XPost: alt.religion.wicca, alt.arts.poetry.comments, alt.magick   
   From: dmh7@skypoint.com   
      
   Martin Swain wrote:   
   > Dale Houstman wrote:   
   >   
   >    
   >   
   >> The wider point is that there is no observable manifestation of   
   >> "magick" in the world,   
   >   
   >   
   > Must be nice to be omniscient. Not only do apparently   
   > have a complete understanding of what is observable and what is   
   > not, (presumably encompassing the observational powers of   
   > every single human being alive), but you also seem to have access   
   > to the knowledge of exactly what there is in the world for   
   > them to observe!   
      
   Not omniscience: I leave that to those who are "privy" to an invisible   
   and ineffectual other-world. One needn't be ominscient to say that proof   
   of magic (beyond heresay and vague experiences caused by sleep   
   deprivation, drugs, hysteria, crisis, etc.) simply doesn't exist. If it   
   had been happening as much as is claimed, it would be impossible to miss   
   in the newspapers, the reference books, and life at large. There is no   
   doubt there are people who will tell us that they have witnessed   
   "magick" but that doesn't constitute proof, only testimony, and   
   testimony is there to be weighed. None of it has yet made its way into   
   the proof column. It doesn't take a god to comprehend this, only a human   
   with a functioning nervous system and five good senses.   
      
   dmh   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)