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fearon14

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I was wondering if the blood magic mod or forbidden magic or ars magica or witchery is there anything real happening with mods like these like spiritually or is it all just imaginary and would anything bad happen to me spiritually if I were to use these mods. If you have any experience being a christian and using these mods please tell me. Im trying to cotinue a quest line that goes with a modpack and if I were to run into one of these mods in the modpack should I stop or am I ok? Thank you. God bless.
 
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Alistair_Wonderland

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I use Ars Magica and Witchery all the time, and I've never felt that God is condemning me for it. If it really makes you uncomfortable, just imagine that it's the power of God, like the prophets had. And while I know Witchery has vampires and stuff, God also has angels of death who are apparently good guys. So just say that the vampires are one of those.

Unless you're feeling tempted to commit witchcraft for real, I don't think this is a problem. Also, in Witchery, the Ender infusion is, in my opinion, the best power. Teleportation rocks!
 
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Alistair_Wonderland

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What about blood magic, have you played the blood magic mod?
Not seriously, but I did have a modded game which I got to understand it a bit. I know it has lots of sacrifices and stuff, but when you think of it, so did the Old Testament.

If you honestly have any moral dilemma about these things, then you can just make a resource pack (there are tutorials online) and change the names and looks of everything to something you feel more comfortable with. That's the great thing about Minecraft. It's so open for customization.

Also, interesting tidbit. King Solomon, (according to legend, so this is not proven in the Bible) was so wise that he found out how to enslave the demons and force them to obey him. And Jesus says we have power over spirits. Keep in mind, life isn't "magic is bad". Magic is, in a general definition, the force of the supernatural. And God is supernatural. So by that definition, God has magic, and so did the prophets. The reason God forbade sorcery is because it involves opening ourselves up to evil spirits, not spirits in general. Some spirits are good, and at least one is Holy.

The fun thing about God is that, if you cut past the boring version the modern church sadly seems to push, you'll find He really is awesome. Try reading through Revelations some time. It's seriously crazy. And just like in fantasy, there is dark and light magic in real life. The light magic is God. And just because people have made God out to look boring doesn't mean he is. Elijah is practically Gandalf or Dumbledore, if you look at the stuff he does. And Sampson was practically Hercules. (Seriously, I wonder if the legends of Hercules weren't inspired by the tales of Sampson.)

All that to say, God is every bit as magical and cool as Harry Potter or Doctor Strange, and just because modern Christianity plays it down and denies that God does these things anymore doesn't mean that He doesn't, or can't, or won't.

So if you feel something in your game is leaning towards a more wrongful view of magic, then like I said earlier, make your own resource pack or something to change it. But don't feel ashamed about using magic in a game. Magic is not always the dark arts. Because call it magic or call it miracles or call it the power of God, God is the source of all true magic. And it's not the wishy-washy "a-nice-feeling-in-your-heart" figurative stuff a lot of people make it out to be. It's the "part the seas, move mountains, raise the dead" kind of magic. The kind which is cool. And it's that sort of magic that made the prophets who they were.

... Huh. Did I get a bit carried away there?
 
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WayfaringCoyote

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Hiya, stumbled upon this post while searching MC-related stuff. I figured its too late to give any advice seeing that the last post was almost 2 years ago, so this post is more to offer another perspective in case anyone else stumbles upon this post.

Anyway, as someone who's played modpacks with three of those mods in the past and have experienced them to different degrees, I disagree with Alistair_Wonderland's advice. Choosing to imagine that the magic from these mods is "the power of God" doesn't actually change anything. The "magic" of these mods are still what they are no matter what you imagine them to be. If a magic mod is satanic and you pretend it's holy, it'd be no different from telling yourself that a rotten apple is actually fresh: you'd just be deluding yourself, and you'll still get food poisoning if you eat it.

So in short, be honest with yourself and view these mods for what they are. If they seem like a bad thing and make you uncomfortable, it'd be better to go with your gut and leave them alone than to tell yourself they're something that they're not just to ease your mind.

.... now for the tough part. Are these mods bad? Will they lead to spiritual harm or bring in demons? To be frank, I can't really say yes or no, since there's no way for me to know for sure. I can give you my own personal opinions and experiences with the mods though. (And while I'm at it, I'll address some of the points Alistair_Wonderland made and why I disagree).

The only magic mod I really messed around with was Ars Magica 2. I only experienced Witchery and Blood Magic indirectly through my friends. Back then, I chose to avoid those mods since they seemed wrong and made me uncomfortable. I knew witchcraft was bad and Witchery included certain concepts that were really iffy, like voodoo dolls (IIRC that was a Witchery feature). Blood Magic also made me uncomfortable and seemed really iffy, though I didn't have an exact reason why at the time due to a lack of knowledge (maybe the Holy Spirit was warning me?).

On a side note, my view on fictional magic systems is that if they're based on actual occult practices or just generally promote immoral behavior, then they should be avoided. Also, if a fictional magic system gives you a bad feeling, like you know something's wrong with it (which could be the Holy Spirit telling you something), then it's better to avoid it than to stick with it.

Anyways, now for the mods themselves:

Ars Magica 2 doesn't seem to have anything bad in it... but that's only from my limited knowledge. I'm not sure if Ars Magica 2 is based on any actual occult practices or if it's all made-up fantasy magic. I can't remember if I had any bad vibes about it either. My uncertainty concerning Ars Magica 2 was actually how I found this thread, 'cause I was wondering if other Christians used the mod and if they thought anything about it.
Ironically, the mod I used the most out of the magic mods is the one I feel least convicted about. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.... Bottom line, remember to talk to God about these kinds of things if you're uncertain.
EDIT: I looked into Ars Magica 2 again and some stuff in it seems really iffy. I wouldn't recommend using it. I think the reason why Ars Magica 2 didn't seem iffy to me back then is that I didn't progress far enough into the mod to encounter the iffy aspects. Whereas Witchery and Blood Magic had blatant aspects that turned me off immediately, Ars Magica 2 was a bit more subtle and you had to dig a little deeper to encounter such things. (Plus I've forgotten a lot about the mod since I last played it. One particular thing I forgot is that you summon the Nature Guardian boss by killing several innocent Dryads. Seems kind of messed up, I don't know what younger me was thinking).

Witchery, if it's based on actual witchcraft, is a big no-no. It doesn't matter if it's in a virtual environment, practicing witchcraft in any way is just asking for trouble. Even if it doesn't bring anything in, it could hurt you spiritually by making you complacent with it.

And on Alistair_Wonderland's point on vampires and the angel of death... nothing personal, but that's a really big stretch. I'm not sure how the whole thing works, but angels are God's servants, and from what I understand, an angel of death is simply an angel who God sends to kill people (like the one spoken of in Exodus).
By contrast, vampires are unholy creatures of the night who literally suck the life out of people and are harmed by holy things, whether it be blessed bread from a church or an image of Jesus Christ. Pretending that a vampire is an angel of death is a disservice to angels.

Blood Magic. Not sure if Blood Magic is based directly on existing stuff, but there's a deep, blood-drenched history when it comes to pagan/occult religions and blood sacrifices. Spilling blood in exchange for power is just plain iffy.
And on Alistair_Wonderland's point on there being sacrifices in the Old Testament, he's completely omitting the context behind these sacrifices, and how Israelite sacrifices differed from every other religion's sacrifices.
The Israelites sacrificed sheep, as it was instructed by God and it represented the sacrifice Jesus would later make on the cross for our sins. Which is why Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb, 'cause sacrificial lamb and all that. Jesus's death also fulfilled the very purpose of these sacrifices, so they're no longer necessary.
Any other ritualistic blood sacrifice would be a pagan/occult one. The history and spiritual significance of spilling blood runs deep. It isn't something to be taken lightly.


Anyway, Alistair_Wonderland makes a point about God's powers being supernatural in nature, beyond our understanding and capable of amazing feats. God also worked through the prophets to do amazing things like prophesize and conduct miracles. These are all true. But I feel like he blurs the lines a bit, and that's a dangerous thing. A lot of what people think of as "magic" is pagan and occult practices. These practices are false in nature, but they are dangerous because they appeal to demons, who are also capable of supernatural feats in this world. They are nothing compared to the power of God, and they fear the very name of Jesus... but the moment you let them in by conducting occult/pagan practices, or by even being complacent with such practices, they have a level of dominion over you and can effect your life in negative ways. It's kind of like surrendering spiritual territory. The more you give, the more they can take.

I'm not saying this to frighten anyone, or to make them hyper-neurotic about the media they indulge in (speaking from personal experience). I'm just saying you should be wary of such things, because they do matter and can have an effect, and pretending they're something else to ease your conscience is a really bad idea.

Anyway, that's my (really long) take on it.
 
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faroukfarouk

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To take up one of your points, my wife and I have been reading refreshing Scriptures about the Lord Jesus the Lamb of God, Who is all worthy of honour and praise.

(Must admit I'm not into computer games much...)
 
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