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From: cc@locus.ucla.edu (Oleg "Kill the bastards" Kiselev)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: A reply to Stuart Gathman
Message-ID: <1870@curly.ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 2-Oct-86 13:21:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: curly.1870
Posted: Thu Oct  2 13:21:37 1986
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Reply-To: oac6.oleg@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU (Oleg "Kill the bastards" Kiselev)
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Blackwell at some point states
>... supernatural occurances (ie. miracles) are not
>a result of the laws of nature being broken, but are the invocation of 
>just those parts of the "*real* laws of nature" that our generalised
>'general laws' do not cover!

In article <1686@ames.UUCP> barry@ames.UUCP (Kenn Barry) responds:
>	But this definition of "supernatural" implies that there
>is some sort of Higher Law that even God is bound by. This may
>in fact be true, but most who believe in the supernatural would
>dispute it. Their definition of supernatural IS lawless.

"Supernatural" (and magic), as viewed by most Neo-Pagans, conforms  to the
ideas to which Blackwell seems to subscribe. Such view, consistent with
Ritual Magic concepts and WitchCraft, and presupposes non-existance  of
a "Supreme Being" which is uncontrollable and not bound by any laws (as 
most (all?) monotheistic deities appear to be).

It would seem to me that the conflict between this "definition" and prevalent
interpretation of "supernatural" arises only when a Jewdeo-Xtian (and Islamic)
theology is taken as a basis for the analysis. 

Now, what WAS Blackwell trying to say???

						Oleg Kiselev
						HASA, "A" division