If it comes from devils, how in blue blazes would you know what you were doing with it was for the good? They are more powerful than you, obviously, since you are calling on them and not vice versa, and therefore you can't control them. And they are smarter than you are, so you can't count on outwitting them. Plus, of course, they are notorious liars. (In the witch trials, the accused would say that they had been promised wealth as well as revenge, but then the Devil would renege on the first.)
Anyone can call upon God for a true miracle. It's yet another to GET it. If you really have something that reliably produces miracles -- are you really calling on God? And are you going to get into a really truly hot situation if you did? Even among the pagans, that could get you into serious trouble, claiming you could coerce the gods. Well, there was some variation. In Egypt, you could use the names to control gods, but in Greece and Rome, that would get you put on trial for impiety, where you would have to plead that the god did as he wished, you merely implored him for aid.
There's natural magic of course. The notion that it was wrong to use precious stones in an attempt to heal was formally anathematized by the Catholic Church -- and using herbs, too, in the same decree. Put that through a wringer and what pops out the other end is Science, in a new outfit and name, and pretending not to know its antecedents often enough. But Science would have a real trick detecting witchcraft. A more efficacious natural magic is one possibility -- but the writer doesn't have to use it.
And, at that, the Orthodox was much more wary about it, and if there are effective demons in the world, how do you know that you are actually using the herb or stone, and not signalling a demon? (See first paragraph for how that could be problematic.)
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Date: 2014-04-09 12:45 pm (UTC)Anyone can call upon God for a true miracle. It's yet another to GET it. If you really have something that reliably produces miracles -- are you really calling on God? And are you going to get into a really truly hot situation if you did? Even among the pagans, that could get you into serious trouble, claiming you could coerce the gods. Well, there was some variation. In Egypt, you could use the names to control gods, but in Greece and Rome, that would get you put on trial for impiety, where you would have to plead that the god did as he wished, you merely implored him for aid.
There's natural magic of course. The notion that it was wrong to use precious stones in an attempt to heal was formally anathematized by the Catholic Church -- and using herbs, too, in the same decree. Put that through a wringer and what pops out the other end is Science, in a new outfit and name, and pretending not to know its antecedents often enough. But Science would have a real trick detecting witchcraft. A more efficacious natural magic is one possibility -- but the writer doesn't have to use it.
And, at that, the Orthodox was much more wary about it, and if there are effective demons in the world, how do you know that you are actually using the herb or stone, and not signalling a demon? (See first paragraph for how that could be problematic.)