A quick history of Magic and it’s relationship to the developing western civilization.

Ancient roman law recognised the difference between beneficial magic such as healing, herbal treatments, blessings, prayers, divination etc.. And harmful magic --evil doing, hexes, curses and the like.

This concept existed into early European civilizations. There was good magic- given by the Gods/God- healing, divination, miracles and harmful magic. Those condemned for witchcraft usually were midwives practicing without a licence, taking business away from the leechy physicians.

During the 9th and 10th centuries the church began to condemn witches because they decided that even beneficial magic belonged to God and therefore only His priests could have access to this power.

The Theology faculty at Paris University officially made all magic heresy in 1398, regardless of God given or not. Anything suspect of being supernatural in anyway, and not performed by a priest, was heresy and a pact with Satan.

This shows that the concept of beneficial magic being evil is a uniquely Christian, they had the power, they made the laws. As we see in other cultures, Native American, for example the distinction between harmful and beneficial magic was/is still made. Shamans and Medicine men/women perform healing and good magic for their peoples. They avoid the evil spirits and even the tricky ones like Coyote.

It was either Shayno or Graceshaker who asked Why should we as Christians not run from a proclaimed witch, when the Bible calls witchcraft a sin?

The method of beginning an examination by torture is as follows: First, the jailers prepare the implements of torture, then they strip the prisoner (if it be a woman, she has already been stripped by other women, upright and of good report). This stripping is lest some means of witchcraft may have been sewed into the clothing--such as often, taught by the Devil, they prepare from the bodies of unbaptized infants, [murdered] that they may forfeit salvation.