Inside Magic is not here to pressure anyone into any belief — other than magic is worth loving. I’ve opened the “Religious Magic” section to include articles and news that might not otherwise be noted in the other categories.
I have intentionally not named it “Gospel Magic” so as to encourage an inter-faith dialogue. I thought I would start it out with my experiences. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and ideas for stories.
Read On . . .
I had a friend in college who burned all of his great magic equipment ? including a very nice Sucker Sliding Die Box and a large Nest of Boxes. He was convinced that being a “magician” was to dabble in the darker arts and thus put him on the wrong side of the eternal balance sheet. “Magicians are going to hell,” he told me.
I sure hoped not.
I didn’t want to go to hell but I also didn’t want to burn my equipment or stop performing.
First of all, I didn’t have much equipment ? I was more of sleight of hand guy with cards and coins ? so I’d have to burn my fingers or destroy my half dollars. I was pretty sure destroying money was a crime and I had no desire to burn my fingers.
Second of all, I thought he must be wrong. God couldn’t want to send me to hell because I did “Cards Across” or Matrix or “Card to Wallet.”
God may have other reasons that I would be deserving of eternal damnation but likely not because of my magic performances. And fortunately, God sent his son to save me from what I truly deserved.
Scott, my friend, explained that magic was an act of deception, of lying.
We magicians were lying to our audiences and thereby inviting them into the realm of the Great Deceiver.
“Not the way I do it,” I said. “Most the time they can tell I’m palming my cards. No one is deceived.”
“You’re missing the point,” he said. “We are asking people to suspend their belief and for a moment believe that we have supernatural powers that allow us to do the physically impossible.”
I had to point out that even on my best day, my card to wallet looked like a guy with a really stiff hand taking too long to look for his wallet.
Hetold me that the Bible itself says magic is a sin.
He had me stumped. I am Catholic so we didn’t read the Bible that much.
I countered with logic.
If it is a sin, why did magicians come see the baby Jesus in the manger?”
“They were wise men,” he said.
“So you’re saying that you can’t be wise and be a magician?” I was puzzled.
“No, I’m saying that they weren’t magicians. The ‘Magi’ were…
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