Chapter 7 Witchcraft and Religion

The cases collected in the last chapter may suffice to illustrate the general principles of the two branches of sympathetic magic.Those two branches we have named "homeopathic witchcraft" and "contact witchcraft" respectively.We have seen that in some of the cases listed above, the existence of gods was first confirmed, and the protection of gods was won by prayers and offerings.But generally speaking, such cases are still a minority, and they only show that witchcraft has been stained and mixed with certain religious colors and ingredients.Wherever sympathetic magic appears in its pure and pure form, it presupposes that in nature one event always follows another necessarily and inevitably, without any divine or human intervention .In this way, its basic concepts are consistent with those of modern science.The whole system of sympathetic magic is based on an implicit but real and firm belief in the order and consistency of natural phenomena.A wizard never doubts that the same causes will lead to the same results, or that after performing normal witchcraft rituals and accompanying appropriate spells, the desired effects will be obtained, unless his spells are actually used by another wizard. blocked or broken by more powerful spells.He neither prayed to a higher power, nor to the approval of any half-hearted or willful man;Only by strictly following the rules of his witchcraft or those "laws of nature" he believes in can he display his supernatural powers.Even the slightest negligence or violation of these rules or laws would invite failure, possibly even putting the clumsy mage himself in greatest danger.If he claims a certain power over nature, it is only strictly within a certain range, fully in accordance with the basic power of ancient customs.Therefore, witchcraft and science are similar in the concept of understanding the world.Both presume that the succession of events is perfectly regular and certain.And because these evolutions are determined by unchanging laws, they can be accurately predicted and calculated.All uncertain, accidental and unexpected factors are excluded from the natural process.Both witchcraft and science seemed to open up vistas of infinite possibilities to the man who knew the causes of things and had access to the mysterious clockwork of the vast and complex natural machine of the universe.So witchcraft, like science, has produced a strong attraction on the minds of men; a powerful stimulus to the pursuit of knowledge.They lure the weary seeker, the weary seeker, with visions of infinite beauty for the future, and send him across the wilderness of disappointment with the reality of the present.Sorcery and science carried him to the top of a very high mountain, where, through the billowing mists and clouds beneath his feet, he could see the beauty of the celestial capital, far away but bathed in In the brilliance of ideals, extraordinary brilliance radiates!

The serious defect of magic lies not in its general assumption of a certain order of events determined by objective laws, but in its complete misunderstanding of the nature of the particular laws governing this order.If we analyze the cases of sympathetic magic previously considered (chosen as apt examples), we shall find that, as I have pointed out, they are all references to one of the two fundamental laws of thought. the wrong application of this or that law.The basic laws of these two kinds of thinking are "similar association" and "contact association" in space or time.Wrong "similar associations" produce "homeopathic witchcraft" or "simulated witchcraft", and wrong "contact associations" produce "contact witchcraft".This principle of association is superior in itself, and it is indeed extremely fundamental in human thinking.Reasonable use can bear the fruit of science.Unreasonably used, it can only produce the false sister of science - witchcraft.Therefore, it is completely superfluous to say that "all witchcraft is necessarily absurd and useless".For, if witchcraft could become real and effective, it would cease to be witchcraft but science.As early as the early days of history, people have been engaged in exploring the general laws that can reverse the course of natural events to serve their own interests.Little by little in their long quest they have accumulated a large number of such principles, some of which are precious, while others are mere waste.Those rules which are true or precious become the subject of applied science which we call technology, and those which are false are magic.

In this way witchcraft became a close relative of science.But we still have to ask: what kind of relationship does it have with religion?The concept of the nature of religion that has been formed in our minds will inevitably affect our understanding of the relationship between the two.Every author, therefore, always develops his own conception of religion before he proceeds to investigate its relation to magic.There is perhaps nowhere in the world where opinions are more divided than on the subject of the nature of religion.It is obviously impossible to work out a definition for it that everyone is satisfied with.All an author can do is to first say clearly what he means by religion, and then to use the word consistently throughout his work in the same sense.By religion I mean the pandering or appeasement of superhuman powers supposed to direct and control the course of nature and life.Religion, then, consists of two great parts, theoretical and practical, namely: belief in superhuman powers and attempts to please and appease them.Of the two, faith obviously comes first, because you must believe in the existence of God before you want to please God.But if this belief does not lead to corresponding action, it is still not a religion but only theology.In the words of Saint Philip, one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus, "Faith without works is dead." , then he is not a religious believer.On the other hand, if there is only action and all religious beliefs are excluded, it is not religion.Two persons may behave in exactly the same way, yet one may be religious and the other not: if one acts out of love or fear of God, he is a religious.Another man is a man of good conduct or misconduct if he acts out of love or fear of man, according to whether his conduct is in conformity with or contrary to the public interest.Therefore, belief and practice, or in the language of theology, Tao and practice, are also the basis of religion, and the two are indispensable.But religious practice doesn't always have to be ritual, that is, it doesn't have to offer sacrifices, recite prayers, and take other outward forms.The purpose of these forms is simply to please the gods.If this god prefers love, mercy, and chastity to blood sacrifices, hymns, and incense, the best way for his followers to please him is not to fall at his feet and chant his praises. Words, or fill his temple with expensive gifts, but treat all living beings with integrity, generosity, and kindness.For in doing so one would imitate the perfection of the Divine as far as the feeble mind of man can.It is this ethical aspect of religion that the Hebrew prophets tirelessly taught, out of a sublime belief in the goodness and holiness of God.As Micah [one of the Hebrew prophets of the 8th century BC] said: "O man, the LORD has shown you what is good. What does he want from you? If only you will do justice, love mercy, and keep a humble attitude." Heart, walk with your God." [See Christianity "The Old Testament Books of the Holy Bible] "Return to the Book of the Bible" and "Private Books" and in a later period, the power that Christianity used to conquer the world came to a large extent from the From this sublime belief in the moral nature of God and the sense of duty that men make themselves obedient to God.St. James said, "Pure religion and undefiled before God our Father, is this: To care for the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

But if religion consists, first, of belief in the gods who rule the world, and second, of an attempt to please them, then it is evident that such religion assumes that the processes of nature are somehow plastic or changeable, capable of Persuade or induce these powerful gods who control the course of nature to change the course of things to our advantage.Now, this implication of the plasticity or changeability of nature is exactly opposed to the principles of magic and science, which assume that the workings of nature are fixed and unchanging, and cannot be persuaded, entreated, or used. Threats and intimidation come with a little change.The difference between these two contradictory worldviews depends on their answers to such a crucial question: Are the forces that rule the world conscious and personal, or unconscious and impersonal?Religion, as an invitation to superhuman power, assumes the former of the two answers.For all practices of solicitation imply that the favored is a conscious or personal agent whose behavior is somehow indeterminate and can be persuaded to change in the direction one desires, as long as this Persuasion carefully caters to his interests, tastes, and feelings.One must not ingratiate oneself with what is regarded as inanimate, nor with persons whose behavior is known in particular cases to be absolutely delimited.In sum, religion is fundamentally opposed to magic and science insofar as it assumes that the world is directed by conscious agents whose wills can be persuaded.Both magic and science take it for granted that the course of nature depends not on the passions or whims of individual characters, but on immutable laws that proceed mechanically.The difference is that this recognition is implicit in witchcraft, but not implicit in science.Although it is true that witchcraft often deals with the gods, they are the very personal gods that religion assumes, so long as it is carried out in its normal form.It actually treats the gods exactly as it treats the inanimate, that is, by coercing or suppressing them rather than pleasing or flattering them, as religion does.Therefore, witchcraft asserts that all personal objects, whether human or divine, are ultimately always subordinate to those inhuman forces that control everything.Anyone who knows how to manipulate this power skillfully with the appropriate rituals and spells can continue to use it.In ancient Egypt, for example, the sorcerers claimed that they had the power to compel even the highest gods to obey them, and indeed threatened the gods with destruction if they resisted.Sometimes the sorcerer, though not yet at that point, declares that if Osiris [the god of death in ancient Egyptian mythology, he can cause death, he can also bring people back to life. ] disobey his orders, and he will throw its bones here and there or expose legends about him; likewise, there is a similar situation in India today: the great Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva [ Ancient Indian Brahmanism believed in many gods, and there were three main gods, Brahma (Brahma, the god of creation), Vishnu (the god of protection), and Shiva (the god of destruction). ); and think that the three represent the three aspects of the universe: "creation", "preservation" and "destruction". ] are also at the mercy of wizards.They command these supreme gods with their spells: the gods, both underground and in the sky, must obediently carry out any request of the wizards.There is a saying everywhere in India: "The whole universe is under the control of the gods, and the gods are under the control of mantras (mahas), and the mantras are under the control of Brahman, so Brahman is our god."

This fundamental conflict of principle between magic and religion is sufficient to explain the relentless animosity with which priests have frequently pursued wizards throughout history.The wizard's arrogance and self-importance towards a higher power, and his nonchalant assertion that he had the same power as the gods, could not fail to arouse the disgust of the priests.From the perspective of the priest's awe of theocracy and the humiliation before God, such claims and attitudes must be seen as usurping the privileges that belong only to God, which is extremely evil and disrespectful.It may also be conceived that the motives of the wizards were sometimes base, which would have further aroused the hostility of the priests.Since the priest claimed to be the legitimate intermediary between God and man, the role of a real middleman, there is no doubt that his interests, as well as his feelings, were often hurt by his rival wizards.This competitor persuades people to take a surer and smoother path to happiness instead of the rough and unsure way to God's favor.

Yet the opposition with which we have become so familiar seems to have manifested itself clearly only at a later period in the history of religion.In its earlier stages the functions of priest and wizard were often combined.Or rather, each of them has not yet differentiated from the other.In order to realize their desires, on the one hand, people use prayers and offering sacrifices to seek the blessings of the gods, and at the same time, they turn to rituals and certain forms of words, hoping that these rituals and words themselves may bring the desired results. There is no need to resort to ghosts and gods.In short, he performed religious and magical rites at the same time.He muttered prayers and incantations almost simultaneously, paying no heed to the contradictions between his actions and his theories, as long as he managed to get what he needed.We have seen examples of this fusion or confusion of religion and magic among the Melanesians and other peoples.

This confusion of religion and magic has survived among the more educated peoples, as in ancient India and Egypt, and has by no means disappeared from the modern European peasantry.Regarding the situation in ancient India, a prominent Sanskrit scholar told us: "According to the detailed information we have, the sacrificial ceremonies in early history generally carried the spirit of the most primitive witchcraft." The importance of the East, especially in Egypt, Professor Marble [1846~1916, French scholar, Orientalist. ] emphasized: "We should not have the contemptuous view that the word witchcraft almost inevitably arouses in the modern mind. Ancient witchcraft is the basis of religion. The pious, who want to obtain the favor of God A man who has no chance of success unless he grasps God with both hands. And this can only be obtained through a certain number of ceremonies, sacrifices, prayers, hymns, etc. God himself has revealed that only by treating him in this way can he Make him do what is required of him." A similar confusion of ideas, this mixing of religion and magic, often occurs in a different form among the ignorant classes of modern Europe.We have heard: "In France, most peasants still believe that the priest possesses a mysterious, irresistible power over nature. In case of urgent need, by reciting the kind of prayer that only he knows and has the right to say , he can stop or reverse the eternal laws of the material world for a period of time, although for this kind of prayer, he must immediately ask God for forgiveness. The wind, hail, thunder, and rain all obey his command and obey him. Even the fire is at his command, and he can extinguish the flames of a fire with a word." For example, French peasants may still believe that priests can perform "Holy Mass" with a specific ceremony.Such miraculous efficacy was found in this Mass that it never met with opposition from any of the gods.God, too, is compelled to grant in this case whatever request he makes, however frivolous and perpetual it may be.In the minds of those who live in extreme poverty, there is no thought of impiety or irreverence for such ceremonies, because they hope to occupy the kingdom of heaven by this simple means.Secular priests generally reject this Holy Spirit Mass.But the monks, especially those of the Franciscan Puritan order, were famously willing to grant urgent and painful entreaties.Country people in Catholic countries believe that priests have a talent for urging gods to do this and that, which is very similar to the special talent that ancient Egyptians believed in their wizards.

The reader may ask the following question: Why didn't wise people see through the fallacy of witchcraft sooner?How can they continue to hope for things that are hopeless?For what reason do they persist in performing the old antics that have no effect and uttering the solemn nonsense that does not serve any purpose?Why do they linger on beliefs that so clearly contradict their own experience?How can you be so brave to repeat the same mistakes?The answer to these questions seems to be this: the fallacy of witchcraft is far from easy to detect, and its failures are not obvious.This is because in many cases, even in most cases, as a certain magical ritual is performed, it is probable that the desired results will actually be produced after a greater or lesser lapse of time.To be able to perceive that these effects are not due to witchcraft under such circumstances requires a sharper mind than the average human being.Sooner or later, sooner or later, after a magical ritual has been performed, either to bring about the storm or to kill the enemy, the result it wishes to produce often follows.It is understandable why primitive man regards these events as the immediate consequences of the ritual and the best proof of its effectiveness.Likewise, those rites that call the sunrise in the morning and awaken the dormant earth in the spring will surely succeed, at least in temperate regions.For in these regions the sun always lights its golden lamp every morning in the east, and the spring earth redresses herself in green smocks year after year when spring returns to the earth.The practical savage, therefore, by his conservative nature, never pays heed to the "sophisms" of the theoretical skeptics and radical philosophers.The latter has the audacity to suggest that the sunrise and the return of spring are not the direct result of the daily and yearly punctuality of witchcraft, that the sun might still rise and the trees might go on even if the ritual were occasionally interrupted or ceased altogether. Bloom and bear fruit.The doubts of these skeptics will naturally be rejected with righteous indignation and condemnation by the listeners.For these doubts undermined his faith with vain fantasies, and manifestly contradicted his experience.He might say: "I light my twopenny candle on the ground, and the sun will light his great fire in the sky. Is there anything clearer? I should like to know: in When I put on my green robe in the spring and the trees don't! These are the unmistakable facts on which everyone bases my position. I am a blunt practical person, not Theorists, nitpickers, and sophists like you. Theory and thinking and all that sort of thing are probably not bad in themselves, and I have nothing against you being so preoccupied with them. If If you don't put it into action. Don't bother me, let me be true to the facts, and sooner or later I will find out the truth of the matter." The error of this argument is obvious to us, because the facts he is discussing The absurd has long been beyond doubt for us.But if a plea like this is about a question that is under discussion, it may be asked, can the English audience not applaud it as a sound pleading?Can it be denied that this polemicist is a shrewd and careful man?He wasn't brilliant or ostentatious, but he was decidedly reasonable and practical.If the above-mentioned arguments can still be considered reasonable in today's society, why should it be surprising that primitive man has not been able to perceive this error for a long time?