Is it though…? As stupid as the Abrahamic God is, at least you have a “God of the Gaps” thing going on where all God really has to be is someone with their own agency to grant you what you ask for and to determine where to place you in an untestable “afterlife”. Of course there’s an obvious cocktail of inherent contradictions when you choose “omniscient”, “omnipotent”, and “omnibenevolent” at the same time, but then you can appeal to the idea we wouldn’t possibly understand the whims of such a god outside of time and space. Again, stupid as fuck, but you can weasel your way out of anything.
But witchcraft? Okay, you’re transferring the agency to yourself, and you’re saying you can perform magic, but now you have no evidence you’re capable of jack shit and you have no excuse to pawn it off onto. You’ll never be able to do magic your entire life because it categorically isn’t real, so is the excuse that witches are real but you personally really suck as one? Is the idea that you do what “God” does and take credit for anything that vaguely “works” by sheer coincidence and ignore everything else? Do you only cast “spells” that function as placebos like easing someone’s pain or making them feel happy – similar to many prayers?
So now you’ve gone from untestable woo like the afterlife and testable but weaselable woo like prayers to woo that you should absolutely be able to test empirically because you’re in control of it.
Cruxifux@feddit.nl 3 weeks ago
You say that as if you HAVE to believe in magic.
ThunderChunk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
It’s a lot more fun to believe in magic when you know it’s not real than to actually believe in magic.
Cruxifux@feddit.nl 3 weeks ago
True.
A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
So? Ffs have some fun with life before a climate emergency or secret police get to you.
RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com 2 weeks ago
I cast itchy retina on you.
ThunderChunk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
FYI around the time you sent this I rubbed my eye, but forgot that I had cut jalapeños earlier…I do not like you
Cruxifux@feddit.nl 2 weeks ago
Underrated reply. My eyes went dry immediately after I read this.
Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
You don’t have to believe it literally to justify participating, plenty of people who understand rationally that prayer won’t instantly get them what they want still pray
Cruxifux@feddit.nl 3 weeks ago
Yeah well that shit silly too.
otacon239@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Mindfulness is its own reward and prayer, even to a rock, can help. It’s about surrendering and accepting that there is something in the universe that you have no power over.
It’s not about believing the rock is alive or capable or changing things for you, but by simply reframing your desires as a universal one rather than an internal/personal one you can find yourself motivated in a different way and opportunities may present themselves differently.
I’m also talking about the traditional concept of prayer, not whatever the fuck the Christian’s are doing.
Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
And? There’s more inportant shit to worry about than people being silly
UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Its not magic, its rune smithing!