Theos-Talk Archives (February 1998 Message tt00031)

Bart:

>> The following is interesting. Does this action constitute black
>> magic?

>Not by any definition I know of. They are not asking for anybody to
>be harmed, just for people to be kept safe.

>Unless you consider the very
>existence of people in Israel to be, in itself, evil, then praying that
>missiles do not hit them is certainly not black magic. Also note that
>Israel has threatened to counter-attack if missiles are used against
>them; if Israel is protected from missiles, there will be no
>counter-attack.

There are a number of issues regarding the use of magic that could
be discussed. The news story I posted was a good opening for a
discussion -- if people were interested in the topic. Some questions
that come to mind to me as I think about the situation are:

Are some weapons so bad that to use them is unethical or wrong --
like biological or nuclear weapons? Is it justified to use them in
self-defense, although wrong to use them in offense? Could it be
possible that both parties in a conflict consider themselves as
battling in a defensive mode, even though the "aggressor" is
making a preemptive strike against the other party? And ... is the
use of magic or occult forces for military purposes, even in
what is seen as national self-defense, something ok? Are occult
powers "ethical" weapons like guns and bullets or "unethical"
weapons like chemical or biological weapons? Do they provide an
unfair advantage, and brutalize the opponent in monstrous ways?
Or perhaps they are like land mines, only blowing off soldiers'
legs and maiming them if they cross forbidden territory and attempt
to invade -- in this case only inflicting harm on people actually
involved in attacking one?

These are *questions*, not answers, and I'd need to dwell on
the subject more before making a statement of my one. What
do you think?

-- Eldon