Pyat emerges from the Land of Y4PC834MBH and Y4PC834MBH/2...

[pyat]

From a comment in another journal:

Speaking as an actual Witch, I'd LOVE to know how to cast spells with such efficiency ... the best I've ever done has been comparable to coincidence!

The commenter is making fun of Christians in the US concerned that Kenyan witch doctors are casting spells on John McCain to make him act dopey.

You know, time was, I'd be all over that comment. I'm much more laissez-faire these days! And anyways, it's Halloween. Magical coincidences are to be expected.

I worked late last night, and started work early this morning, so I could be sure of being home to go out with the girls.

Happy Halloween! May all your coincidences be magical ones!

Now, I got me a pumpkin to kill.

Comments

[easyalchemy.livejournal.com]

Almost... almost like it wasn't really...

Awww, I feel a kind of protective kindness towards people like that. But I guess god looks out for fools and children.

[seritaph.livejournal.com]

Well shoot. And here I am, just trying to set people on fire with the power of my mind.

[momentrabbit.livejournal.com]

"Remember me, Mister Gourd? Zimbabwe, 1923. If you're going to lop off a man's head, scoop out his brains and light a festive candle inside his skull, you'd better make sure you finish the job. And now," (wields knife) "we see the hunter... has become the hunted!"

(Knife plunge! Silhouette! Lightning flashes! Thunder! Orchestra sting!)

[aslowhite.livejournal.com]

...Kenyan witch doctors are casting spells on John McCain to make him act dopey.

OMGROFLMAO!!!!

*wipes tears from eyes*

That's hilarious. As if he weren't doing that all by himself!!!

Silly people.

[pwned-kisa.livejournal.com]

Erm. Speaking as a neo-pagan who's been around the non-fluffy pagan boards for quite some time, I might be taking a different take than some here. But, I'm a bit confused as to why this comment is making you scratch your head/otherwise demonstrate confusion?

The way that I see this comment reading is that s/he's basically saying that s/he doesn't believe that magic/spells can cause someone to act idiotic, in the way that "some Christians" are worrying themselves over. That her/his spells are nothing more than concentrated wishful thinking.

I'm not going to get into spells vs prayer (although I really could) here, but, yeah... kinda confused as to what's up with this post.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I used to be more aggressively mechanistic and skeptical - I still am, but I'm not as obnoxious about it. Back when I started this LJ, I'd have called the person out and asked them this:

"If the BEST you can do with spells resembles coincidence, then why do you believe you're doing anything at all?"

[pwned-kisa.livejournal.com]

Same reason people pray, when they don't think that they're actually talking to God, or that it'll do anything. After all, that's basically what spells are. **shrugs** But, as you said, you're no longer obnoxious about it, so, meh.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

The context of the comment, though, makes it pretty clear that the person thought they're spells were changing reality in some fashion beyond the "power of positive thinking" or changing their own attitude.