Part 2 (see part 1) of Kirsty Birkett’s series on Christianity and magic.
A lot of the historical and anthropological discussion about magic regards it as a sub-category of religion. Many would say it that magic and religion are essentially the same thing—ways of dealing with the supernatural. We just call the bits we don’t like, “magic.”
In a sense, they’re quite right. As humans, we love magic because we love religion. We love ceremony, we love ritual: it may even be that this is something to do with our cognitive structure—it’s certainly pervasive throughout human culture and history. But it’s not so much that magic is disreputable religion, but that religion is reputable magic. The kind of religion that people want offers the same things magic offers: ritual, mystery, the sense of otherness, the elevation of rite and ceremony over meaning and content. These are things that humans seem to be continually drawn towards. We want a sense of mystery and awe. We also want power, over enemies, over sickness, over pain—and we want it all now.
Magic vs The New World
However Jesus had another agenda. Certainly he had (and has) power over the physical world, sickness and nature, and over the evil spiritual world. But his power is not available for magical exploitation: neither through ritual, nor any other means. If it were, then Christianity would indeed just be another kind of magical religion; another way of doing things to get closer to, or make use of, the supernatural.
Jesus transcends that. He came to break us out of the cycle of death that keeps us in this fallen world. He gave us entry to a new world—one not here yet, but promised: a world where we’ll see the final triumph over sickness and pain, and all manner of evil.
So our religion now, mustn’t ape magical ritual. It mustn’t elevate form over content in order to convey a sense of mystery. It mustn’t look for God in special places or try to enter the new life through ritual.
Rather, our religion must be about worshipping God in Spirit and truth (John 4:24); it must be about love (John 15:12) and a life of purity and charity (James 1:27), and right ethical living. It must be about being transformed to be like Christ. Because our entry to that new creation that is coming has been assured by Jesus’ death. We don’t earn it, nor do we enter it, through ritual. We gain it through faith, as we hear Jesus’ word preached, as we are told of his death and resurrection. We hear, and understand, and trust. Magic does not work; it is not how we gain power, and we do not need it. We will have it all in Christ.
Jesus – Far Better Than Magic
Jesus entered this world to provide a better alternative to magic. He brought forgiveness to a world where sin was frequently recognised as the cause of illness and suffering. He taught the coming of the kingdom of God, where the curse of the world that brought death would be overcome. He died to bring in that kingdom, and to make it possible for sick sinners to enter it. Moreover, he objectively conquered the evil powers that were keeping people in subjection—the very powers that magic tried to protect against, but also fell into supplicating.
It was this conquering of the evil power behind magic that was perhaps most significant for those who relied on magic. The power behind magic—the devil—was now defeated. That is still the message for us today. We need not fear magic, and must not misunderstand it. When we are in Christ, we have something much better.
Adapted from Kirsten Birkett, Spells, Sorcerers and Spirits: Magic and the Occult in the Bible (London: Latimer, 2015).
Available www.latimertrust.org.
