Magic Stories

Can a Christian be a Magician?

 

Inside Magic is not here to pressure anyone into any belief — other than magic is worth loving. I’ve opened the “Religious Magic” section to include articles and news that might not otherwise be noted in the other categories.

I have intentionally not named it “Gospel Magic” so as to encourage an inter-faith dialogue. I thought I would start it out with my experiences. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and ideas for stories.

Read On . . .

I had a friend in college who burned all of his great magic equipment ? including a very nice Sucker Sliding Die Box and a large Nest of Boxes. He was convinced that being a “magician” was to dabble in the darker arts and thus put him on the wrong side of the eternal balance sheet. “Magicians are going to hell,” he told me.

I sure hoped not.

I didn’t want to go to hell but I also didn’t want to burn my equipment or stop performing.

First of all, I didn’t have much equipment ? I was more of sleight of hand guy with cards and coins ? so I’d have to burn my fingers or destroy my half dollars. I was pretty sure destroying money was a crime and I had no desire to burn my fingers.

Second of all, I thought he must be wrong. God couldn’t want to send me to hell because I did “Cards Across” or Matrix or “Card to Wallet.”

God may have other reasons that I would be deserving of eternal damnation but likely not because of my magic performances. And fortunately, God sent his son to save me from what I truly deserved.

Scott, my friend, explained that magic was an act of deception, of lying.

We magicians were lying to our audiences and thereby inviting them into the realm of the Great Deceiver.

“Not the way I do it,” I said. “Most the time they can tell I’m palming my cards. No one is deceived.”

“You’re missing the point,” he said. “We are asking people to suspend their belief and for a moment believe that we have supernatural powers that allow us to do the physically impossible.”

I had to point out that even on my best day, my card to wallet looked like a guy with a really stiff hand taking too long to look for his wallet.

Hetold me that the Bible itself says magic is a sin.

He had me stumped. I am Catholic so we didn’t read the Bible that much.

I countered with logic.

If it is a sin, why did magicians come see the baby Jesus in the manger?”

“They were wise men,” he said.

“So you’re saying that you can’t be wise and be a magician?” I was puzzled.

“No, I’m saying that they weren’t magicians. The ‘Magi’ were…

 

Inside Magic is not here to pressure anyone into any belief — other than magic is worth loving. I’ve opened the “Religious Magic” section to include articles and news that might not otherwise be noted in the other categories.

I have intentionally not named it “Gospel Magic” so as to encourage an inter-faith dialogue. I thought I would start it out with my experiences. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and ideas for stories.

Read On . . .

I had a friend in college who burned all of his great magic equipment ? including a very nice Sucker Sliding Die Box and a large Nest of Boxes. He was convinced that being a “magician” was to dabble in the darker arts and thus put him on the wrong side of the eternal balance sheet. “Magicians are going to hell,” he told me.

I sure hoped not.

I didn’t want to go to hell but I also didn’t want to burn my equipment or stop performing.

First of all, I didn’t have much equipment ? I was more of sleight of hand guy with cards and coins ? so I’d have to burn my fingers or destroy my half dollars. I was pretty sure destroying money was a crime and I had no desire to burn my fingers.

Second of all, I thought he must be wrong. God couldn’t want to send me to hell because I did “Cards Across” or Matrix or “Card to Wallet.”

God may have other reasons that I would be deserving of eternal damnation but likely not because of my magic performances. And fortunately, God sent his son to save me from what I truly deserved.

Scott, my friend, explained that magic was an act of deception, of lying.

We magicians were lying to our audiences and thereby inviting them into the realm of the Great Deceiver.

“Not the way I do it,” I said. “Most the time they can tell I’m palming my cards. No one is deceived.”

“You’re missing the point,” he said. “We are asking people to suspend their belief and for a moment believe that we have supernatural powers that allow us to do the physically impossible.”

I had to point out that even on my best day, my card to wallet looked like a guy with a really stiff hand taking too long to look for his wallet.

Hetold me that the Bible itself says magic is a sin.

He had me stumped. I am Catholic so we didn’t read the Bible that much.

I countered with logic.

If it is a sin, why did magicians come see the baby Jesus in the manger?”

“They were wise men,” he said.

“So you’re saying that you can’t be wise and be a magician?” I was puzzled.

“No, I’m saying that they weren’t magicians. The ‘Magi’ were wise men.”

“So?” When I am stumped, I resort to the ‘so?’ defense.

“So, they weren’t magicians.”

“Okay, well what about all of the Christian Magician Societies we’ve seen at the conventions?”

“They’re misguided.”

That’s where we left it. As far as I know, he’s no longer doing magic.

I don’t question his sincerity or faith. I do question his interpretation of the Bible. Since those days, I had a chance to attend seminary and learn about the Bible firsthand.

It turns out, the ‘Magi’ weren’t wise men, they were really magicians. The point of Matthew 1:12 is that God can lead even the magicians (or astrologers) to Jesus. Granted, magicians aren’t held in high esteem in the Bible.

Simon the Mega Magician of Acts 8:9?24 and Elymas, the court sorcerer of Paphos (Acts 13:6?10) are not held in high esteem.

The “Great Simon,” as he is referred to in Acts 8:9-24, tries to buy the power Peter was offering through the Holy Spirit and Peter rebukes him “May your money perish with you, because you though that you could buy the gift of God with money.”

Simon apparently learns the wrong he has committed and tells “Pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Elymas, the magician of Paphos was rebuked by Paul saying “You son of the devil, you enemy of all that is right, full of every sort of deceit and fraud. Will you not stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord? Even now the hand of the Lord is upon you. You will be blind, and unable to see the sun for a time.”

He then became blind.

But, we should point out, he was a false-prophet. That’s a much different story than simply a magician.

One of the events that caused me to study Christianity was my attendance at an Andre Kole show in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I was a young magician and our family was rather agnostic. We were, and are, Catholic by nature and breeding ? it came with being Irish and growing up in Chicago. But following Vatican II and my parents’ divorce, the family fell away.

I knew of Andre Kole because his brand-new illusion, the Table of Death.

I had just seen it on the Mike Douglas Show and was blown away. It did not seem possible.

I won’t go into a full description here but chances are if you have never heard of the Mike Douglas Show, it is unlikely you’ll recall the first performances of this escape.

Mr. Kole did his illusion show and then announced after a short intermission, he would be back with an important portion of his show dealing with religion.

My father, brother and I stayed.

I can remember vividly his use of the Linking Rings to demonstrate our relationship with God. He then told the story of a bridge keeper who had to choose between lowering a bridge to allow a train full of travelers to pass safely or saving his son who was caught in the gears of the bridge. He noted that the travelers waived at the bridge keeper without the slightest inkling of his sacrifice for their sake.

The experience began the changes in my life that would later cause me to studythe Bible and my own faith.

My point, I guess, is that magic was used that night as a method of explaining in a very powerful manner the important message that God truly loves me unconditionally and sacrificed His son for my sake.

I didn’t deserve it, not even a little. But He did it.

Magic is not evil, it is not intrinsically leading its audience or practitioner to hell but in the right hands can bring a great message to people who may not otherwise listen.

I have never done Gospel Magic but that is not because I think it is wrong or an evil mixture.

I used to think I wasn’t a good enough magician or a good enough Christian to publicly perform in that way.

With my reading and prayer, I’ve come to believe that God understands that I am not and will not be perfect ? at least not in this life on earth ? so the fact that I am not a “good enough Christian” shouldn’t hold me back.

As an Irish Catholic, I am very willing to accept that I fall short of perfection.

But as far as the magic is concerned, the fact that I have accepted Christ will not improve my top palm or wallet-load. I would prefer to be a better magician, if magic will be the tool by which I will share the most important message I know.

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