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Re: Belief in magic and witchcraft
Joel and Lynn GAzis-SAx (gazissax@best.com)
Tue, 21 Nov 95 14:03:07 GMT
A classic debunking is The Discoverie of Witchcraft, a late medieval text
which criticized the evidence used in witch trials.
Regards,
Joel GAzis-SAx
In article <48st23$t6m@cisu2.jsc.nasa.gov>,
Robert G. Phillips <rpacct@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov> wrote:
>>x@satisfied.apocalypse.org (Xochi Zen) wrote:
>
>>I'm looking for texts that treat witchcraft from a skeptical
>>perspective. It's hard to believe that educated people still believe
>>in this sort of thing as something more than manipulation by subtle
>>psychological methods - when I say "witchcraft" I'm referring to
>>things like "spell casting", death spells, etc. I am _not_ referring to
>>the nature-worshipping religion itself... just the idea that one can
>>effect changes via supernatural intervention or some other unseen force
>>unknown to science. Actually, I shouldn't be surprised given the success
>>of religion in general (Christianity, for example, is just as "occult"
>>as any other group/practice with that label attached to it - supernatural
>>interventions, prayer, a being outside of space and time, etc.)
>
>Try "Persuasions of the Witch's Craft" (I forget the author, sorry).
>The basic idea presented by the book is that people do _not_ work
>magic because they believe in its effects. Rather, they believe in
>its effects because they work magic. Rather interesting reading.
>
>R. G. Phillips
>rpacct@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov
>(standard disclaimer...)
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