Notice how Charles and Cora link the dynamic power of thought with the existence of a "divine order." They write, "No one can use the dynamic power of thought in unbalanced ways without suffering undersirable reactions. To avoid this we keep before our mind's eye the dominant existence of a divine order and law to which we must conform if we are to attain enduring success."
Rodney Stark and Roger Finke write, "To distinguish religion from magic, we would note two distinctions: magic neither includes a general account, or explanation, of existence nor invokes gods. All religions offer some universal existential statements, while magic tends to focus on specific and immediate results and to ignore matters of meaning. As Durkheim put it, magic seeks "technical and utilitarian ends, it does ot waste its time in pure speculation." (Acts of Faith 105).
Both magic and religion have supernatural assumptions. But when the "dynamic power of thought" is your own work, compeltely detached from Spirit, it is magic. When it is linked with Spirit, it is religion (or spirituality if you wish).
Notice how Charles and Cora link the dynamic power of thought with the existence of a "divine order." They write, "No one can use the dynamic power of thought in unbalanced ways without suffering undersirable reactions. To avoid this we keep before our mind's eye the dominant existence of a divine order and law to which we must conform if we are to attain enduring success."
Rodney Stark and Roger Finke write, "To distinguish religion from magic, we would note two distinctions: magic neither includes a general account, or explanation, of existence nor invokes gods. All religions offer some universal existential statements, while magic tends to focus on specific and immediate results and to ignore matters of meaning. As Durkheim put it, magic seeks "technical and utilitarian ends, it does ot waste its time in pure speculation." (Acts of Faith 105).
Both magic and religion have supernatural assumptions. But when the "dynamic power of thought" is your own work, compeltely detached from Spirit, it is magic. When it is linked with Spirit, it is religion (or spirituality if you wish).