What can I say.. look up the council of Paderborn and canon law in general during the period.
> impossible that an "official position" would be held and revoked later
You don’t know much about the Catholic church do you? That’s kind of its thing…
> No impossible or nonexistent practice could be condemned or punished, right?
Belief in witchcraft and supernatural was of course widespread.. that’s why the church considered it heresy that they had to crack down on. Since effectively it challenged the legitimacy of Christian faith..
> examine the article I cited
Which you surely did not bother reading yourself.
> does not mean "nonexistent" or "impossible".
Belief in witchcraft is logically incompatible with non Gnostic Christianity, since only God can perform miracles.
> of scientists who were also clergymen
Yes, scientific method as we know it was to a large extent developed by Christian theologians back in those days. Not sure what does that have to do with magic and witchcraft?
Yes, the Catholic Church supports and encourages belief in the supernatural. It is strange, isn't it. In fact it's nearly mandatory!
Paderborn is particularly mentioned in the article I linked.
Paderborn condemned the pagan belief in witches. They condemned the pagan accusations and persecution of witches. They condemned the pagan practices of cremating them and of eating their flesh. Paderborn opposed the view that paganism or occult practices were "efficacious", in other words that they worked for people, doing what it says on the tin, and that they may not be dangerous.
> That’s kind of its thing…
Discipline vs. doctrine and dogma; public policy vs. beliefs and teachings; governance vs. faith and morals.
It is interesting, because you will find Christians and Catholics who insist that pagan gods do not exist. Or that they're not divine. Or that they are "false", or some are demons.
And that was exactly the controversy when Moses (I mean Yahweh) brought plagues on Egypt, and when Elijah went to sacrifice on Mt. Carmel, and when St. Paul preached before the Altar of the Unknown God in Athens. It's more or less a matter of framing, isn't it?
> only God can perform miracles.
This is true. And this is also why the evaluation of alleged "private revelation" or purported "miracles" may hand down a decision called "Constat de non supernaturalitate".
What can I say.. look up the council of Paderborn and canon law in general during the period.
> impossible that an "official position" would be held and revoked later
You don’t know much about the Catholic church do you? That’s kind of its thing…
> No impossible or nonexistent practice could be condemned or punished, right?
Belief in witchcraft and supernatural was of course widespread.. that’s why the church considered it heresy that they had to crack down on. Since effectively it challenged the legitimacy of Christian faith..
> examine the article I cited
Which you surely did not bother reading yourself.
> does not mean "nonexistent" or "impossible".
Belief in witchcraft is logically incompatible with non Gnostic Christianity, since only God can perform miracles.
> of scientists who were also clergymen
Yes, scientific method as we know it was to a large extent developed by Christian theologians back in those days. Not sure what does that have to do with magic and witchcraft?