Magic is not ‘harmless fun,’ priest says as British university plans occult studies program

[Michie]

(OSV News) — A British university recently announced plans to begin enrolling students in a master’s degree program in the study of magic next year.

The University of Exeter, a cathedral town in southwest England, said the master of arts in magic and occult science — which is described in a press release as “innovative” — has been created following a “recent surge in interest in magic.”

The interest is not that recent, however. It’s been more than 25 years since J.K. Rowling published her debut novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” To say it was a success story would be an understatement; “Harry Potter” quickly became big business and spawned a global franchise, movies, game shows, theme park rides and endless merchandise.

Is the occult harmless fun?​

But, while at first glance an interest in magic or even the occult might look like just harmless fun, Catholics should be aware of what the church teaches about such things and the very real dangers associated with what Pope Francis often refers to as “bad spirits.”

This is all the more important since the interest shown by wider society in the occult shows no signs of waning, to just look at some of the latest releases from streaming service Netflix, especially for teens. All of this means that Catholics, particularly parents, need to be aware of what they are dealing with and the need to warn vulnerable people, especially the young.

So what are Catholics to make of such a program?

Biblical teaching on witchcraft​

Continued below.

Magic is not 'harmless fun,' priest says as British university plans occult studies program

The University of Exeter, a cathedral town in southwest England, said the master of arts in magic and occult science -- which is described in a press release as "innovative" -- has been created following a "recent surge in interest in magic."

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[Wolseley]

Next they'll be reviving the worship of Odin, Zeus, Moloch, and Anubis.

 

[RileyG]

Amen! NEVER mess with "magic"

 

[PaulChilds]

(OSV News) — A British university recently announced plans to begin enrolling students in a master’s degree program in the study of magic next year.

The University of Exeter, a cathedral town in southwest England, said the master of arts in magic and occult science — which is described in a press release as “innovative” — has been created following a “recent surge in interest in magic.”

The interest is not that recent, however. It’s been more than 25 years since J.K. Rowling published her debut novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” To say it was a success story would be an understatement; “Harry Potter” quickly became big business and spawned a global franchise, movies, game shows, theme park rides and endless merchandise.

Is the occult harmless fun?​

But, while at first glance an interest in magic or even the occult might look like just harmless fun, Catholics should be aware of what the church teaches about such things and the very real dangers associated with what Pope Francis often refers to as “bad spirits.”

This is all the more important since the interest shown by wider society in the occult shows no signs of waning, to just look at some of the latest releases from streaming service Netflix, especially for teens. All of this means that Catholics, particularly parents, need to be aware of what they are dealing with and the need to warn vulnerable people, especially the young.

So what are Catholics to make of such a program? In my opinion, I can understand the interest in such a program. It's interesting to me too and from time to time I can read something related to it. but I have doubts that it's a good idea to create a whole new program. It's better to spend that money on improving the ones we have already. I think it would be much better to create a course, and those who are interested can take it. I would think about taking one too because it will be interesting. I'm a student myself and such courses always have a lot of visitors. I have a lot of extra courses, and I was happy to enroll, but it's so hard to do all the tasks. From time to time I use this service https://customwriting.com/buy-research-paper because I don't always have enough time to do them by myself. Writing tasks takes a lot of time and effort, so I better use professional help, and focus on other tasks which I find more important and useful for me.

Biblical teaching on witchcraft​

Continued below.

Magic is not 'harmless fun,' priest says as British university plans occult studies program

The University of Exeter, a cathedral town in southwest England, said the master of arts in magic and occult science -- which is described in a press release as "innovative" -- has been created following a "recent surge in interest in magic."

www.oursundayvisitor.com

I've heard about such a program, but honestly, I don't understand it.
I can't deny the fact that such studies are interesting for people and I think that some will enroll, but I believe in practical professions. With such a degree what can you do with all that knowledge? Be a professor and teach it. or what else?

 

[Wolseley]

I've heard about such a program, but honestly, I don't understand it.
I can't deny the fact that such studies are interesting for people and I think that some will enroll, but I believe in practical professions. With such a degree what can you do with all that knowledge? Be a professor and teach it. or what else?

Well.....I imagine such a degree would be every bit as useful as a degree in Art History, Feminist Economics, or LGBTQ+ Studies.

 

[JSRG]

I was curious about exactly what the degree in Occult Studies was. Because if it's simply a matter of learning about occult beliefs and such, and not practicing it necessarily, that's not any more problematic from a Catholic perspective than a university offering degrees in something like Islamic Studies (I suppose some would consider that problematic too, but this wouldn't be any worse than what's already offered).

Speaking of which, what's odd is the category this degree is listed under. Now, the article frustratingly gives no link to any actual information or announcement about it, so I had to search it out myself. Here's the degree information:

Magic and Occult Science MA | Postgraduate Taught | University of Exeter

www.exeter.ac.uk

Weirdly, this degree is listed under the category of "Arab and Islamic Studies"; seems like it should be under something like Philosophy. Anyway, here's a description of the course content:

The MA Magic and Occult Science is a unique programme that allows you to tailor a programme to your own interests by choosing a range of modules within humanities and social sciences, or by specialising in a certain area.

The core module, ARAM251 Esotericism and the Magical Tradition is a team-taught module where students explore key topics including magic in Greece and Rome, occult texts in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the history of witchcraft, magic in literature and folklore, deception and illusion, and the history of science and medicine, among other key themes.

By housing this program within the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, we place the Arabo-Islamic cultural heritage back where it belongs in the centre of these studies and in the history of the “West.” Decolonisation, the exploration of alternative epistemologies, feminism, and anti-racism are at the core of this programme.

So this largely sounds more like learning about it, rather than actually learning to do anything occultic yourself. The weird thing to me is the last paragraph, where it tries to portray the occult as "Arabo-Islamic cultural heritage", which ironically sounds like it'd be offensive to a Muslim. But far more confusing is how "Decolonisation, the exploration of alternative epistemologies, feminism, and anti-racism" have much to do with the subject being studied, let alone the core of it.