Post #4024452

2026-07-23 02:02 UTC

I say that the solution to this terrible problem, which is about as old as Christianity itself, must involve normalizing #magic. It's not good for magic to be seen as forbidden. It's not just awful and evil for practitioners of magic who find themselves in the crosshairs (see what I did there) of Christian extremists. It's also easy pickings for swindlers, not to mention an encouragement to those whose interest in magic comes chiefly from a desire to kick off all possible social restraints. Crowley's "do what thou wilt" credo, while not necessarily untrue, is intoxicating stuff when combined with the sort of resolve that only comes from rebellion against intense social repression and authoritarian rule. Magic must be democratized, brought into congruence with the general public understanding. (cont'd)

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@mxchara@seattle.pink 2026-07-23 02:07

Any "rationalists" reading this, anyone who takes excessive pride in being "scientific" and all that (whether or not they know any #science but let's get into scientism later) may think I'm talking lunacy. To them I say: (a) you're part of the problem and (b) you're talking that way because of Christianity and Christian extremism. Bigotry from "rationalists" is merely rebadged Christian bigotry, and I think that if you trace the roots of rationalist extremism you'll find a lot of ex-evangelicals, people with a legitimate hatred for childhood Christian indoctrination but who have internalized the authoritarian zealotry of their upbringing. In any case one does not fight the irrational simply by saying "be rational" or even "be rational or I call the cops on you." (cont'd)

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