Still waiting for someone to quote an actual spell. No. Nothing. Right, because it is not a grimoire. Sure, the bible recounts supernatural events that are in modern colloquial writing "magical" but the texts themselves not magic books. What? Am I being unreasonably literal-minded?

(March 22, 2023 at 10:41 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: Still waiting for someone to quote an actual spell. No. Nothing. Right, because it is not a grimoire. Sure, the bible recounts supernatural events that are in modern colloquial writing "magical" but the texts themselves not magic books. What? Am I being unreasonably literal-minded?

Yes.

Still working to convince yourself.

You don't need us for that.

(March 14, 2023 at 11:59 am)Ferrocyanide Wrote: Hello dudes.
It has been a year since I visited the forums.


Genesis 5:28 KING JAMES VERSION
And Lamech lived an 802 years, and begat a son: {5:29} And he called his name Noah, saying, This [same] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. {5:30} And Lamech lived after he begat Noah 585 years, and begat sons and daughters: {5:31} And all the days of Lamech were 777 years: and he died. {5:32} And Noah was 500 years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

^^^^^Hmmmm Lamech lived 802 y and later on it says he lived 777 y and he died.

"You're taking it out of context!"

"It's a metaphor!"

"Jesus made a new pact that makes that part of the bible irrelevant!"

"You're just going through a rebellious phase because you want to sin!"

"I'll pray for you!"

(March 22, 2023 at 10:41 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: Still waiting for someone to quote an actual spell. No. Nothing. Right, because it is not a grimoire. Sure, the bible recounts supernatural events that are in modern colloquial writing "magical" but the texts themselves not magic books. What? Am I being unreasonably literal-minded?

Like the spell for bortin babies?

That the book itself, the whole thing, is quite literally magical is a very common belief even outside of all the magic the narrative contains.  I think that the more interesting wrinkle for contemporary christianity is a negative perception of it's magical contents and magical nature by christians, such as yourself. At some point, some number of people in all manner of abrahamic faiths stopped believing in the world or the words dreamt up by the constructors and authors of said stories, and now, see a world in those magic books far more mundane and far more secular than anything the originating peoples could have contextualized. Still, apparently, believing that they either have or have tried, really hard, to keep their own biases out. You're motivated in this defense of magic book by your own bias when, ofc, the book being magical isn't actually a bad thing for a magical god inhabiting a magical world, as it's magical sovereign.

I guess the people who still believe in such things are rubes, but they're faithful rubes nonetheless. Grimoires are interesting, too...and, actually, a fair number of them are based in abrahamic myths and hierarchy. So whenever we do finally exhaust the list of magic contained in magic book - that you keep thinking I won't have endless examples of, we'll have another trove of jewish and christian magic to discuss as well?

Prayers are also magical spells.

(March 22, 2023 at 10:41 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: Still waiting for someone to quote an actual spell. No. Nothing. Right, because it is not a grimoire. Sure, the bible recounts supernatural events that are in modern colloquial writing "magical" but the texts themselves not magic books. What? Am I being unreasonably literal-minded?

A book the reading of which is promised to offer keys to supernatural benefits is not a magic book but what?   A cook book?

(March 23, 2023 at 12:12 am)Anomalocaris Wrote:

(March 22, 2023 at 10:41 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: Still waiting for someone to quote an actual spell. No. Nothing. Right, because it is not a grimoire. Sure, the bible recounts supernatural events that are in modern colloquial writing "magical" but the texts themselves not magic books. What? Am I being unreasonably literal-minded?

A book the reading of which is promised to offer keys to supernatural benefits is not a magic book but what?   A cook book?

(March 22, 2023 at 11:49 pm)Fake Messiah Wrote: Prayers are also magical spells.

Bingo lolly. Even prayers of thanksgiving (as opposed to intercessory prayers) are appeals to the supernatural.

Boru

(March 22, 2023 at 12:53 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote:

(March 21, 2023 at 10:46 pm)Ferrocyanide Wrote: I'm still curious as to what your position is.

Very simply I try to be a good reader and not insert my own modern cultural biases and expectations into ancient literature.

That’s fine, I would imagine that everyone would say that they are trying to be a good reader and that they try not be biased.

What I wanted to know is, do you believe that Jesus is a savior for mankind?
Are you a christian? What is your religion? Do you believe in any god?

(March 23, 2023 at 9:56 am)Ferrocyanide Wrote:

(March 22, 2023 at 12:53 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: Very simply I try to be a good reader and not insert my own modern cultural biases and expectations into ancient literature.

That’s fine, I would imagine that everyone would say that they are trying to be a good reader and that they try not be biased.

What I wanted to know is, do you believe that Jesus is a savior for mankind?
Are you a christian? What is your religion? Do you believe in any god?

IMHO far too many people do not really want to be good readers. Those include believers who seek confirmation for the doctrines of their denomination and disbelievers whose only real interest is in debunking it as if it were a scientific paper or academic history. Yes, I am a Christian but I do not see how that matters. You do not have to be a believing Bhuddist to treat the Lotus Sutra with respect.