Major Religions And Magic

Chapter 9

Since the earliest recorded history, nonmagic peoples (“Muggles”) have defined magic as a mystical power derived from the gods and goddesses of their culture. They explained away this natural phenomenon by attributing it to the supernatural, to their religious deities, in an effort to explain what could not be explained. Indeed, even some witches and wizards of ancient times believed that their own powers came from the gods and goddesses, for they lacked the knowledge and intense study in the pathways of magic that have been since studied. In the beginning, most cultures respected and even revered witches and wizards living in their societies, elevating them to ever-higher statuses – priests, shamans, rulers. Eventually, however, the Muggles began to fear and condemn the practises of their fellow witches and wizards. The rise of Judaism and Christianity were especially well known for a dramatic change in Muggle-Wizard Relations.