I hope the guy takes some reasonable security cautions for the near future. If the tantric has him killed by more conventional means in the relatively short term, he could claim it was his spell that did it (right until he got dragged into court for murder, of course.)
Well. Here's one point that's being missed in all this. Whether you believe that magick is real, or that it all has to do with the victim's psychological susceptibility, there's one point that is, I daresay, universally accepted: if you don't believe, you can't receive.
I mean, look. Back in the early 70's, an acquaintance who had a permanent deficiency of blood in his LSD stream gave me the secret of defending myself from attacks by demons: Don't believe in them! Because, you see, as physical effects are transmitted via the medium of electromagnetism, magick is transmitted via the medium of faith. Now, okay, the guy was bat-s*** crazy, but there's something there, y'know? Works for magick, or religion, or whatever you want to call it.
So this particular guy can claim that his spells didn't work because his victim didn't believe. And whether you believe in his powers or not, he'd be right.
If the magician knows he is a fake, why go on TV to prove it? If he only thinks it works, where did he get that belief? And what does he think the authorities would do to him if he succeeded in killing a man on live TV?
However, if other victims actually do succumb, due to psychological reasons, then in fact, black magic DOES WORK.
So this seems not a triumph of rationality, but as he says, one god being more powerful than another. That god being atheism.
That said, that god of atheism just got stronger today.
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Date: 2008-03-24 04:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-24 05:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-24 08:48 pm (UTC)I mean, look. Back in the early 70's, an acquaintance who had a permanent deficiency of blood in his LSD stream gave me the secret of defending myself from attacks by demons: Don't believe in them! Because, you see, as physical effects are transmitted via the medium of electromagnetism, magick is transmitted via the medium of faith. Now, okay, the guy was bat-s*** crazy, but there's something there, y'know? Works for magick, or religion, or whatever you want to call it.
So this particular guy can claim that his spells didn't work because his victim didn't believe. And whether you believe in his powers or not, he'd be right.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 01:16 am (UTC)Seems fishy to me.
If the magician knows he is a fake, why go on TV to prove it? If he only thinks it works, where did he get that belief? And what does he think the authorities would do to him if he succeeded in killing a man on live TV?
However, if other victims actually do succumb, due to psychological reasons, then in fact, black magic DOES WORK.
So this seems not a triumph of rationality, but as he says, one god being more powerful than another. That god being atheism.
That said, that god of atheism just got stronger today.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
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