luthor, and without credit) about any sufficiently highly advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic. But I would add to that. I would instead have said yes, the “magic” was always bad in Scripture — yet Scripture is a real record about our real world. A “magic” in an imaginary world, with or without Christian themes, could be very different: akin to that world’s natural laws.
Though I can certainly understand the questioner’s basis for saying “magic is intrinsically un-Christian” (and he had his preteen daughter with him!), I might suggest Christians should be more careful with their words. Imaginary “magic” and miracles God does in the real world can be indistinguishable. What if someone in another world with its own magical rules saw our computers, airplanes and other technology? (Can’t help but think of Arthur Weasley’s fascination with Muggle artifacts, like vending machines!) Might such a person conclude that our “magic” is intrinsically evil as well?
Here I’ve set up a hypothetical scenario, of course. And none of this is meant to minimize the very real risk of someone who, lacking discernment (and perhaps a younger reader), gets involved in the occult. But people can get involved in the occult and use Scripture itself as an excuse. The human heart, not Things, generates evil (Mark 7). It seems knowing that truth is one of the most sure ways to resolve the “magic” issue.
You might also point out that there’s a point in which the occultists (Pharaoh’s magi, the Witch of Endor) did recognize a distinctive between what they were used to seeing and what was happening in the corresponding instance. For better or worse, the witch was shocked to see Samuel. The magicians eventually could not duplicate what Moses and Aaron were doing. Balaam certainly got more than he bargained for before it was over, too. It was power and authority significantly beyond anything they could comprehend.
That said, I’m going to also toss out that I can name several writers who are very clear what passes for acceptable and unacceptable in their fantasy worlds. A few go to pretty good lengths to make said distinction, too.
And that’s coming from someone who was a bit leery going into her first HP movie (still haven’t read the books).
Anyway, just thought I’d toss it in.
[…] Monday being my regular blog day at Speculative Faith, I posted an article yesterday about magic (a reworking of three articles I’d first posted here at A Christian Worldview of Fiction […]
I just finished rereading John Bellair’s Face in the Frost. The first time I read it was in middle school, years before my conversion. What I did not notice the first time I read it was the imaginative usage of magic by a Catholic fantasy writer. At a certain point in the novel, a wizard performs a Gregorian chant to produce a magical affect. From an Evangelical Reformed worldview, Christians can not manipulate God through performance of rituals; yet, the Catholic worldview allows for such manipulations, making it very similar if not the same as magic.
As we who are Protestants write fantasy, we should be very careful to keep our protagonists from manipulating or exercising some ritual power over our Sovereign “untame” God.