Namely how the former views the latter, at least according to an old evangelical show I watched recently.
Obviously they don’t like those things, no shock there, but it’s how they dislike them that caught me off guard.
You’d think they’d just go “Oh fortune tellers/mediums are liars and witchcraft in general isn’t real” and leave it at that, but they don’t.
Instead it’s “No, no: All those things are real. Fortune tellers and mediums actually can see the future and speak to the dead, and witches do exist and can cast spells/curses on you.” (I know Wiccans exist, but you know what I mean)
Basically: Magic is real. But their problem is that those are “dark powers” that “come from the devil” so that’s why they’re bad.
It’s just so bizarre to me. Is this still true? Maybe I should’ve been tipped off from the evangelical panic around Harry Potter in the early 2000s that they actually do believe this stuff, but it didn’t fully register.
I’m basically an atheist, so maybe I’m biased, but I can’t help but think the reason they don’t flat out say that stuff is all fake is because they’re worried about planting seeds in kid’s/people’s heads that stuff like that can just be all fake ie. evangelical christianity itself. They don’t want to set that precedent in their minds and have them think “Well if that stuff’s not real…”.
I know many of these people. They believe in evil spirits and shit. I know people who would throw away their kids’ toys if they couldn’t figure out why the action figure was making a sound. Who tell their kids not to talk to their toys because something might use that opportunity to possess the toy and talk back.
I think this is more common in charismatic circles though, the more respectable evangelicals don’t let their beliefs get in the way of seeming normal. But speaking in tongues type folks? They’re basically medieval peasants , they believe in spells and shit, it’s not exaggerating.
I think what we were watching was from the latter circles, because they absolutely believed in speaking in tongues.
Also faith healing.
If you already believe in a magic man who watches everything you do and rules over a magic kingdom that he decides whether you’re allowed into when you die, and that magic man’s avatar that he sent to earth in human form who resurrected himself after being executed and will come back some day, and an entire realm of fire and suffering where bad people go when they die which is ruled over by monsters that used to be angels, and any number of other nonsense stories Christians believe then it really is not a leap to “and some people are utilizing evil magic.”
It would be weirder if they didn’t believe in witches tbh
everything between the absentee creator “deism” and total wacko is just in denial.
this is not unique to evangelicalism. it is extremely common for people to express idiosyncratic beliefs that contradict their official religion, especially if they are uneducated about their faith and are following it out of cultural obligation more than anything else.
A relative of mine is a roman catholic that also believes in reincarnation… It wasn’t worth correcting her either lol
The KKKri$$tians, the serious ones who actually believe it, are dangerous
Yeah it’s always a bit of a trip when you find someone who thinks stuff like the “Devil is a Real Dude” and evil dark magic is something people need to take very seriously
This isn’t a specifically Evangelical thing. It’s baked into the DNA of Christianity.
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” - Exodus 22:18
Belief in magic is their whole thing. How would they imagine a grand spiritual struggle in their everyday lives without ascribing magical powers to their perceived enemies to match their own miracles. What a boring delusion that would be. And anyway it helps them explain why everyone else is disgusted with them. They didn’t alienate their families and friends by being bigoted fools, the devil cast charm person.
Some people just think it’s fun to believe in ghosts and demons and get mad if you spoil their game
